Development and Validation of Diagnostic Models for Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Children.

OBJECTIVE: To find risk markers and develop new clinical predictive models for the differential diagnosis of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) with varying degrees of disease. METHODS: 19766 children with HFMD and 64 clinical indexes were included in this study. The patients included in this study were divided into the mild patients' group (mild) with 12292 cases, severe patients' group (severe) with 6508 cases, and severe patients with respiratory failure group (severe-RF) with 966 cases. Single-factor analysis was carried out on 64 indexes collected from patients when they were admitted to the hospital, and the indexes with statistical differences were selected as the prediction factors. Binary multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to construct the prediction models and calculate the adjusted odds ratio (OR). RESULTS: SP, DP, NEUT#, NEUT%, RDW-SD, RDW-CV, GGT, CK/CK-MB, and Glu were risk markers in mild/severe, mild/severe-RF, and severe/severe-RF. Glu was a diagnostic marker for mild/severe-RF (AUROC = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.78-0.82); the predictive model constructed by temperature, SP, MOMO%, EO%, RDW-SD, GLB, CRP, Glu, BUN, and Cl could be used for the differential diagnosis of mild/severe (AUROC > 0.84); the predictive model constructed by SP, age, NEUT#, PCT, TBIL, GGT, Mb, ß2MG, Glu, and Ca could be used for the differential diagnosis of severe/severe-RF (AUROC > 0.76). CONCLUSION: By analyzing clinical indicators, we have found the risk markers of HFMD and established suitable predictive models.

Rotenone-induced necrosis in insect cells via the cytoplasmic membrane damage and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Rotenone, a selective inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I, has been extensively studied on kinds of neuron and neuroblast in Parkinson's disease. However, little is known about the potential mechanism of this promising botanical insecticide upon insect cells. In the article, cell proliferation of two Lepidoptera cell lines, Spodoptera litura SL-1 cells and Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9 cells, were all inhibited by rotenone in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Typical necrotic characteristics of cell morphology and ultrastructure, such as plasma membrane collapses and organelle lyses, were all observed by transmission electron microscope and scanning electron microscope. Moreover, irregular DNA degradation was also detected by DNA gel electrophoresis and Hoechst 33258 staining, while the typical apoptotic feature, DNA ladder, hadn't been observed. Flow cytometric analysis showed that rotenone-induced cell death of Sf9 and SL-1 cells accompanied with the plasma membrane potential depolarization and mitochondrial membrane potential reduction. Furthermore, the activity of Na+-K+-ATPase was detected in our study. In conclusion, rotenone could cause necrosis but not apoptosis in insect cells through a mitochondrial- and plasmic membrane-dependent pattern, which shed a light on the rotenone-induced cytotoxicity on insects.

Toxicity assessment of chlorpyrifos-degrading fungal bio-composites and their environmental risks.

Bioremediation techniques coupling with functional microorganisms have emerged as the most promising approaches for in-situ elimination of pesticide residue. However, the environmental safety of bio-products based on microorganisms or engineered enzymes was rarely known. Here, we described the toxicity assessment of two previously fabricated fungal bio-composites which were used for the biodegradation of chlorpyrifos, to clarify their potential risks on the environment and non-target organisms. Firstly, the acute and chronic toxicity of prepared bio-composites were evaluated using mice and rabbits, indicating neither acute nor chronic effect was induced via short-term or continuous exposure. Then, the acute mortality on zebrafish was investigated, which implied the application of fungal bio-composites had no lethal risk on aquatic organisms. Meanwhile, the assessment on soil organic matters suggested that no threat was posed to soil quality. Finally, by monitoring, the germination of cabbage was not affected by the exposure to two bio-products. Therefore, the application of fungal bio-composites for chlorpyrifos elimination cannot induce toxic risk to the environment and non-target organisms, which insured the safety of these engineered bio-products for realistic management of pesticide residue, and provided new insights for further development of bioremediation techniques based on functional microorganisms.

Dissipation and metabolism of tebufenozide in cabbage and soil under open field conditions in South China.

