Discovery of a novel circulation route of free-living Serratiasymbiotica mediated by predatory ladybird beetles.

Horizontal transmission of bacteria to varied hosts can maintain and even expand microbial niches. We previously found that the aphid gut bacterium Serratia symbiotica strain SsMj can be transmitted to ladybird beetles via predation, but whether the predator is a new host, a reservoir or a dead end of this bacterium is unknown. This study aims to provide a clear picture of SsMj circulation from aphids to plants and predators. We first found that SsMj in aphids and ladybirds was abundantly distributed not only in digestive tracts but also in droppings. We found no evidence for vertical transmission of SsMj to aphid offspring. Instead, we showed that it could be transmitted to conspecific aphids by sharing the same plant or contacting honeydews. The key finding of this study is that SsMj was transmitted from aphids to ladybirds through predation, while ladybirds could also transfer SsMj back to aphids, possibly through feces. Together, this evidence suggests that SsMj is able to survive in the digestive tracts and droppings of insects and to expand its host range with plants and predators as reservoirs.

The transcriptome of Icerya aegyptiaca (Hemiptera: Monophlebidae) and comparison with neococcoids reveal genetic clues of evolution in the scale insects.

BACKGROUND: Scale insects are worldwide sap-sucking parasites, which can be distinguished into neococcoids and non-neococcoids. Neococcoids are monophyletic with a peculiar reproductive system, paternal genome elimination (PGE). Different with neococcoids, Iceryini, a tribe in non-neococcoids including several damaging pests, has abdominal spiracles, compound eyes in males, relatively abundant wax, unique hermaphrodite system, and specific symbionts. However, the current studies on the gene resources and genomic mechanism of scale insects are mainly limited in the neococcoids, and lacked of comparison in an evolution frame. RESULT: We sequenced and de novo assembled a transcriptome of Icerya aegyptiaca (Douglas), a worldwide pest of Iceryini, and used it as representative of non-neococcoids to compare with the genomes or transcriptomes of other six species from different families of neococcoids. We found that the genes under positive selection or negative selection intensification (simplified as "selected genes" below) in I. aegyptiaca included those related to neurogenesis and development, especially eye development. Some genes related to fatty acid biosynthesis were unique in its transcriptome with relatively high expression and not detected in neococcoids. These results may indicate a potential link to the unique structures and abundant wax of I. aegyptiaca compared with neococcoids. Meanwhile, genes related to DNA repair, mitosis, spindle, cytokinesis and oogenesis, were included in the selected genes in I. aegyptiaca, which is possibly associated with cell division and germ cell formation of the hermaphrodite system. Chromatin-related process were enriched from selected genes in neococcoids, along with some mitosis-related genes also detected, which may be related to their unique PGE system. Moreover, in neococcoid species, male-biased genes tend to undergo negative selection relaxation under the PGE system. We also found that the candidate horizontally transferred genes (HTGs) in the scale insects mainly derived from bacteria and fungi. bioD and bioB, the two biotin-synthesizing HTGs were exclusively found in the scale insects and neococcoids, respectively, which possibly show potential demand changes in the symbiotic relationships. CONCLUSION: Our study reports the first I. aegyptiaca transcriptome and provides preliminary insights for the genetic change of structures, reproductive systems and symbiont relationships at an evolutionary aspect. This will provide a basis for further research and control of scale insects.

Application of auditory cortical evoked potentials for auditory assessment in people using auditory prosthesis.

The present study explored the application of auditory cortical evoked potentials (ACEP) in the auditory assessment of people using an auditory prosthesis. There were 126 patients with prelingual deafness who were selected from January 2012-June 2017 from the First People's Hospital of Kunshan (Kunshan, China). HEARLab™ system was used to induce a P1-N1-P2 waveform under the condition of 60 dB sound pressure level at /m/, /g/ and /t/ acoustic stimulations. Speech production ability and auditory perception ability of patients were evaluated by speech intelligibility rating (SIR) and categories of auditory performance (CAP). Extraction rate of P1 waves of patients with auditory prosthesis was higher than that of N1 and P2 waves under different acoustic stimulations. A younger initial age and shorter deafness duration before patients used an auditory prosthesis led to more marked P1-N1-P2 waveforms and longer P1 latencies. At /m/ acoustic stimulation, P1 latency and amplitude were negatively associated with the usage time of auditory prosthesis. There were significant differences in the results of SIR and CAP and the initial age of use of auditory prosthesis and deafness duration before patients used the auditory prosthesis. These findings suggest that ACEP can be used to evaluate the auditory assessment of people using an auditory prosthesis. The initial age of use of an auditory prosthesis and deafness duration can affect the P1-N1-P2 waveform and P1 latency of prelingual deafness.

