Reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus in SFTSV infected patients.

Background: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging hemorrhagic fever caused by a tick-borne bunyavirus SFTSV with case fatality up to 30%. The reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been proven to occur in individuals with various immune suppression conditions. Methods: Here, we diagnosed 22 SFTSV infected patients with PCR in a hospital in Shandong Province, China in 2020. To understand the consequences of SFTSV infection leading to EBV reactivation, we examined EBV reactivation in SFTSV-infected patients with PCR and RT-PCR. Results: We found that EBV was reactivated in 18.2% (4/22) of SFTS patients, suggesting that EBV reactivation is common in SFTS patients. Compared with SFTS patients without EBV reactivation, SFTS patients with EBV-reactivation had a significantly lower median level of serum albumin (32.45 g/L vs. 26.95 g/L, p = 0.03) and a significantly higher median number of urine red blood cells (0 cells/µL vs. 9 cells/µL, p = 0.04). Conclusion: SFTS infection can reactivate EBV in patients, which may make the clinical condition of patients worsen.

Host Plant-Derived miRNAs Potentially Modulate the Development of a Cosmopolitan Insect Pest, Plutella xylostella.

Plant microRNAs (miRNAs) have recently been reported to be involved in the cross-kingdom regulation of specific cellular and physiological processes in animals. However, little of this phenomenon is known for the communication between host plant and insect herbivore. In this study, the plant-derived miRNAs in the hemolymph of a cruciferous specialist Plutella xylostella were identified by small RNAs sequencing. A total of 39 miRNAs with typical characteristics of plant miRNAs were detected, of which 24 had read counts ≥ 2 in each library. Three plant-derived miRNAs with the highest read counts were validated, and all of them were predicted to target the hemocyanin domains-containing genes of P. xylostella. The luciferase assays in the Drosophila S2 cell demonstrated that miR159a and novel-7703-5p could target BJHSP1 and PPO2 respectively, possibly in an incomplete complementary pairing mode. We further found that treatment with agomir-7703-5p significantly influenced the pupal development and egg-hatching rate when reared on the artificial diet. The developments of both pupae and adults were severely affected upon their transfer to Arabidopsis thaliana, but this might be independent of the cross-kingdom regulation of the three plant-derived miRNAs on their target genes in P. xylostella, based on expression analysis. Taken together, our work reveals that the plant-derived miRNAs could break the barrier of the insect mid-gut to enter the circulatory system, and potentially regulate the development of P. xylostella. Our findings provide new insights into the co-evolution of insect herbivore and host plant, and novel direction for pest control using plant-derived miRNAs.

[Effects of different land-use types on soil organic carbon and its prediction in the mountainous areas in the middle reaches of Lancang River].

Based on the analysis of 210 surface soil samples (0-20 cm) according to field investigation in 2011, soil organic carbon (SOC) content and its distribution under four different land-use types in the middle reaches of Lancang River were studied. Combining with the correlation analysis, relationships among SOC content, land-use type, topographical factors and NDVI were revealed. Furthermore, multiple linear regression and Kriging method were used to predict the SOC contents distribution in the mountainous areas in the middle reaches of Lancang River. The results exhibited that the rank order of SOC content under the four land-use types was forestland > scrubland > grassland > farmland. The important factors influencing the SOC content were land-use type, aspect, slope and curvature. Comparing the accuracy of these two models, we found that the multiple regression model performed better than geo-statistics in prediction of the SOC content in the mountainous region.

[Influence of transient storage on solute transport and the parameter sensitivity analysis in a suburban drainage ditch].