The novel nonsteroidal ecdysone agonist tebufenozide is capable of controlling a wide range of lepidopteran pests. However its intensive use in vegetables has raised concerns towards the safety of food and environment. Here, we developed an easy and reliable method to analyze tebufenozide in cabbage and soil by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The average recoveries of tebufenozide ranged from 72.01% to 101.10% with the relative standard deviations (RSD)<6%, and the LOD and LOQ were 0.02µgg-1 and 0.05µgg-1, respectively. According to the dissipation study, the half-lives of tebufenozide were 2.96 and 4.08 d in cabbage and 4.95-7.70d in soil, respectively. The final residues were determined below the maximum residue limit (MRL) (0.5mgkg-1) after a pre-harvest interval (PHI) of 7d. Moreover, its major metabolites were identified by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) on LTQ-Orbitrap XL, which leading to the first report of the degradation pathway of tebufenozide in cabbage. The present study is expected to provide basic data for the use guidance and safety evaluation of tebufenozide in agricultural crops and environment.

Identification of multi-insecticide residues using GC-NPD and the degradation kinetics of chlorpyrifos in sweet corn and soils.

Because more than one insecticide is applied to crops to protect plants from pests, an analytical multi-residue determination method was developed using gas chromatography with a nitrogen phosphorus detector (GC-NPD). The retention time for 12 insecticides was 3.7-27.7min. Under the selected conditions, the limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were below the maximum residue limits (MRLs) and in the range of 0.00315-0.05µgmL(-1) and 0.01-0.165µgmL(-1), respectively. Using GC-NPD, we investigated the dissipation dynamics and final residual levels of chlorpyrifos in sweet corn and soil and determined that the half-lives was 4-7days, that is, that chlorpyrifos is safe to use on sweet corn with a pre-harvest interval of 16-22days before harvest. These results provide new insights into chlorpyrifos degradation in plants and its environmental behavior.

The Effect of Phenazine-1-Carboxylic Acid on the Morphological, Physiological, and Molecular Characteristics of Phellinus noxius.

In this study, the effect of phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) on morphological, physiological, and molecular characteristics of Phellinus noxius has been investigated, and the potential antifungal mechanism of PCA against P. noxius was also explored. The results revealed that PCA showed in vitro antifungal potential against P. noxius and completely inhibited P. noxius hyphae at concentrations >40 µg/mL. PCA inhibited both mycelial growth and the loss of mycelial biomass in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. Morphological changes in PCA-treated P. noxius hyphae, such as irregularly swollen mycelia as well as short hyphae with increased septation and less branching, were observed by optical microscopy. The intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were significantly increased in PCA-treated P. noxius cells as compared to control groups. Induced hyperpolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), repressed superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and up-regulated gene expression of seven tested genes were also found in PCA-treated P. noxius groups. Thus, the present results suggested that the mechanism of action of PCA against P. noxius might be attributed to direct damage of mycelium and high intracellular ROS production, and indirect induction of genes involved in cell detoxification, oxidation-reduction process, and electron transport of the respiratory chain.

Antifungal Activity of Isoliquiritin and Its Inhibitory Effect against Peronophythora litchi Chen through a Membrane Damage Mechanism.

This study investigated the antifungal activity and potential antifungal mechanism(s) of isoliquiritin against P. litchi Chen, one of the main litchi pathogens. The antifungal activity of isoliquiritin against P. litchi Chen had been proven in a dose-dependent manner through in vitro (mycelial growth and sporangia germination) and in vivo (detached leaf) tests. Results revealed that isoliquiritin exhibited significant antifungal activity against the tested pathogens, especially, P. litchi Chen, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 27.33 mg/L. The morphology of P. litchi Chen was apparently changed by isoliquiritin through cytoplasm leakage and distortion of mycelia. The cell membrane permeability of the P. litchi Chen increased with the increasing concentration of isoliquiritin, as evidenced by a rise in relative electric conductivity and a decrease in reducing sugar contents. These results indicated that the antifungal effects of isoliquiritin could be explained by a membrane lesion mechanism causing damage to the cell membrane integrity leading to the death of mycelial cells. Taken together, isoliquiritin may be used as a natural alternative to commercial fungicides or a lead compound to develop new fungicides for the control of litchi downy blight.

Cross-resistance and baseline susceptibility of Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to cyantraniliprole in the south of China.

