Transcriptome analysis reveals TOR signalling-mediated plant flush shoots governing Diaphorina citri Kuwayama oviposition.

Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri, is a key vector transmitting the causative agent of Huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Population growth of ACP is evident after feeding on plant flush shoots, as they only oviposit here. However, the underlying mechanism as to why flush shoots govern oviposition is unclear. This study compares the fecundity and ovarian morphology of ACP between young flush and mature leaves. Furthermore, the transcriptome of mated females infesting Murraya paniculata was analysed. Finally, the gene of the key Target of Rapamycin (TOR) signalling pathway was silenced by RNAi. Results indicated that flush shoot feeding activated the development of the psyllids ovary and therefore induced oviposition. A total of 126 and 2794 differentially expressed genes were detected at 1 and 5 days, respectively, after pest infestation of flush shoots compared to mature leaves. Many genes are involved in protein metabolism, Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway, hormone synthesis, and TOR signalling pathway: all thought to activate reproduction. Silencing of the positive regulator gene DcRheb in the TOR pathway resulted in lower levels of ecdysone and juvenile hormone and decreased vitellogenin synthesis, further disrupting reproductive ability. This study enhances understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying ACP's reproductive strategy.

[Investigation of contact dermatitis caused by hard metal dust].

Objective: To investigate the incidence of contact dermatitis among workers in cemented carbide production enterprises. Methods: From October 1997 to October 2017, an occupational epidemiological survey was conducted on a large-scale cemented carbide production enterprise, and occupational health examinations were conducted for employees. 152 people were exposed to hard metal dust (hard metal raw material dust and alloy dust) . The employees in the work group were contact groups, and 142 employees in the non-dusting operation of the company were in the control group. A detailed retrospective survey of hard metal production workers with contact dermatitis history in the two groups was conducted to analyze the risk factors of contact dermatitis exposure to hard metal dust. Results: The incidence of allergic diseases in the exposed group was significantly higher than that in the control group. The difference was statistically significant (χ(2)=23.793, P<0.05) . The incidence of contact dermatitis in the exposed group was significantly higher than that in the control group. The difference was statistically significant (χ(2)=24.659, P<0.05) ; the changes of contact dermatitis in the contact group were mainly allergic contact dermatitis, and some showed irritative contact dermatitis; the operator had respiratory symptoms (including work-related nasal congestion, cough, wheezing) , difficulty breathing may be the influencing factors of contact dermatitis (RR=2.60, 95%CI: 1.10-6.20, P<0.05) . Conclusion: Hard metal alloy enterprises are exposed to hard metal dust. The incidence of contact dermatitis is high in workers, and the occurrence of contact dermatitis may be associated with those with respiratory symptoms.

Synthesis of single-phase CuCo2-xNixS4 for high-performance supercapacitors.

Developing safe, efficient and environment-friendly energy storage systems continues to inspire researchers to synthesize new electrode materials. Doping or substituting host material by some guest elements has been regarded as an effective way to improve the performance of supercapacitors. In this work, single-phase CuCo2-xNixS4 materials were synthesized by a facile two-step hydrothermal method, where Co in CuCo2S4 was substituted by Ni. Cobalt could be easily substituted with Ni in a rational range to keep its constant phase. But, a high content of Ni resulted in a multi-phase composite. Among a series of CuCo2-xNixS4 materials with different Ni/Co mole ratios, CuCo1.25Ni0.75S4 material presented a significantly high specific capacitance (647 F g-1 or 272 C g-1 at 1 A g-1) and the best cycling stability (∼98% specific capacitance retention after 10,000 charge-discharge cycles), which was mainly due to the modified composition, specific single phase, higher electroconductivity, more electroactive sites and the synergistic effect between Ni and Co. Moreover, the assembled asymmetric capacitor using CuCo1.25Ni0.75S4 as a positive electrode and activated carbon as a negative electrode delivered a high energy density of 31.8 Wh kg-1 at the power density of 412.5 W kg-1. These results demonstrated that ternary metal sulfides of CuCo2-xNixS4 are promising electrode materials for high-performance supercapacitors.