From September to October 2013, five in-stream tracer experiments involving slug additions of chloride were performed in Guanzhenhe Branch, a headwater stream in suburban Hefei. From the perspective of different transport mechanisms such as transient storage, lateral inflow and advection-dispersion, four scenarios were set to analyze the effects of transient storage on solute transport in the drainage ditch. And sensitivity analysis of parameters in OTIS model was conducted. The results showed that transient storage exerted a significant influence on the peak values of simulated chloride concentration breakthrough curves (BTCs) in the main channel, and the REs (relative errors) of peak values in the BTCs ranged from 24.23% to 117.26%, which were much higher than those of the peak times. Meanwhile, the effects on simulated BTCs of transient storage markedly exceeded those of lateral inflow. Correlation analysis results showed that A(s)/A were significantly correlated with the peak value REs and the peak time RE's, respectively. Moreover, the ranking of parameter sensitivity in OTIS model was A > A(s) > α > D.

[Characteristics of nitrogen and phosphorus retention in two different channel forms in a typical headwater stream in the suburb of Hefei City, China ].

To investigate the characteristics of ammonium and phosphorus retention in two typical channel forms, deep pool and winding ditch in headwater stream, four field tracer experiments were conducted in a first-order stream of Ershibu River in Hefei suburban, in which a solution of biologically active (NH4Cl and KH2PO4) and conservative (NaCl) tracers was released to the head of each reach at a constant rate. According to the data sets of tracer experiments, mechanisms of ammonium and phosphorus retention were interpreted by using OTIS model code, transient storage metrics and nutrient spiraling theory. Study results showed that: (1) The value of As in deep pool was larger than that in winding ditch, whereas its value of hydrological parameter α was lower by an order of magnitude than that of winding ditch; (2) The value of NH(4)+ -λ in main channel was higher by two to three orders of magnitude than that of NH(4)+ -λs,in transient storage zone in deep pool, but in winding ditch the two parameters were closer in terms of numerical size; (3) In deep pool, the value of NH+(4) -Vf was higher by an order of magnitude than that of SRP-Vf, in winding ditch, however, not only the two values of NH(4)+ -Vf and SRP-Vf were close to each other, but NH(4)+ -Sw was nearly equal to SRP-Sw in numerical size as well; (4) The value of NH(4)+ -U was larger by two to three orders of magnitude than that of SRP-U in deep pool, whereas in winding ditch NH(4)+ -U was just larger by one to two orders of magnitude than SRP-U in size; (5) In general, significant difference existed between deep pool and winding ditch in the effect on ammonium and phosphorus retention, and marked retention efficiency was observed for ammonium rather than SRP in deep pool.

[Dynamics of salinization land based on EVI series data and landscape pattern analysis in Songnen Plain: a case study in Da'an City].

The west part of Jilin Province is one of the most salinization regions in China and much attention has been paid to the dynamics and monitoring of the salinization land. Based on the land use data derived from TM images in 2000, 2005 and 2010 and the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) series data from 2000 to 2012 of Da'an City as a typical salinization region, we used landscape pattern analysis to elucidate the dynamics of salinization land, and used gray incidence method to analyze the main driving factors for the dynamics of land salinization. The results showed that the dominant land use types in Da'an City were cultivated land, grassland and salinization land. From 2000 to 2010, the area of salinization land and construction land showed an increasing trend, while that of grassland tended to decrease. Salinization land, which showed increased connectivity and integrity, was mainly transformed from grassland, swamp land and water area. Annual EVI values in Da'an City showed an overall increasing trend while the average values showed obvious spatial differences with the lowest EVI level in salinization land. From 2000 to 2012, the increment of vegetation cover area was larger than that of the degraded area. Landscape transformation affected the changing trends of EVI. Both natural factors and human activities affected the dynamics of salinization land, and human activities showed a greater impact on land salinization than climate factors.

