[Transcriptomic analysis of the ΔPaLoc mutant of Clostridioides difficile and verification of its toxicity].

Objective: Comparative analyses of wild-type Clostridioides difficile 630 (Cd630) strain and pathogenicity locus (PaLoc) knockout mutant (ΔPaLoc) by using RNA-seq technology. Analysis of differential expression of Cd630 wild-type strain and ΔPaLoc mutant strain and measurement of its cellular virulence changes. Lay the foundation for the construction of an toxin-attenuated vaccine strain against Clostridioides difficile. Methods: Analysis of Cd630 and ΔPaLoc mutant strains using high-throughput sequencing (RNA-seq). Clustering differentially expressed genes and screening differentially expressed genes by DESeq software. Further analysis of differential genes using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment. Finally, cytotoxicity assays of ΔPaLoc and Cd630 strains were performed in the African monkey kidney epithelial cell (Vero) and the human colonic cell (Caco-2) lines. Results: The transcriptome data showed that the ΔPaLoc mutant toxin genes tcdA and tcdB were not transcribed. Compared to the wild-type strain, CD630_36010, CD630_020910,CD630_02080 and cel genes upregulated 17.92,11.40,8.93 and 7.55 fold, respectively. Whereas the hom2 (high serine dehydrogenase), the CD630_15810 (spore-forming protein), CD630_23230 (zinc-binding dehydrogenase) and CD630_23240 (galactitol 1-phosphate 5-dehydrogenase) genes were down-regulated by 0.06, 0.075, 0.133 and 0.183 fold, respectively. The GO and KEGG enrichment analyses showed that the differentially transcribed genes in ΔPaLoc were enriched in the density-sensing system, ABC transport system, two-component system, phosphotransferase (PTS) system, and sugar metabolism pathway, as well as vancomycin resistance-related pathways. Cytotoxicity assays showed that the ΔPaLoc mutant strain lost its virulence to Vero and Caco-2 cells compared to the wild-type Cd630 strain. Conclusion: Transcriptional sequencing analysis of the Cd630 and ΔPaLoc mutant strains showed that the toxin genes were not transcribed. Those other differential genes could provide a reference for further studies on the physiological and biochemical properties of the ΔPaLoc mutant strain. Cytotoxicity assays confirmed that the ΔPaLoc mutant lost virulence to Vero and Caco-2 cells, thus laying the foundation for constructing an toxin-attenuated vaccine strain against C. difficile.

NF-кB pathway genes expression in chicken erythrocytes infected with avian influenza virus subtype H9N2.

1. Chicken erythrocytes in blood vessels are the most abundant circulating cells, which participate in the host's immune responses. The transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) plays a vital role in the inflammatory response following viral infections. However, the expression of the NF-κB pathway, and other immune-related genes in chicken erythrocytes infected with low pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAIV H9N2), has not been extensively studied.2. The following study determined the interaction of LPAIV H9N2 with chicken erythrocytes using indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. This was followed by investigating myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88), C-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5), melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5), the inhibitor of nuclear factor-kappa B kinase subunit epsilon (IKBKE), NF-κB inhibitor alpha (NFKBIA), NF-κB inhibitor epsilon (NFKBIE), interferon-alpha (IFN-α), colony-stimulating factor 3 (CSF3) and tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) by mRNA expression using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) at four different time intervals (0, 2, 6 and 10 h).3. There was a significant interaction between erythrocytes and LPAIV H9N2 virus. Furthermore, the mRNA expression of the NF-κB pathway and other immune-related genes were significantly up-regulated at 2 h post-infection in infected chicken erythrocytes, except for TRAF6, which were significantly downregulated. While at 0 h post-infection, IFN-α and CSF3 were significantly upregulated, whereas NFKBIA was significantly downregulated. Further expression of MDA5, CCL5 and NFKBIA was upregulated, while TRAF6 was downregulated at 6 h post-infection. In infected erythrocytes, expression of MyD88, CCL5 and IKBKE was upregulated. However, IFN-α and TRAF6 were downregulated at 10 h post-infection.4. These results give initial evidence that the NF-κB pathway, and other genes related to immunity, in chicken erythrocytes may contribute to LPAIV subtype H9N2 and induce host immune responses.

[Efficacy and safety comparison between pro-urokinase and reteplase in the treatment of patients with acute ST elevation myocardial infarction].

