A muti-modal feature fusion method based on deep learning for predicting immunotherapy response.

Immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) has greatly improved the survival of cancer patients in the past few years, but only a small number of patients respond to ICT. To predict ICT response, we developed a multi-modal feature fusion model based on deep learning (MFMDL). This model utilizes graph neural networks to map gene-gene relationships in gene networks to low dimensional vector spaces, and then fuses biological pathway features and immune cell infiltration features to make robust predictions of ICT. We used five datasets to validate the predictive performance of the MFMDL. These five datasets span multiple types of cancer, including melanoma, lung cancer, and gastric cancer. We found that the prediction performance of multi-modal feature fusion model based on deep learning is superior to other traditional ICT biomarkers, such as ICT targets or tumor microenvironment-associated markers. In addition, we also conducted ablation experiments to demonstrate the necessity of fusing different modal features, which can improve the prediction accuracy of the model.

Analysis of the spatial effect of clean energy development on green economic growth: evidence from China.

Clean energy development has played a pivotal role in economic transformation. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2006 to 2021, the spatial Dubin model was used to empirically investigate the impact of clean energy development on green economic growth. Furthermore, this research selected industrial structure optimization as the mediating variable to analyze the mediating effect between clean energy development and green economic growth. The results are as follows. Firstly, there is a positive spatial correlation for green economic development, in which the level of green economic development in a region can be influenced by neighboring regions. Secondly, there is a significant positive relationship between clean energy development and green economic growth, in which the clean energy development has a positive impact on green economic growth. Thirdly, the mediating effect analysis demonstrates that the clean energy development can influence green economic growth through industrial structure optimization. Based on the findings in this paper, several suggestions are proposed. China should formulate a unified national strategy for green economy by coordinating and balancing regional differences, develop the clean energy industry to promote green economic growth, and pay attention to the intermediary effect of industrial structure to promote green economic growth.

The establishment and application of a dual Nano-PCR detection method for feline calicivirus and feline herpesvirus type I.

Feline calicivirus (FCV) and Feline herpesvirus type I (FHV-I) are the main pathogens causing upper respiratory tract infections in cats, and some wild animals. These two viruses always coinfection and cause serious harm to pet industry and wild animals protection. Established a rapid and accurate differential diagnosis method is crucial for prevention and control of disease, however, the current main detection method for these two viruses, either is low sensitivity (immunochromatographic strip), or is time-consuming and cannot differential diagnosis (conventional single PCR). Nanoparticle-assisted polymerase chain reaction (Nano-PCR) is a recently developed technique for rapid detection method of virus and bacteria. In this study, we described a dual Nano-PCR assay through combining the nanotechnology and PCR technology, which for the clinical simultaneous detection of FCV and FHV-I and differential diagnosis of upper respiratory tract infections in cats or other animals. Under optimized conditions, the optimal annealing temperature for dual Nano-PCR was 51.5°C, and specificity test results showed it had no cross reactivity to related virus, such as feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), feline Infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) and rabies virus (RABV). Furthermore, the detection limit of dual Nano-PCR for FCV and FHV-I both were 1 × 10-8 ng/µL, convert to number of copies of virus DNA was 6.22 × 103copies/µL (FCV) and 2.81 × 103copies/µL (FHV-I), respectively. The dual Nano-PCR detected result of 52 cat clinical samples, including ocular, nasal and faecal swabs, and (3 FCV-positive samples), was consistent with ordinary PCR and the clinical detection results. The dual Nano-PCR method established in this study with strong specificity and high sensitivity can be used for virus nucleic acid (FCV and FHV-I) detection of clinical samples of feline upper respiratory tract infections feline calicivirus and feline herpesvirus while providing support for the early diagnosis of cats that infected by FCV and FHV-I.

Geometry Sampling-Based Adaption to DCGAN for 3D Face Generation.

