A DNA typing panel of 201 genetic markers for degraded samples: development and validation.

With the increasing number of complex forensic cases in recent years, it's more important to combine the different types of genetic markers such as short tandem repeats (STRs), single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), insertion/deletion polymorphisms (InDels), and microhaplotypes (MHs) to provide more genetic information. In this study, we selected totally 201 genetic markers, including 24 autosomes STRs (A-STRs), 24 Y chromosome STRs (Y-STRs), 110 A-SNPs, 24 Y-SNPs, 9 A-InDels, 1 Y-InDel, 8 MHs, and Amelogenin to establish the HID_AM Panel v1.0, a Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) detection system. According to the validation guidelines of the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM), the repeatability, accuracy, sensitivity, suitability for degraded samples, species specificity, and inhibitor resistance of this system were assessed. The typing results on 48 STRs and Amelogenin of this system were completely consistent with those obtained using capillary electrophoresis. This system accurately detected 79 SNPs as parallelly confirmed by a FGx sequencer with the ForenSeq™ DNA Signature Prep Kit. Complete allele typing results could be obtained with a DNA input of no less than 200 pg. The detection success rate of this system was significantly higher than that of the GlobalFiler™ kit when the degradation index of mock degraded sample was greater than 15.87. When the concentration of hematin in the amplification system was ≤40 µmol/L, indigo blue was ≤2 mmol/L, or humic acid was ≤15 ng/µL, amplification was not significantly inhibited. The system barely amplified the DNA extract from duck, mouse, cow, rabbit, and chick. The detection rate of STRs on routine samples of this panel is 99.74%, while all the SNPs, InDels, and MHs were successfully detected. In summary, we setup a NGS individual typing panel including 201 genetic markers with the high accuracy, sensitivity, species specificity, and inhibitors resistance, which is applicable for individual identification of degraded samples.

Moral sensitivity and caring behavior in nursing interns: the mediating role of empathy.

Background: The main purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between moral sensitivity, empathy, and caring behaviors and to explore the mediating effect of empathy on moral sensitivity and caring behaviors of nursing interns. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from August to September 2022 in which 261 nursing interns from two Grade 3A Hospitals in Xi'an participated. The questionnaires used in the survey include the General Information Questionnaire (GIQ), the Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire-Revised Version translated into Chinese (MSQ R-CV), the Chinese version of the Jefferson Empathy Scale (JSE), and the Chinese version of the Caring Behavior Inventory (C-CBI). The obtained data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson's correlation coefficient, and the mediating effect of empathy was tested through structural equations. Results: The overall mean of moral sensitivity of nursing interns in two Grade 3A Hospitals in Xi'an is 40.84 ± 8.73, the overall mean of empathy is 100.51 ± 21.56, and the overall mean of caring behavior is (113.81 ± 21.05). Statistical analysis showed that there is a positive correlation between moral sensitivity and caring behavior of nursing interns (r = 0.376, p < 0.01), between their empathy and moral sensitivity (r = 0.336, p < 0.01), and between their empathy and caring behavior (r = 0.394, p < 0.01). The empathy of nursing interns has a mediated effect on the relationship between moral sensitivity and caring behavior. The mediated effect value was 0.14, accounting for 31.82% of the total effect. Conclusion: The moral sensitivity of nursing interns can have a direct impact on predicting the caring behavior and indirect influences their caring behaviors mediated by empathy, with the latter effect being mediated by empathy. Therefore, nursing educators and hospital administrators should adopt targeted interventions to improve the moral sensitivity and empathy of nursing interns, which can further prove to be beneficial in improving their caring behaviors, leading to enhanced quality of nursing care and reduced nurse-patient conflicts and finally to a stabilized nursing team.

Schisandrin A alleviates renal fibrosis by inhibiting PKCß and oxidative stress.

