Differential microbial composition in parasitic vs. questing ticks based on 16S next-generation sequencing.

Introduction: As tick-borne diseases rise to become the second most prevalent arthropod-transmitted disease globally, the increasing investigations focus on ticks correspondingly. Factors contributed to this increase include anthropogenic influences, changes in vertebrate faunal composition, social-recreational shifts, and climatic variation. Employing the 16S gene sequence method in next-generation sequencing (NGS) allows comprehensive pathogen identification in samples, facilitating the development of refined approaches to tick research omnidirectionally. Methods: In our survey, we compared the microbial richness and biological diversity of ticks in Wuwei City, Gansu province, differentiating between questing ticks found in grass and parasitic ticks collected from sheep based on 16S NGS method. Results: The results show Rickettsia, Coxiella, and Francisella were detected in all 50 Dermacentor nuttalli samples, suggesting that the co-infection may be linked to specific symbiotic bacteria in ticks. Our findings reveal significant differences in the composition and diversity of microorganisms, with the Friedmanniella and Bordetella genera existing more prevalent in parasitic ticks than in questing ticks (p < 0.05). Additionally, the network analysis demonstrates that the interactions among bacterial genera can be either promotive or inhibitive in ticks exhibiting different lifestyles with the correlation index |r| > 0.6. For instance, Francisella restrains the development of 10 other bacteria in parasitic ticks, whereas Phyllobacterium and Arthrobacter enhance colonization across all tick species. Discussion: By leveraging NGS techniques, our study reveals a high degree of species and phylogenetic diversity within the tick microbiome. It further highlights the potential to investigate the interplay between bacterial genera in both parasitic and questing ticks residing in identical habitat environments.

Current Epidemiology and Co-Infections of Avian Immunosuppressive and Neoplastic Diseases in Chicken Flocks in Central China.

The avian immunosuppressive and neoplastic diseases caused by Marek's disease virus (MDV), avian leucosis virus (ALV), and reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) are seriously harmful to the global poultry industry. In recent years, particularly in 2020-2022, outbreaks of such diseases in chicken flocks frequently occurred in China. Herein, we collected live diseased birds from 30 poultry farms, out of 42 farms with tumour-bearing chicken flocks distributed in central China, to investigate the current epidemiology and co-infections of these viruses. The results showed that in individual diseased birds, the positive infection rates of MDV, ALV, and REV were 69.5% (203/292), 14.4% (42/292), and 4.7% (13/277), respectively, while for the flocks, the positive infection rates were 96.7% (29/30), 36.7% (11/30), and 20% (6/30), respectively. For chicken flocks, monoinfection of MDV, ALV, or REV was 53.3% (16/30), 3.3% (1/30), and 0% (0/30), respectively, but a total of 43.3% (13/30) co-infections was observed, which includes 23.3% (7/30) of MDV+ALV, 10.0% (3/30) of MDV+REV, and 10.0% (3/30) of MDV+ALV+REV co-infections. Interestingly, no ALV+REV co-infection or REV monoinfection was observed in the selected poultry farms. Our data indicate that the prevalence of virulent MDV strains, partially accompanied with ALV and/or REV co-infections, is the main reason for current outbreaks of avian neoplastic diseases in central China, providing an important reference for the future control of disease.