[Delphy expert survey on diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused by occupational irritant chemicals].

Objective: o explore the problems encountered in the application of GBZ/T 237-2011 edition of "Diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Caused by Occupational Stimulating Chemicals" , and to provide reference for the revision of the new standard. Methods: Delphi expert survey method was used to consult experts on the reasonableness of six primary indicators (scope of application, diagnostic principles, diagnostic indicators, treatment principles, diagnostic grading, appendix A) and their corresponding secondary indicators in the Diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) caused by Occupational Stimulant Chemicals. Results: The results of the first round of Delphi method showed that the reasonable mean of the diagnostic criteria about long-term occupational history, smoking history and clinical diagnostic criteria was less than 7, and the coefficient of variation was greater than 0.25, indicating that the experts disagreed with the scope of application of the original criteria; the average of smoking history and 3-year working age were 1.78 and 3.43 (less than 7) respectively, which indicated that the experts agreed that the two diagnostic indexes were not conducive to the practical work of occupational disease clinicians; among the diagnostic indicators, smoking history and smoking volume were taken into account in a comprehensive way, and the average values were 7.61 and 7.61 (greater than 7) , respectively. the coefficient of variation was less than 0.25, indicating that the experts had concentrated their opinions and agreed that such indicators could be considered into the diagnostic index system. Conclusion: "Diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Caused by Occupational Stimulating Chemicals" should be improved by expanding the scope of occupational irritant gases. Smoking problems can be considered in combination with clinical practice, and occupational exposure history can be considered to reduce appropriately.

[Functional annotation of differentially expressed genes in manganese-poisoned rats and related metabolic pathways].

Objective: To investigate the functional classification of differentially expressed genes in manganese-poisoned rats and related metabolic pathways, and to provide a reference for the study of the mechanism of manganese poisoning and gene regulation in the prevention and treatment of manganese poisoning. Methods: Six healthy specific pathogen-free male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group and experimental group according to body weight, with 3 rats in each group. Rats in the experimental group were injected intraperitoneally with MnCl(2)·4H(2)O (25 mg/kg) at 0.2 ml/100 g once every 48 h, and the control group was injected with phosphate-buffered saline at the same dose. After one month of exposure, the rats were anesthetized and then sacrificed by cardiac puncture blood collection. The striatum was isolated on ice, and RNA was extracted to establish a DNA data library. Whole genome sequencing was used to identify the differentially expressed genes in the rats with manganese poisoning. Gene Ontology functional enrichment analysis and pathway enrichment analysis were performed to investigate the possible metabolic pathways in which the differentially expressed genes may participate. Results: A total of 18439 genes were detected in the striatum of rats, and 17 differentially expressed genes were screened out. Among them, 10 genes were up-regulated, and 7 genes were down-regulated. According to gene function analysis, 164 functional branches and 26 metabolic pathways with high gene enrichment were screened out. The genes were enriched in synaptic signaling, signal transduction, etc., especially behavioral function. The metabolic pathways with high gene enrichment were endocytosis pathway, PI3K-Akt pathway, and neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway, in which the PI3K-Akt pathway had enrichment of the same differentially expressed gene (29 517) as the FoxO signaling pathway and mTOR signaling pathway, and the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway had enrichment of the same differentially expressed gene (24 415) as the glutamatergic synaptic pathway. Conclusion: The differentially expressed genes in manganese-poisoned rats may influence the susceptibility to manganese poisoning through the PI3K-Akt pathway, mTOR metabolic pathway, or FoxO metabolic pathway, and may be involved in behavioral changes.

