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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a complex condition resulting from environmental, microbial, immunologic, and genetic factors. With the advancement of Mendelian randomization research in IBD, we have gained new insights into the relationship between these factors and IBD. Many animal models of IBD have been developed using different methods, but few studies have attempted to model IBD by combining environmental factors and microbial factors. In this review, we examine how environmental factors and microbial factors affect the development and progression of IBD, and how they interact with each other and with the intestinal microbiota. We also summarize the current methods for creating animal models of IBD and compare their advantages and disadvantages. Based on the latest findings from Mendelian randomization studies on the role of environmental factors in IBD, we discuss which environmental and microbial factors could be used to construct a more realistic and reliable IBD experimental model. We propose that animal models of IBD should consider both environmental and microbial factors to better mimic human IBD pathogenesis and to reveal the underlying mechanisms of IBD at the immune and genetic levels.We highlight the importance of environmental and microbial factors in IBD pathogenesis and offer new perspectives and suggestions for improving experimental animal modeling. Our goal is to create a model that closely resembles the clinical picture of IBD.
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OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the RNA binding protein of Toxoplasma gondii (TgDDX39) using bioinformatics technology, and to evaluate the immunogenicity of TgDDX39, so as to provide insights into development of toxoplasmosis vaccines.@*METHODS@#The amino acid sequences of TgDDX39 were retrieved from the ToxoDB database, and the physicochemical properties, transmembrane structure domain, signal peptide sites, post-translational modification sites, coils, secondary and tertiary structures, hydrophobicity, and antigenic epitopes of the TgDDX39 protein were predicted using online bioinformatics tools, incluiding ProtParam, TMHMM 2.0, SignalP 5.0, NetPhos 3.1, COILS, SOPMA, Phyre2, ProtScale, ABCpred, SYFPEITHI and DNA-STAR.@*RESULTS@#TgDDX39 protein was predicted to be an unstable hydrophilic protein with the molecular formula of C2173H3458N598O661S18, which contained 434 amino acids and had an estimated molecular weight of 49.1 kDa and a theoretical isoelectric point of 5.55. The protein was predicted to have an extremely low possibility of signal peptides, without transmembrane regions, and contain 27 phosphorylation sites. The β turn and random coils accounted for 39.63% of the secondary structure of the TgDDX39 protein, and a coiled helix tended to produce in one site. In addition, the TgDDX39 protein contained multiple B and T cell antigenic epitopes.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Bioinformatics analyses predict that TgDDX39 protein has high immunogenicity and contains multiple antigenic epitopes. TgDDX39 protein is a potential candidate antigen for vaccine development.
Subject(s)
Humans , Toxoplasma/metabolism , Toxoplasmosis/prevention & control , Vaccines , Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte , Computational Biology , Protozoan Proteins/chemistryABSTRACT
Radical gastrectomy combined with perioperative comprehensive treatment is the main curable strategy for gastric cancer patients, and postoperative complications are the issue that gastric surgeons have to face. Complications not only affect the short-term postoperative recovery, but also facilitate tumor recurrence or metastasis, thus resulting in poor prognosis. Therefore, unifying the diagnostic criteria for postoperative complications, bringing the surgeons' attention to complications, and understanding the potential mechanism of complications undermining long-term survival, will be helpful to the future improvement of the clinical diagnosis and treatment as well as prognosis for gastric cancer patients in China. Meanwhile, surgeons should constantly hone their operative skills, improve their sense of responsibility and empathy, and administer individualized perioperative management based on patients' general conditions, so as to minimize the occurrence of postoperative complications and their influence on prognosis.