Three-dimensional printing combined with open reduction and internal fixation versus open reduction and internal fixation in the treatment of acetabular fractures: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: This meta-analysis compared the clinical outcome of three-dimensional (3D) printing combined with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) to traditional ORIF in the treatment of acetabular fractures. METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, VIP database, CNKI, and Wanfang database with keywords "acetabular fracture", "3D printing", "three-dimensional printing", "open reduction and internal fixation", "Acetabulum", "Acetabula" from January 2000 to March 2020. Two reviewers independently selected articles, extracted data, assessed the quality evidence and risk bias of included trials using the Cochrane Collaboration' s tools and/or Newcastle-Ottawa scale. When the two analysts had different opinions, they would ask the third analyst for opinion. Randomized controlled trials or retrospective comparative studies of 3D printing combined with ORIF (3D printing group) versus traditional ORIF (conventional group) in the treatment of acetabular fractures were selected. The data of operation time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative fluoroscopy times, incidence of complications, excellent and good rate of Matta score for reduction, and excellent and good rate of hip function score were extracted. Stata14.0 statistical software was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Altogether 9 articles were selected, including 5 randomized controlled trials and 4 retrospective studies. A total of 467 patients were analyzed, 250 in the conventional group, and 217 in the 3D printing group. The operation time in the 3D printing group was less than that in the conventional group and the difference was statistically significant (standardized mean difference (SMD) = -1.19, 95% CI: -1.55 to -0.82, p < 0.05). The intraoperative bleeding volume of the 3D printing group was significantly lower than that of the conventional group (SMD = -1.08, 95% CI: -1.65 to -0.51, p < 0.05). The fluoroscopy times were less in the 3D printing group than in the conventional group and the difference was statistically significant (SMD = -1.64, 95% CI: -2.35 to -0.93, p < 0.05). The total incidence of complications in the 3D printing group was significantly lower than that in the conventional group (OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.24-0.79, p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the excellent and good rate of Matta score for reduction between the two groups (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.34-1.06, p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the excellent and good rate of hip function score at the end of postoperative follow-up between the two groups (OR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.46-1.56, p > 0.05), but the follow-up time varies from 6 months to 40 months. CONCLUSION: Compared with traditional ORIF, 3D printing combined with ORIF has certain advantages in terms that 3D printing not only helps surgeons to understand acetabular fractures more intuitively, but also effectively reduces operation time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative fluoroscopy times, and postoperative complications. However, there were no significant differences in the excellent and good rate of Matta score for reduction and the excellent and good rate of hip function score at the end of follow-up.

Uniform Alignment of Non-π-Conjugated Species Enhances Deep Ultraviolet Optical Nonlinearity.

The precision of array of laser applications and manipulation on smaller scales are limited by the so-called 200 nm wall, and breakthroughs rely on the discovery of new materials with transparency and phase matchability in the ultraviolet and deep ultraviolet region. Herein, we discover an unprecedented alignment of the asymmetric non-π-conjugated species [PO3F] in NaNH4PO3F·H2O, which allows the best uniform P-F bond orientation that generates a remarkable enhancement of the (010) in-plane anisotropy that yields the largest birefringence (obv.: 0.053) to date in the phosphate and fluorophosphate families. The substance produces second harmonic generation lasers through direct frequency doubling with incident Yb:KGW femtosecond lasers on an as-synthesized (010) wafer with a size of 14 × 10 × 2.1 mm3. According to the calculated refractive index dispersion curve, the shortest second-harmonic generation (SHG) wavelength is estimated to be 194 nm, the shortest among phosphates and monofluorophosphate. These insights may help to design other high-performance non-π-conjugated deep-UV nonlinear optical materials.

[Progress on diagnosis and treatment of crown dens syndrome].

Crowned dens syndrome(CDS) is a major imaging manifestation of "coronary" calcified deposits around the odontoid, with pain, stiffness, fever, and even cervical cord compression in the upper head and neck. It was first described by Bouvet et al. in 1985, and the onset was generally thought to be caused by crystal deposition. The clinical manifestations of CDS are often similar to meningitis and often accompanied by an increase in inflammatory markers in the blood. As a result, it is very easy to obtain missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis, and it is clinically prone to obtain wrong or unnecessary treatment. At present, the diagnosis of CDS is based on the imaging findings in CT as a "golden standard". NASIDs drugs and corticosteroids are the main treatment. The prognosis is also generally good, and the imaging findings of the patients with the disease disappear completely within 3 months.

JNK signaling is required for the MIP­1α­associated regulation of Kupffer cells in the heat stroke response.

Severe heat stroke (HS) consists of extreme hyperthermia with thermoregulatory failure, leading to high morbidity and mortality. Liver injury is a complication of HS that is associated with inflammatory responses and Kupffer cells (KCs), which are resident macrophages in the liver that serve as a major source of inflammatory cytokines; however, the association and the underlying mechanisms of KC functions in HS­induced endotoxemia and inflammation require an improved understanding. The important chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein­1α (MIP­1α) increases inflammatory responses and the secretion of inflammatory molecules from KCs, including tumor necrosis factor­α, interleukin (IL)­1ß and IL­6. In addition, the activation of c­Jun N­terminal kinase (JNK) signaling is responsible for the development of liver inflammation. Therefore, HS animal and cell models were constructed in order to investigate the pathways involved in the HS­induced dysfunction of KCs. The results of the present study suggest that JNK may be involved in the MIP­1α­associated pathogenesis of KCs in HS injury.

