[Staged and segmented two hybrid surgeries for total repair of Debakey type â aortic dissection: a series of 10 cases].

Objective: To examine the efficacy and experience of staged and segmented two hybrid surgeries for total repair of Debakey type Ⅰ aortic dissection (TIAD). Methods: This study was a retrospective case series. The clinic data of 10 patients with acute TIAD who were admitted to the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Second Hospital of Lanzhou University or the First People's Hospital of Lanzhou, between January 2016 and August 2022, were retrospectively studied. Ten patients underwent hybrid surgeries in two hospitalizations (stages), including 7 males and 3 females with an age of (60±7) years (range: 49 to 71 years). In stage 1, the first type Ⅱ hybrid arch repair was performed to treat the ascending, total arch, and descending thoracic aorta for acute TIAD without circulatory arrest. In stage 2, the second hybrid surgery including infrarenal abdominal aorta replacement, visceral arteries bypass and endovascular thoracoabdominal aortic repair was performed to treat residual thoracoabdominal aortic dissection after the first hybrid operation (segmented). Basic data, preoperative concomitant diseases, high-risk factors, surgical approaches and postoperative complications of all important organs, as well as CT imaging were analyzed. Results: There was no death in the 20 hybrid surgical procedures. In stage 1 type Ⅱ hybrid surgery, 4 cases underwent reconstruction of the aortic sinutubular junction, while Bentall and David surgery was performed for 3 cases, respectively. A patient received coronary artery bypass grafting. Then all patients were sequentially treated with arch debranching and thoracic aortic endovascular repair. Postoperative complications included renal insufficiency (4/10), hemofiltration (1/10), hypoxemia (4/10), neurologic event (1/10) and type Ⅱ endoleak (1/10). Complete false lumen thrombosis occurred in 9/10 of the patients. All complications recovered successfully at discharge and the average hospital stay was (21±4) days (range: 16 to 28 days) in the first hospitalization. At stage 2, the second hybrid surgery was successfully performed in all patients. No paraplegia, hepatic or renal insufficiency, or endoleak occurred. However, branch graft embolism of the left renal artery was found in one patient 3 days after laparotomy, as well as of superior mesenteric artery in another. Superior mesenteric artery occlusion was successfully treated by endovascular recanalization. Complete false lumen thrombosis occurred in all patients. Although all patients had different degrees of intestinal dysfunction, they were gradually relieved at discharge, and the average hospital stay was (19±2)days (range:16 to 21 days) in the second hospitalization. During follow-up, CT angiography showed aortic remodeling in all patients. Conclusion: Staged and segmented two hybrid surgeries are safe and feasible for total repair of Debakey type Ⅰ aortic dissection and are associated with acceptable early and midterm outcomes.

IFNG and IFNGR1 polymorphisms are associated with tuberculosis: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies suggested that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of interferon gamma (IFNG) and its receptor IFNGR1 may be involved in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis (TB). We aimed to examine the association of IFNG gene polymorphisms with TB in the Tibetan population and use the machine learning method to establish a clinical prediction model of TB. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 613 TB patients and 603 healthy controls were selected for the study. Associations between SNPs and TB were analyzed using logistic regression, adjusted for sex and age. Clinical data and SNPs were integrated to construct a TB prediction model using random forest (RF) machine learning. RESULTS: For IFNG, rs1861494 CT was a protective factor against TB compared with TT genotype (p = 0.010). The rs1861494 C allele was a protective factor for TB (p = 0.010). For IFNGR1, the rs3799488 C allele reduced the risk of TB by 30% (p < 0.001). rs9376267 CT (p = 0.005) and TT (p = 0.001) genotypes were protective factors for TB. Compared with the rs1327475 GG genotype, the frequency of the GA genotype in the case group significantly differed from the controls (p = 0.013). rs2234711 GA (p < 0.001), AA (p < 0.001) genotype and A (p < 0.001) alleles were also associated with TB. Finally, five markers are identified using the RF model. The area under the curve (AUC) reaches 0.6 in the training set and 0.59 in the test set. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that IFNG and IFNGR1 gene polymorphisms were associated with TB in a Tibetan population. The results also demonstrate the potential of clinical-SNPs as diagnostic tools for TB.

