How Extracellular Nano-Vesicles Can Play a Role in Sepsis? An Evidence-Based Review of the Literature.

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory reaction caused by infection. Severe sepsis can lead to multiple organ dysfunction, with a high incidence rate and mortality. The molecular pathogenesis of sepsis is complex and diverse. In recent years, with further study of the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in inflammatory diseases, it has been found that EVs play a dual role in the imbalance of inflammatory response in sepsis. Due to the great advantages such as lower toxicity, lower immunogenicity compared with stem cells and better circulation stability, EVs are increasingly used for the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis. The roles of EVs in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of sepsis were summarized to guide further clinical studies.

Correlation of Structure and Dynamics Behavior in Polyzwitterions: From Concentrated Solution to Gel-Like State.

The dynamic behaviors of polyzwitterions, poly(4-((3-methacrylamidopropyl) dimethylammonio) butane-1-sulfonate) (PSBP), are investigated using dynamic light scattering, small angle X-ray scattering, and rheology.  The findings reveal two relaxation modes, including a fast and a slow mode, which  are observed in both solution state and gel-like state, with varying polyzwitterion concentration (CP ) and NaCl concentration (CNaCl ). As CP and CNaCl increasing, a slower slow mode and a faster fast mode are observed. The fast mode corresponds to the diffusion of chains, while the slow mode arises from chain aggregations. In solutions, the slow mode is dominated by the diffusion of chain aggregations. However, in the gel-like state, the "cage network" traps aggregations more densely, leading to their dynamic behavior being dominated by enhanced topological entanglements and ionic interactions. This difference highlights the unique nature of the slow relaxation mode between concentrated solution and gel-like state, arising from changes in the average distance between chain aggregations resulting from increased CP and CNaCl concentrations.

Relationship between food-derived antioxidant vitamin intake and breast cancer risk: a mendelian randomized study.

BACKGROUND: In previous observational studies, food-derived antioxidant vitamins have been suggested to be associated with breast cancer. However, the findings were inconsistent and the causal relationship could not be clearly elucidated. To confirm the potential causal relationship between food-derived antioxidants (retinol, carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E) and the risk of breast cancer, we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study. METHODS: The instrumental variables (IVs) as proxies of genetic liability to food-derived antioxidant vitamins were obtained from the UK Biobank Database. We extracted breast cancer data (122,977 cases and 105,974 controls) from the Breast Cancer Consortium (BCAC). In addition, we studied estrogen expression status categorically, including estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer (69,501 cases and 105,974 controls) and versus estrogen receptor (ER-) negative breast cancer (21,468 cases and 105,974 controls). We performed two-sample Mendelian randomization study, and inverse variance-weighted (IVW) test was regarded as main analysis. Sensitivity analyses were further conducted to assess heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy. RESULTS: The results of IVW showed that among the four food-derived antioxidants, only vitamin E had protective effect on the risk of overall breast cancer (OR = 0.837, 95% CI 0.757-0.926, P = 0.001) and ER+ breast cancer (OR = 0.823, 95% CI 0.693-0.977, P = 0.026). However, we found no association between food-derived vitamin E and ER- breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested food-derived vitamin E can decrease the risk of breast cancer overall and ER+ breast cancer, and the robustness of our results was confirmed by sensitivity analyses.

Non-traditional lipid profiles and the risk of stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS: An increasing number of studies on non-traditional lipid profiles have been investigated in recent years. However, the associations between non-traditional lipid profiles and the risk of stroke remained inconsistent. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the associations between non-traditional lipid profiles and the risk of stroke and clarify the dose-response relations. DATA SYNTHESIS: We performed a systematic literature search in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases until 1 November 2022 for relevant studies. Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals were pooled by random-effects or fixed-effects models. A total of 26 full-text studies with 676678 participants and 18057 stroke cases were eligible for the final study. We found a positive association between the risk of stroke and total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TC/HDL-C) ratio (RR = 1.19,95%CI = 1.00-1.40, I2 = 74.6%), triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio (RR = 1.24,95%CI = 1.10-1.41, I2 = 62.8%) or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C/HDL-C) ratio (RR = 1.24, 95%CI = 1.11-1.39, I2 = 49.4%). When focusing on the stroke subtype, a more significant association was observed between the risk of ischemic stroke and four non-traditional lipid profiles. In dose-response analysis, we found a linear association between TC/HDL-C ratio and the risk of stroke (RR = 1.16,95%CI = 1.07-1.26). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated non-traditional lipid profiles were associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke. The linear association showed the risk of stroke increased by 16% when the pooled RR of TC/HDL-C ratio per 1-unit increased. REGISTRATION NUMBER IN PROSPERO: CRD42022321251.