Literature review on clinical decision support system reducing medical error.

OBJECTIVES: Quite a number of studies on clinical decision support systems (CDSS) have been published in recent years to assess the characteristics and architecture of CDSS and evaluate the effects of CDSS on clinical work. However, until now there have been no relevant studies to investigate the quantity of these, and their contribution to present day thinking. The aim of this study was to explore the areas of theme, and the study design of research on CDSS in literature published in English and Chinese-language journals. METHODS: We searched the major database including MEDLINE, EMbase, Cochrane Library and four Chinese databases including Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Wanfang Data, Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), and Chinese Journals Full-text Database (CNKI) and to analyze the publication years, research themes, authors' affiliations and methodologies of studies. Quality and statistical method were only appraised by classification of study designs. RESULTS: A total of 616 studies published from 1990 to 2013 were included in our research. In the year of 2011 the number of studies reached its peak with 96 studies accounting for 15.58% of the years' publication. We grouped the included studies into six major topic areas of which computerized clinical decision support systems dominated the included studies accounting for 51.46% of all studies. Commentary reviews and cross-sectional studies which took up approximately 46.10% of the included studies, with 30.52% (188 studies) and 15.58% (96 studies) respectively. Most included studies on CDSS were conducted in the following four institutions: universities, hospitals, research institutions and companies. CONCLUSIONS: There is a growing change trend in the number of studies on CDSS research in recent two decades, most of which are non-comparative studies (46.10%) . Only 21 systematic reviews and 22 randomized controlled trails were published with the percentage of 3.41% and 3.57% of the included studies. More methodologically rigorous designs are needed to improve the research quality on CDSS.

Interrelationship of circulating matrix metalloproteinase-9, TNF-α, and OPG/RANK/RANKL systems in COPD patients with osteoporosis.

Previous studies have shown that matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and its cognate inhibitor TIMP-1, inflammatory cytokine TNF-α, and the OPG/RANK/RANKL system may each play individual roles in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis in patients with COPD. In the present study, we investigated the interrelationships of these factors in male COPD patients with and without osteoporosis. The serum levels of MMP-9, MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio, TNF-α, RANKL, OPG, and the RANKL/OPG ratio were higher in COPD patients with osteoporosis than in individuals with normal or low bone mineral density (BMD) (N = 30, all P < 0.05 or < 0.01). The lung function FEV1%Pre and the BMD of the lumbar spine and femoral neck were found to be negatively correlated with MMP-9 serum level (r = -0.36, P < 0.05, r = -0.58, P < 0.001, and r = -0.62, P < 0.01, respectively), RANKL serum level (r = -0.21, P < 0.05, and r = -0.25, P < 0.05, and r = -0.26, P < 0.05, respectively), and RANKL/OPG ratio (r = -0.23, P < 0.05, r = -0.33, P < 0.05, and r = -0.38, P < 0.05, respectively). However, they had no correlation with TIMP-1, TNF-α, OPG, or RANK. The MMP-9 serum level was found to be positively correlated with TNF-α level (r = 0.35, P < 0.05) and RANKL/OPG ratio (r = 0.27, P < 0.05) but not associated with RANKL. These results suggest that MMP-9, TNF-α, and the OPG/RANK/RANKL system may be closely interrelated and may play interactive roles in pathogenesis of osteoporosis in COPD.

Phytochemical profiles of different mulberry (Morus sp.) species from China.

Mulberry is rich in alkaloids, polyphenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins, which have been suggested to be responsible for health benefits. The concentrations of 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), resveratrol, oxyresveratrol, cyanidin-3-O-beta-glucoside (Cy-3-glu), cyanidin-3-O-beta-rutinoside (Cy-3-rut), and rutin in mulberry juice, fruits, and leaves of 8 species grown in China were examined. It is the first time content determination of DNJ in mulberry juice and oxyresveratrol in mulberry fruits and leaves has been reported. Among the varieties tested, Da 10 (Morus atropurpurea Roxb.) was the most valuable cultivar considering its high content of functional components. Besides, Hetianbaisang (M. alba Linn.), Taiwanguosang (M. atropurpurea Roxb.), Fujian 2 hao (M. alba Linn.), Gaozhoujisang (M. australis Poir.), and Shanxiguosang (M. nigra Linn.) were rich in DNJ, resveratrol, oxyresveratrol, anthocyanins, and flavonoids, respectively. The high contents of functional compounds in mulberry juice, fruits, and leaves implied that they might be potential resources for the development of functional drinks and food.