Monolayer MSi2P4 (M = V, Nb, and Ta) as Highly Efficient Sulfur Host Materials for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Despite the high capacity and low cost of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, their commercialization is greatly blocked by multiple bottlenecks including the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), poor conductivity of sulfur, and sluggish reaction kinetics. Herein, we propose novel two-dimensional MSi2P4 (M = V, Nb, and Ta) monolayers as promising sulfur hosts to improve the Li-S battery performance. Our calculations show that MSi2P4 monolayers offer moderate binding strengths to the polysulfides, which are expected to effectively inhibit the LiPS shuttling and dissolution. Moreover, the conductive properties of the MSi2P4 systems are well maintained after LiPS adsorption, eliminating the insulating nature of sulfur species. Remarkably, MSi2P4 monolayers exhibit superior electrocatalytic activity for the sulfur reduction reaction and the Li2S decomposition reaction, which considerably lowers the energy barriers of LiPS conversions during discharge and charge, thus ensuring the fast redox kinetics and high sulfur utilization of Li-S batteries. This study pioneers the application of MSi2P4 monolayers as highly efficient sulfur host materials for Li-S batteries and affords insights for further development of advanced Li-S batteries.

[Efficacy of a recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor gel for the treatment of moderate dry eye: a multicenter randomized double-blind parallel controlled clinical trial].

