Typhoon disaster emergency forecasting method based on big data.

Typhoons are natural disasters characterized by their high frequency of occurrence and significant impact, often leading to secondary disasters. In this study, we propose a prediction model for the trend of typhoon disasters. Utilizing neural networks, we calculate the forgetting gate, update gate, and output gate to forecast typhoon intensity, position, and disaster trends. By employing the concept of big data, we collected typhoon data using Python technology and verified the model's performance. Overall, the model exhibited a good fit, particularly for strong tropical storms. However, improvements are needed to enhance the forecasting accuracy for tropical depressions, typhoons, and strong typhoons. The model demonstrated a small average error in predicting the latitude and longitude of the typhoon's center position, and the predicted path closely aligned with the actual trajectory.

[Simulation of land use and assessment of ecosystem service value in the eastern coastal cities of Zhejiang Province, China]. / 浙江东部沿海城市土地利用模拟及生态系统服务价值评估.

Simulating the change of ecosystem service values (ESV) caused by land use/cover change (LUCC) in the eastern coastal cities of Zhejiang Province is of great significance for regional sustainable development and ecological security. Based on remote sensing images of land use and Statistics Yearbook of 2000, 2010, and 2020, we analyzed the influence of LUCC on ESV in the study area during 2000-2020. We used the PLUS model to simulate land use change under three scenarios, including inertial development, ecological protection, and urban development in 2030, analyzed the spatial distribution and concentration degree of ESVs based on grid scale, and clarified the sensitivity characteristics of ESVs. The results showed that the construction land area showed an increasing trend during 2000-2020. The area of forest, cultivated land and water decreased significantly, resulting in a continuous downward trend of ESVs, which decreased by 160×108 yuan. Under the simulation of three scenarios of inertial development, ecological development, and urban development, the construction land area would increase by 93624, 54927, and 111966 hm2, respectively. The eastern plain would become the agglomeration area of construction land expansion. The ESVs of those three scenarios was 1693×108, 1729×108, and 1688×108 yuan, respectively, which were all lower than the ESVs of the study area in 2020. The decline rate of ESV in the ecological protection scenario slowed down. The spatial distribution of ESVs in the study area was high in the west and low in the east. Hot spots and cold spots of ESVs were distributed in a large range with strong agglomeration. Hot spots were mainly concentrated in the west, while cold spots were mainly distributed in the east and north.

Transcriptomics explores the potential of flavonoid in non-medicinal parts of Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk.

Introduction: Saposhnikovia divaricata is a traditional Chinese medicine in China, which is widely used in clinic. The root of S. divaricata is often used as medicine, but little research has been done on its other tissues. Methods: In this study, the contents of root and leaf of S. divaricata were determined by HPLC, the differentially expressed genes were screened by transcriptome sequencing at molecular level, and then verified by network pharmacology. Results: The results showed that the content of 4'-O-ß-D-glucosyl-5-O-methylvisamminol in the leaves was significantly higher than that in the roots, which was about 3 times higher than that in the roots. In addition, 10 differentially expressed key enzyme genes were screened in plant hormone signal transduction, phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthetic pathways. C4H and CYP98A were up-regulated in root, while F3H was down-regulated in root. They can be used as important candidate genes for the mechanism of quality difference of S. divaricata. Finally, network pharmacological validation showed that 5-O-methylvesamitol plays an important role in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Discussion: These findings not only provide insight into flavonoid biosynthesis in S. divaricata associated molecular regulation, but also provide a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of S. divaricata.

Fluorescence-Amplified Origami Microneedle Device for Quantitatively Monitoring Blood Glucose.