BACKGROUND: The oriental leafworm moth, Spodoptera litura Fab. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a widely distributed polyphagous insect pest in Asia that has been shown to be resistant to various types of insecticide. The newly registered anthranilic diamide cyantraniliprole provided novel insight and great opportunities to control S. litura. RESULTS: In this study, the susceptibilities of S. litura collected from South China to cyantraniliprole were measured by standard leaf-disc bioassay, and obvious variation in susceptibility was observed among the 17 field populations, with LC50 values varying from 0.206 to 1.336 mg AI L(-1). Significant correlations were detected between the LC50 values of cyantraniliprole and chlorantraniliprole (P < 0.05). However, no significant correlation (P > 0.05) was observed between the two anthranilic diamides and other insecticides with different action mechanisms (delcamethrin, chlorpyrifos, indoxacarb and emamectin benzoate). Piperonyl butoxide showed obvious synergism in Lab-Sus, ZC14 and cyantraniliprole-resistant strains, while diethyl maleate and S,S,S-tributylphorotrithioate had no obvious synergistic effects in any of the strains tested. CONCLUSION: These results revealed obvious regional variation in cyantraniliprole susceptibilities among populations of S. litura from different areas, and potential cross-resistance to chlorantraniliprole, which suggested that S. litura could develop resistance to cyantraniliprole. Detoxification enzymes might not be involved in the observed tolerance in field-collected populations and the cyantraniliprole-resistant strain.

Molecular Effects of Irradiation (Cobalt-60) on the Control of Panonychus citri (Acari: Tetranychidae).

The effective dose of irradiation to control pest mites in quarantine has been studied extensively, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of the irradiation on mites are largely unknown. In this study, exposure to 400 Gy of γ rays had significant (p < 0.05) effects on the adult survival, fecundity and egg viability of Panonychus citri. The irradiation caused the degradation of the DNA of P. citri adults and damaged the plasma membrane system of the egg, which led to condensed nucleoli and gathered yolk. Additionally, the transcriptomes and gene expression profiles between irradiated and non-irradiated mites were compared, and three digital gene expression libraries were assembled and analyzed. The differentially expressed genes were putatively involved in apoptosis, cell death and the cell cycle. Finally, the expression profiles of some related genes were studied using quantitative real-time PCR. Our study provides valuable information on the changes in the transcriptome of irradiated P. citri, which will facilitate a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that cause the sterility induced by irradiation.

Homologs to Cry toxin receptor genes in a de novo transcriptome and their altered expression in resistant Spodoptera litura larvae.

Insect resistance threatens sustainability of insecticides based on Cry proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Since high levels of resistance to Cry proteins involve alterations in Cry-binding midgut receptors, their identification is needed to develop resistance management strategies. Through Illumina sequencing we generated a transcriptome containing 16,161 annotated unigenes for the Oriental leafworm (Spodoptera litura). Transcriptome mining identified 6 contigs with identity to reported lepidopteran Cry toxin receptors. Using PCR we confirmed their expression during the larval stage and compared their quantitative expression in larvae from susceptible and a field-derived Cry1Ca resistant strain of S. litura. Among reduced transcript levels detected for most tested contigs in the Cry1Ca-resistant S. litura larvae, the most dramatic reduction (up to 99%) was detected for alkaline phosphatase contigs. This study significantly expands S. litura transcriptomic resources and provides preliminary identification of putative receptor genes with altered expression in S. litura resistant to Cry1Ca toxin.

A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY ON APOPTOSIS INDUCTION BY AZADIRACHTIN IN Spodoptera frugiperda CULTURED CELL LINE Sf9.

The induction of apoptosis by azadirachtin, a well-known botanical tetranortriterpenoid isolated from the neem tree (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) and other members of the Meliaceae, was investigated in Spodoptera frugiperda cultured cell line (Sf9). Morphological changes in Sf9 cells treated by various concentrations of azadirachtin were observed at different times under light microscopy. Morphological and biochemical analysis indicated that Sf9 cells treated by 1.5 µg/mL azadirachtin showed typical morphological changes, which were indicative of apoptosis and a clear DNA ladder. The flow cytometry analysis showed the apoptosis rate reached a maximum value of 32.66% at 24 h with 1.5 µg/mL azadirachtin in Sf9 cells. The inhibition of Sf9 cell proliferation suggested that the effect of azadirachtin was dose dependent and the EC50 at 48 and 72 h was 2.727 × 10(-6) and 6.348 × 10(-9) µg/mL, respectively. The treatment of azadirachtin in Sf9 cells could significantly increase the activity of Sf caspase-1, but showed no effect on the activity of Topo I, suggesting that the apoptosis induced by azadirachtinin Sf9 cells is through caspase-dependent pathway. These results provided not only a series of morphological, biochemical, and toxicological comprehensive evidences for induction of apoptosis by azadirachtin, but also a reference model for screening insect cell apoptosis inducers from natural compounds.

Azadirachtin-induced apoptosis involves lysosomal membrane permeabilization and cathepsin L release in Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9 cells.