Objective: To compare the clinical efficacy of a recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor (rb-bFGF) gel and a gel matrix in the treatment of moderate dry eye. Methods: It was a prospective random double-blind controlled study. One hundred patients diagnosed as moderate dry eye in Eye Institute and Affiliated Xiamen Eye Center of Xiamen University, Union Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University and Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center from August 2015 to April 2019 were divided into two groups: experimental group and control group. Two groups of patients were allocated to receive either a rb-bFGF gel or a gel matrix 4 times per day for 4 weeks. Subjective symptoms, break-up time of the tear film (BUT), Schirmer Ⅰ test (SⅠt) and corneal fluorescein sodium staining were assessed at baseline, 2 and 4 weeks after treatment. Bulbar impression cytology was evaluated at baseline and 4 weeks after treatment. Irritation of the rb-bFGF gel and the gel matrix was estimated after treatment. T test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test or Mann-Whitney U test was used for quantitative data, and Chi-square test was used for enumerative data. Results: Eighty-four subjects were included for statistical analyses after the exclusion of 16 subjects who were lost for followup, with an age of 43±14 years. There were 42 cases in the experimental group and the control group, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in demographic baseline characteristics before treatment (P>0.05). The total score of subjective symptoms was 7.17±3.60 and 5.95±3.25 at 2 and 4 weeks after therapy in the experimental group, which were lower than 9.48±3.88 before treatment (t=6.226, 6.563; both P<0.05); in the control group, it was 7.01±3.25 and 6.32±3.85 at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment, with a significant reduction in comparison with that before treatment (9.15±3.58; t=4.693, 4.726; both P<0.05). The median (lower quartile, upper quartile) BUT was 4.00 (2.40, 5.00) s and 4.64 (3.00, 5.00) s at 2 and 4 weeks after therapy in the experimental group, which were longer than 3.72 (2.00, 4.39) s before treatment (Z=-2.485, -3.152; both P<0.05). The BUT was 4.41 (2.79, 5.12) s at 2 weeks after therapy in the control group, which was of no statistical difference compared with 3.89 (2.09, 4.25) s before treatment (Z=-1.953, P>0.05). The BUT was 5.21 (3.00, 5.02) s at 4 weeks after therapy in the control group, which was longer than that before treatment (Z=-2.485, P<0.05). The SⅠt score was 7.31 (3.75, 10.00) mm and 8.50 (4.00, 11.00) mm at 2 and 4 weeks after therapy in the experimental group, which were significantly higher than 6.69 (2.00, 8.13) mm before treatment (Z=-2.031, -2.236; both P<0.05); in the control group, it was 6.82 (2.00, 8.25) mm and 6.86 (3.00, 9.25) mm at 2 and 4 weeks after therapy, which were not significantly increased compared with 6.50 (2.00, 7.75) mm before treatment (Z=-0.179, -1.161; both P>0.05). The corneal fluorescein sodium staining points were 5.00 (2.00, 5.00) and 3.71 (0.00, 5.00) at 2 and 4 weeks after therapy in the experimental group, which were significantly lower than 7.10 (5.00, 7.00) before treatment (t=-2.895, -4.639; both P<0.05); those in the control group were 5.52 (0.00, 7.00) and 6.19 (0.75, 6.25) at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment, with a significant reduction in comparison with 8.90 (5.00, 10.50) before treatment (t=-2.776, -1.991; both P<0.05). The differences in the average total score of subjective symptoms, BUT, SIt, and corneal fluorescein sodium staining points between both groups were not statistically significant at each time point. The impression cytology grade was decreased from 1.72 (1.00, 2.00) before treatment to 0.94 (0.00, 2.00) at 4 weeks after therapy in the experimental group (Z=-2.803, P<0.05). The staining grade of conjunctival imprinted cells in the control group was 1.42 (1.00, 2.00) at 4 weeks, which showed no statistical significance compared with 1.56 (1.00, 2.00) before treatment (Z=1.195, P>0.05). The impression cytology grade was significantly reduced in the experimental group compared with the control group at 4 weeks after treatment (Z=-3.308, P<0.05). The number of goblet cells was 10.90 (5.00, 20.00) at 4 weeks after therapy in the experimental group, which was significantly higher than 6.30 (5.00, 8.00) before treatment (Z=-2.383, P<0.05); in the control group, it was 8.36 (4.00, 12.00) at 4 weeks after treatment, with no significant increase in comparison with that before treatment [7.55 (5.00, 11.00)] (Z=-0.095, P>0.05). The number of goblet cells was not significantly increased in the experimental group compared with the control group at 4 weeks after treatment (Z=-1.162, P>0.05). Most patients indicated that the drug was non-irritating, and no patient had intolerable irritation affecting daily lives at 4 weeks after therapy; there was no difference between the two groups (Z=-0.290, P>0.05). Conclusions: Both the rb-bFGF gel and the gel matrix can effectively improve the symptoms and signs of moderate dry eye. However, compared with the gel matrix, the rb-bFGF gel shows obvious advantages in promoting conjunctival epithelial cell repair and increasing the number of goblet cells. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2021, 57: 930-938).

Analysis of ceRNA network identifies prognostic circRNA biomarkers in bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer remains a very challenging disease to treat with the high rates of recurrence and progression associated with current therapies. Although the association between bladder cancer pathology and circRNAs remains undetermined, circRNAs signatures may be useful as prognostic and predictive factors and clinical tools for assessing disease state and outcome. This study investigates if these circRNAs can be used as biomarkers for bladder cancer diagnosis. Using bioinformatics method to analysis GEO databases (GSE37815, GSE39093, GSE97239, and GSE92675) for differentially expressed RNAs in bladder cancer and normal bladder tissues were screened from. The related volcanic maps and the interaction network maps of differentially expressed RNAs were drawn, and the mRNA-miRNA and miRNA-circRNA interaction were predicted to establish mRNA-miRNA-circRNA competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. The differential circRNAs related to prognosis of bladder cancer patients were screened based on the influence of miRNA interacting with the circRNA above on survival rate. The expression of miRNA (hsa-mir-214), circRNA (hsa_circ_0076704, hsa_circ_0081963, hsa_circ_0001361) in bladder cancer tissues, adjacent tissues, bladder cancer cells and normal bladder epithelial cells were validated by qRT-PCR. Kaplan Meier curve analysis confirmed the relationship between circRNA (hsa_circ_0076704) and overall survival and prognosis of bladder cancer patients. Through database screening and analysis, we found 19231 differentially expressed genes, 847 differentially expressed miRNAs, 7282 differentially expressed circRNAs. The establishment of ceRNA network consisted of 28 DERNAs (differentially- expressed RNAs), 12 Demi-RNAs and 12 DEcircRNAs. Further prognostic analysis showed that circRNA interacted miRNA hsa-miR-106b, hsa-miR-145 and hsa-miR-214 were associated with overall survival in patients with bladder cancer (P < 0.05). Among them, hsa_circ_0076704, hsa_circ_0081963 and hsa_circ_0001361 are potential circRNA related to OS in bladder cancer and expressed in bladder cancer. The expression of hsa-mir-214 was contrary. Further Kaplan Meier survival analysis showed that hsa_circ_0076704 had significant prognostic value (P < 0.05). In conclusion, hsa_circ_0076704 is independent prognostic factor for bladder cancer.