Exploration of clinically acceptable blood glucose monitors has been engaging in the past decades, yet the ability to quantitatively detect blood glucose in a painless, accurate, and highly sensitive manner remains limited. Herein, a fluorescence-amplified origami microneedle (FAOM) device is described that integrates tubular DNA-origami nanostructures and glucose oxidase molecules into its inner network to quantitatively monitor blood glucose. The skin-attached FAOM device can collect glucose molecules in situ and transfer the input into a proton signal after the oxidase's catalysis. The proton-driven mechanical reconfiguration of DNA-origami tubes separates fluorescent molecules and their quenchers, eventually amplifying the glucose-correlated fluorescence signal. The function equation established on clinical examinees suggests that FAOM can report blood glucose in a highly sensitive and quantitative manner. In clinical blind tests, the FAOM achieves well-matched accuracy (98.70 ± 4.77%) compared with a commercial blood biochemical analyzer, fully meeting the requirements of accurate blood glucose monitoring. The FAOM device can be inserted into skin tissue in a trivially painful manner and with minimal leakage of DNA origami, substantially improving the tolerance and compliance of the blood glucose test.

A high-quality model for predicting the prognosis of breast neuroendocrine carcinoma to help clinicians decide on appropriate treatment methods: A population-based analysis.

BACKGROUND: Breast neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) is a rare malignancy with unclear treatment options and prognoses. This study aimed to construct a high-quality model to predict overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) and help clinicians choose appropriate breast NEC treatments. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 378 patients with breast NEC and 349,736 patients with breast invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) were enrolled in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 2010 and 2018. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to balance the clinical baseline. Prognostic factors determined by multivariate Cox analysis were included in the nomogram. C-index and calibration curves were used to verify the performance of the nomogram. RESULTS: Nomograms were constructed for the breast NEC and breast IDC groups after PSM. The C-index of the nomograms ranged from 0.834 to 0.880 in the internal validation and 0.818-0.876 in the external validation, indicating that the nomogram had good discrimination. The risk stratification system showed that patients with breast NEC had worse prognoses than those with breast IDC in the low-risk and intermediate-risk groups but had a similar prognosis that those in the high-risk group. Moreover, patients with breast NEC may have a better prognosis when undergoing surgery plus chemotherapy than when undergoing surgery alone or chemotherapy alone. CONCLUSIONS: We established nomograms with a risk stratification system to predict OS and BCSS in patients with breast NEC. This model could help clinicians evaluate prognosis and provide individualized treatment recommendations for patients with breast NEC.

Decreasing integration within face network and segregation beyond the face network in the aging brain.

Face processing is known to decline in older adults; however, a clear understanding of the brain networks behind this cognitive decline is still lacking. In this study, we investigated the neural correlates of the declined face processing with aging from a resting-state brain network perspective. Nineteen healthy old adults and 22 young adults were recruited and underwent two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning sessions (i.e., resting-state and localizer task) and two behavioral tests (face matching and symbol-form matching). We examined age-related alterations in resting-state functional connectivity (FC) within face network as well as between face network and other networks, and tested their associations with behavioral performance of face and symbol-form processing. We found that (a) compared with young adults, old adults exhibited decreased FC between face-selective regions (fusiform face area and occipital face area), but increased FC between face-selective regions and non-face-selective regions; (b) these age-related FC alterations were correlated with individuals' behavioral performance of face and symbol-form processing. Collectively, these findings suggest the declines of face processing are associated with a mixture of decreased integration within the face network and segregation beyond the face network in the aging brain, and provide evidence for a neural basis of cognitive aging in face processing from an intrinsic brain network perspective.