BACKGROUND: Renal fibrosis is a common pathway that drives the advancement of numerous kidney maladies towards end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Suppressing renal fibrosis holds paramount clinical importance in forestalling or retarding the transition of chronic kidney diseases (CKD) to renal failure. Schisandrin A (Sch A) possesses renoprotective effect in acute kidney injury (AKI), but its effects on renal fibrosis and underlying mechanism(s) have not been studied. STUDY DESIGN: Serum biochemical analysis, histological staining, and expression levels of related proteins were used to assess the effect of PKCß knockdown on renal fibrosis progression. Untargeted metabolomics was used to assess the effect of PKCß knockdown on serum metabolites. Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction (UUO) model and TGF-ß induced HK-2 cells and NIH-3T3 cells were used to evaluate the effect of Schisandrin A (Sch A) on renal fibrosis. PKCß overexpressed NIH-3T3 cells were used to verify the possible mechanism of Sch A. RESULTS: PKCß was upregulated in the UUO model. Knockdown of PKCß mitigated the progression of renal fibrosis by ameliorating perturbations in serum metabolites and curbing oxidative stress. Sch A alleviated renal fibrosis by downregulating the expression of PKCß in kidney. Treatment with Sch A significantly attenuated the upregulated proteins levels of FN, COL-I, PKCß, Vimentin and α-SMA in UUO mice. Moreover, Sch A exhibited a beneficial impact on markers associated with oxidative stress, including MDA, SOD, and GSH-Px. Overexpression of PKCß was found to counteract the renoprotective efficacy of Sch A in vitro. CONCLUSION: Sch A alleviates renal fibrosis by inhibiting PKCß and attenuating oxidative stress.

Low pressure reversibly driving colossal barocaloric effect in two-dimensional vdW alkylammonium halides.

Plastic crystals as barocaloric materials exhibit the large entropy change rivalling freon, however, the limited pressure-sensitivity and large hysteresis of phase transition hinder the colossal barocaloric effect accomplished reversibly at low pressure. Here we report reversible colossal barocaloric effect at low pressure in two-dimensional van-der-Waals alkylammonium halides. Via introducing long carbon chains in ammonium halide plastic crystals, two-dimensional structure forms in (CH3-(CH2)n-1)2NH2X (X: halogen element) with weak interlayer van-der-Waals force, which dictates interlayer expansion as large as 13% and consequently volume change as much as 12% during phase transition. Such anisotropic expansion provides sufficient space for carbon chains to undergo dramatic conformation disordering, which induces colossal entropy change with large pressure-sensitivity and small hysteresis. The record reversible colossal barocaloric effect with entropy change ΔSr ~ 400 J kg-1 K-1 at 0.08 GPa and adiabatic temperature change ΔTr ~ 11 K at 0.1 GPa highlights the design of novel barocaloric materials by engineering the dimensionality of plastic crystals.

Rapid genotyping of 32 insertion/deletion panel for human identification using fluorogenic probes-based multiplex real-time PCR.

BACKGROUND: Insertion and deletion (InDel) polymorphisms have considerable potential in the field of forensic genetics because of their low mutation rate and small amplicons. At present, InDel polymorphisms detection based on the technique of capillary electrophoresis is the main technique used in forensic DNA laboratory. However, this method is complicated and time-consuming, and is not suitable for rapid on-site paternity and personal identification. Next-generation sequencing analysis of InDels polymorphisms requires expensive instruments, large upfront reagent and supply costs, computational requirements and complex bioinformatics, increased the time to obtain results. Thus, there is an urgent need to establish a method to provide reliable, rapid, sensitive and economical genotyping for InDels. METHOD: A rapid InDels (32 InDels) panel was established using fluorogenic probes-based multiplex real-time PCR with microfluidic test cartridge and portable real-time PCR instrument. Then, we performed several validation studies including concordance, accuracy, sensitivity, stability, species specificity. RESULTS: It showed that the complete genotypes could be obtained from ≥100 pg of input DNA and from a series of challenging samples with high accuracy and specificity within 90 min. CONCLUSION: This method provides a rapid and cost-effective solution for InDels genotyping and personal identification in portable format.