[Assessment of the brain volume alterations in patients with hyposmia based on voxel-based morphometry].

Objective: To investigate the brain volume alterations in patients with hyposmia using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and to correlate these alterations with the degree and duration of hyposmia. Methods: Forty patients with hyposmia from Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Anzhen Hospital since 2013 to 2016 and forty age and sex matched normal subjects were recruited in this study. Sniffin' Sticks olfactory test was performed to evaluate the olfactory function of all subjects. We acquired T1-weighted magnetic resonance images from all subject on a 3T scanner. VBM was performed using VBM8 toolbox and SPM8 in a Matlab environment. Independent sample t test analysis was used to compare the volume of gray and white matter between the controls and patients. In addition, the Pearson or Spearman correlation analysis was used for the correlation between the voxel value of cerebral volume alterations area and the degree and duration of hyposmia on patients (threshold discrimination identification, TDI). Results: Compared with the controls, patients showed significantly decreased volume in the gray matter of right orbitofrontal cortex (number of voxel in clusters was 226, t=-4.46, P<0.001, uncorrected). There was negative correlation between decreased gray matter volume of the right orbitofrontal cortex with significantly decreased area and the TDI results (r=-0.40, P=0.01), but positive correlation with duration of hyposmia (r=0.37, P=0.02). Conclusions: The patients with hyposmia show gray matter atrophy of the right orbitofrontal cortex. The duration may be an important risk factor for decreased gray matter in patients with hyposmia.

Investigation on the properties of borate bonding agents: Ti6Al4V-porcelain bonding, chemical durability and preliminary cytotoxicity.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the properties of the borate bonding agents (BBAS) including chemical durability, biocompatibility and bonding characteristics of porcelain to Ti6Al4V. The bond strength was performed by the three-point bending test. And the chemical durability and ion release of BBAS were tested by chemical soaking and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), respectively. Moreover, cytotoxicity was evaluated by cell viability assay and cell adhesion using human osteosarcoma cells (MG-63) and cell counter kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. To investigate the influences of composition and microstructure changes on all the properties mentioned above, the 11B and 27Al spectra and infrared spectra of BBAS were measured by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. Combined with all these properties of BBAS, the optimal addition proportion of Al2O3 into BBAS is 20 mol%. The relative contents of [BO3], [BO4], [AlO4], [AlO5] and [AlO6] have great influences on these properties of BBAS. BBAS, possessing excellent chemical durability, good biocompatibility and low ion release and being an effective way to improve the Ti6Al4V-porcelain bond strength, have significant clinical potentials in porcelain fused to metal restorations.

[High-Content siRNA Screen of the Kinome Identifies Kinases Involved in Git2-Induced Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transition].