Galectin-3 enhances trastuzumab resistance by regulating cancer malignancy and stemness in HER2-positive breast cancer cells.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore the role of galectin-3 in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer cells and the potential mechanism. METHODS: Kaplan-Meier (KM)-plot and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases were used to study the role of galectin-3 in the prognosis of HER2-positive breast cancer. The effects of galectin-3 on cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and colony formation ability in HER2-positive breast cancer cells were examined. The relationship between galectin-3 and important components in the HER2 pathways, including HER2, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), protein kinase B (AKT), and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), was further studied. Lentivirus and CRISPR/Cas9 were used to construct stable cell lines. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and apoptosis assays were used to study the relationship between galectin-3 and trastuzumab. The effect of galectin-3 on cell stemness was studied by mammosphere formation assay. The effects of galectin-3 on stemness biomarkers and the Notch1 pathway were examined. Tumorigenic models were used to evaluate the effects of galectin-3 on tumorigenesis and the therapeutic effect of trastuzumab in vivo. RESULTS: HER2-positive breast cancer patients with a high expression level of LGALS3 (the gene encoding galectin-3) messenger RNA (mRNA) showed a poor prognosis. Galectin-3 promoted cancer malignancy through phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling pathway activation and upregulated stemness by activating the Notch1 signaling pathway in HER2-positive breast cancer cells. These two factors contributed to the enhancement of trastuzumab resistance in cells. Knockout of LGALS3 had a synergistic therapeutic effect with trastuzumab both in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Galectin-3 may represent a prognostic predictor and therapeutic target for HER2-positive breast cancer.

An effective tool for predicting survival in breast cancer patients with de novo lung metastasis: Nomograms constructed based on SEER.

Background & objectives: An effective tool for forecasting the survival of BCLM is lacking. This study aims to construct nomograms to predict overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) in breast cancer patients with de novo lung metastasis, and to help clinicians develop appropriate treatment regimens for breast cancer lung metastasis (BCLM) individuals. Methods: We gathered clinical data of 2,537 patients with BCLM between 2010 and 2015 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Cox regression analysis was employed to identify independent prognostic parameters for BCLM, which were integrated to establish nomograms by R software. The discriminative ability and predictive accuracy of the nomograms were assessed using the concordance index (C-index), receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and calibration plots. Kaplan-Meier analyses were applied to evaluate the clinical utility of the risk stratification system and investigate the survival benefit of primary site surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy for BCLM patients. Results: Two nomograms shared common prognostic indicators including age, marital status, race, laterality, grade, AJCC T stage, subtype, bone metastasis, brain metastasis, liver metastasis, surgery, and chemotherapy. The results of the C-index, ROC curves, and calibration curves demonstrated that the nomograms exhibited an outstanding performance in predicting the prognosis of BCLM patients. Significant differences in the Kaplan-Meier curves of various risk groups corroborated the nomograms' excellent stratification. Primary site surgery and chemotherapy remarkably improved OS and BCSS of BCLM patients whether the patients were at low-risk or high-risk, but radiotherapy did not. Conclusions: We successfully developed prognostic stratification nomograms to forecast prognosis in BCLM patients, which provide important information for indicating prognosis and facilitating individualized treatment regimens for BCLM patients.

Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Differences Between Two Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk Phenotypes With Single- and Double-Headed Roots.

Saposhnikovia divaricata is derived from the dried roots of Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk and used as a Chinese herbal medicine for treating respiratory, immune, and nervous system diseases. The continuously increasing market demand for traditional Chinese medicine requires the commercial cultivation of Saposhnikovia divaricata using standardized methods and high yielding genotypes, such as double-headed root plants, for achieving consistent quality and a reliable supply. In this study, we aimed to identify the quantitative differences in chromone, a precursor of flavonoid biosynthesis, between plants with single- and double-headed roots using high-performance liquid chromatography and further explore the two phenotypes at the transcriptomic and metabolomic levels. Our results showed that the chromone content was significantly higher in plants with double-headed roots than in those with single-headed roots. Transcriptomic analysis revealed six significantly differentially expressed genes between the two phenotypes, including five key genes in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway (4-coumarate-CoA ligase, chalcone synthase 1, vinorine synthase, chalcone-flavonone isomerase 1, and flavanone 3 beta-hydroxylase) and one key gene in the abscisic acid biosynthetic pathway (zeaxanthin epoxidase). Moreover, metabolomic analysis showed that the 126 differentially expressed metabolites were mainly enriched in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and phytohormones. Overall, our results suggest that plants with double-headed roots have higher medicinal value than those with single-headed roots, probably due to differences in various biosynthetic pathways. These data might help select the genotypes with superior yield and therapeutic properties.