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Humans , Stomach Neoplasms/pathology , Empathy , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/surgery , Prognosis , Gastrectomy/methods , Postoperative Complications/etiology , Surgeons , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
With global vaccination efforts against SARS-CoV-2 underway, there is a need for rapid quantification methods for neutralizing antibodies elicited by vaccination and characterization of their strain dependence. Here, we describe a designed protein biosensor that enables sensitive and rapid detection of neutralizing antibodies against wild type and variant SARS-CoV-2 in serum samples. More generally, our thermodynamic coupling approach can better distinguish sample to sample differences in analyte binding affinity and abundance than traditional competition based assays.
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BackgroundSuccessful containment strategies for SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus of the COVID-19 pandemic, have involved widespread population testing that identifies infections early and enables rapid contact tracing. In this study, we developed a rapid and inexpensive RT- qPCR testing pipeline for population-level SARS-CoV-2 detection, and used this pipeline to establish a clinical laboratory dedicated to COVID-19 testing at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) with a processing capacity of 6,000 samples per day and next-day result turnaround times. Methods and findingsUsing this pipeline, we screened 6,786 healthcare workers and first responders, and 21,220 students, faculty, and staff from UCSD. Additionally, we screened 6,031 preschool-grade 12 students and staff from public and private schools across San Diego County that remained fully or partially open for in-person teaching during the pandemic. Between April 17, 2020 and February 5, 2021, participants provided 161,582 nasal swabs that were tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. Overall, 752 positive tests were obtained, yielding a test positivity rate of 0.47%. While the presence of symptoms was significantly correlated with higher viral load, most of the COVID-19 positive participants who participated in symptom surveys were asymptomatic at the time of testing. The positivity rate among preschool-grade 12 schools that remained open for in-person teaching was similar to the positivity rate at UCSD and lower than that of San Diego County, with the children in private schools being less likely to test positive than the adults at these schools. ConclusionsMost schools across the United States have been closed for in-person learning for much of the 2020-2021 school year, and their safe reopening is a national priority. However, as there are no vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 currently available to the majority of school-aged children, the traditional strategies of mandatory masking, physical distancing, and repeated viral testing of students and staff remain key components of risk mitigation in these settings. The data presented here suggest that the safety measures and repeated testing actions taken by participating healthcare and educational facilities were effective in preventing outbreaks, and that a similar combination of risk-mitigation strategies and repeated testing may be successfully adopted by other healthcare and educational systems.
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BackgroundThe continuous outbreak of COVID-19 poses a devastating threat to the global public health, and theres no special therapeutic drugs. This paper is to explore the effect of high fiber whey short peptide enteral nutrition on the prognosis of patients with COVID-19, to find ways to prevent patients from progressing to severe illness, and to reduce the harm of epidemic situation to human beings. MethodsThe course of fighting against COVID-19 in our hospital for 49 days was reviewed. Three nutritional interventions including five-step nutrition treatment, 46early intervention of whole protein, and high fiber whey short peptide intervention were conducted consecutively.The effect of high fiber whey short peptide on nutrition, immune function and prognosis of patients with COVID-19 was compared with that of whole protein intervention. ResultsHigh fiber whey short peptide group when compared with whey protein group, can significantly improve prealbumin in patients with covid-19, improve the negative nitrogen balance of patients, and reduce the average period of turning negative by 39.06%. ConclusionHigh fiber whey short peptide can significantly improve the recovery speed of patients with covid-19. Fundingnone
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Objective: To explore the relationship between environmental factors as urinary cadmium and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in adults. Methods: Case-control study was adopted, including 166 cases and 427 controls. General characteristics of the subjects were collected by a structured questionnaire. FPG, biochemical indexes and urinary cadmium (UCd) were detected respectively, while UCd was corrected with creatinine. Unconditioned logistic regression model was applied to analyze the relationship between UCd and DM. Results: Levels of UCd appeared higher in cases with the following characteristics as: having primary school education (P=0.016), being female (P=0.013), being non-smokers (P=0.014) or non-alcoholic (P=0.025), and with BMI>25.00 kg/m(2) (P=0.040, P=0.025) than those appeared in the control group. Same results were shown in the 60-69 years (P=0.024) old group. Data from the unconditional logistic regression analysis showed that family history of DM (OR=3.19, 95%CI: 1.45-7.03), education status (OR=1.50,95%CI: 1.08-2.08) and UCd (OR=1.61, 95%CI: 1.08-2.41) were influencing factors on DM. Conclusion: A close association between UCd and DM was noticed. UCd appeared a risk factor on DM that called for setting up related prevention program to reduce the exposure of Cd and to control the risk on DM.