P3/P3N-PIPO of PVY interacting with BI-1 inhibits the degradation of NIb by ATG6 to facilitate virus replication in N. benthamiana.

Introduction: Autophagy not only plays an antiviral role but also can be utilized by viruses to facilitate virus infection. However, the underlying mechanism of potato virus Y (PVY) infection against plant autophagy remains unclear. BI-1, localizing to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), is a multifunctional protein and may affect the virus infection. Methods: In this study, Y2H, BiFC, qRT-PCR, RNA-Seq, WB and so on were used for research. Results: P3 and P3N-PIPO of PVY can interact with the Bax inhibitor 1 (BI-1) of N. benthamiana. However, BI-1 knockout mutant showed better growth and development ability. In addition, when the BI-1 gene was knocked out or knocked down in N. benthamiana, the PVY-infected mutant showed milder symptoms and lower virus accumulation. Analysis of transcriptome data showed that the deletion of NbBI-1 weakened the gene expression regulation induced by PVY infection and NbBI-1 may reduce the mRNA level of NbATG6 by regulated IRE1-dependent decay (RIDD) in PVY-infected N. benthamiana. The expression level of the ATG6 gene of PVY-infected WT was significantly down-regulated, relative to the PVY-infected mutant. Further results showed that ATG6 of N. benthamiana can degrade NIb, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of PVY. NbATG6 has a higher mRNA level in PVY-infected BI-1 knockout mutants than in PVY-infected WT. Conclussion: The interaction of P3 and/or P3N-PIPO of PVY with BI-1 decrease the expression of the ATG6 gene might be mediated by RIDD, which inhibits the degradation of viral NIb and enhances viral replication.

A 7-Day Decitabine-Included Conditioning Regimen Accelerated Donor Hematopoietic Engraftment while Reduced the Occurrence of Mucositis without Interfering with Prognosis.

INTRODUCTION: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is the standard and curative treatment strategy for patients with hematologic malignancies. Recently, decitabine-included regimens have been investigated by several studies including ours, which may prevent relapse of primary malignant diseases. METHODS: This study was to retrospectively evaluate a 7-day decitabine-included regimen with reduced dose of idarubicin for patients with hematologic malignancies who underwent allo-HSCT. RESULTS: A total of 84 patients were enrolled, including 24 cases in 7-day and 60 cases in 5-day decitabine groups, respectively. Patients conditioned with 7-day decitabine regimen showed accelerated neutrophil (12.05 ± 1.97 vs. 13.86 ± 3.15; u = 9.309, p < 0.001) and platelet (16.32 ± 6.27 vs. 21.37 ± 8.57; u = 8.887, p < 0.001) engraftment compared with those treated with 5-day decitabine regimen. Patients in the 7-day decitabine group showed a significantly lower incidence rate of total (50.00% [12/24] versus 78.33% [47/60]; χ2 = 6.583, p = 0.010) and grade III or above (4.17% [1/24] vs. 31.67% [19/60]; χ2 = 7.147, p = 0.008) oral mucositis compared to those in the 5-day decitabine group. However, the occurrence of other major complications post-allo-HSCT and outcomes of patients in these two groups were comparable. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that this 7-day decitabine-contained new conditioning regimen seems to be feasible and safe for patients with myeloid neoplasms who receive allo-HSCT, and a large-scale prospective study is needed to confirm the findings of this study.

Relationship between Dining Place, Iodine Source, and Iodine Nutrition in School-Age Children: A Cross-Sectional Study in China.