High serum IL-21 levels after 12 weeks of antiviral therapy predict HBeAg seroconversion in chronic hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Interleukin-21 (IL-21) stimulates T cell and B cell responses and plays a role in control of chronic viral infections. The role of IL-21 in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is not understood. METHODS: Serum IL-21 levels were measured by enzyme immunoassay in 75 HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients undergoing telbivudine treatment. The findings were validated in 103 patients from a separate clinical trial of telbivudine. A complete response to telbivudine was defined as having both HBeAg seroconversion and serum HBV-DNA level <300 copies/ml by treatment week 52. The proportions of T-cells producing IL-21 and/or expressing programmed death 1 (PD-1) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were assessed longitudinally during treatment by intracellular cytokine staining and flow cytometry. RESULTS: Median serum IL-21 levels at treatment week 12 were significantly higher in patients who did achieve vs. patients who did not achieve a complete response in both the initial (128.4 vs. 69.2 pg/ml, p=0.003) and the validation (142.2 vs. 89.9 pg/ml, p=0.004) trials. Serum levels of IL-21 (p=0.005) or HBV-DNA (p=0.003) levels at treatment week 12 independently predicted HBeAg seroconversion in the first year of treatment. The decrease in PD-1 expression on CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells during the first 12 weeks on telbivudine treatment was not correlated with changes in IL-21 concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Serum IL-21 levels may be a biomarker for HBeAg seroconversion, and may contribute to individualization of antiviral therapy in HBeAg-positive CHB. IL-21 may also have a role in immunotherapy for CHB.

Nitrogen transformation in maize soil after application of different organic manures.

The nitrogen transformation in maize soil after application of different organic manure was studied. The nitrogen mineralization in surface soil, NO3- -N dynamics and distribution in soil profile, and N2O emission were investigated. Eight treatments were laid out randomizing with three replications in 24 plots: maize plantation without fertilizer (CK1), bare soil without maize plantation and fertilization (CK2), swine manure (S1, S2), poultry manure (P1, P2), and cattle manure (C1, C2). Three manures were applied at two application levels (15 t/hm2 and 30 t/hm2). The results indicated that NH+ -N in surface soil showed the same temporal pattern without much variation among different treatments. But NO3- -N in the same layer exhibited large temporal pattern in all treatments, which was mainly due to its easy eluviations of NO3- -N in soil, its transformation to N2O and the influence of precipitation. The distribution of NO3- -N in the soil profile during maize growing season showed the leaching tendency from surface soil to subsoil, which was different among the treatments. The poultry treatments showed the largest leaching tendency. The study also revealed that the emissions of N2O were affected by the application of organic manures in the order of P2 > S2 > C2 > P1 > S1 > Cl > CK1 > CK2. All these results showed that organic manure applications significantly affect nitrogen transformation and distribution in maize soil. Considering N2O emission and NO3- -N leaching, the management of organic manure in the agriculture needs further studies.

[Effects of oxymatrine on serum levels of Th1/Th2 type cytokines in HBsAg transgenic mice].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of oxymatrine on serum levels of Th1/Th2 cytokines in HBsAg transgenic mice. METHODS: HBsAg transgenic mice were divided into oxymatrine group and control group. Each mouse was injected with either oxymatrine 200 mg/kg 0.2 ml or 0.9% NaCl 0.2 ml intraperitoneally once a day for 30 days. Serum IFN-gamma, IL-2 and IL-4, IL-10 were quantitated before and after different treatment. RESULTS: There was no significant difference on the levels of IFN-gamma and IL-4 before and after treatment in control group. While in oxymatrine group, the levels of IFN-gamma before and after treatment were (3.108+/-3.172) pg/ml and (11.059+/-6.971) pg/ml; those of IL-4 were (29.045+/-13.235) pg/ml and (13.024+/-9.002) pg/ml (both P less than 0.001). After treatment, the levels of IL-2 in control and oxymatrine group were (1.070+/-0.447) pg/ml and (5.537+/-2.887) pg/ml (P less than 0.000 1); and those of IL-10 were (97.226+/-73.306) pg/ml and (33.607+/-23.154) pg/ml (P less than 0.01). CONCLUSION: After injection of oxymatrine to HBsAg transgenic mice, the serum concentration of Th1 cytokines increased while the Th2 cytokines decreased. This can help us understand more better on the mechanisms of anti-HBV effect of oxymatrine.