Azadirachtin as a kind of botanical insecticide has been widely used in pest control. We previously reported that azadirachtin could induce apoptosis of Spodoptera litura cultured cell line Sl-1, which involves in the up-regulation of P53 protein. However, the detailed mechanism of azadirachtin-induced apoptosis is not clearly understood in insect cultured cells. The aim of the present study was to address the involvement of lysosome and lysosomal protease in azadirachtin-induced apoptosis in Sf9 cells. The result confirmed that azadirachtin indeed inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis. The lysosomes were divided into different types as time-dependent manner, which suggested that changes of lysosomes were necessarily physiological processes in azadirachtin-induced apoptosis in Sf9 cells. Interestingly, we noticed that azadirachtin could trigger lysosomal membrane permeabilization and cathepsin L releasing to cytosol. Z-FF-FMK (a cathepsin L inhibitor), but not CA-074me (a cathepsin B inhibitor), could effectively hinder the apoptosis induced by azadirachtin in Sf9 cells. Meanwhile, the activity of caspase-3 could also be inactivated by the inhibition of cathepsin L enzymatic activity induced by Z-FF-FMK. Taken together, our findings suggest that azadirachtin could induce apoptosis in Sf9 cells in a lysosomal pathway, and cathepsin L plays a pro-apoptosis role in this process through releasing to cytosol and activating caspase-3.

Pathway and kinetics of cyhalothrin biodegradation by Bacillus thuringiensis strain ZS-19.

Cyhalothrin is a common environmental pollutant which poses increased risks to non-target organisms including human beings. This study reported for the first time a newly isolated strain, Bacillus thuringiensis ZS-19 completely degraded cyhalothrin in minimal medium within 72 h. The bacterium transformed cyhalothrin by cleavage of both the ester linkage and diaryl bond to yield six intermediate products. Moreover, a novel degradation pathway of cyhalothrin in strain ZS-19 was proposed on the basis of the identified metabolites. In addition to degradation of cyhalothrin, this strain was found to be capable of degrading 3-phenoxybenzoic acid, a common metabolite of pyrethroids. Furthermore, strain ZS-19 participated in efficient degradation of a wide range of pyrethroids including cyhalothrin, fenpropathrinn, deltamethrin, beta-cypermethrin, cyfluthrin and bifenthrin. Taken together, our results provide insights into the mechanism of cyhalothrin degradation and also highlight the promising potentials of B.thuringiensis ZS-19 in bioremediation of pyrethroid-contaminated environment. This is the first report of (i) degradation of cyhalothrin and other pyrethroids by B.thuringiensis, (ii) identification of 3-phenoxyphenyl acetonitrile and N-(2-isoproxy-phenyl)-4-phenoxy-benzamide as the metabolites in the degradation pathway of pyrethroids, and (iii) a pathway of degradation of cyhalothrin by cleavage of both the ester linkage and diaryl bond in a microorganism.

Ligands binding and molecular simulation: the potential investigation of a biosensor based on an insect odorant binding protein.

Based on mimicking biological olfaction, biosensors have been applied for the detection of various ligands in complex environment, which could represent one of the most promising research fields. In this study, the basic characters of one insect odorant binding protein (OBP) as a biosensor were explored. To explore the molecular recognition process, the tertiary structure of the protein was modeled and the protein-ligand interactions with 1,536,550 chemicals were investigated by the molecular docking. The availability of large amount of recombinant SlitOBP1 overcame the difficulty to obtain biological sensing material. After obtained the purified recombinant protein, the result of fluorescence binding assays proved the candidate protein has good affinities with the majority of the tested chemicals. With the aid of simulation docking, the key conserved amino acids within the binding site were identified and then mutated to alanine. After mutation, the protein-ligand binding characteristics were recorded, and the competitive binding assays were carried out to provide experimental verification. The detailed information on its structure and affinities investigated in this study could allow the design of specific mutants with desired characteristics, which provides a solid base for tailoring OBP for biosensor and provides a role model for screening the other elements in olfactory system for different applications.

Separation of cis- and trans-cypermethrin by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

As a pyrethroid insecticide, cypermethrin (CP) possesses three chiral centers and thus consists of eight optical isomers. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods have been established for the separation and determination of pyrethroid insecticides. In this article, we report a new reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method of separating the diastereomers of CP. Our method was performed on a C18 column with the following specifications: mobile phase, methanol/acetonitrile/water (58:18:24, v/v/v); flow rate, 1.0 mL/min; column temperature, 20°C and UV-detection wavelength, 235 nm. The results showed that the applied procedure was linear based on calibration curves with equation (y = 16.595x + 1.7892) within the CP concentration range of 5-100 mg/L. The limit of detection and limit of quantification of CP were 0.2 and 0.7 mg/L, respectively. CP or ß-CP extracted from the microbial degradation system was determined, and the method was proved to be accurate and applicable. Therefore, the proposed RP-HPLC method was simple, inexpensive and can be used to study stability and determine CP residues in pharmaceutical preparations or in the environment.