Objective: This study assesses the impact of iodine-rich processed foods and dining places on the iodine nutritional status of children. Methods: School-aged children (SAC) in seven provinces in China were selected by school-based multi-stage sampling. Urinary iodine, salt iodine, and thyroid volume (TVOL) were determined. Questionnaires were used to investigate dining places and iodine-rich processed foods. The water iodine was from the 2017 national survey. Multi-factor regression analysis was used to find correlations between variables. Results: Children ate 78.7% of their meals at home, 15.1% at school canteens, and 6.1% at other places. The percentage of daily iodine intake from water, iodized salt, iodine-rich processed foods, and cooked food were 1.0%, 79.2%, 1.5%, and 18.4%, respectively. The salt iodine was correlated with the urinary iodine and TVOL, respectively (r = 0.999 and -0.997, P < 0.05). The iodine intake in processed foods was weakly correlated with the TVOL (r = 0.080, P < 0.01). Non-iodized salt used in processed foods or diets when eating out had less effect on children's iodine nutrition status. Conclusion: Iodized salt remains the primary source of daily iodine intake of SAC, and processed food has less effect on iodine nutrition. Therefore, for children, iodized salt should be a compulsory supplement in their routine diet.

Relationship between Dining Place, Iodine Source, and Iodine Nutrition in School-Age Children: A Cross-Sectional Study in China / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

OBJECTIVE@#This study assesses the impact of iodine-rich processed foods and dining places on the iodine nutritional status of children.@*METHODS@#School-aged children (SAC) in seven provinces in China were selected by school-based multi-stage sampling. Urinary iodine, salt iodine, and thyroid volume (TVOL) were determined. Questionnaires were used to investigate dining places and iodine-rich processed foods. The water iodine was from the 2017 national survey. Multi-factor regression analysis was used to find correlations between variables.@*RESULTS@#Children ate 78.7% of their meals at home, 15.1% at school canteens, and 6.1% at other places. The percentage of daily iodine intake from water, iodized salt, iodine-rich processed foods, and cooked food were 1.0%, 79.2%, 1.5%, and 18.4%, respectively. The salt iodine was correlated with the urinary iodine and TVOL, respectively (r = 0.999 and -0.997, P < 0.05). The iodine intake in processed foods was weakly correlated with the TVOL (r = 0.080, P < 0.01). Non-iodized salt used in processed foods or diets when eating out had less effect on children's iodine nutrition status.@*CONCLUSION@#Iodized salt remains the primary source of daily iodine intake of SAC, and processed food has less effect on iodine nutrition. Therefore, for children, iodized salt should be a compulsory supplement in their routine diet.

Identifying the EMT-related signature to stratify prognosis and evaluate the tumor microenvironment in lung adenocarcinoma.

Background: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical process in tumor invasion and metastasis. EMT has been shown to significantly influence the invasion, metastasis, and poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). This study aimed to develop a novel EMT-related prognostic model capable of predicting overall survival (OS) in patients with LUAD. Methods: A total of 283 LUAD patients from TCGA RNA-seq dataset were assigned to a training cohort for model building, and 310 LUAD patients from GEO RNA-seq dataset were assigned to a validation cohort. EMT genes were acquired from MsigDB database and then prognosis-related EMT genes were identified by univariate Cox regression. Lasso regression was then performed to determine the genes and the corresponding variables to construct a prognosis risk model from the training cohort. Furthermore, characteristics of the tumor microenvironment (TME), mutation status and chemotherapy responses were analyzed to assess the differences between the two risk groups based on the prognostic model. In addition, RT-qPCR was employed to validate the expression patterns of the 6 genes derived from the risk model. Results: A six-gene EMT signature (PMEPA1, LOXL2, PLOD2, MMP14, SPOCK1 and DCN) was successfully constructed and validated. The signature assigned the LUAD patients into high-risk and low-risk groups. In comparison with the low-risk group, patients in the high-risk group had a significantly lower survival rate. ROC curves and calibration curves for the risk model demonstrated reliable stratification and predictive ability. The risk model was robustly correlated with multiple TME characteristics. Besides, the data showed that patients in the low-risk group had more immune activities, higher stemness scores and cytolytic activity scores and higher TMB. In addition, RT-qPCR results revealed that PMEPA1, LOXL2, PLOD2, MMP14, and SPOCK1 were notably upregulated in LUAD tissues, while DCN was downregulated. Conclusion: Our study successfully developed a novel EMT-related signature to predict prognosis of LUAD patients and guide treatment strategies. The six genes derived from the prediction signature might play a potential role in antitumor immunity and serve as promising therapeutic targets in LUAD.