Sedentary behavior and the risk of stroke: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The sedentary behavior in people's daily life has continued to increase in recent years, causing many studies to focus on its relationship with diseases. Several studies have shown that sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and metabolic disease. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to assess the association between sedentary behavior and the risk of stroke. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two independent investigators searched for prospective cohort studies on the association between sedentary behavior and stroke risk, published before February 2022. We pooled adjusted effect size and performed the dose-response analysis by random-effect model. Seven studies with 677,614 participants and 15,135 stroke events during a median follow-up of 12.2 years were included. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) of stroke was 1.16 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09-1.24) with no significant heterogeneity (I2 = 0.0%, p for heterogeneity = 0.983). In dose-response analysis, a nonlinear association between sedentary behavior and stroke risk was discovered. Stroke risk began to increase when sedentary time exceeded 3.7 h/d (HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.97-1.05). And when reached 11 h/d, a significantly increased risk of stroke was observed (HR, 1.21; 95% CI 1.12-1.31). CONCLUSION: A nonlinear association was found in the dose-response analysis, with increased risk only when sedentary time exceeded a certain level. Further research is needed to explain the biological mechanisms by which sedentary time above a certain threshold significantly increases stroke risk. (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022311544).

The association between circulating docosahexaenoic acid and lung cancer: A Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is a malignant tumor with a high incidence, it is vital to identify modifiable and avoidable risk factors for primary prevention, which can significantly lower the risk of cancer by preventing exposure to hazards and altering risky behavior. Some observational studies suggest that an increase in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) consumption can reduce lung cancer risk. However, interpretation of these observational findings is difficult due to residual confounding or reverse causality. To evaluate the link between DHA and lung cancer, we have undertaken this analysis to examine the causal association between DHA and the risk of lung cancer using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) framework. METHODS: We performed a two-sample MR analysis to evaluate the causal effect of plasma DHA levels on lung cancer risk. For the exposure data, we extracted genetic variants as instrumental variables (IVs) that are strongly associated with DHA from a large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS). We obtained the corresponding effect estimates for IVs on the risk of lung cancer with 11,348 cases and 15,861 controls. Finally, we applied Mendelian randomization analysis to obtain preliminary MR results and performed sensitivity analyses to verify the robustness of our results. RESULTS: According to the primary MR estimates and further sensitivity analyses, a higher serum DHA level was associated with a higher risk of lung cancer [OR = 1.159, 95% CI (1.04-1.30), P = 0.01]. For lung adenocarcinoma, the results also showed a close correlation between the DHA level and lung adenocarcinoma [OR = 1.277, 95% CI (1.09-1.50), P = 0.003], but it was not statistically significant for squamous cell carcinoma [OR = 1.071, 95% CI (0.89-1.29), P = 0.467]. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that plasma DHA is positively associated with the risk of lung cancer overall, especially for lung adenocarcinoma. This study provides new information to develop dietary guidelines for primary lung cancer prevention.

Causal associations between dietary antioxidant vitamin intake and lung cancer: A Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Oxidative stress is currently considered to be closely related to the occurrence of respiratory tumors, especially lung cancer. Many observational studies have shown that increased antioxidant intake can reduce the risk of lung cancer, but the results are still controversial. Therefore, we performed a two-sample Mendelian randomized (MR) analysis to clarify the causal relationship between antioxidant vitamins and lung cancer. Methods: To assess the causal effect of dietary antioxidant vitamin intake on lung cancer, we conducted a two-sample MR analysis and we extracted single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with antioxidants from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of the UK biobank. We gathered summary data for lung cancer from the International Lung Cancer Consortium (ILCCO), including 11,348 cases and 15,861 controls, and applied the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method as the primary MR analysis, and performed a sensitivity analysis to verify the results. Results: The results showed that higher dietary retinol intake was causally associated with lung cancer overall [odds ratio (OR) = 1.844, 95% CI, 1.359-2.502, p = 0.00009], squamous cell lung cancer (OR = 2.162, 95% CI, 1.117-4.183, p = 0.022), and lung adenocarcinoma (OR = 1.706, 95% CI, 1.084-2.685, p = 0.021). Additionally, carotene was positively correlated with lung adenocarcinoma (OR = 1.510, 95% CI, 1.002-2.276, p = 0.049). However, there was a non-significant relationship between the intake of other dietary antioxidants (vitamin C and vitamin E) and lung cancer. Conclusion: Our research showed that dietary retinol intake has an adverse impact on lung cancer, and carotene might increase the risk of adenocarcinoma. This highlights the importance of revealing the underlying mechanisms of dietary antioxidant vitamins in lung cancer and delivers an important health message that dietary antioxidant vitamin intake may not be necessary for the prevention of lung cancer. It also provides a basis for future research.