Protective effects of embelin on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury following cardiac arrest in a rabbit model.

Embelin has been used to treat fever and inflammatory diseases for thousands of years. Although reports indicate that embelin has antiinflammatory effects, its effects on myocardial injury following cardiac arrest (CA) have not been previously explored. In this study, we aim to investigate the protective effects of embelin on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) following CA in a rabbit model. Pro-inflammatory (TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6) cytokines, cardiac troponin I (cTnI), necrosis ratio, apoptotic index (AI), hemodynamics, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65, and histological damage have been measured or evaluated. Embelin reverts TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 to basal levels and reduces the serum level of cTnI, the necrosis ratio, the AI, and the expression of NF-κB p65. Meanwhile, it improves the hemodynamics and myocardial function. Moreover, embelin-treated groups also showed improved myocardial morphology. Our results indicate that embelin may protect the heart against myocardial IRI following CA via its antiinflammatory abilities.

Airborne validation of ground-object detection from polarized neutral-point atmosphere.

Based on the object's polarization effects, polarization is a newly emerging method in the field of remote sensing. Both objects and atmosphere have polarization effects, however, the atmosphere's polarization effects are much stronger than that of objects'. Consequently, atmosphere polarization effects will interfere or even cover objects' when observing with sensors. How to maximally eliminate the polarized effects generated by the atmosphere is a crucial problem in polarization remote sensing. Atmospheric neutral point is an area where the degree of atmosphere polarization is near to zero; therefore, if sensors are set up in this area, atmosphere polarization would be greatly eliminated, which is the main content of separating the effects between objects and atmosphere by its neutral point method. In this paper, after processing and analyzing the experimental data got from the first polarization remote sensing flight experiment with atmosphere neutral point, the degree of polarization images captured in neutral and non-neutral point area were obtained, and it can be seen that the main value of polarized degree of images got in neutral point area was obviously smaller than that in non-neutral point area. The results showed that the theory mentioned above was logical and practical. An innovation in our study is that the requirements needed in polarization remote sensing flight with neutral point were clarified. In the meantime, a qualitative conclusion was drawn that observing with longer wavelength is more applicable to polarization remote sensing.

Effect of myocardial protection during beating heart surgery with right sub-axiliary approach.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac troponin-I (cTnI) is one of the three regulatory subunits of the cardiac troponin which has the high sensibility and specificity of responding to myocardial injury. Studies have demonstrated that cTnI is released into the blood stream within hours following acute myocardial reperfusion injury. The clinical utility of cTnI for the assessment of myocardial damage is that it is more specific than creatine kinase MB (CKMB). This study investigated cTnI as a sensitive marker of myocardial reperfusion injury and its clinical value on beating heart surgery with right sub-axiliary incision. METHODS: From December 2002 through December 2004, 100 patients with atrial septal defect (ASD), ventricular septal defect (VSD), atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defect (ASD + VSD), and tetralogy of Fallot were randomly divided into two groups: the treatment group (n = 50) was operated on with a beating heart under extracorporeal circulation (ECC), and the control group (n = 50) on an conventional arresting heart under ECC. The two groups both used a right sub-axillary incision. Blood samples from a central venous catheter (CVC) were collected before, at the end of aortic clamping, immediately after discontinue cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), 3, 6, 24, and 48 hours after operation. The Abbott Axsym system with hol-automation fluorescent immunity analyzer was used for the quantitative determination of cTnI. cTnI was detected to investigate the effect of myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury and the clinical value of beating heart surgery with right sub-axillary incision. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups before operation. At the end of aortic clamping and thereafter, cTnI significantly increased in both groups, and reached the peak point at 6 hours after operation. At all the tested points, cTnI was significantly higher in the control group than the beating heart group (P < 0.05), especially at 6 hours post operation (P < 0.01). The operating time and ECC duration were shortened and the dosage of dopamine was decreased, when compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: There was less cTnI measured in the beating heart group than in the control group after CPB, demonstrating that beating heart surgery may significantly reduce myocardial reperfusion injury.