Isolation of a novel beta-cypermethrin degrading strain Bacillus subtilis BSF01 and its biodegradation pathway.

Continuous use of the pyrethroid insecticide beta-cypermethrin (beta-cp) has resulted in serious environmental contamination problems. We report here that a novel bacterial strain BSF01, which was isolated from activated sludge and identified as Bacillus subtilis (collection number: CCTCC AB 2014103), showed high efficiency in degrading beta-cp. Strain BSF01 was able to utilize beta-cp as the sole carbon source for growth and degraded 89.4 % of 50 mg L(-1) beta-cp within 7 days. The optimal conditions for beta-cp degradation were determined to be 34.5 °C, pH 6.7, and inocula amount 0.11 g dry wt L(-1) using response surface methodology. The kinetic parameters q max, K s, and K i were established to be 2.19 day(-1), 76.37 mg L(-1), and 54.14 mg L(-1), respectively. The critical inhibitor concentration was determined to be 64.30 mg L(-1). Seven metabolites were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Furthermore, a novel biodegradation pathway for beta-cp was proposed on the basis of analysis of the metabolites. This strain was also capable of degrading a wide range of pyrethroid insecticides including cypermethrin, deltamethrin, cyhalothrin, and beta-cyfluthrin, which similar to beta-cp are hazardous chemicals. Taken together, our results depict the biodegradation pathway of beta-cp and highlight the promising potentials of strain BSF01 in bioremediation of pyrethroid-contaminated environments.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a SID-1-like gene in Plutella xylostella.

RNA interference (RNAi) signal can spread from the point where the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) was initially applied to other cells or tissues. SID-related genes in Caenorhabditis elegans help in the spreading of this signal. However, the mechanisms of systemic RNAi are still not unveiled in insects. In this study, we cloned a full-length cDNA of sid-1-like gene, Pxylsid-1, from Plutella xylostella that contains 1,047 bp opening reading frame encoding a putative protein of 348 amino acids. This transcript is very much similar to the sil-1 in Bombyx mori (68.8%). The higher expression levels of Pxylsid-1 were found at the adult and fourth-instar stages compared to the second-instar stage with 21.48- and 10.36-fold increase, respectively. Its expression levels in different tissues were confirmed with the highest expression in the hemolymph, which showed 21.09-fold increase than the midgut; however it was lower in other tissues. The result of RNAi by feeding bacterially expressed dsRNA targeting Pxylace-1, which showed that the mRNA level of Pxylace-1 decreased by 34.52 and 64.04% after 36- and 72-h treatment, respectively. However, the mRNA level of Pxylsid-1 was not significantly induced when the Pxylace-1 was downregulated. Furthermore, we found that downregulation of Pxylsid-1 did not affect the RNAi effect of Pxylace-1. Hence, the Pxylsid-1 may not be involved in absorption of dsRNA from the midgut fluid. A further study is needed to uncover the function of Pxylsid-1.

Development of a freeze-dried fungal wettable powder preparation able to biodegrade chlorpyrifos on vegetables.

Continuous use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos has resulted in harmful contaminations in environment and species. Based on a chlorpyrifos-degrading fungus Cladosporium cladosporioides strain Hu-01 (collection number: CCTCC M 20711), a fungal wettable powder preparation was developed aiming to efficiently remove chlorpyrifos residues from vegetables. The formula was determined to be 11.0% of carboxymethyl cellulose-Na, 9.0% of polyethylene glycol 6000, 5.0% of primary alcohol ethoxylate, 2.5% of glycine, 5.0% of fucose, 27.5% of kaolin and 40% of freeze dried fungi by response surface methodology (RSM). The results of quality inspection indicated that the fungal preparation could reach manufacturing standards. Finally, the degradation of chlorpyrifos by this fungal preparation was determined on pre-harvest cabbage. Compared to the controls without fungal preparation, the degradation of chlorpyrifos on cabbages, which was sprayed with the fungal preparation, was up to 91% after 7 d. These results suggested this freeze-dried fungal wettable powder may possess potential for biodegradation of chlorpyrifos residues on vegetables and provide a potential strategy for food and environment safety against pesticide residues.