Postsynthetic Modification of the Magnetic Zirconium-Organic Framework for Efficient and Rapid Solid-Phase Extraction of DNA.

In recent years, several approaches have been applied to modify metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) owing to their excellent structural tunability such as higher extraction efficiency than that of primitive crystals. Herein, Zr-based MOFs (UiO-66-NH2) with a suitable size modulated by acetic acid were successfully synthesized for effective DNA extraction. The bonding conformations and adsorption mechanism indicated a high affinity between UiO-66-NH2 and the DNA molecules. Furthermore, Fe3O4 nanoparticles were immobilized on the UiO-66-NH2 surface to allow MOFs with magnetism. The magnetic zirconium-organic framework (MZMOF) retained the intact structure of MOFs and simplified subsequent extraction operations. In the DNA recovery investigation, MZMOF showed high recovery efficiency for both short-stranded DNA (90.4%) and pseudovirus DNA (95.1%). In addition, it showed superior DNA extraction efficiency from plasma (57.6%) and swab preservation solution (86.5%). The prepared MZMOF was employed for highly specific extraction of viral DNA and cfDNA from samples. To further simplify the extraction process, MZMOF was applied to immiscible phase filtration assisted by a surface tension (IFAST) chip for facilitating rapid DNA extraction with sensitive point-of-care testing. The developed MZMOF-based extraction method has significant potential for increasing the demand for rapid and efficient nucleic acid extraction.

Predicting the survival benefit of local surgery in patients aged 70 years or older with stage IV breast cancer: A population-based analysis.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to establish individualized nomograms to predict survival outcomes in older female patients with stage IV breast cancer who did or did not undergo local surgery, and to determine which patients could benefit from surgery. METHODS: A total of 3,129 female patients with stage IV breast cancer aged ≥70 years between 2010 and 2015 were included in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS). Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier plot and log-rank test. Nomograms and risk stratification models were constructed. RESULTS: Patients who underwent surgery had better OS (HR = 0.751, 95% CI [0.668-0.843], P < 0.001) and BCSS (HR = 0.713, 95% CI [0.627-0.810], P < 0.001) than patients who did not undergo surgery. Patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive, lung or liver metastases may not benefit from surgery. In the stratification model, low-risk patients benefited from surgery (OS, HR = 0.688, 95% CI [0.568-0.833], P < 0.001; BCSS, HR = 0.632, 95% CI [0.509-0.784], P < 0.001), while patients in the high-risk group had similar outcomes (OS, HR = 0.920, 95% CI [0.709-1.193], P = 0.509; BCSS, HR = 0.953, 95% CI [0.713-1.275], P = 0.737). CONCLUSION: Older female patients with stage IV breast cancer who underwent surgery had better OS and BCSS than those who did not in each specific subgroup. Patients in low- or intermediate-risk group benefit from surgery while those in the high-risk group do not.

Advanced Exergy Analysis for a Novel Gasoline Absorption-Stabilization Process.

The advanced exergy analysis can identify the improved potential of each component and the interaction among components of the refining processes. In this work, a new gasoline absorption-stabilization process (GASP) is proposed for better energy utilization considering the absorption process intensification, which can be further explained using exergy analysis. Both conventional and new GASPs are simulated in PRO/II, which are verified with the actual plant operation data. The energy performance of both conventional and new GASPs is evaluated through the advanced exergy analysis. The exergy efficiencies of conventional and new GASPs are 65.04 and 71.44%, respectively. In addition, the total exergy destruction rates are 7.79 and 6.01 MW, respectively. The total exergy destructions of 46.37 and 40.73% can be reduced, respectively. Though the stabilizer has the largest exergy destruction in both the processes, the air cooler for the rich gas in the new GASP has the largest potential for reducing exergy destruction, which is different from the conventional GASP. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis of the new GASP is performed to study the effects of newly added operation and design parameters on the conventional and advanced exergy analyses of the absorber.