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of pro-urokinase and reteplase in the treatment of patients with acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods: STEMI patients, who received intravenous thrombolytic therapy in Henan STEMI registry between September 2016 and August 2018, were eligible for this study. A total of 5479 patients from 66 hospitals were screened and patients were divided into pro-urokinase group (n=638) and reteplase group (n=702) according to thrombolytic drugs. Data including patient demographics, risk factors, medical histories, patient information at admission, in-hospital treatment, time delays, and clinical events were collected. The clinical recanalization rate, in-hospital mortality, in-hospital death or treatment withdrawal, in-hospital main adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE, death or treatment withdrawal, congestive heart failure, reinfarction and ischemic stroke) and post-thrombolysis bleeding were compared between the two groups. Bleeding events were evaluated with Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) criteria. Results: The median age [61.8 (53.2, 69.0) vs. 62.6 (52.1, 69.8), P=0.833] or the proportion of women [23.0% (147/638) vs. 25.1% (176/702), P=0.385] were similar between the pro-urokinase and reteplase groups. Clinical recanalization rates were similar between the pro-urokinase and reteplase groups [82.1% (524/638) vs. 84.9% (596/702), P=0.172], and there was no difference in the median time from onset to thrombolysis [194.5 (135.0,290.0) min vs. 190 (126.0,292.0) min, P=0.431] and the median recanalization time [95 (67.5,120.0) min vs. 95 (71.0,119.0) min, P=0.561] between the two groups. There was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality [5.5% (35/638) vs. 5.1% (36/702), P =0.770], in-hospital all-cause mortality, treatment withdrawal [8.9% (57/638) vs.7.7% (54/702), P=0.410], and in-hospital MACCE [13.0% (83/638) vs. 10.4% (73/702), P=0.137] between pro-urokinase and reteplase groups. However, the incidence of post-thrombolysis bleeding was significantly higher in reteplase group than in pro-urokinase group [7.8% (55/702) vs. 3.8% (24/638), P=0.002]. Further analysis found that the incidence of oral bleeding and the BARC grades 1-2 bleeding were significantly higher in reteplase group than in pro-urokinase group, whereas the incidence of cerebral hemorrhage was similar between the two groups [0.6% (4/638) vs. 0.4% (3/702), P=0.715]. The comparison of efficacy and safety outcomes between the two groups after adjusting for baseline characteristics using general linear mixed models was consistent with those before the adjustment. There was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality, in-hospital death or treatment withdrawal, in-hospital MACCE after adjusting for baseline characteristics and post-thrombolysis bleeding between the two groups. Conclusions: Pro-urokinase and reteplase have similar clinical efficacy in the treatment of STEMI. In terms of safety, the incidence of cerebral hemorrhage is similar, while the incidence of BARC grades 1-2 bleeding and oral bleeding is higher in reteplase group than in pro-urokinase group, which has no impact on in-hospital outcomes.

[Efficacy of thrombolytic therapy using reteplase in cases with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: results from a multicenter clinical trial].

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous thrombolytic therapy using reteplase in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Method: A total of 73 hospitals from Henan province took part in this clinical trials during October 2012 to October 2014, 1 226 cases (1 014 male (82.7%), mean age 59.0 (51.0, 66.0) years) with acute STEMI received reteplase as thrombolytic agent.Reperfusion rate was judged according to the clinical symptoms, electrocardiogram, myocardial enzymes and heart rhythm, and the rate of cardiovascular events and bleeding events during hospitalization was also observed.Bleeding events were evaluated with global utilization of streptokinase and tissues plasminogen activator for occluded coronary arteries (GUSTO) criteria.Subgroup analysis was performed to compare the effects of various thrombolysis timing (time from onset to thrombolysis≤6 h or 6-12 h) on reperfusion rate, cardiovascular events and bleeding events rate. Results: The reperfusion rate was 89.3% (1 089/1 219) at 120 minutes after the thrombolysis, average recanalization time was (59.96±26.86) minutes.The reperfusion rate of ≤6 h thrombolysis group was significantly higher than in 6-12 hours group (90.3% (988/1094) vs. 80.8% (101/125), P=0.001), while in-hospital mortality (2.6%(28/1 094) and 0.8% (1/125), P=0.352) and rate of bleeding (5.9%(64/1 094) and 5.6%(7/125), P=0.910) were similar between the two groups. The total in-hospital mortality after thrombolysis was 2.4% (29/1219), which was significantly higher in failed recanalization group than in recanalization group (10.8%(14/130) vs. 1.4%(15/1089), P< 0.001). The total rate of bleeding after thrombolysis was 5.8% (71/1219), there were 3 severe bleeding cases according to GUSTO classification (0.2%), all of them were cerebral hemorrhage, and 2 out of 3 cases died. Conclusions: Reteplase use is related to high recanalization rate and low cardiovascular events and bleeding rate and our results thus show that reteplase is a safe and effective thrombolytic agent for STEMI patients.

Simultaneous directional emissions of multiple quantum emitters with cross plasmonic antenna.

We introduce a cross plasmonic antenna (CPA) for the system of multiple quantum emitters (QEs) with different emission wavelengths, where the excitation light scattering and emission fluorescence of different QEs are spatially separated in four different directions. By considering the CPA as oscillating dipoles, this phenomenon is attributed to the phase differences between them. The enhancement for QEs are very strong in correponding directions. In addition, the fluorescence is strongly polarized. By adding a silver plate as substrate, the directivity can be further tuned in the whole upper half space. Our result shows that the CPA is promising for realization of an efficient, directional and strongly polarized nano-scale light source, which will have potential application in Nano-Optics.