Dynamic behavior of tough polyelectrolyte complex hydrogels from chitosan and sodium hyaluronate.

In this work, we investigated the dynamics of hydrogels from the polyelectrolyte complexation of sodium hyaluronate (HA) and chitosan under various temperature and salt concentration. Raising temperature and adding salt remarkably reduce the mechanical behavior of hydrogels. The stress relaxation of semi-flexible chain segments is accelerated at high temperature and salt concentration, which is controlled by thermally activated bond disassociation process. The flow activation energy determined from temperature-dependent dynamic light scattering decorrelation and rheological relaxation are in very good agreement. Our results suggest that the chain aggregations are physical crosslinked by surrounded semi-flexible chains, and their diffusion is highly hindered by the topological entanglements and ionic associations. The synergistic effect of aggregations diffusion and chain dynamics causes the slow macroscopic stress relaxation behavior of hydrogels before yield, independent of applied strain. Above yield, the amplitude of strain accelerates the stress relaxation, resulting in chain disentanglements and slipping.

E2f4 is required for intestinal and otolith development in zebrafish.

E2f4 is a multifunctional transcription factor that is essential for many cellular processes. Although the role of E2f4 during cell cycle progression has been investigated in great detail, less is known about E2f4 during embryonic development. Here, we investigated the role of E2f4 during zebrafish development. Zebrafish e2f4 mutants displayed ectopic otolith formation due to abnormal ciliary beating in the otic vesicle. The beating defects of motile cilia were caused by abnormal expression of ciliary motility genes. The expression of two genes, lrrc23 and ccdc151, were significantly decreased in the absence of E2f4. In addition to that, e2f4 mutants also displayed growth retardation both in the body length and body weight and mostly died at around 6 months old. Although food intake was normal in the mutants, we found that the microvilli of the intestinal epithelia were significantly affected in the mutants. Finally, the intestinal epithelia of e2f4 mutants also displayed reduced cell proliferation, together with an increased level of cell apoptosis. Our data suggested a tissue-specific role of E2f4 during zebrafish development, which is distinct from the traditional views of this protein as a transcription repressor.

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors of Toxoplasma gondii Infection Among High-Risk Populations in Jiangsu Province, Eastern China.

Toxoplasma gondii, an opportunistic protozoan, infects one-third of people worldwide and could lead to serious outcomes in immunodeficient or immunocompromised populations. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for T. gondii infection among high-risk populations in Jiangsu Province, eastern China. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 4 categories of populations in 13 prefectures including HIV/AIDS patients, livestock breeding/processing (B/P) staff, pregnant women, and cancer patients. We detected specific immunoglobulin G and M (IgG and IgM) levels for each participant using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and asked to complete a questionnaire for each participant that covered sociodemographic information as well as the basic knowledge of attitudes toward and the practices for the prevention of toxoplasmosis. A total of 5231 participants distributed across 13 prefecture-level cities was surveyed, including 2455 males and 2776 females. Total seropositivity rate in each population category was as follows: 9.08% (HIV/AIDS patients), 11.65% (livestock B/P staff), 5.50% (pregnant women), and 12.89% (cancer patients). We detected IgM positivity in HIV/AIDS patients (0.47%, 6/1289), livestock B/P staff (0.08%, 1/1330), and cancer patients (0.46%, 6/1303) but not in pregnant women. Further, we detected IgM+IgG positivity only in cancer patients (0.31%, 4/1303). The seropositivity rate for pregnant women was significantly lower, while cancer patients were significantly higher. Higher educational levels were associated with lower seropositivity rates for T. gondii infection. High seropositivity rates were associated with long period of HIV infection among HIV/AIDS patients, frequent contact with livestock among livestock breeding/processing staff and male older patients among cancer patients, respectively. Analysis of practices across all participants showed that frequent contact with pets in everyday life or using the same cutting board for both raw and cooked foods leads to higher seropositivity rates. Therefore, we obtained the seroprevalence and risk factors of toxoplasmosis among high-risk populations in Jiangsu Province which could provide evidence for the implementation of control measures in the near future.

