[The cases of tracing the source of patients infected with Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 based on wastewater-based epidemiology in Shenzhen].

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is an emerging discipline, which has been applied to drug abuse tracking and infectious disease pathogen surveillance. During the COVID-19 epidemic, WBE has been applied to monitor the epidemic trend and SARS-CoV-2 variants etc. In order to detect hidden COVID-19 cases and prevent transmission in the community, wastewater surveillance system for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 RNA was developed in Shenzhen. The sewage sampling sites were set up in key places such as the port areas, urban villages and residential communities of Futian, Nanshan, Luohu and Yantian districts. From July 26 to November 30, 2022, a total of 369 sewage sampling sites were set up, covering 1.93 million people. Continuous sampling was carried out for 3 hours in the peak period of water use every day. Sewage virus enrichment and SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid detection were carried out by polyethylene glycol precipitation method and RT-qPCR, and a positive water sample disposal process was molded. This article aims to introduce the case of source tracing of COVID-19 infected patients based on urban sewage in Shenzhen. The sewage monitoring of Honghu water treatment plant in Luohu District played an early warning role, and the source of infection was traced. In the disposal of positive water samples in Futian South Road, Futian District, the important experience of monitoring point layout was obtained. In the sewage monitoring of Nanshan village, Nanshan District, the existence of occult infection was revealed. Sharing the experience of tracing the source of COVID-19 patients to avoid the spread of COVID-19 in the community based on wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Shenzhen, and summarizing the advantages and application prospects of sewage surveillance can provide new ideas for monitoring emerging or re-emerging pathogens that are known to exhibit gastrointestinal excretion in the future.

[The expression of GGCT in the bladder urothelial cell carcinoma and its clinical significance].

Objective: To evaluate the expression and clinical significance of γ-glutamylcyclotransferase (GGCT) in patients with bladder urothelial cell carcinoma. Methods: Immunohistochemical staining for GGCT were performed on tissue sections of 86 patients with bladder urothelial cell carcinoma and 10 normal controls, and the correlations between GGCT and clinicopathological characteristics and the prognosis were analyzed. Results: The positive rate of the expression of GGCT in 86 cases of bladder urothelial cell carcinoma was 61.6% (53/86). GGCT protein was located mainly in cancer cell cytoplasm, and it can be seen in the nucleus of the tumor cells in some cases. The level of GGCT expression was positively related to pathological classification (P<0.001), stage (P=0.020), and tumor size (P=0.025). Immunohistochemical semiquantitative analysis showed that the expression of GGCT in patients with T1 stage of non-muscle invasion bladder urothelial cell carcinoma was significantly higher than that with Ta stage (P=0.034). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the expression of GGCT was correlated with the recurrence-free survival in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, the recurrence-free survival rate was lower in the GGCT positive group (P=0.029). Multivariate COX regression analysis showed that the pathological stage (OR=5.029, P=0.009) and the number of tumors (OR=3.320, P=0.024)were the independent risk factors for recurrence-free survival in patients with early urothelial cell carcinoma of the bladder. Conclusions: The expression of GGCT is significantly increased in bladder urothelial cell carcinoma and is related to the malignant biological behavior and progression of tumor. Patients with GGCT positive early bladder tumor are inclined to recur.

[Effects of acute paraquat poisoning on cognitive ability in humans].

Objective: To explore the effects of acute paraquat poisoning on cognitive function of patients through neuropsychologic test. Methods: In June 2019, 36 patients with acute paraquat poisoning in the emergency department of a provincial hospital in Hebei Province were selected as the case group. 36 healthy individuals were selected as control group. The cognitive function and depressive state were assessed by mini mental state scale, auditory word learning test, digit span test, connection test, Boston Naming Test and geriatric depression scale. Results: The results of Mini-Mental State examination showed that the total score of the case group was lower than that of the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05) . The results of the Auditory Vocabulary Learning test showed that the scores of delayed recall, clue recall, corrective ability and semantic learning strategies of the case group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05) . There was no significant difference in the scores of immediate memory between the two groups (P>0.05) . The scores of Digit Span test and Boston Naming test in the control group were higher than those in the case group, the Trail Making test time in the control group was shorter than that in the case group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05) . Conclusion: Acute paraquat poisoning can impair human cognitive ability to a certain extent.

High diversity of Diaporthe species associated with pear shoot canker in China.

Species of Diaporthe (syn. Phomopsis) are important endophytes, saprobes and pathogens, infecting a wide range of plants and resulting in important crop diseases. However, the species occurring on pear remain largely unresolved. In this study, a total of 453 Diaporthe isolates were obtained from branches of Pyrus plants (including P. bretschneideri, P. communis, P. pyrifolia and P. ussuriensis collected from 12 provinces in China) showing shoot canker symptoms. Phylogenetic analyses based on five loci (ITS, TEF, CAL, HIS, and TUB) coupled with morphology of 113 representative isolates revealed that 19 Diaporthe species were isolated, representing 13 known species (including D. caryae, D. cercidis, D. citrichinensis, D. eres, D. fusicola, D. ganjae, D. hongkongensis, D. padina, D. pescicola, D. sojae, D. taoicola, D. unshiuensis and D. velutina) and six new species described here as D. acuta, D. chongqingensis, D. fulvicolor, D. parvae, D. spinosa and D. zaobaisu. Although Koch's postulates confirmed all species to be pathogenic, a high degree of variation in aggressiveness was observed. Moreover, these species have a high diversity, plasticity, and prevalence related to the geographical location and pear species involved.

