The detoxification ability of sex-role reversed seahorses determines the sexual dimorphism in immune responses to benzo[a]pyrene exposure.

Sexual dimorphism in immune responses is an essential factor in environmental adaptation. However, the mechanisms involved remain obscure owing to the scarcity of data from sex-role-reversed species in stressed conditions. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is one of the most pervasive and carcinogenic organic pollutants in coastal environments. In this study, we evaluated the potential effects on renal immunotoxicity of the sex-role-reversed lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus) toward environmental concentrations BaP exposure. Our results discovered the presence of different energy-immunity trade-off strategies adopted by female and male seahorses during BaP exposure. BaP induced more severe renal damage in female seahorses in a concentration-dependent manner. BaP biotransformation and detoxification in seahorses resemble those in mammals. Benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-oxide (BPDE) and 9-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene (9-OH-BaP) formed DNA adducts and disrupted Ca2+ homeostasis may together attribute the renal immunotoxicity. Sexual dimorphisms in detoxification of both BPDE and 9-OH-BaP, and in regulation of Ca2+, autophagy and inflammation, mainly determined the extent of renal damage. Moreover, the mechanism of sex hormones regulated sexual dimorphism in immune responses needs to be further elucidated. Collectively, these findings contribute to the understanding of sexual dimorphism in the immunotoxicity induced by BaP exposure in seahorses, which may attribute to the dramatic decline in the biodiversity of the genus.

Association between continuous glucose profile during therapeutic hypothermia and unfavorable outcome in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy209 23-32.

BACKGROUND: The detection and management of blood glucose abnormalities in high-risk neonates are crucial for clinical care. The objective of the study was to investigate the continuous glucose profile of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) patients in the whole-process of therapeutic hypothermia (TH) and its association with clinical and neurological outcomes. METHOD: In this single-center retrospective study, HIE patients who received both TH and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) were recruited from March 2016 to September 2021. RESULTS: Of 47 neonates recruited, 24 had unfavorable outcome. Dysglycemia was most prevalent in the first 24 h of TH, among which hyperglycemia occurred more frequently. CGM showed that the duration, episodes and area under curve (AUC) of hypoglycemia were statistically different in neonates with different outcomes. The occurrence, longer duration, greater AUC of hypoglycemia and an early high coefficient of variation (CV%, CV = SD/mean) were associated with unfavorable outcomes (aOR 26.55 [2.02-348.5], aOR 2.11 [1.08-4.14], aOR 1.80 [1.11-2.91] and aOR respectively), while hyperglycemia was not. CONCLUSION: During the whole process of TH, hypoglycemia and early unstable glycemic variability were strongly associated with unfavorable outcomes. CGM can instantly detect dysglycemia and facilitate precise glucose management in HIE neonates.

Research and Application of Contactless Measurement of Transformer Winding Tilt Angle Based on Machine Vision.

In the process of producing winding coils for power transformers, it is necessary to detect the tilt angle of the winding, which is one of the important parameters that affects the physical performance indicators of the transformer. The current detection method is manual measurement using a contact angle ruler, which is not only time-consuming but also has large errors. To solve this problem, this paper adopts a contactless measurement method based on machine vision technology. Firstly, this method uses a camera to take pictures of the winding image and performs a 0° correction and preprocessing on the image, using the OTSU method for binarization. An image self-segmentation and splicing method is proposed to obtain a single-wire image and perform skeleton extraction. Secondly, this paper compares three angle detection methods: the improved interval rotation projection method, quadratic iterative least squares method, and Hough transform method and through experimental analysis, compares their accuracy and operating speed. The experimental results show that the Hough transform method has the fastest operating speed and can complete detection in an average of only 0.1 s, while the interval rotation projection method has the highest accuracy, with a maximum error of less than 0.15°. Finally, this paper designs and implements visualization detection software, which can replace manual detection work and has a high accuracy and operating speed.

ß→α Phase Transformation and Properties of Solid-State-Sintered SiC Ceramics with TaC Addition.