Despite progress in the past decades, 3D shape acquisition techniques are still a threshold for various 3D face-based applications and have therefore attracted extensive research. Moreover, advanced 2D data generation models based on deep networks may not be directly applicable to 3D objects because of the different dimensionality of 2D and 3D data. In this work, we propose two novel sampling methods to represent 3D faces as matrix-like structured data that can better fit deep networks, namely (1) a geometric sampling method for the structured representation of 3D faces based on the intersection of iso-geodesic curves and radial curves, and (2) a depth-like map sampling method using the average depth of grid cells on the front surface. The above sampling methods can bridge the gap between unstructured 3D face models and powerful deep networks for an unsupervised generative 3D face model. In particular, the above approaches can obtain the structured representation of 3D faces, which enables us to adapt the 3D faces to the Deep Convolution Generative Adversarial Network (DCGAN) for 3D face generation to obtain better 3D faces with different expressions. We demonstrated the effectiveness of our generative model by producing a large variety of 3D faces with different expressions using the two novel down-sampling methods mentioned above.

An Optimized Convolutional Neural Network for the 3D Point-Cloud Compression.

Due to the tremendous volume taken by the 3D point-cloud models, knowing how to achieve the balance between a high compression ratio, a low distortion rate, and computing cost in point-cloud compression is a significant issue in the field of virtual reality (VR). Convolutional neural networks have been used in numerous point-cloud compression research approaches during the past few years in an effort to progress the research state. In this work, we have evaluated the effects of different network parameters, including neural network depth, stride, and activation function on point-cloud compression, resulting in an optimized convolutional neural network for compression. We first have analyzed earlier research on point-cloud compression based on convolutional neural networks before designing our own convolutional neural network. Then, we have modified our model parameters using the experimental data to further enhance the effect of point-cloud compression. Based on the experimental results, we have found that the neural network with the 4 layers and 2 strides parameter configuration using the Sigmoid activation function outperforms the default configuration by 208% in terms of the compression-distortion rate. The experimental results show that our findings are effective and universal and make a great contribution to the research of point-cloud compression using convolutional neural networks.

Effect of n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio on body fat deposition, tissues fatty acid composition and key genes expression of liver lipid metabolism in silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes fulva) during the winter fur-growth period.

Objective: The proportion of n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) plays an important role in regulating lipid metabolism. This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary n-6/n-3 PUFA ratios on body fat deposition, tissues fatty acid composition, and gene expression of liver lipid metabolism of silver foxes during the winter fur growth period. Methods: Forty-eight age-matched male silver foxes with similar body weights were randomly divided into four dietary groups for 47 days, which were fed n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio with 3, 18, 41, and 136 experimental diets, respectively. Results: Dietary n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio did not significantly influence fat deposition parameters except for hepatic fat content. The variation trend of the fatty acid composition of liver, intramuscular fat, and subcutaneous fat in silver fox was directly related to dietary fatty acid content (p < 0.05). With the dietary n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio increasing, the expression of liver fatty acid synthase (FAS) mRNA and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) mRNA exhibited the trend of first decreasing and then increasing (p < 0.05), whereas L-fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) mRNA expression showed a gradual increasing trend (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In summary, silver foxes fed an n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio 18:1 diet (supplementing with 9.38% corn oil and 4.62% soybean oil) was more conducive to lipid decomposition, PUFA transport, and utilization of tissues, thereby meeting it for supplying energy and withstanding the cold.

Biology of Peptide Transporter 2 in Mammals: New Insights into Its Function, Structure and Regulation.

Peptide transporter 2 (PepT2) in mammals plays essential roles in the reabsorption and conservation of peptide-bound amino acids in the kidney and in maintaining neuropeptide homeostasis in the brain. It is also of significant medical and pharmacological significance in the absorption and disposing of peptide-like drugs, including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, ß-lactam antibiotics and antiviral prodrugs. Understanding the structure, function and regulation of PepT2 is of emerging interest in nutrition, medical and pharmacological research. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the structure, substrate preferences and localization of PepT2 in mammals. As PepT2 is expressed in various organs, its function in the liver, kidney, brain, heart, lung and mammary gland has also been addressed. Finally, the regulatory factors that affect the expression and function of PepT2, such as transcriptional activation and posttranslational modification, are also discussed.

Self-assembled raccoon dog parvovirus VP2 protein confers immunity against RDPV disease in raccoon dogs: in vitro and in vivo studies.