Enhanced Glioblastoma Selectivity of Harmine via the Albumin Carrier.

Glioblastoma, the most common tumor in the brain, has witnessed very little clinical progress over the last decades. Exploring and discovering new therapeutic strategies for glioblastoma has become a critical problem. Harmine (HM), belonging to the beta-carboline alkaloid, is a natural product and isolated from the seeds of Peganum harmala L., which own notable antitumor activity in vitro. However, the poor water solubility and less selectivity of HM severely limit its clinical use. For enhancing its selective ability to tumor cells, we fabricated a kind of protein nanoparticles (BSA-HM NPs), composed of the modified bovine serum albumin (BSA) and HM. It was substantiated through in vitro and in vivo experiment that BSA-HM NPs could predominantly accumulate in tumor tissues and exhibited remarkably enhanced antitumor efficacy. This study provides a promising strategy to improve the bioavailability and avoid side effects of HM as antitumor agents by choosing BSA as carriers.

Genetic polymorphisms of 66 InDel loci in the Chinese Han population.

Insertion/deletion polymorphism (InDel) genetic markers refer to insertion or deletion of DNA fragments into genomic DNA, which have advantages in the identification of degraded samples. In this study, we independently screened 66 highly polymorphic InDel markers from the dbSNP database to establish a multiplex PCR system for forensic DNA identification using next-generation sequencing system (66-plex InDels). We assessed the population genetic data among 251 Chinese Han population using this system and evaluated their potential forensic application. The results showed that all 66 InDel loci conformed to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P>0.000 758), and all the pairwise InDel loci were in linkage equilibrium after Bonferroni correction. The mean observed heterozygosity (Ho) was 0.482, the mean expected heterozygosity (He) was 0.483,the mean discrimination power (DP) was 0.612, the mean polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.365, the total discrimination power (TDP) reached 0.999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 999 428 18. The cumulative power of exclusion for 66 InDel loci was 0.999 739 in duo cases (CPEduo) and was 0.999 999 999 417 in trios cases (CPEtrio). The results show that the 66 InDel loci have high genetic polymorphisms in the Chinese Han population and can be used independently for forensic DNA identification and paternity testing.

Cross-sectional survey on knowledge, attitude, behavior and infection of brucellosis in relocated poverty alleviation and relocation area in Tongyu County, Jilin Province / 中华地方病学杂志