Dense SiC-based composite ceramics were fabricated by means of the ex situ addition of TaC using solid-state spark plasma sintering (SPS). Commercially available ß-SiC and TaC powders were chosen as raw materials. Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis was conducted to investigate the grain boundary mapping of SiC-TaC composite ceramics. With the increase in TaC, the misorientation angles of the α-SiC phase shifted to a relatively small range. It was deduced that the ex situ pinning stress from TaC greatly suppressed the growth of α-SiC grains. The low ß→α transformability of the specimen with the composition of SiC-20 vol.% TaC (ST-4) implied that a possible microstructure of newly nucleated α-SiC embedded within metastable ß-SiC grains, which could have been responsible for the improvement in strength and fracture toughness. The as-sintered SiC-20 vol.% TaC (ST-4) composite ceramic had a relative density of 98.0%, a bending strength of 708.8 ± 28.7 MPa, a fracture toughness of 8.3 ± 0.8 MPa·m1/2, an elastic modulus of 384.9 ± 28.3 GPa and a Vickers hardness of 17.5 ± 0.4 GPa.

Necroptosis signaling and mitochondrial dysfunction cross-talking facilitate cell death mediated by chelerythrine in glioma.

Glioma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor with poor survival and limited therapeutic options. Chelerythrine (CHE), a natural benzophenanthridine alkaloid, has been reported to exhibit the anti-tumor effects in a variety of cancer cells. However, the molecular target and the signaling process of CHE in glioma remain elusive. Here we investigated the underlying mechanisms of CHE in glioma cell lines and glioma xenograft mice model. Our results found that CHE-induced cell death is associated with RIP1/RIP3-dependent necroptosis rather than apoptotic cell death in glioma cells at the early time. Mechanism investigation revealed the cross-talking between necroptosis and mitochondria dysfunction that CHE triggered generation of mitochondrial ROS, mitochondrial depolarization, reduction of ATP level and mitochondrial fragmentation, which was the important trigger for RIP1-dependent necroptosis activation. Meanwhile, PINK1 and parkin-dependent mitophagy promoted clearance of impaired mitochondria in CHE-incubated glioma cells, and inhibition of mitophagy with CQ selectively enhanced CHE-induced necroptosis. Furthermore, early cytosolic calcium from the influx of extracellular Ca2+ induced by CHE acted as important "priming signals" for impairment of mitochondrial dysfunction and necroptosis. Suppression of mitochondrial ROS contributed to interrupting positive feedback between mitochondrial damage and RIPK1/RIPK3 necrosome. Lastly, subcutaneous tumor growth in U87 xenograft was suppressed by CHE without significant body weight loss and multi-organ toxicities. In summary, the present study helped to elucidate necroptosis was induced by CHE via mtROS-mediated formation of the RIP1-RIP3-Drp1 complex that promoted Drp1 mitochondrial translocation to enhance necroptosis. Our findings indicated that CHE could potentially be further developed as a novel therapeutic strategy for treatment of glioma.

Expression of anti-NbHK single-chain antibody in fusion with NSlmb enhances the resistance to Nosema bombycis in Sf9-III cells.

Nosema bombycis is a destructive and specific intracellular parasite of silkworm, which is extremely harmful to the silkworm industry. N. bombycis is considered as a quarantine pathogen of sericulture because of its long incubation period and horizontal and vertical transmission. Herein, two single-chain antibodies targeting N. bombycis hexokinase (NbHK) were cloned and expressed in fusion with the N-terminal of Slmb (a Drosophila melanogaster FBP), which contains the F-box domain. Western blotting demonstrated that Sf9-III cells expressed NSlmb-scFv-7A and NSlmb-scFv-6H, which recognized native NbHK. Subsequently, the NbHK was degraded by host ubiquitination system. When challenged with N. bombycis, the transfected Sf9-III cells exhibited better resistance relative to the controls, demonstrating that NbHK is a prospective target for parasite controls and this approach represents a potential solution for constructing N. bombycis-resistant Bombyx mori.

Differential Diagnosis of Hemophagocytic Syndrome by 18F-FDG PET/CT: A Meta-Analysis.

Hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) is a rare disease in clinical practice, and there are often cases of delayed diagnosis. At present, researchers have applied 18F-FDG PET/CT in the differential diagnosis of HPS, but no consensus has been formed. Therefore, this study aims to systematically evaluate the application value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of HPS patients. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wangfang database (Wangfang), and Chinese Biomedical Network (CBM) were searched to collect the relevant studies of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of HPS. Data from the articles were screened and extracted for meta-analysis using Stata16.0 software. A total of 10 retrospective studies, including 300 patients, were included in this meta-analysis. The meta-analysis results showed that the pooled sensitivity was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.67-0.95), specificity was 0.72 (95% CI: 0.51-0.86), positive likelihood ratio was 2.89 (95% CI: 1.46-5.75), positive likelihood ratio was 0.25 (95% CI: 0.12-0.54), diagnostic odds ratio was 2.89 (95% CI: 1.46-5.75), and AUC was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.81-0.87). The SUVmax in the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, and bone marrow of HPS patients was greater than 2.5, and the SUVmax in the spleen, lymph nodes, and bone marrow of malignant HPS patients was higher than that of benign HPS patients. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). According to the existing literature evidence, 18F-FDG PET/CT is an effective method for diagnosing HPS.

CT Signs and Differential Diagnosis of Peripheral Lung Cancer and Inflammatory Pseudotumor: A Meta-Analysis.

We aimed to systematically evaluate the imaging features of peripheral lung cancer and inflammatory pseudotumor. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Chinese Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang database (Wanfang), and Chinese Biomedical Network (CBM) were searched to collect relevant studies on CT image comparison of peripheral lung cancer and inflammatory pseudotumor. The search time was from database establishment to July 15, 2021. The search language was limited to Chinese and English. Data from the literature were screened and extracted, and meta-analysis was performed using Stata 16.0 software. A total of 8 cohort studies were included in this meta-analysis, including 675 patients. Meta-analysis showed that the lesion size of inflammatory pseudotumor was greater than that of peripheral lung cancer, and the difference had statistical significance [SMD = 0.29, 95% CI (0.01, 0.58), P < 0.05]. The difference in HU value between inflammatory pseudotumor and peripheral lung cancer CT had no statistical significance [SMD = -0.09, 95% CI (-0.79, 0.60), P > 0.05]. The HU value of enhanced CT of inflammatory pseudotumor was higher than that of peripheral lung cancer, and the difference had statistical significance [SMD = 0.75, 95% CI (0.15, 1.34), P < 0.05]. The incidence of calcification of inflammatory pseudotumor was significantly higher than that of peripheral lung cancer, and the difference had statistical significance [RR = 2.85, 95% CI (1.33, 6.11), P < 0.05]. The incidence of long hair puncture sign of inflammatory pseudotumor was lower than that of peripheral lung cancer, and the difference had statistical significance [RR = 0.49, 95% CI (0.24, 0.97), P < 0.05]. There was no significant difference between inflammatory pseudotumor and peripheral lung cancer in terms of cavity incidence, vacuole sign, pleural indentation, and bronchial inflation sign (P > 0.05). Based on the available literature evidence, it can be found that there are differences in the CT signs between peripheral lung cancer and inflammatory pseudotumor, and the lesion size, HU value on enhanced CT, incidence of calcification, and incidence of burr sign may be important indicators for differentiating peripheral lung cancer from inflammatory pseudotumor.

The role of NbTMP1, a surface protein of sporoplasm, in Nosema bombycis infection.

BACKGROUND: Nosema bombycis is a unicellular eukaryotic pathogen of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, and is an economic and occupational hazard in the silkworm industry. Because of its long incubation period and horizontal and vertical transmission, it is subject to quarantine measures in sericulture production. The microsporidian life-cycle includes a dormant extracellular phase and intracellular proliferation phase, with the proliferation period being the most active period. This latter period lacks spore wall protection and may be the most susceptible stage for control. METHODS: In order to find suitable target for the selective breeding of N. bombycis-resistant silkworm strains, we screen highly expressed membrane proteins from the transcriptome data of N. bombycis. The subcellular localization of the candidate protein was verified by Indirect immunofluorescence analysis (IFA) and immunoelectron microscopy (IEM), and its role in N. bombycis proliferation was verified by RNAi. RESULTS: The N. bombycis protein (NBO_76g0014) was identified as a transmembrane protein and named NbTMP1. It is homologous with hypothetical proteins NGRA_1734 from Nosema granulosis. NbTMP1 has a transmembrane region of 23 amino acids at the N-terminus. Indirect immunofluorescence analysis (IFA) results suggest that NbTMP1 is secreted on the plasma membrane as the spores develop. Western blot and qRT-PCR analysis showed that NbTMP1 was expressed in all developmental stages of N. bombycis in infected cells and in the silkworm midgut. Downregulation of NbTMP1 expression resulted in significant inhibition of N. bombycis proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed that NbTMP1 is a membrane protein of N. bombycis. Reduction of the transcription level of NbTMP1 significantly inhibited N. bombycis proliferation, and this protein may be a target for the selective breeding of N. bombycis-resistant silkworm strains.