Multi-intervention integrated deworming strategy for sustained control of soil-transmitted helminths infections: a case study in Jiangsu Province, China.

BACKGROUND: Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) infections still present a global health problem. Mass drug administration (MDA) is a widely applied strategy to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by STH. Yet, this approach has some shortcomings. In this study, we analyzed the impact of a multi-intervention integrated deworming approach including MDA, health education (HE), and environmental sanitation improvements (ESI) for sustained STH control in Jiangsu Province of China that was applied from 1989 to 2019. METHODS: Data, including infection rate of STH, medications used, coverage of the medication, non-hazardous lavatory rate, and household piped-water access rate in rural areas, and actions related to HE and ESI were collected (from archives) and analyzed in this retrospective descriptive study. Pearson's correlation analysis was applied to test correlations. RESULTS: There was a dramatic decline in the infection rate of STH from 1989 (59.32%) to 2019 (0.12%). From 1995 to 1999, MDA and HE were recommended in rural areas. A negative correlation was observed between infection rate and medication from 1994 to 1998 (r = - 0.882, P = 0.048). From 2000 to 2005, targeted MDA was given to high-risk populations with HE continuously promoting good sanitation behaviors. From 2006 to 2014, targeted MDA + HE and ESI were used to consolidate the control effect. ESI was strengthened from 2006, and a negative correlation was observed between the coverage rate of the non-hazardous lavatory and the infection rate from 2006 to 2019 (r = - 0.95, P < 0.001). The targeted MDA was interrupted in 2015, while continuous efforts like HE and ESI contributed in sustaining STH control. CONCLUSIONS: Multi-intervention integrated deworming strategy contributes to the reduction of STH infections. This approach is a valuable example of how different interventions can be integrated to promote durable STH control.

Association between daytime napping and stroke: A dose-response meta-analysis.

Daytime napping is common in many regions around the world and has been an important part of people's daily life. Daytime napping has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between daytime napping and stroke, and help reduce the risk of stroke by improving living habits. The Embase, PubMed, Web of Science and PsycINFO databases were searched for cohort studies published before October 2020 and eight eligible studies with 524,408 participants and 5,875 stroke cases were included in the final analysis. The pooled relative risk (RR) of stroke was 1.47 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.24-1.74; p < .001) with significant heterogeneity (I2  = 58%, p for heterogeneity = 0.02). However, the heterogeneity decreased when the study in which adjusting for sleep duration and stratifying the results based on sleep duration was not performed was excluded (RR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.19-1.60, I2  = 44%, p for heterogeneity = 0.10). In dose-response analysis, the linear trend indicated that for every 10-min increase in daytime napping, the risk of stroke increased by 3%. Further well-designed large studies are needed to explore the effects of daytime napping on stroke and the underlying biological mechanisms.

Lipid levels and the risk of hemorrhagic stroke: A dose-response meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hemorrhagic stroke (HS) could damage human health and impose heavy social and economic burden around the world. An accumulating number of studies revealed the effect of lipid levels on HS, whereas the results were inconsistent. Therefore, we conducted a dose-response meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between lipid levels and HS. METHODS AND RESULTS: We searched the databases for relative cohort studies, which were published before April 2020. We pooled adjusted effect size and performed the dose-response analysis by random-effect model. 31 eligible studies with 2,291,643 participants and 12,147 hemorrhagic stroke cases were included. An inverse association was observed between the risk of hemorrhagic stroke and total cholesterol (TC) (RR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.64-0.82) or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (RR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.53-0.89). Additionally, in dose-response analysis, the non-linear trend was also found between TC, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and risk of HS. When the level of TC and HDL-C was about 6 and 1.3 mmol/L separately, the risk of HS was decreased to the lowest. And we found a linear trend that for every 1 mmol/L triglyceride (TG) increase, the risk of HS decreased by 7%. CONCLUSION: TC and LDL-C were both inversely related to the risk of HS. In dose-response analysis of TG, we also found the inverse linear trend. Furthermore, the non-linear trend suggested the level of TC and HDL-C was about 6 and 1.3 mmol/L separately could lead to the lowest risk of HS.