BACKGROUND: Raccoon dog parvovirus (RDPV) causes acute infectious diseases in raccoon dogs and may cause death in severe cases. The current treatment strategy relies on the extensive usage of classical inactivated vaccine which is marred by large doses, short immunization cycles and safety concerns. METHODS: The present study aimed at optimization of RDPV VP2 gene, subcloning the gene into plasmid pET30a, and its subsequent transfer to Escherichia coli with trigger factor 16 for co-expression. The protein thus expressed was purified with ammonium sulfate precipitation, hydrophobic chromatography, and endotoxin extraction procedures. VLPs were examined by transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and the efficacy of VLPs vaccine was tested in vivo. RESULTS: Results indicated that RDPV VP2 protein could be expressed soluble. Transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering results indicated that RDPV VP2 self-assembled into VLPs. Hemagglutination inhibition antibody titers elicited by Al(OH)3 adjuvanted RDPV VLPs were comparable with RDPV inactivated vaccines, and the viral loads in the blood of the struck raccoon dogs were greatly reduced. Hematoxylin and eosin and Immunohistochemical results indicated that RDPV VLPs vaccine could protect raccoon dogs against RDPV infections. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that RDPV VLPs can become a potential vaccine candidate for RDPV therapy.

Motion Planning for Convertible Indoor Scene Layout Design.

We present a system for designing indoor scenes with convertible furniture layouts. Such layouts are useful for scenarios where an indoor scene has multiple purposes and requires layout conversion, such as merging multiple small furniture objects into a larger one or changing the locus of the furniture. We aim at planning the motion for the convertible layouts of a scene with the most efficient conversion process. To achieve this, our system first establishes object-level correspondences between the layout of a given source and that of a reference to compute a target layout, where the objects are re-arranged in the source layout with respect to the reference layout. After that, our system initializes the movement paths of objects between the source and target layouts based on various mechanical constraints. A joint space-time optimization is then performed to program a control stream of object translations, rotations, and stops, under which the movements of all objects are efficient and the potential object collisions are avoided. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our system through various design examples of multi-purpose, indoor scenes with convertible layouts.

The application of prenatal ultrasound in the diagnosis of congenital duodenal obstruction.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this research is to summarize the prenatal ultrasound characteristics of congenital duodenal obstruction (CDO), especially in the diagnosis of duodenal diaphragm and annular pancreas. At present, few researchers have summarized the specific ultrasound features of duodenal diaphragm and annular pancreas. METHODS: In this study, a retrospective analysis of 40 patients diagnosed with CDO between January 2016 and December 2019 was carried out. Data on the diagnosis, ultrasound images and outcomes of the patients were gathered, and the features of the patients were analyzed. RESULTS: The results showed that there were 17 patients (42.5%) of congenital duodenal diaphragm, all with a 'rat tail' sign on the ultrasound images. Moreover, there were 4 patients (10.0%) of CDO caused by annular pancreas, all with a 'pliers' sign on the ultrasound images. We summarized the imaging features of the 'rat tail' sign and the 'pliers' sign. CONCLUSION: The main conclusion of this study was that the 'rat tail' sign could be used as an indirect ultrasound feature to diagnose duodenal diaphragm. The 'pliers' sign could be used as a direct ultrasound feature in the diagnosis of annular pancreas in CDO.

Random Forest enhancement using improved Artificial Fish Swarm for the medial knee contact force prediction.

Knee contact force (KCF) is an important factor to evaluate the knee joint function for the patients with knee joint impairment. However, the KCF measurement based on the instrumented prosthetic implants or inverse dynamics analysis is limited due to the invasive, expensive price and time consumption. In this work, we propose a KCF prediction method by integrating the Artificial Fish Swarm and the Random Forest algorithm. First, we train a Random Forest to learn the nonlinear relation between gait parameters (input) and contact pressures (output) based on a dataset of three patients instrumented with knee replacement. Then, we use the improved artificial fish group algorithm to optimize the main parameters of the Random Forest based KCF prediction model. The extensive experiments verify that our method can predict the medial knee contact force both before and after the intervention of gait patterns, and the performance outperforms the classical multi-body dynamics analysis and artificial neural network model.

Random forest-based classsification and analysis of hemiplegia gait using low-cost depth cameras.