Down-regulation of long non-coding RNA MEG3 serves as an unfavorable risk factor for survival of patients with breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The downregulation of Long non-coding RNA MEG3 (MEG3) has been observed in breast cancer (BC). However, there is no previous study of the relationship between MEG3 and patient prognosis in BC. Accordingly, this study investigated the prognostic values of MEG3 in BC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: we performed RT-qPCR to detect the expression of MEG3 in 207 paired BC tissues and adjacent noncancerous tissues. The association of MEG3 expression with clinicopathological factors or prognosis was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Our findings revealed that the MEG3 expression was significantly decreased in clinical BC tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues (p < 0.01). MEG3 level was significantly associated with differentiation grade (p  = 0.004), TNM stage (p  = 0.011) and lymph nodes metastasis (p  = 0.000). Using Kaplan-Meier analysis, we found that patients with low MEG3 expression had significantly poor overall survival (OS) rate (p  < 0.001) and progression-free survival (PFS)  rate (p  < 0.001). Moreover, multivariate Cox analysis revealed MEG3 expression was an independent poor prognostic factor for both 5-year OS (p  = 0.003) and 5-year PFS (p  = 0.002) in BC patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that MEG3 expression was an independent prognostic factor for patients with BC, which may serve as a novel biomarker in BC patients.

Impact of early enteral and parenteral nutrition on prealbumin and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein after gastric surgery.

We investigated the impact of early enteral nutrition (EEN) and parenteral nutrition (PN) on prealbumin (PA) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in patients after gastric cancer surgery. Sixty-eight selected patients undergoing gastric cancer surgery were randomly divided into the EEN (N = 34) and PN (N = 34) groups. Body weight (BW), serum albumin (ALB), transferrin (TF), PA, hs-CRP, length of hospital stay, cost of postoperative nutritional support, and incidence of complications were compared between groups. On postoperative day 7, the BW, TF, ALB, and PA for both groups were significantly decreased compared with the values obtained on preoperative day 1 (P < 0.01). A significant decrease was observed in TF and PA in the PN group compared with the EEN group (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in BW and ALB between the two groups (P > 0.05). The hs-CRP level of both groups was significantly higher than on preoperative day 1. There was a significant increase in hs-CRP in the PN group compared with the EEN group (P < 0.01). The anal exhaust time, length of hospital stay, and nutritional support cost were significantly shorter or lower in the EEN group than in the PN group (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups (P > 0.05). EEN helps regulate the postoperative response of patients after gastric cancer surgery, promotes rehabilitation, and accelerates the recovery of gastrointestinal function. Furthermore, EEN has the advantage of being inexpensive.

Impact of early postoperative enteral nutrition on clinical outcomes in patients with gastric cancer.

The impact of early enteral nutrition (EEN) on clinical outcomes of gastric cancer patients was investigated. Three hundred pa-tients undergoing gastric cancer surgery from July 2010 to May 2014 were randomly divided into experimental and control groups (n = 150/group). Experimental group patients received enteral nutrition in water during the early postoperative period. Control group patients received conventional perioperative treatment. Patients' clinical outcomes, post-operative immune function, and nutritional statuses were compared, which revealed that the postoperative fever duration (80.2 ± 6.0 vs 88.1 ± 8.1 h, P < 0.05), anal exhaust time (78.8 ± 9.3 vs 85.3 ± 8.4 h, P < 0.05), and length of hospitalization (7.73 ± 2.13 vs 9.77 ± 1.76 days, P < 0.01) differed significantly. Treatment costs in thousands of dol-lars were 31.24 ± 3.21 for the experimental group and 35.61 ± 2.32 for the control group; this difference was statistically significant (P < 0.01). The incidence of postoperative complications did not significantly differ between the experimental and control groups [14.0% (21/150) vs 17.3% (26/150), P > 0.05]. At postoperative days 3 and 7, the CD3(+), CD4(+), natural killer cell, albumin, and prealbumin levels and CD4(+)/CD8(+) ra-tio were significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group (all P < 0.05). CD8(+) cell counts were significantly lower in the experimental group than the control group (P < 0.05). Postsurgical oral EEN can improve nutritional status and immune function and promote early recovery of intestinal function in patients with gastric cancer.

Association of MLL3 expression with prognosis in gastric cancer.

Low expression of myeloid/lymphoid or mixed-lineage leukemia 3 (MLL3) is reportedly associated with gastric cancer and tumor progression. The purpose of this study was to examine the expression of MLL3 in tissue samples of patients with gastric cancer and to analyze the relationship between MLL3 protein expression and clinical records. Using immunohistochemical staining and Kaplan-Meier analysis for MLL3 in gastric cancer patients, we found that low expression of MLL3 had a significant relationship with a low survival rate compared to positive MLL3 expression in the patients analyzed (P<0.05). Our data suggest that MLL3 expression plays a vital role in gastric cancer development, and that this protein is an important marker for the prognosis of gastric cancer.