Objective:To learn about the knowledge, attitude and behavior of brucellosis and brucellosis infection in Tongyu County, Jilin Province, and to provide a reference for the formulation of prevention and control measures in relocated poverty alleviation and relocation areas.Methods:Using a multi-stage sampling method, three townships, Xianghai Township, Wulanhua Town and Xinhua Town were selected in Tongyu County, where the incidence of brucellosis is high in Jilin Province; then Miren, Huimin, Longjing, Xinfeng and Dayou villages from the three townships were surveyed. A face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted among the villagers to collect the knowledge, attitude and behavior of brucellosis; and blood samples were collected from the villagers according to the principle of informed consent for brucellosis serological tests, and according to the "Diagnostic criteria for Brucellosis (WS 269-2007)" for diagnosis.Results:A total of 274 questionnaires were distributed and 244 valid questionnaires were collected with a recovery rate of 89.05%. Among them, 233 people had heard of brucellosis, accounting for 95.49%. The total awareness rate of knowledge related to brucellosis prevention and control was 39.29% (2 205/5 612), of which the total awareness rate of "knowledge related to brucellosis prevention" was 71.99% (527/732), and the total awareness rate of "knowledge related to human infection with brucellosis" was 38.08% (1 115/2 928), and the total awareness rate of "knowledge about brucellosis in animals" was 28.84% (563/1 952). A total of 90.13% (21/233) people supported the brucellosis prevention and control plan (such as free screening for brucellosis, publicity and education, immunization, culling, etc.), and 61.54% (48/78) of the people would take the initiative to buy protective equipment. The contact rates of livestock through assisted feeding and slaughtering were 27.46% (67/244) and 11.48% (28/244), respectively, and the total protection rates of sheep pens cleaning and slaughtering were 30.91% (102/330) and 21.43% (30/140), respectively. In terms of brucellosis infection, a total of 1 confirmed case, 1 latent infection and 37 suspected cases were found.Conclusions:The awareness rate of "knowledge related to brucellosis prevention" in Tongyu County is generally good, but the awareness rate of "knowledge about brucellosis in animals" is low, and the protection rate of some brucellosis prevention and control behaviors is poor. Health and epidemic prevention departments should carry out targeted health education, improve and optimize propaganda methods in order to improve the protection level of the general population and reduce the risk of brucellosis infection.

Preliminary study of the toxicity and radioprotective effects of zymosan in vitro and in vivo.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to confirm the cytotoxicity of zymosan in vitro and in vivo and determine the appropriate treatment time and the dose of zymosan. METHODS: AHH-1 cells and HIECs were administered by 0, 20, 40, 80 or 160 µg/mL zymosan. The CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry were used to evaluate the cell viability and apoptosis 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after administration. Furthermore, 12 h before irradiation, the cells were treated with 0, 5, 10, or 20 µg/mL zymosan and then irradiated with 4 Gy X-rays. Cell viability and apoptosis were measured by the CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry at 24 h. In addition, the protective effect of zymosan against radiation in vitro was compared to that of 20 µg/mL LPS. In vivo, weight, the spleen index, and the thymus index were measured to evaluate the toxicity of 0, 5, 10, 20, and 10 mg/kg zymosan. In addition, rats were treated with 0, 2, 4, 8, or 10 mg/kg zymosan and then irradiated with 7 Gy X-rays. The survival rate, organ index were evaluated. The protective effect of zymosan against radiation in vivo was compared to that of 10 mg/kg LPS a positive control. RESULTS: The viability and apoptosis of cells treated with different doses and treatment times of zymosan were not different from those of control cells (p < 0.05). Furthermore, cell viability and apoptosis were clearly improved after zymosan preadministration (p < 0.05). The radioprotective effect of zymosan was dose-dependent. In addition, the viability of cells pretreated with zymosan was higher than that of cells pretreated with LPS, and the apoptosis rate of zymosan-treated cells was lower than that of cells pretreated with LPS (p < 0.05). In vivo, weight, the spleen index and the thymus index were significantly decreased by zymosan at a concentration of 20 mg/kg (p < 0.05). Further experiments showed that the concentration at which zymosan exerted radioprotective effects was 10 mg/kg. The survival curves in the irradiated rats were barely separated between the LPS treatment and zymosan treatment. CONCLUSION: Zymosan administration before radiation exposure significantly increased cell viability and the survival rates of rats.

Synthesis and preliminary evaluation of novel 11C-labeled GluN2B-selective NMDA receptor negative allosteric modulators.