Hemiplegia is a form of paralysis that typically has the symptom of dysbasia. In current clinical rehabilitations, to measure the level of hemiplegia gaits, clinicians often conduct subject evaluations through observations, which is unreliable and inaccurate. The Microsoft Kinect sensor (MS Kinect) is a widely used, low-cost depth sensor that can be used to detect human behaviors in real time. The purpose of this study is to investigate the usage of the Kinect data for the classification and analysis of hemiplegia gait. We first acquire the gait data by using a MS Kinect and extract a set of gait features including the stride length, gait speed, left/right moving distances, and up/down moving distances. With the gait data of 60 subjects including 20 hemiplegia patients and 40 healthy subjects, we employ a random forest-based classification approach to analyze the importances of different gait features for hemiplegia classification. Thanks to the over-fitting avoidance nature of the random forest approach, we do not need to have a careful control over the percentage of patients in the training data. In our experiments, our approach obtained the averaged classification accuracy of 90.65% among all the combinations of the gait features, which substantially outperformed state-of-the-art methods. The best classification accuracy of our approach is 95.45%, which is superior than all existing methods. Additionally, our approach also correctly reveals the importance of different gait features for hemiplegia classification. Our random forest-based approach outperforms support vector machine-based method and the Bayesian-based method, and can effectively extract gait features of subjects with hemiplegia for the classification and analysis of hemiplegia. Graphical Abstract Random Forest based Classsification and Analysis of Hemiplegia Gait using Low-cost Depth Cameras. Left: Motion capture with MS Kinect; Top-right: Random Forest Classsification based on the extracted gait features; Bottom-right: Sensitivity and specificity evaluation of the proposed classification approach.

Feasibility and safety of image-guided vacuum-assisted breast biopsy: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis of 20 000 population from 36 longitudinal studies.

Breast cancer is a serious disease in women. We estimated the global technical success rate and complication rates of percutaneous vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VABB). PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were retrieved up to July 2018 to find studies in which technical success rate and complication rates of VABB were available. Pooled rates were calculated according to location mode (ultrasonography [US] or mammography) and needle type (8- or 11-gauge Mammotome probes). Of the 36 articles with 20 868 cases, we found the pooled technical success rate 0.9999(0.9997, 1.0000) (I2 = 17.1%, P = .187) and low complication risks including haematoma 0.1092(0.0748, 0.1437) (I2 = 98.3%, P < .001), pain 0.0738(0.0334, 0.1141) (I2 = 95.9%, P < .001), vasovagal reflex 0.0281(0.0035, 0.0527) (I2 = 92.5%, P < .001), and infection 0.0027(-0.0019, 0.0073) (I2 = 49.8%, P = .113). In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the pooled data suggested that VABB with US or mammography could be promising for diagnosis and treatment of breast disease. Further studies were necessary to identify strategies for these findings.

Epidemiology and molecular characterization of the antimicrobial resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Chinese mink infected by hemorrhagic pneumonia.

Hemorrhagic pneumonia in mink is a fatal disease caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Very little is known about P. aeruginosa in relation to genotype and the mechanisms underlying antimicrobial resistance in mink. A total of 110 P. aeruginosa samples were collected from mink from Chinese mink farms between 2007 and 2015. Samples underwent molecular genotyping using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), antimicrobial susceptibility and its mechanism were investigated at the molecular level. The PFGE identified 73 unique types and 15 clusters, while MLST identified 43 (7 new) sequence types (ST) and 12 sequence type clonal complexes (STCC). Sequence types and PFGE showed persistence of endemic clones in cities Wendeng (Shandong, China) and Dalian (Liaoning, China), even in different timelines. The MLST also revealed the gene correlation of the mink P. aeruginosa across different time and place. The ST1058 (n = 14), ST882 (n = 11), and ST2442 (n = 10) were the predominant types, among which ST1058 was the only one found both in Shandong province and Dalian (Liaoning, China). The MLST for P. aeruginosa infection in mink was highly associated with that in humans and other animals, implying possible transmission events. A small proportion of mink exhibited drug resistance to P. aeruginosa (9/69, 13%) with resistance predominantly to fluoroquinolone, aminoglycoside, and ß-lactamase. Eight strains had mutations in the quinolone-resistance determining regions (QRDR). High proportions (65%; 72/110) of the fosA gene and 2 types of glpt deletion for fosmycin were detected. Furthermore, in the whole genome sequence of one multidrug resistant strain, we identified 27 genes that conferred resistance to 14 types of drugs.