Low propagation loss AlGaAs waveguides fabricated with plasma-assisted photoresist reflow.

We report low-loss deep-etch AlGaAs optical waveguides fabricated with nitrogen plasma-assisted photoresist reflow. The simultaneous application of a nitrogen plasma and heat is used to reduce the line edge roughness of patterned photoresist and limit the lateral spread of the photoresist patterns of submicron-scale waveguides. Comparison of the edge roughness of the etched sidewalls between the as-developed and smoothed photoresist etch samples show a reduction of the RMS roughness from 3.39±0.17 nm to 1.39±0.03 nm. The reduction in propagation loss is verified by measured waveguide loss as a function of waveguide widths. A 0.65-µm wide waveguide with a modal area of 0.4 µm(2) is fabricated with a propagation loss as low as 1.20±0.13 dB/cm for the transverse-electric mode.

Sampling survey on intellectual disability in 0 approximately 6-year-old children in China.

OBJECTIVES: To understand the current status of intellectually disabled children and the prevalence of intellectual disability (ID) in children aged 0 approximately 6 years and its risk factors, and to provide scientific evidence to formulate relevant policies for helping intellectually disabled children. METHODS: Multiphase, stratified, unequal proportional and cluster sampling was adopted to investigate 60 124 children aged 0 approximately 6 years. All the children investigated were screened for ID using the Denver Developmental Screening Test, and those with positive screening test would be further diagnosed by varied specialists using the Gesell Developmental Inventory. RESULTS: In total, 560 of 60 124 children were diagnosed as intellectually disabled with an overall prevalence of 0.93%. Prevalence of ID was highest in children living in medium-developed areas with a prevalence of 1.20%, higher than in those living in developed areas (0.75%) and in underdeveloped areas (0.84%). It was higher in rural areas (1.03%) than in urban areas (0.83%), and higher in boys (1.01%) than in girls (0.84%). Prevalence of ID increased with the age of children and decreased with the educational level of their parents. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggested that ID is still prevalent in the children of China, and rehabilitation for them is lagging behind current needs. Early prevention of ID in children and pre-school education for them should be strengthened.

Energy trapping in power transmission through a circular cylindrical elastic shell by finite piezoelectric transducers.

We study the transmission of electric energy through a circular cylindrical elastic shell by acoustic wave propagation and piezoelectric transducers. Our mechanics model consists of a circular cylindrical elastic shell with finite piezoelectric patches on both sides of the shell. A theoretical analysis using the equations of elasticity and piezoelectricity is performed. A trigonometric series solution is obtained. Output voltage and transmitted power are calculated. Confinement and localization of the vibration energy (energy trapping) is studied which can only be understood from analyzing finite transducers. It is shown that when thickness-twist mode is used the structure shows energy trapping with which the vibration can be confined to the transducer region. It is also shown that energy trapping is sensitive to the geometric and physical parameters of the structure.

A novel enzyme reactor using gluten membrane entrapping cell-associated enzyme.

A membrane enzyme reactor consisting of variable pieces of replaceable cell-immobilized membranes was proposed for the continuous production of bioproducts. To demonstrate the characteristics of the reactor, cell-immobilized membranes were prepared by the entrapment of permeabilized recombinant Escherichia coli cells containing penicillin G acylase within the gluten matrices. A stainless-steel net that was created with a mesh frame was used to support each gluten membrane so that the membranes could be filled into the rectangular-shaped reactor. The reactor equipped with either six or 12 pieces of cell-immobilized gluten membranes containing a biomass concentration of 5%, w/w was effective in catalyzing the production of 6-aminopenicillanic acid from penicillin G. In comparison with intact cells, the cell-immobilized preparation was more stable and the half-life time of the immobilized cell-associate enzyme in gluten membrane was estimated to be 36 days by a long-term operation. As the substrate solution was forced to flow through the reactor equipped with six membranes and in the direction perpendicular to the membranes, the pressure drop was determined to be less than 50 cm H(2)O with a flow-rate up to 50 mL/min. This low pressure due to the porous structure of gluten membrane would lead to a lower operational cost. Increasing either the number of membranes or the area of each cell-immobilized membrane can easily do scaling-up of this membrane reactor.