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) play critical roles in the physiological function of the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), including learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity, through modulating excitatory neurotransmission. Attributed to etiopathology of various CNS disorders and neurodegenerative diseases, GluN2B is one of the most well-studied subtypes in preclinical and clinical studies on NMDARs. Herein, we report the synthesis and preclinical evaluation of two 11C-labeled GluN2B-selective negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) containing N,N-dimethyl-2-(1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-yl)acetamides for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Two PET ligands, namely [11C]31 and [11C]37 (also called N2B-1810 and N2B-1903, respectively) were labeled with [11C]CH3I in good radiochemical yields (decay-corrected 28% and 32% relative to starting [11C]CO2, respectively), high radiochemical purity (>99%) and high molar activity (>74 GBq/µmol). In particular, PET ligand [11C]31 demonstrated moderate specific binding to GluN2B subtype by in vitro autoradiography studies. However, because in vivo PET imaging studies showed limited brain uptake of [11C]31 (up to 0.5 SUV), further medicinal chemistry and ADME optimization are necessary for this chemotype attributed to low binding specificity and rapid metabolism in vivo.

The Role of Agriculture in the Dissemination of Class 1 Integrons, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Diversity of Their Gene Cassettes in Southern China.

Integrons are hot spots for acquiring gene cassettes from the environment and play a major role in the bacterial evolution and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), thus posing a serious threat. There are currently studies on integrons and antibiotic resistance genes; however, the presence and association of integrons in different agricultural crops and their subsequent dissemination and role in AMR have not been reported previously. This study examines the abundance of integrons, their gene cassette diversity in various crop soils, and their role in the dissemination of AMR in the southern region of China. Samples from different agri-crop soil, such as rice (R.S), sugarcane (S.S), citrus (C.S), banana (B.S), agricultural runoff (the point where the runoff of all sites meet (R.O)), and wild (non-agricultural) soil (W.S), were collected. Quantitative PCR was used to determine the abundance of integrons, and clone libraries were constructed to examine the gene cassette arrays. All the tested samples were found positive for Class-I (CL1) integrons and revealed a higher concentration and higher relative abundance of R.S than the others, with the least found at the W.S site. The W.S CL1 cassette arrays were found empty, and no putative conserved domains were found. The R.O was found to contain a high number of gene cassettes with various functions, while the smallest number of gene cassettes was found in the S.S among the crop soils. Most of the gene cassettes presented by the R.O were primarily shared with other sites, and the antibiotic-resistant genes were consistently observed to be dominant. The constructed clone libraries represented a diverse gene cassette array with 16% novel gene cassettes that play a vital role in pathogenesis, transportation, biosynthesis, and AMR. Most resistance-related gene cassettes were associated with the genes encoding resistance to quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) and aminoglycosides. This study highlights the significant differences in the abundance of integrons among various agricultural soils and offers deep insight into the pools of gene cassettes that play a key role in the dissemination of integrons and AMR.

Devosia ginsengisoli sp. nov., isolated from ginseng cultivation soil.

A Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, motile, ivory-coloured and rod-shaped bacterium (designated Gsoil 520T) isolated from ginseng cultivation soil was characterized by using a polyphasic approach to clarify its taxonomic position. Strain Gsoil 520T was observed to grow optimally at 30 °C and pH 7.0 on Reasoner's 2A agar medium. The results of phylogenetic analysis, based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, indicated that Gsoil 520T belongs to the genus Devosia of the family Hyphomicrobiaceae and was most closely related to Devosia epidermidihirudinis E84T (98.0 %), Devosia yakushimensis Yak96BT (97.7 %), Devosia neptuniae J1T (97.7 %) and Devosia chinhatensis IPL18T (96.8 %). The complete genome of strain Gsoil 520T is a presumptive circular chromosome of 4 480 314 base pairs having G+C content of 63.7 mol%. A total of 4 354 genes, 4 303 CDS and 43 rRNA genes were assigned a putative function. The major isoprenoid quinone was Q-10. The main polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and two unidentified aminolipids (AL1 and AL3). The predominant fatty acids of strain Gsoil 520T were C18 : 1ω7c 11-methyl, C16 : 0 and C18 : 1ω7c/C18 : 1ω6c (summed feature 8) supporting the affiliation of strain Gsoil 520T to the genus Devosia. The low values of DNA-DNA hybridization distinguished strain Gsoil 520T from the recognized species of the genus Devosia. Thus, the novel isolate represents a novel species of the genus Devosia, for which the name Devosia ginsengisoli sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain Gsoil 520T (=KACC 19440T=LMG 30329T).