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Adult , Female , Humans , Cadmium/urine , Case-Control Studies , China/epidemiology , Creatinine , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/epidemiology , Risk Factors , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
Objective: To understand the molecular characteristics of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) as well as the disease risk of influenza virus A H7N9 in Guizhou province. Methods: RNAs were extracted and sequenced from HA and NA genes of H7N9 virus strains obtained from 18 cases of human infection with H7N9 virus and 6 environmental swabs in Guizhou province during 2014-2017. Then the variation and the genetic evolution of the virus were analyzed by using a series of bioinformatics software package. Results: Homology analysis of HA and NA genes revealed that 2 strains detected during 2014-2015 shared 98.8%-99.2% and 99.2% similarities with vaccine strains A/Shanghai/2/2013 and A/Anhui/1/2013 recommended by WHO, respectively. Two strains detected in 2016 and 14 strains detected in 2017 shared 98.2%-99.3% and 97.6%-98.8% similarities with vaccine strain A/Hunan/02650/2016, respectively. Other 6 stains detected in 2017 shared 99.1%-99.4% and 98.9%-99.3% similarities with strain A/Guangdong/17SF003/2016, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all the strains were directly evolved in the Yangtze River Delta evolution branch, but they were derived from different small branch. PEVPKRKRTAR↓GLF was found in 6 of 24 strains cleavage site sequences of HA protein, indicating the characteristic of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. Mutations A134V, G186V and Q226L at the receptor binding sites were found in the HA. All the strains had a stalk deletion of 5 amino acid residue "QISNT" in NA protein, and drug resistance mutation R294K occurred in strain A/Guizhou-Danzhai/18980/2017. In addition, potential glycosylation motifs mutations NCS42NCT were found in the NA of 9 of 24 strains. Conclusions: HA and NA genes of avian influenza A (H7N9) virus showed genetic divergence in Guizhou province during 2014-2017. The mutations of key sites might enhance the virulence of the virus, human beings are more susceptible to it. Hence, the risk of infection is increasing.
Subject(s)
Animals , Humans , Base Sequence , Birds , China/epidemiology , Genome, Viral , Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus/immunology , Hemagglutinins/genetics , Influenza A Virus, H7N9 Subtype/isolation & purification , Influenza in Birds , Influenza, Human/virology , Neuraminidase/genetics , Phylogeny , RNA, Viral/genetics , Sequence Analysis, DNAABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To define a correlation between human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 and telomerase activity during the carcinogenesis of oral mucosa.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>HPV16 DNA and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTRT) mRNA were detected in 82 cases of paraffin embedded tissues including 7 cases of normal oral mucosa, 7 cases of hyperplasia lesions, 30 cases of oral dysplasia lesions and 38 cases of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) by PCR and in situ hybridization (ISH) respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>HPV16DNA was positive in 14.3% (1/7) of normal oral mucosa, 42.9% (3/7) of hyperplasia lesions, 66.6% (20/30) of dysplasia lesions and 92.1% (35/38) of OSCCs. hTRTmRNA was detectable in 30.0% (9/30) of oral dysplasia lesions and 81.6% (31/35) of OSCCs while normal oral mucosa and hyperplasia lesions were negative. Expression of HPV16DNA and hTRTmRNA were co-ordinate in 67.0% (55/82) cases.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>HPV16 infection may play an important role in carcinogenesis of oral mucosa by activation of telomerase.</p>