La pneumonie hémorragique du vison est une maladie fatale causée par Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Très peu de choses sont connues à propos de P. aeruginosa en lien avec le génotype et les mécanismes sous-jacents à la résistance antimicrobienne chez les visons. Un total de 110 échantillons de P. aeruginosa furent prélevés de visons provenant de fermes de vison chinoises entre 2007 et 2015. Les échantillons ont été soumis à du génotypage moléculaire par électrophorèse en champs pulsés (PFGE) et typage de séquence multi-locus (MLST), des tests de sensibilité aux antibiotiques et ses mécanismes furent étudiés au niveau moléculaire. L'analyse par PFGE a identifié 73 types uniques et 15 regroupements, alors que le MLST a identifié 43 (7 nouveaux) types de séquences (ST) et 12 complexes clonaux de types de séquences (STCC). L'analyse des ST et du PFGE a montré la persistance de clones endémiques dans les villes de Wendeng (Shandong, Chine) et Dalian (Liaoning, Chine), même lors de différentes chronologies. Le MLST a également révélé la corrélation génétique des isolats de P. aeruginosa de vison de différentes locations et de temps différents. Les types ST1058 (n = 14), ST882 (n = 11), et ST2442 (n = 10) étaient les types prédominants, parmi lesquels ST1058 était le seul retrouvé dans la province de Shandong et à Dalian (Liaoning, Chine). Le MLST des isolats de P. aeruginosa provenant d'infection chez les visons était hautement associé à celui chez les humains et d'autres animaux, suggérant de possibles évènements de transmission. Une petite portion des isolats de P. aeruginosa de vison (9/69, 13 %) démontrait de la résistance aux antibiotiques, principalement envers les fluoroquinolones, les aminoglycosides et les ß-lactamines. Huit souches avaient des mutations dans les régions déterminant la résistance aux quinolones. Des proportions élevées (65 %, 72/110) du gène fosA et deux types de délétion glpt pour la fosmycine furent détectées. De plus, dans la séquence entière du génome d'une des souches multirésistantes, nous avons identifié 27 gènes conférant de la résistance à 14 types de médicaments.(Traduit par Docteur Serge Messier).

Demand for flexibility improvement of thermal power units and accommodation of wind power under the situation of high-proportion renewable integration-taking North Hebei as an example.

As much wind power is connected to the power system, the accommodation of the wind power in the power grids becomes a huge challenge to the operation model of China's power system. Releasing and improving the flexibility of the power system will be necessary and important to enable the accommodation of power generated with renewable energy sources, which is connected to the power grids on a large scale and accounts for a high proportion. The paper, with North Hebei as an example, discusses the relationship between the demand for the flexibility of thermal power units and the accommodation of wind power. This paper further analyzes the demand for peak load regulation in North Hebei at both the present and the future as well as the characteristics of power sources in the power grids of North Hebei and the technical potential of power generation. It also compares the quantity of curtailed power before and after the flexibility-oriented transformation of thermal power units in North Hebei and calculates the minimum technical output of thermal power under different levels of accommodation of wind power. The research shows that the peak load regulating resources in the power grids of North Hebei boast huge potential, but in the long term, to achieve the objective of a 10% curtailment rate of power generated with renewable energy sources, the minimum technical output of condensing units must be lower than the internationally advanced level of 25%. So, it is difficult to fulfill the said objective solely relying on the strengthened transformation of generating units. To reach the level of 5% curtailment rate of power generated with renewable energy sources, the minimum technical output must achieve breakthrough improvement, which requires continuous technological innovation and power flexibility in close coordination.

Does pigtail catheters relieve pneumothorax?: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Pigtail catheter drainage has been usually applied for the treatment of pleural effusion and pneumothorax. Our aim was to investigate the application and efficacy of pigtail catheters for pneumothorax. METHODS: We carried out a meta-analysis of retro- or pro-spective studies addressing the effect of pigtail catheters for pneumothorax. We presented success rates of pigtail catheter drainage as primary outcomes, and considered the duration of drainage, and complication rates as secondary outcomes. Pooled data were available using the fixed or random effects model. Heterogeneity, sensitivity, and subgroup analyses were performed. RESULTS: The meta-analysis was based on 16 articles with a total of 1067 patients. Our analyses showed that pooled success rates were 0.77 (0.71-0.82), )furthermore, duration of drainage was 5.61 (3.99-7.23), and complication rates 0.18 (0.09-0.27). Subgroup results according to causes of pneumothorax and patient characteristics were robust and all consistent with overall outcomes. CONCLUSION: These suggested that pigtail catheter insertion within radiological guidance may provide a safe and effective way for the treatment of pneumothorax. More large-scale and prospective studies were required to determine these findings.