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and its reverse process mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) programs are involced in the metastatic process. More and more evidence confirms that EMT is vital for the initiation and dissemination of cancer cells whereas MET is critical for successful metastatic colonization of a secondary organ. The regulating mechanism of EMT mediated cancer progression and metastasis has been deeply investigated. However, what processes are dependent on MET in metastatic cascades remains unclear. Here, we created a cell based high-content siRNA screen using the breast cancer cell line 4TO7 to search for kinases that were involved in Git2-induced MET. Our results revealed that 58 kinases including transferase, phosphorylation regulators, ATP/nucleotide partners potentially participate in Git2-induced MET. Our preliminary data is expected to facilitate elucidation of the mechanism on how MET is initiated during cancer metastasis.

Effects of human parathyroid hormone on bone morphogenetic protein signal pathway following spinal fusion in diabetic rats.

Osteoporosis is a major complication in patients with diabetes mellitus. Thus, it is crucial to study the signal mechanisms responsible for enhancement of bone mass in diabetes. Administration of human parathyroid hormone (hPTH) has been reported to prevent osteoblast apoptosis and have anabolic effects on bone in animals and humans. In the present study, we examined the effects of hPTH on expression of bone morphogenetic protein type 2 (BMP-2) and its receptor BMPR2 in diabetic rats following spinal fusion. Our data show that hPTH amplified BMP-2 and BMPR2 in bone tissues of non-diabetic rats, but not in diabetic rats. Our data further demonstrate that hPTH plays a role in regulating BMP-2 and BMPR2 via mTOR-PI3K signal pathway. We suggest specific signaling pathways by which hPTH regulates BMP-2 via mTOR-PI3K mechanism in bone formation following spinal fusion. Notably, our data indicate under diabetic conditions this signal pathway is impaired, thereby likely affecting bone formation after spinal fusion. The subsequent induction of BMP-2 and BMPR2 are likely a part of the protective effects aimed at attenuating pathological bone damage as a result of diabetes.

An Improved Racetrack Structure for Transporting a Skyrmion.

Magnetic skyrmions are promising building blocks for next generation data storage due to their stability, small size and extremely low currents to drive them, which can be used instead of traditional magnetic domain walls to store information as data bits in metalic racetrack memories. However, skyrmions can drift from the direction of electron flow due to the Magnus force and thus may annihilate at the racetrack edges, resulting in the loss of information. Here we propose a new skyrmion-based racetrack structure by adding high-K materials (materials with high magnetic crystalline anisotropy) at the edges, which confines the skyrmions in the center region of the metalic racetrack efficiently. This design can overcome both the clogging and annihilation of skyrmions according to our micromagnetic simulation, which occur normally for skyrmions moving on a racetrack under small and large driving currents, respectively. Phase diagrams for skyrmion motion on the proposed racetrack with various values of current density and racetrack edge width have been calculated and given, showing that skyrmions can be driven at a high speed (about 300 m/s) in the racetrack under relatively smaller driving currents. This design offers the possiblity of building an ultrafast and energy-efficient skyrmion transport device.

Combined effect of traditional Chinese and Western medicine on inflammatory factors in patients with diabetes-induced xerophthalmia.

Diabetes-induced xerophthalmia is a general metabolic disorder with high incidence and increased treatment difficulty. Our study aimed to explore the combined effect of traditional Chinese and Western medicines on diabetes-associated xerophthalmia. We recruited 60 diabetic xerophthalmia patients, and randomly assigned them to either the control (Western medicine treatment) or the experimental (combined treatment of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine) groups. Pre-treatment and post-treatment analyses were performed to assess the combined therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese and Western medicine on xerophthalmia-associated indicators. We found that the experimental group expressed reduced levels of IL-1, IL-8, and TNF-α (P < 0.05) as compared to the control group. Furthermore, the experimental group showed higher treatment efficacy as compared to the control group (85.00 vs 51.67% Z = 22.244, P < 0.05). In addition, break-up time (t = 20.582, P < 0.05) and tear section (t = 23.082, P < 0.05) was increased in the experimental group as compared to the controls. Lastly, it was found that the combined treatment of traditional Chinese and Western medicine effectively reduced corneal injuries, as indicated by reduced fluorescein staining. This study suggested that a combination treatment consisting of both traditional Chinese and Western medicines may be effective against xerophthalmia in diabetes, and that inflammatory factors are potential biomarkers to examine the treatment efficacy.