Quantitative measurement and interpretation of optical second harmonic generation from molecular interfaces.

Second harmonic generation (SHG) has been proven a uniquely effective technique in the investigation of molecular structure and conformations, as well as dynamics of molecular interfaces. The ability to apply SHG to molecular interface studies depends on the ability to abstract quantitative information from the measurable quantities in the actual SHG experiments. In this review, we try to assess recent developments in the SHG experimental methodologies towards quantitative analysis of the nonlinear optical properties of the achiral molecular interfaces with rotational isotropy along the interface normal. These developments include the methodology for orientational analysis of the SHG experimental data, the experimental approaches for more accurate SHG measurements, and a novel treatment of the symmetry properties of the molecular polarizability tensors in association with the experimentally measurable quantities. In the end, the recent developments on the problem of surface versus bulk contribution in SHG surface studies is discussed. These developments can put SHG on a more solid foundation for molecular interface studies, and to pave the way for better understanding and application of SHG surface studies in general.

An empirical approach to the bond additivity model in quantitative interpretation of sum frequency generation vibrational spectra.

Knowledge of the ratios between different polarizability betai'j'k' tensor elements of a chemical group in a molecule is crucial for quantitative interpretation and polarization analysis of its sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG-VS) spectrum at interface. The bond additivity model (BAM) or the hyperpolarizability derivative model along with experimentally obtained Raman depolarization ratios has been widely used to obtain such tensor ratios for the CH3, CH2, and CH groups. Successfully, such treatment can quantitatively reproduce the intensity polarization dependence in SFG-VS spectra for the symmetric (SS) and asymmetric (AS) stretching modes of CH3 and CH2 groups, respectively. However, the relative intensities between the SS and AS modes usually do not agree with each other within this model even for some of the simplest molecular systems, such as the air/methanol interface. This fact certainly has cast uncertainties on the effectiveness and conclusions based on the BAM. One of such examples is that the AS mode of CH3 group has never been observed in SFG-VS spectra from the air/methanol interface, while this AS mode is usually very strong for SFG-VS spectra from the air/ethanol interface, other short chain alcohol, as well as long chain surfactants. In order to answer these questions, an empirical approach from known Raman and IR spectra is used to make corrections to the BAM. With the corrected ratios between the betai'j'k' tensor elements of the SS and AS modes, all features in the SFG-VS spectra of the air/methanol and air/ethanol interfaces can be quantitatively interpreted. This empirical approach not only provides new understandings of the effectiveness and limitations of the bond additivity model but also provides a practical way for its application in SFG-VS studies of molecular interfaces.

Reconsideration of second-harmonic generation from isotropic liquid interface: broken Kleinman symmetry of neat air/water interface from dipolar contribution.

It has been generally accepted that there are significant quadrupolar and bulk contributions to the second-harmonic generation (SHG) reflected from the neat air/water interface, as well as common liquid interfaces. Because there has been no general methodology to determine the quadrupolar and bulk contributions to the SHG signal from a liquid interface, this conclusion was reached based on the following two experimental phenomena: the breaking of the macroscopic Kleinman symmetry and the significant temperature dependence of the SHG signal from the neat air/water interface. However, because the sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG-VS) measurement of the neat air/water interface observed no apparent temperature dependence, the temperature dependence in the SHG measurement has been reexamined and proven to be an experimental artifact. Here we present a complete microscopic analysis of the susceptibility tensors of the air/water interface, and show that dipolar contribution alone can be used to address the issue of the breaking of the macroscopic Kleinman symmetry at the neat air/water interface. Using this analysis, the orientation of the water molecules at the interface can be obtained, and it is consistent with the measurement from SFG-VS. Therefore, the key rationales to conclude significantly quadrupolar and bulk contributions to the SHG signal of the neat air/water interface can no longer be considered as valid as before. This new understanding of the air/water interface can shed light on our understanding of the nonlinear optical responses from other molecular interfaces as well.