Nuclear matrix in developing rat spermatogenic cells.

The nonchromatin structure or nuclear matrix in developing spermatogenic cells of the rat was studied using a biochemical fractionation in concert with resinless section electron microscopy. Observations demonstrated that the nuclear matrix of spermatogenic cells consisted of a three-dimensional network of filaments of variable thicknesses. In spermatogonia and spermatocytes the nuclear matrix consisted of relatively thin filaments, while that of round spermatids consisted of a thicker interconnecting network of filament. In elongating spermatids, the interior of the nuclear matrix consisted of a network of dense filaments bounded by a peripheral lamina. The protein composition of the nuclear matrix in spermatogenic cells was examined by high-resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and correlated with morphological changes characteristic of each stage. The results showed that the proteins of nuclear matrix changed in a cell stage-specific manner. These stage-specific changes corresponded to the major transitions of chromatin structure and function during spermatogenesis. Furthermore, immunocytochemical and immunoblotting analysis of DNA topoisomerase II (topo II) revealed that this enzyme exhibited stage-specific variations and was associated with the nuclear matrix. These results suggest that the nuclear matrix in spermatogenic cells may be involved in mediating DNA modifications and maintaining nuclear organization during spermatogenesis. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 59:314-321, 2001.

[Comparison between the plaque reduction neutralization test and the hemagglutination inhibition test in determination of human anti-measles antibodies].

In order to evaluate the difference between plaque reduction neutralization test (PNt) and hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test on human anti-measles antibodies, pre- and postimmunization sera collected from 328 infants aged 3-6 months who were immunized with Shanghai 191 measles vaccine, were detected by both methods. The results demonstrated that PNt was more sensitive than HI when they were used to measure the pre-immunization sera. No significant difference was found between these two methods when they were used to measure the post-immunization sera. PNt can be used to test low level maternal anti-measles antibodies in infants, especially for estimating the effect of maternal anti-measles antibodies on the immunogenicity of measles vaccine.

[Correlation between kidney deficiency syndrome and bone density].

In order to study the relationship between Kidney Deficiency Syndrome (KDS)and bone density (BD), the BD of 2068 subjects (40-69 years old)was measured with SPA-IIC type monophoton BD scanning device made in China. The subjects including 1144 cases of KDS (320 males and 824 females); 608 cases without KDS (306 males and 302 females); 164 cases of Lung Deficiency (80 males and 84 females); 152 cases of Spleen Deficiency (76 males and 76 females). Through comparison with the same sex and age group, it was found that BD in KDS patients was significantly lower than that in the normal subjects and those without KDS, also lower than that in the Lung and Spleen Deficiency patients. It indicated that KDS had the corresponding BD changes, which confirmed the TCM classical theory "The Kidney governs the bone". Based on the measuring data, the authors took the lower limit of BD normal value minus two folds of SD as the critical value for KDS diagnosis in 40-49 years age group, i. e., male BD < 0.6 g/cm2, female BD < 0.5 g/cm2. The clinical feedback showed that the male and female related coincident rates were 76% and 80% respectively. Therefore, the critical value could be taken as an objective index for KDS diagnosis after excluding other affecting factors.

[Experimental study on anti-duck hepatitis B viral effect of Phyllanthus urinaria of different areas and combined therapy with other drugs].

The duck hepatitis B virus model was treated with phyllanthus urinaria of different area and combined with Sophora flavesceus as well as ciprofloxacin once a day for one month, the results indicated: Guangxi and Yunnan Phyllanthus could lower the serum DHBV DNA significantly (P < 0.05), but Chongqing Phyllanthus couldn't. And the amount of serum DHBV DNA rose a week after stopping of Yunnan Phyllanthus. The antiviral effect of Guangxi Phyllanthus combined with ciprofloxacin seems to be strengthened (P < 0.05).