Association between TXNRD1 polymorphisms and anti-tuberculosis drug-induced hepatotoxicity in a prospective study.

Anti-tuberculosis drug-induced hepatotoxicity (ATDH) is a serious adverse reaction to anti-tuberculosis (TB) treatment. Thioredoxin reductase 1 (TXNRD1), encoded by the TXNRD1 gene, is an important enzyme involved in oxidant challenge. TXNRD1 plays a key role in regulating cell growth and transformation, and protects cells against oxidative damage. We investigated the association between TXNRD1 polymorphisms and ATDH susceptibility. In this prospective study, 280 newly diagnosed TB patients were followed-up for 3 months after beginning anti-TB therapy. Tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (tag-SNPs) of TXNRD1 were selected using Haploview 4.2 based on the HapMap database of the Chinese Han in Beijing (CHB) panel. Genotyping was performed using the MassARRAY platform. Of the 280 patients enrolled in this study, 33 were lost to follow-up, 24 had ATDH, and 223 were free from ATDH. After adjusting for sex, age, smoking status, and body mass index, there were no significant differences in the allele and genotype frequency distributions of TXNRD1 SNPs between the ATDH and non-ATDH groups (all P > 0.05). The haplotype analysis showed that haplotype TCAGCC was associated with an increased risk of ATDH susceptibility [P = 0.024, OR (95%CI) = 6.273 (1.023-38.485)]. Further stratified analyses showed that the haplotype TCAGCC was associated with ATDH susceptibility in female subjects [P = 0.036, OR (95%CI) = 5.711 (0.917-35.560)] and non-smokers [P = 0.029, OR (95%CI) = 6.008 (0.971-37.158)]. Our results suggest that TXNRD1 variants may favor ATDH susceptibility in females and non-smokers. Further studies are required to verify this association.

Fe-Si networks in Na2FeSiO4 cathode materials.

Using a combination of adaptive genetic algorithm search, motif-network search scheme and first-principles calculations, we have systematically studied the low-energy crystal structures of Na2FeSiO4. We show that the low-energy crystal structures with different space group symmetries can be classified into several families based on the topologies of their Fe-Si networks. In addition to the diamond-like network which is shared by most of the low-energy structures, another three robust Fe-Si networks are also found to be stable during the charge/discharge process. The electrochemical properties of representative structures from these four different Fe-Si networks in Na2FeSiO4 and Li2FeSiO4 are investigated and found to be strongly correlated with the Fe-Si network topologies. Our studies provide a new route to characterize the crystal structures of Na2FeSiO4 and Li2FeSiO4 and offer useful guidance for the design of promising cathodes for Na/Li ion batteries.

Evaluation to the effect of B2O3-La2O3-SrO-Na2O-Al2O3 bonding agent on Ti6Al4V-porcelain bonding.

Low-fusing bonding agents have been widely applied in Ti-ceramics restorations. As an important category, borate bonding agents have great potentials in increasing Ti-porcelain bonding. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of borate bonding agent with addition of Na2O and Al2O3 on Ti6Al4V-porcelain bonding. The thermal properties of borate bonding agent, such as glass transition temperature (Tg) and crystallization peak temperature (Tp), were investigated to establish the sintering process. And the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) was to evaluate the matching effect of porcelain to Ti6Al4V. The bond strength was analyzed by the three point bending test. The microscopic morphology of the borate bonding agent surface after sintering, the interface of Ti-borate bonding agent-porcelain, and the fracture mode after porcelains fracture, were studied to assess the influence of borate bonding agent on Ti6Al4V-ceramics. With the addition of Na2O and Al2O3, the porcelain residues were observed increased indication on the Ti6Al4V surface after porcelain fracture and the bond strength was acquired the maximum (49.45MPa) in the bonding agent composition of 75.70B2O3-5.92La2O3-11.84SrO-4.67Na2O-1.87Al2O3. Those results suggest that borate bonding agent is an effective way to improve the Ti6Al4V-ceramics bond strength. And the addition of Na2O and Al2O3 strengthen this effect.