Mode analysis in a conceptual hybrid simulation model for efficient ECRIS simulations.

Numerical simulation has played an important role in the development of the electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) as it can compensate for the limitations of experiment studies. However, the complex process during the ECRIS operation also brings a lot of difficulties to simulations. One of the biggest problems is the compromise between accuracy and computational costs. To satisfy the needs of simulation accuracy and speed, we have considered a hybrid simulative model: mode representative particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision (MPM). In this work, the self-consistent description of the interactions between plasma and electromagnetic fields in the MPM model is introduced with the mode analysis. Mode contributions to the global field are analyzed and an analytical treatment on infinite evanescent modes is validated. It makes the hybrid MPM model applicable for practical ECRIS simulations.

3D particle-in-cell simulations of electron magnetic confinement in electron cyclotron resonance ion sources.

The electron confinement in an electron cyclotron resonance ion source is considered a critical factor that has a great influence on the working efficiency. In this paper, a three-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell code is presented for simulations of the electron confinement in minimum-B structures. Electron dynamics under the effect of electromagnetic fields is modeled through a leapfrog scheme by solving Maxwell's equations and the particle equations of motion iteratively. Some characteristics of electron magnetic confinement are obtained through a benchmarking example. Preliminary results of the simulation show good agreement with the well-known effects.

Prevalence of intestinal helminth infections in Jiangsu Province, eastern China; a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2015.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal helminth infections are a serious public health problem in developing countries. Jiangsu, an eastern coastal province of China, has an environment conducive to the transmission of intestinal parasites, and suffered human infection rates of 71.75% in 1990. Due to comprehensive anti-transmission measures undertaken throughout the province in the 1990s, the prevalence had decreased to 9.28% in 2002. In order to assess the current epidemic situation for intestinal parasitic infections in Jiangsu province, a province-wide cross-sectional survey was carried out in 2015. METHODS: Surveys were conducted in two main settings; rural (for soil-transmitted parasites) and urban (for Clonorchis sinensis), selected through stratified random sampling. Human infection rates were evaluated through the detection of helminth eggs or cysts (oocysts or trophozoites) of intestinal protozoa in fecal samples by microscopy. Secondary intermediate and reservoir hosts were surveyed for C. sinensis infection. Questionnaires were completed by each participant to evaluate knowledge, attitude and practice of soil-transmitted parasite and C. sinensis avoidance. RESULTS: 115 out of 30153 participants (0.38%) had intestinal helminths or protozoa. There were eight species of helminth detected and the most common parasite was the hookworm Ancylostoma duodenale. In rural settings, there were significant differences in infection rates between participants of differing economic status. In urban settings, only four cases of C. sinensis infection were detected. However, secondary intermediate and reservoir hosts were found to harbor parasites. The questionnaire survey revealed that 38.42% participants were not aware of how humans become infected by hookworms. Knowledge and awareness of C. sinensis was similarly low, with 53.22% participants combining the use of chopping boards for raw and cooked food items when preparing meals. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in Jiangsu Province in eastern China has decreased from 71.57% in 1990 to 0.38% in 2015. Control measures should now focus on parasitic infections in the elderly and in children, health promotion and the development of alternative detection methods.

Proteomic analysis of broccoli sprouts by iTRAQ in response to jasmonic acid.

Jasmonic acid (JA) is well known as a linolenic acid-derived signal molecule related to the plant response to biotic and abiotic stresses. JA can regulate various plant metabolisms, such as glucosinolate metabolism. In this study, the proteome profiles of broccoli sprouts under JA treatment were analyzed using the iTRAQ-based quantitative proteome approach. A total of 122 differentially expressed proteins participating in a wide range of physiological processes were confidently identified in broccoli sprouts treated with JA. Functional classification analysis showed that photosynthesis and protein synthesis were inhibited by JA treatment, thereby inhibiting sprout growth, while proteins related to carbohydrate catabolism and amino acid metabolism showed an increased expression. Additionally, proteins involved in defense and secondary metabolism were also up-regulated. Proteins related to glucosinolate biosynthesis and degradation were mediated by JA, leading to the accumulation of glucosinolates and sulforaphane. These results indicate that JA stimulated a defense response at the proteome level by redirecting metabolism of growth and physiology in broccoli sprouts.