Ionic liquid-based in situ product removal design exemplified for an acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation.

Selecting an appropriate separation technique is essential for the application of in situ product removal (ISPR) technology in biological processes. In this work, a three-stage systematic design method is proposed as a guide to integrate ionic liquid (IL)-based separation techniques into ISPR. This design method combines the selection of a suitable ISPR processing scheme, the optimal design of an IL-based liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) system followed by process simulation and evaluation. As a proof of concept, results for a conventional acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation are presented (40,000 ton/year butanol production). In this application, ILs tetradecyl(trihexyl)phosphonium tetracyanoborate ([TDPh][TCB]) and tetraoctylammonium 2-methyl-1-naphthoate ([TOA] [MNaph]) are identified as the optimal solvents from computer-aided IL design (CAILD) method and reported experimental data, respectively. The dynamic simulation results for the fermentation process show that, the productivity of IL-based in situ (fed-batch) process and in situ (batch) process is around 2.7 and 1.8fold that of base case. Additionally, the IL-based in situ (fed-batch) process and in situ (batch) process also have significant energy savings (79.6% and 77.6%) when compared to the base case.

3D Printing of In Vitro Hydrogel Microcarriers by Alternating Viscous-Inertial Force Jetting.

Microcarriers are beads with a diameter of 60-250 µm and a large specific surface area, which are commonly used as carriers for large-scale cell cultures. Microcarrier culture technology has become one of the main techniques in cytological research and is commonly used in the field of large-scale cell expansion. Microcarriers have also been shown to play an increasingly important role in in vitro tissue engineering construction and clinical drug screening. Current methods for preparing microcarriers include microfluidic chips and inkjet printing, which often rely on complex flow channel design, an incompatible two-phase interface, and a fixed nozzle shape. These methods face the challenges of complex nozzle processing, inconvenient nozzle changes, and excessive extrusion forces when applied to multiple bioink. In this study, a 3D printing technique, called alternating viscous-inertial force jetting, was applied to enable the construction of hydrogel microcarriers with a diameter of 100-300 µm. Cells were subsequently seeded on microcarriers to form tissue engineering modules. Compared to existing methods, this method offers a free nozzle tip diameter, flexible nozzle switching, free control of printing parameters, and mild printing conditions for a wide range of bioactive materials.

Changes in the Leaf Physiological Characteristics and Tissue-Specific Distribution of Ginsenosides in Panax ginseng During Flowering Stage Under Cold Stress.

Panax ginseng is a valuable traditional herbal medicine material with numerous applications. Ginsenosides are the key bioactive compounds in ginseng. Cold stress can activate stress tolerance mechanisms that regulate biomass and biosynthesis in ginseng tissue. In this study, the effects of short- and long-term cold stress (5°C) on the physiological characteristics, tissue-specific ginsenoside distributions, and ginsenoside synthesis gene expressions of 3-year-old P. ginseng during the flowering period were investigated. Short-term cold stress significantly reduced ginseng biomass (root fresh weight and dry weight), and increased malondialdehyde, proline, soluble sugar, and soluble protein concentrations. Superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase activities also increased significantly under cold stress. With prolongation of the cold stress period, all antioxidant enzyme activity decreased. The protopanaxatriol-type ginsenoside concentrations in the taproots (phloem and xylem) and fibrous roots, as well as the protopanaxadiol-type ginsenoside concentrations in the leaves, increased significantly under short-term cold stress. The key genes (SE, DS-II, CYP716A52v2, and CYP716A53v2) involved in the ginsenoside biosynthesis pathway were significantly positively correlated with the ginsenoside accumulation trends. Thus, short-term cold stress can stimulate membrane lipid peroxidation, in turn stimulating the antioxidant enzyme system to alleviate oxidative damage and increasing the expression of key enzyme genes involved in ginsenoside biosynthesis. During agricultural production, protopanaxadiol/protopanaxatriol ratios could be manipulated by low-temperature storage or treatments.