Analysis of dyslipidemia and related factors in adult patients with brucellosis / 中华地方病学杂志

Objective:To understand the characteristics of brucellosis in adults and the abnormality of blood lipid profile, and to analyze the related factors of dyslipidemia in brucellosis patients, so as to provide reference for preventing and controlling the potential risk of dyslipidemia in brucellosis patients.Methods:The clinical data of all hospitalized patients with brucellosis diagnosed in Liaoning Provincial Hospital of Infectious Diseases from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2016 were collected. Patients' general demographic characteristics, exposure history, clinical stage and course of disease, concomitant chronic diseases and other basic conditions and dyslipidemia were analyzed; single factor and multivariate unconditional logistic regression models were used to analyze the related factors of dyslipidemia in patients with brucellosis.Results:A total of 562 cases with brucellosis were collected, aged (48.59 ± 12.26) years old, ranging from 18 to 76 years old, and the male to female ratio was 2.5∶1.0 (402∶160); among them, 193 cases (34.3%) had a history of contact with cattle and 331 cases (58.9%) had a history of contact with sheep. Among the 562 cases of brucellosis, 314 cases (55.9%) were accompanied with dyslipidemia, 48 (8.5%), 152 (27.0%), 60 (10.7%) and 217 (38.6%) with abnormal total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), respectively. The results of logistic regression analysis showed that diabetes [odds ratio ( OR) = 4.201, 95% confidence interval ( CI): 1.361-12.971], elevated neutrophils ( OR = 2.314, 95% CI: 1.981-5.462), elevated alanine transferase ( OR = 2.188, 95% CI: 1.379-3.473), increased procalcitonin ( OR = 1.707, 95% CI: 1.515-2.532), history of contact with cattle ( OR = 2.170, 95% CI: 1.464-3.125) were risk factors of dyslipidemia in patients with brucellosis; and neutropenia ( OR = 0.458, 95% CI: 0.232-0.904) was a protective factor. Conclusions:The incidence of dyslipidemia in brucellosis patients is high. Diabetes, inflammation, abnormal liver function, and history contact with cattle are related factors for dyslipidemia in patients with brucellosis. Targeted measures should be taken to intervene and control the potential risk of dyslipidemia in patients with brucellosis, so as to reduce the burden of brucellosis and non-infectious chronic diseases.

Clinical application of laparoscopic total mesorectal excision using the intersphincteric approach through the sacrococcygeal incision for treating patients with rectal cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer causing death in Western countries; laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer has many advantages and thus has been used widely. Laparoscopic total mesorectal excision through the sacrococcygeal incision under direct visualization to excise distal rectal cancer is an important procedure for super-low rectal carcinomas. AIM: To investigate the feasibility of mesorectal excision and super-low rectal carcinoma excision using the intersphincteric approach through the sacrococcygeal incision. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From December 2009 to June 2017, intersphincteric resection was performed through the sacrococcygeal incision; the mesentery was excised in 27 patients with rectal cancer and a contracted pelvis (the lower edge of the tumor was 4 to 7 cm to the anal verge) through laparoscopy in the Gastrointestinal Surgery Department of our hospital. RESULTS: No death was recorded during surgery. The surgical time ranged from 190 to 310 min, the bleeding volume was 50 to 150 ml, and the post-surgical length of stay was 6 to 19 days. There were three cases of anastomotic fistulas, one case of anastomotic stenosis, and one case of fecal incontinence. Follow-up visits were scheduled for 19 patients, with a mean time of 37 months, ranging from 3 to 92 months; one case of local recurrence, one case of peritoneal metastasis, and two cases of hepatic metastasis were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic total mesorectal excision using the intersphincteric approach through the sacrococcygeal incision is feasible for treating patients with a contracted pelvis and super-low rectal carcinoma.