A specific molecular label for identifying mature Nosema bombycis spores.

Microsporidia are a fascinating phylum of obligate intracellular pathogens with unique infection processes and complicated life cycles. Microsporidian life cycles can be divided roughly into intracellular and extracellular stages. Currently, research on their life cycles were mainly explored by morphology because there are few molecular markers available with which to distinguish the different life stages. In this study, we generated H20, a monoclonal antibody (MAb) to label mature spores of Nosema bombycis. Immunofluorescence assays showed that the target protein of H20, which is highly stable and was barely affected by alkali and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) treatments, was located on the mature spore surface. Western blot analysis showed that spore wall protein 26 (SWP26) was the likely target of H20. This MAb can specifically identify mature spores in a complex biological sample based on immunological detection of the parasite.

Isobenzofuranone monomer and dimer derivatives from the mangrove endophytic fungus Epicoccum nigrum SCNU-F0002 possess α-glucosidase inhibitory and antioxidant activity.

Four new isobenzofuranone monomers, (+)-epicoccone C ((+)-1), (-)-epicoccone C ((-)-1), epicoccone D (2), epicoccone E (3) and one new isobenzofuranone dimer, epicolactone A (4), together with four known related dimers were obtained from the fermentation of an endophytic fungus, Epicoccum nigrum SCNU-F0002, which was isolated from the fresh fruit of the mangrove plant Acanthus ilicifolius L. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods, single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, and electronic circular dichroism calculations. These isolated compounds (1-8) were evaluated for their antioxidant activity and α-glucosidase enzyme inhibitory activity. All of the compounds except 5 exhibited more potent α-glucosidase inhibitory effect than acarbose. Most of the compounds showed superior antioxidant activity with IC50 values ranging from 10.2 to 15.3 µM than positive control, gallic acid and vitamin C.

A secretory hexokinase plays an active role in the proliferation of Nosema bombycis.

The microsporidian Nosema bombycis is an obligate intracellular parasite of Bombyx mori, that lost its intact tricarboxylic acid cycle and mitochondria during evolution but retained its intact glycolysis pathway. N. bombycis hexokinase (NbHK) is not only a rate-limiting enzyme of glycolysis but also a secretory protein. Indirect immunofluorescence assays and recombinant HK overexpressed in BmN cells showed that NbHK localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm of host cell during the meront stage. When N. bombycis matured, NbHK tended to concentrate at the nuclei of host cells. Furthermore, the transcriptional profile of NbHK implied it functioned during N. bombycis' proliferation stages. A knock-down of NbHK effectively suppressed the proliferation of N. bombycis indicating that NbHK is an important protein for parasite to control its host.

Antiferromagnetic Kondo lattice compound CePt3P.

A new ternary platinum phosphide CePt3P was synthesized and characterized by means of magnetic, thermodynamic and transport measurements. The compound crystallizes in an antiperovskite tetragonal structure similar to that in the canonical family of platinum-based superconductors APt3P (A = Sr, Ca, La) and closely related to the noncentrosymmetric heavy fermion superconductor CePt3Si. In contrast to all the superconducting counterparts, however, no superconductivity is observed in CePt3P down to 0.5 K. Instead, CePt3P displays a coexistence of antiferromagnetic ordering, Kondo effect and crystalline electric field effect. A field-induced spin-flop transition is observed below the magnetic ordering temperature TN1 of 3.0 K while the Kondo temperature is of similar magnitude as TN1. The obtained Sommerfeld coefficient of electronic specific heat is γCe = 86 mJ/mol·K2 indicating that CePt3P is a moderately correlated antiferromagnetic Kondo lattice compound.