Elicitation of integrated immunity in mice by a novel pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine conjugated with HBV surface antigen.

The conjugation of polysaccharides with an effective carrier protein is critical for the development of effective bacterial polysaccharide vaccines. Therefore, the identification and optimization of carrier proteins to induce an effective immune response is necessary for developing a combined vaccine. In the current study, we utilized hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) as a novel carrier protein combined with a capsular polysaccharide molecule to develop a new pneumococcal conjugated vaccine. The specific antibodies and T cell immune response against the capsular polysaccharide and HBsAg in the mice immunized with this conjugated vaccine were evaluated. In addition, the unique gene profiles of immune cells induced by this conjugated vaccine in the immunized mice were analyzed. Our results demonstrated that the vaccine consisting of pneumonia type 33 F capsular polysaccharide (Pn33Fps) conjugated with HBsAg can induce strong specific immune responses against both antigens in vivo in immunized mice. Furthermore, the conjugated vaccine induced higher expression of genes related to the activation of immunity and higher antibody titers against Pn33Fps and HBsAg in mice than those obtained via vaccination with a single antigen. Analyses of the dynamic expression changes in immunity-related genes in mice immunized with Pn33Fps_HBs, Pn33Fps, or HBsAg indicated the potent immunogenicity of the conjugated vaccine. In addition, a pathological evaluation of the organs from immunized mice further suggested that the conjugated vaccine is safe. Together, these results indicate that a conjugated vaccine consisting of Pn33Fps with HBsAg is a novel and effective vaccine.

Genetics, antigenicity and virulence properties of three infectious bronchitis viruses isolated from a single tracheal sample in a chicken with respiratory problems.

Three different IBV genotypes/serotypes, designated ck/CH/LDL/150434-I (LDL/150434-I), ck/CH/LDL/150434-II (LDL/150434-II) and ck/CH/LDL/150434-III (LDL/150434-III), were detected in a single tracheal sample from a chicken showing signs of respiratory disease. The viruses were isolated using a cross-neutralization test and limiting dilution in embryonated specific-pathogen-free (SPF) eggs. Isolate LDL/150434-I was a re-isolation of H120 vaccine strain that was introduced into the chicken flock by vaccination, transmitted between chickens, and later accumulated several genomic mutations. Isolate LDL/150434-II was a novel variant that originated from recombination events between H120 and ck/CH/LDT3/03-like viruses. The widespread use of H120 vaccine, which offered incomplete protection against heterotypic IBVs in the fields, may play important roles in the emergence of such a novel genetic variant. Based on the analysis of S1 and complete genomic sequence, isolate LDL/150434-III was related genetically but distinct from the established strains of nrTW I type viruses of GI-7 lineage circulating in Mainland China since 2009. The three IBV isolates were avirulent when they infected SPF chickens. Furthermore, synergistic effects on pathogenicity were not observed when the different types co-infected the SPF chickens. However, the isolates persisted in the respiratory tracts longer in combined infected birds than those in individual infected birds. The results provide insights into the evolution of the viruses and co-infection of chickens with different virus serotypes.

Induction of Avian ß-Defensin 2 Is Possibly Mediated by the p38 MAPK Signal Pathway in Chicken Embryo Fibroblasts After Newcastle Disease Virus Infection.