Effect of adenovirus-mediated RNA interference of IL-1ß expression on spinal cord injury in rats.

STUDY DESIGN: We introduced an adenoviral vector expressing interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) small-hairpin RNA (shRNA) into the injured spinal cords to evaluate the therapeutic potential of IL-1ß downregulation in a rat model of spinal cord injury (SCI). OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible protective effects of the IL-1ß downregulation on traumatic SCI in rats. SETTING: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, People's Republic of China. METHODS: An adenoviral shRNA targeting IL-1ß was constructed and injected at the T12 section 7 days before SCI. The rats' motor functions were evaluated by the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) rating scale. Immunofluorescence, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, flow-cytometric analysis and western blots were also performed. RESULTS: Animals downregulating IL-1ß had significantly better recovery of locomotor function and less neuronal loss after SCI. In addition, IL-1ß downregulation significantly decreased tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) level and Bax expression, reduced the activity of caspase-3 and increased Bcl-2 expression after SCI. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that the IL-1ß downregulation may have potential therapeutic benefits for both reducing secondary damages and improving the outcomes after traumatic SCI.

Hepatitis B virus basal core promoter/precore mutants and association with liver cirrhosis in children with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

We investigated 168 children and analysed the virological characterization and association with disease progression in children with hepatitis B virus (HBV) basal core promoter/precore (BCP/PC) mutants. Among 168 patients with HBV infection (aged 0.5-18 years old, mean 10.1), 86 of them had HBV-related liver cirrhosis (LC) and 82 had HBV-related chronic hepatitis B (CHB). A direct sequencing method was employed to determine the HBV genotypes and the mutations in BCP/PC regions. In all, 133 of them were infected with genotype C viruses (79.17%); only 35 patients (20.83%) were infected with genotype B viruses. Both LC patients and CHB patients had significantly higher ratios of genotype C when compared with the ratios of genotype B (83.7%-16.3% versus 74.4%-25.6%). For patients with CHB, the prevalence of BCP/PC wild-type viruses was 52.4%; but this was only 4.7% in patients with LC. The C1653T, T1753C, A1762T/G1764A and G1896A mutations had a significantly higher prevalence in patients with LC. Among all the patients with genotype B viruses, those with LC had lower HBV DNA levels and higher G1899A mutation frequency than patients with CHB. Among all the patients with genotype C viruses, the patients with LC had higher prevalence of C1653T, A1762T/G1764A and G1896A mutation frequency, higher hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) -negative rates, lower viral load, lower elevated alanine aminotransferase and lower anti-HBe positive rates than CHB patients. The HBV BCP/PC variants were more common in HBeAg-negative LC patients than in the CHB group (BCP, 53.4% versus 15.6%; PC, 18.6% versus 3.7%, respectively, p < 0.001). Patients with HBV genotype C viruses, high viral load and C1653T, A1762T/G1764A, G1896A mutant viruses, were more susceptible to developing LC.

The distribution of different virulence grass carp reovirus strains in some neglected tissues.

Grass carp reovirus (GCRV) is the causative agent of hemorrhagic disease in infected grass carp. During an outbreak, a mortality rate of up to 85% can be experienced, thus leading to substantial economic losses. The current understanding of disease pathogenesis is limited, with the distribution and dynamics of replication amongst different GCRV strains in vivo largely unknown. We determined distribution of different GCRV strains in infected grass carp, especially in some neglected tissues, such as the gill, brain, blood and so on. The results showed elevated viral RNA copy numbers in the blood, with some tissues such as the kidney, heart, brain, and bladder exhibiting even higher viral loads following infection with the virulent GCRV-CL strain. Even more interesting is that the brain exhibited the highest viral load, with a copy number of 800,000 following GCRV-CL infection. Overall, this study provides further insight into GCRV viral load distributions following infection and potentially identified some new viral tropism sites to provide a foundation for further studies aimed at characterizing GCRV viral pathogenesis.