Dietary copper supplementation improves pelt characteristics of female silver fox (Vulpes fulva) during the winter fur-growing season.

Copper has an essential role in normal fur pigmentation and fur quality. This study evaluated the effects of cupric citrate (CuCit) supplementation on growth, nutrients metabolism and pelt characteristics of the female silver fox (Vulpes fulva). Fifty age-matched female silver foxes with similar body weights were randomly divided into five dietary groups for 58 days during the winter fur-growing season. The basal diet contained 4.92 mg/kg copper. Groups I-V were supplemented with 6, 30, 60, 90 or 150 mg Cu from CuCit per 1 kg dry matter basal diet. Serum alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly higher (P<0.05) in those fed 90 mg/kg Cu than those fed 150 mg/kg Cu. Pelt total thickness was significantly higher (P<0.05) in those fed 30 mg/kg Cu than foxes fed 6 mg/kg Cu supplemented diet, but were similar to the other groups. Length of guard hair was significantly lower (P<0.05) in those fed 90 mg/kg Cu than fed 6 mg/kg Cu and 30 mg/kg Cu, but were similar to the other groups. Length of underhair was significantly higher (P<0.05) in those fed 6 mg/kg Cu than those fed 90 mg/kg Cu, but was similar to the other groups. Considering decreasing environmental contamination and improving pelt performance, supplementing 30 mg/kg Cu from CuCit (actual copper 35 mg/kg dry matter) is appropriate for female silver fox.

Phylogenetic analysis of the haemagglutinin gene of canine distemper virus strains detected from breeding foxes, raccoon dogs and minks in China.

Canine distemper virus (CDV) infects a variety of carnivores, including wild and domestic Canidae. Genetic/antigenic heterogeneity has been observed among the various CDV strains, notably in the haemagglutinin (H) gene, that appears as a good target to gather epidemiological information. Based on sequence analysis of the H gene, wild-type CDV strains cluster into distinct geographic lineages (genotypes), irrespective of the species of isolation. The sequence of the H gene of 28 CDV strains detected from both vaccinated and non-vaccinated breeding foxes, raccoon dogs and minks from different geographical areas of China during the years 2004-2008 was determined. All the CDV strains but two (strains HL and HLJ2) were characterized as Asia-1 genotype and were highly similar to each other (96.2-99.7% at the amino acid [aa] level) and to other Asia-1 strains (96.1-99.5% aa) previously detected in China. The CDV strains HL and HLJ2 were both collected from foxes in Heilongjiang province in 2005. Strain HL resembled CDVs of the Arctic genotype (GR88-like) and displayed high aa identity (98.0%) to the Chinese canine strain Liu. By converse, strain HLJ2 was barely related to CDVs of the Asia-2 genotype (88.7-90.3% aa identity), and could represent a novel CDV genotype, tentatively proposed as Asia-3. These results suggest that at least three different CDV genotypes, distantly related (81.8-91.6% aa identity) to the vaccine strains, Onderstepoort-like (America-1 genotype), are currently circulating in breeding foxes, raccoon dogs and minks in China, and that the genotype Asia-1 is predominant. Whether the diversity between wild-type CDVs and the vaccine strains may affect, to some extent, the efficacy of the vaccines deserves further investigations.

[Cloning, expression and antiviral activity of arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) interferon-gamma gene].

In order to characterize the biological activity of fox (Vulpes vulpes) interferon gamma(VuIFN-gamma), We have isolated the cDNA encoding arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) VuIFN-gamma. This cDNA encodes a 23 amino acid signal peptide and a 144 amino acid mature protein, which shares 99.8% or 99.4% for nucleotide identity with silver fox and canine, respectively, and 100% for amino acid identity. Expression of recombinant mature arctic fox interferon gamma (mVuIFN-gamma) in bacterial system was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting analysis. Recombinant VuIFN-gamma showed higher antiviral activity against vesicular stomatitis virus in cultured Vero and MDCK by inhibiting virus induced cytopathic effect, In view of the immunomodulatory and antiviral activities of VuIFN-gamma, it may provide a basis for further research on antiviral therapy of recombinant VuIFN-gamma in economic animal practice.