Novel polymorphic microsatellite markers for Bellamya and their application in population genetics of three species.

Bellamya is a widely distributed freshwater snail genus in China; however, its genetic diversity is completely unknown. Sixty-five novel microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized from a microsatellite-enriched library of Bellamya aeruginosa genomic DNA. Most of the 65 loci were successfully amplified. We found high polymorphic information content values for these loci, ranging from 0.235 to 0.892. There were 3 to 12 alleles per locus, and the HE and HO varied from 0.425 to 0.953 and 0.026 to 1.000, respectively. Fifteen loci deviated significantly from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni's correction. All 65 SSR markers were tested in an additional five Bellamya species, and 96.9% of the 325 locus/taxon combinations tested resulted in cross-species amplification. Seven polymorphic microsatellite markers were randomly selected for comparison among nine populations of three species. All populations had moderate to high genetic diversity. In genetic distance-based cluster analysis, the populations of B. aeruginosa and B. dispiralis formed species-based clusters, whereas populations of B. angularia did not. The three examined Bellamya species could be differentiated using SSR markers. These microsatellite loci should be useful for genetic diversity analysis, analysis of phylogenetic relationship, and species delimitation of Bellamya.

Mode division multiplexing in a polymer-loaded plasmonic planar waveguide.

A mode division multiplexer (MDM) based on in-plane diffractions is experimentally demonstrated in a polymer-loaded plasmonic planar waveguide. Three guided modes (TM1, TE1, and TM2) were well demultiplexed by a focusing design with a focal length of about 40 µm, which are clearly distinguished by the polarization control. The experimental results well reproduced the theoretical design and calculation. Moreover, the demultiplexed focal spots directly reflect the different modes, by which a mode diagram of the dielectric-loaded planar waveguide was vividly mapped out by varying the polymer layer thickness. In this regard, the proposed device may not only serve as a MDM for the integrated optics but can also provide a new strategy in analyzing the guided modes.

Efficient second-harmonic generation in nonlinear plasmonic waveguide.

We theoretically studied a nonlinear optical process in a hybrid plasmonic waveguide composed of a nonlinear dielectric waveguide and a metal film with a separation of a thin air gap. Owing to the hybridization effect of guided mode and surface plasmon polariton mode, this particular waveguide is able to confine the optical-field in a deep subwavelength scale together with low propagation loss. Based on this, efficient second-harmonic generations (SHG) were revealed at the fundamental wavelength of λ=1.55 µm with good field confinement. The SHG efficiency, as well as the coupling coefficient and mode area, were analyzed and discussed in detail with respect to the structural parameters.

A 14 × 14 µm(2) footprint polarization-encoded quantum controlled-NOT gate based on hybrid waveguide.

Photonic quantum information processing system has been widely used in communication, metrology and lithography. The recent emphasis on the miniaturized photonic platform is thus motivated by the urgent need for realizing large-scale information processing and computing. Although the integrated quantum logic gates and quantum algorithms based on path encoding have been successfully demonstrated, the technology for handling another commonly used polarization-encoded qubits has yet to be fully developed. Here, we show the implementation of a polarization-dependent beam-splitter in the hybrid waveguide system. With precisely design, the polarization-encoded controlled-NOT gate can be implemented using only single such polarization-dependent beam-splitter with the significant size reduction of the overall device footprint to 14 × 14 µm(2). The experimental demonstration of the highly integrated controlled-NOT gate sets the stage to develop large-scale quantum information processing system. Our hybrid design also establishes the new capabilities in controlling the polarization modes in integrated photonic circuits.

Effect of vaccination with 3 recombinant asexual-stage malaria antigens on initial growth rates of Plasmodium falciparum in non-immune volunteers.

A placebo controlled, randomised, double blind trial was conducted in human volunteers to test a mixture of three recombinant Plasmodium falciparum blood stage antigens for its ability to reduce the initial growth rates of parasites. The vaccine contained recombinant MSP2 (3D7 allele), a portion of MSP1 (190LCS.T3) and part of the RESA antigen (C terminal 771 amino acids) in the Montanide ISA 720 adjuvant (SEPPIC). Twelve volunteers received two doses of the vaccine, 6 weeks apart. The five participants in the placebo group received an equivalent volume of the adjuvant emulsion using the same schedule. Antibody responses were low, as has been reported in earlier studies with this combination, while T cell responses were stronger. All the volunteers were challenged with approximately 140 ring infected red cells of the 3D7 cloned line, 4 weeks after the second dose. Parasitaemia was determined once daily from day 4 using a sensitive and quantitative PCR assay. All the volunteers were infected and were treated on day 8, before any developed symptoms. There was no significant difference in initial parasite growth rates between the verum and placebo groups, nor was there any significant correlation between parasite growth rates and any of the measured immunological responses. These results suggest that the formulation tested in this trial did not generate immune responses that were strong enough to reduce parasite growth in naive volunteers.