Effects of Chinese Medicine as Adjunct Medication for Adjuvant Chemotherapy Treatments of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.

The aim was to evaluate the effects of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as a combination medication with adjuvant chemotherapy on postoperative early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The 314 patients with completely resected stage IB, II or IIIA cancers were assigned into vinorelbine plus cisplatin/carboplatin (NP/NC) (control, n = 158) and NP/NC with additional TCM (intervention, n = 156) groups. The primary endpoint was QOL scores; secondary endpoints were the toxicity and safety of the regimens. The NP/NC regimen caused mild (grade 1 or 2) non-hematologic toxic effects in the patients comprising vomiting (43.6%), fatigue (36.9%), pain (23%), dry mouth (27.6%) and diarrhea (7.9%). The incidence of adverse events was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (0.57% vs 4.02%, P = 0.037). Transient severe (grade 3 or 4) hematological toxic effects occurred less often (hemoglobin reduction (11.9 vs 22.5 percent) and total bilirubin increased (to 42.1 vs 46.2%) in the intervention compared to the control group during the 2nd chemotherapy cycle. When combined with adjuvant chemotherapy, TCM led to partial relief of symptoms in addition to a reduction of side-effects and adverse events caused by the NP/NC regimens.

Evaluation of protective efficacy induced by different heterologous prime-boost strategies encoding triosephosphate isomerase against Schistosoma japonicum in mice.

BACKGROUND: In China, schistosomiasis japonica is a predominant zoonotic disease, and animal reservoir hosts in the environment largely sustain infections. The development of transmission-blocking veterinary vaccines is urgently needed for the prevention and efficient control of schistosomiasis. Heterologous prime-boost strategy is more effective than traditional vaccination and homologous prime-boost strategies against multiple pathogens infection. In the present study, to further improve protective efficacy, we immunized mice with three types of heterologous prime-boost combinations based on our previously constructed vaccines that encode triosphate isomerase of Schistosoma japonicum, tested the specific immune responses, and evaluated the protective efficacy through challenge infection in mice. METHODS: DNA vaccine (pcDNA3.1-SjTPI.opt), adenoviral vectored vaccine (rAdV-SjTPI.opt), and recombinant protein vaccine (rSjTPI) were prepared and three types of heterologous prime-boost combinations, including DNA i.m. priming-rAdV i.m. boosting, rAdV i.m. priming-rAdV s.c. boosting, and rAdV i.m. priming-rSjTPI boosting strategies, were carried out. The specific immune responses and protective efficacies were evaluated in BALB/c mice RESULTS: Results show that different immune profiles and various levels of protective efficacy were elicited by using different heterologous prime-boost combinations. A synergistic effect was observed using the DNA i.m. priming-rAdV i.m. boosting strategy; however, its protective efficacy was similar to that of rAdV i.m. immunization. Conversely, an antagonistic effect was generated by using the rAd i.m. priming-s.c. boosting strategy. However, the strategy, with rAdV i.m. priming- rSjTPI s.c. boosting, generated the most optimal protective efficacy and worm or egg reduction rate reaching up to 70% in a mouse model. CONCLUSIONS: A suitable immunization strategy, rAdV i.m. priming-rSjTPI boosting strategy, was developed, which elicits a high level of protective efficacy against Schistosoma japonicum infection in mice.

iTRAQ analysis of low-phytate mung bean sprouts treated with sodium citrate, sodium acetate and sodium tartrate.

The effects of sodium citrate (SC), sodium acetate (SA) and sodium tartrate (ST) spraying on mung bean germination were investigated. Exogenous SC, ST and SA treatments significantly reduced the phytic acid content and increased the antioxidant enzyme activities. In this study, an iTRAQ-based proteomic approach was employed to explore the proteomes of mung bean sprouts, and 81, 101 and 90 differentially expressed proteins were identified in 4-day-old SC-, SA- and ST-treated mung bean sprouts, with 38 proteins present in all samples. Functional classification analysis showed that most of the differentially expressed proteins in mung bean sprouts subjected to the three treatments were involved in carbohydrate and energy metabolism. The inhibitory effect of the SA treatment was probably due to impairments in protein biosynthesis, whereas enhanced energy metabolism, accelerated reserve hydrolysis and protein processing were very important strategies for growth stimulation in response to ST and SC treatments.