Creating leptin-like biofunctions by active immunization against chicken leptin receptor in growing chickens.

In this study, immunization against chicken leptin receptor (cLEPR) extracellular domain (ECD) was applied to investigate leptin regulation and LEPR biofunction in growing chicken pullets. A recombinant protein (cLEPR ECD) based on the cLEPR complemenary DNA sequence corresponding to the 582nd to 796th amino acid residues of cLEPR mature peptide was prepared and used as antigen. Immunization against cLEPR ECD in growing chickens increased anti-cLEPR ECD antibody titers in blood, enhanced proportions of phosphorylated janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and served as signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) protein in liver tissue. Chicken live weight gain and abdominal fat mass were significantly decreased (P < 0.05), but feed intake was stimulated by cLEPR ECD immunization (P < 0.05). The treatment also upregulated the gene expression levels of lepR, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), acetyl CoA carboxylase-2 (ACC2), and uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) in liver, abdominal fat, and breast muscle (P < 0.05) but decreased fasn expression levels (P < 0.01). Apart from that of lepR, the expression of appetite-regulating genes, such as orexigenic genes, agouti-related peptide (AgRP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY), were upregulated (P < 0.01), whereas the anorexigenic gene proopiomelanocortin (POMC) was downregulated in the hypothalamic tissue of cLEPR-immunized pullets (P < 0.01). Blood concentrations of metabolic molecules, such as glucose, triglycerides, and very-low-density lipoprotein, were significantly decreased in cLEPR-immunized pullets but those of cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein increased. These results demonstrate that antibodies to membrane proximal cLEPR ECD enhance cLEPR signal transduction, which stimulates metabolism and reduces fat deposition in chickens.

An adaptive genetic algorithm for crystal structure prediction.

We present a genetic algorithm (GA) for structural search that combines the speed of structure exploration by classical potentials with the accuracy of density functional theory (DFT) calculations in an adaptive and iterative way. This strategy increases the efficiency of the DFT-based GA by several orders of magnitude. This gain allows a considerable increase in the size and complexity of systems that can be studied by first principles. The performance of the method is illustrated by successful structure identifications of complex binary and ternary intermetallic compounds with 36 and 54 atoms per cell, respectively. The discovery of a multi-TPa Mg-silicate phase with unit cell containing up to 56 atoms is also reported. Such a phase is likely to be an essential component of terrestrial exoplanetary mantles.

A one-step molecular biology method for simple and rapid detection of grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella reovirus (GCRV) HZ08 strain.

Six reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) primers designed against conserved regions of segment 6 (s6) gene were used for the detection of grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella reovirus (GCRV) HZ08 subtype. The entire amplification could be completed within 40 min at 62·3° C. The RT-LAMP showed higher sensitivity than reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The RNA detection limit was 10 copies µl⁻¹ for RT-LAMP assay and 100 copies µl⁻¹ for conventional RT-PCR. In specificity tests, no cross-reactivity was detected in other viruses from common aquatic animals. In addition, the reaction results can be visualized by using calcein fluorescent dye. Furthermore, a total of 86 samples were tested by RT-LAMP, RT-PCR and virus isolation. The results demonstrated that all 54 specimens identified as positive by virus isolation were also positive when detected by RT-LAMP. Seven out of 54 samples, however, were misidentified by RT-PCR. The RT-LAMP method is more accurate than conventional RT-PCR. The results indicate that RT-LAMP has potential as a simple and rapid diagnosis technique for the detection of GCRV HZ08 subtype infection.