The study was conducted to evaluate whether avian ß-defensins (AvBDs) could be induced by Newcastle disease virus (NDV) infection, and to investigate the potential signaling pathway of AvBD2 induction in response to NDV infection as well. First, mRNA expression of AvBDs (1-14) was evaluated in the chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs) infected with NDV strain F48E9 at 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 h post-inoculation (hpi), respectively. The results demonstrated a significant induction of AvBD2 in CEFs elicited by the NDV strain. Then, we expressed and purified the AvBD2 proteins in both eukaryotic cells and prokaryotic cells. Of the two recombinant AvBD2 proteins, only the protein expressed in eukaryotic cells showed directly antiviral activity against NDV strain F48E9 in vitro. Ligands of toll-like receptors (TLRs) were chosen as alternatives to NDV to further study signaling pathway of AvBD2 induction here, due to insufficient upregulation of AvBD2 expression elicited by NDV. We found that the mRNA expression of AvBD2 was highly upregulated by Pam3CSK4, FLA-ST, and ODN-M362. Then, four inhibitors of signaling pathway, including inhibitors of JNK, ERK1/2, p38 MAPK, and NF-κB, were used in this study. Of the four inhibitors, only inhibition of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway significantly reduced AvBD2 expression after stimulation with Pam3CSK4, FLA-ST and ODN-M362, respectively. Taken together, these results revealed that AvBD2 play a pivotal role in host innate immunity response to NDV infection. The mRNA expression of AvBD2 might be regulated in a p38 MAPK-dependent manner.

Isolation and Characteristics of the Arkansas-Type Infectious Bronchitis Virus in China.

Two infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strains, designated as γCoV/ck/China/I0712/11 (I0712/11) and γCoV/ck/China/I0108/17 (I0108/17), were isolated from diseased chicken flocks in different provinces in China and genotyped as Arkansas (Ark)-type viruses with three other Chinese Ark field strains, the Jilin vaccine strain, and the American Ark- and Ark DPI-like viruses. Complete genomic sequence analysis and pairwise comparison of nucleotide sequences encoding the S1 subunit of the spike protein and other structural and accessory proteins revealed that Chinese Ark field isolates were genetically closely related to the Jilin vaccine and American ArkDPI11 strains, although extensive nucleotide changes were found across the genomes of Chinese Ark field isolates. This suggests that Chinese Ark-type isolates are derived from the Jilin vaccine, and have diverged and evolved independently by point mutations since introduction into China. It is also possible that the Chinese Ark viruses have arisen as a result of different introductions of American ArkDPI11-like strains from the United States; this hypothesis requires further investigation. Pathogenicity testing showed that Chinese Ark viruses had comparable virulence to that of the Massachusetts-type M41 strain, although they had lower affinity for the kidneys of chickens than the M41 strain had. Although Ark-type viruses are not widespread in China, surveillance and updating the currently applied vaccination strategy for sound protection against IBV disease are important because this type of virus has caused heavy economic losses in the United States.

Effects of hypervariable regions in spike protein on pathogenicity, tropism, and serotypes of infectious bronchitis virus.

To study the roles of hypervariable regions (HVRs) in receptor-binding subunit S1 of the spike protein, we manipulated the genome of the IBV Beaudette strain using a reverse genetics system to construct seven recombinant strains by separately or simultaneously replacing the three HVRs of the Beaudette strain with the corresponding fragments from a QX-like nephropathogenic isolate ck/CH/LDL/091022 from China. We characterized the growth properties of these recombinant IBVs in Vero cells and embryonated eggs, and their pathogenicity, tropism, and serotypes in specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens. All seven recombinant IBVs proliferated in Vero cells, but the heterogenous HVRs could reduce their capacity for adsorption during in vitro infection. The recombinant IBVs did not significantly increase the pathogenicity compared with the Beaudette strain in SPF chickens, and they still shared the same serotype as the Beaudette strain, but the antigenic relatedness values between the recombinant strain and Beaudette strain generally decreased with the increase in the number of the HVRs exchanged. The results of this study demonstrate the functions of HVRs and they may help to develop a vaccine candidate, as well as providing insights into the prevention and control of IBV.