Colletotrichum species associated with anthracnose of Pyrus spp. in China.

Colletotrichum species are plant pathogens, saprobes, and endophytes on a range of economically important hosts. However, the species occurring on pear remain largely unresolved. To determine the morphology, phylogeny and biology of Colletotrichum species associated with Pyrus plants, a total of 295 samples were collected from cultivated pear species (including P. pyrifolia, P. bretschneideri, and P. communis) from seven major pear-cultivation provinces in China. The pear leaves and fruits affected by anthracnose were sampled and subjected to fungus isolation, resulting in a total of 488 Colletotrichum isolates. Phylogenetic analyses based on six loci (ACT, TUB2, CAL, CHS-1, GAPDH, and ITS) coupled with morphology of 90 representative isolates revealed that they belong to 10 known Colletotrichum species, including C. aenigma, C. citricola, C. conoides, C. fioriniae, C. fructicola, C. gloeosporioides, C. karstii, C. plurivorum, C. siamense, C. wuxiense, and two novel species, described here as C. jinshuiense and C. pyrifoliae. Of these, C. fructicola was the most dominant, occurring on P. pyrifolia and P. bretschneideri in all surveyed provinces except in Shandong, where C. siamense was dominant. In contrast, only C. siamense and C. fioriniae were isolated from P. communis, with the former being dominant. In order to prove Koch's postulates, pathogenicity tests on pear leaves and fruits revealed a broad diversity in pathogenicity and aggressiveness among the species and isolates, of which C. citricola, C. jinshuiense, C. pyrifoliae, and C. conoides appeared to be organ-specific on either leaves or fruits. This study also represents the first reports of C. citricola, C. conoides, C. karstii, C. plurivorum, C. siamense, and C. wuxiense causing anthracnose on pear.

1H nuclear magnetic resonance-based plasma metabolomics provides another perspective of response mechanisms of newborn calves upon the first colostrum feeding.

The first meal of a neonatal calf after birth is crucial for survival and health. Blood IgG levels remarkably increase in neonatal calves after the first colostrum feeding. However, there is little comprehensive information on blood small-molecule metabolites in neonatal calves at that time. In this study, the changes in plasma metabolites of neonatal calves after the initial colostrum feeding were first examined with comprehensive 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Sixteen plasma samples obtained from 8 calves before and after feeding were analyzed with 1H NMR. Multivariate analyses revealed a significant difference in metabolic profiles. After feeding, acute phase N-acetylated glycoproteins and 13 other plasma metabolites decreased, whereas 19 plasma metabolites increased. Metabolomics pathway analysis of these metabolites revealed that a global metabolic response on the first colostrum feeding was reflected by alterations of 13 metabolic pathways including lipid, carbohydrate, and amino acid metabolism in neonatal calves. These results suggested that besides meeting energy demand, a 4.0 L of high-quality colostrum feeding within 4 h after birth had a positive effect on relieving the postnatal stress in neonatal calves. This study provides another perspective of response mechanisms of newborn calves upon the first colostrum feeding.

Metabolomics and pathway analyses to characterize metabolic alterations in pregnant dairy cows on D 17 and D 45 after AI.

Nutrient flow to the embryo and placenta is crucial for proper development and growth during pregnancy. In this study, a metabonomic analysis was undertaken to better understand global changes in pregnant dairy cows on D 17 and D 45 after timed artificial insemination (AI). Metabolic changes in the blood plasma of pregnant dairy cows were investigated using HPLC-MS and a multivariate statistical analysis. Changes in metabolic networks were established using the MetPA method. Alterations in six metabolic pathways were found on D 17 and D 45, including variations in the level of alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, pentose and glucuronate interconversions, glycerolipid metabolism, folate biosynthesis, and tyrosine metabolism. In addition to these pathways, 9 metabolic pathways were markedly altered on D 45. These pathways included changes in the one-carbon pool caused by folate; phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis; thiamine metabolism; pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis; purine metabolism; inositol phosphate metabolism; amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism; pentose phosphate; and the TCA pathway. The combination of metabonomics and network methods used in this study generated rich biochemical insight into possible biological modules related to early pregnancy in dairy cows.

[Study on the immunization status and its influencing factors among workers from the polio network laboratories in China].

Objective: To Investigate the immune status and influencing factors of provincial polio network laboratory (PNL) workers in China so as to provide evidence for the development of related strategies to protect personnel working at the PNLs. Methods: All the practitioners from the PNLs at the provincial centers for disease control, were selected as objects for this study, from October to December, 2016, under a questionnaire survey. Information on status of immunity and influencing factors was collected, with SAS software, trend chi-square used for statistics analysis. Results: A total of 77 workers were involved in this survey, with 60 (78%) of them completed the polio-based immune program but the rest 17 (22%) remained records unclear. 66 people (about 86%) remembered clearly that they had received vaccination when engaging in the polio-lab work, but the rest 11 (14%) with only partial vaccination records. We also noticed that the Influencing factors realted to vaccination status were: age (χ(2)=2.48, P<0.05), title (χ(2)=2.51, P<0.05), years of employment (P<0.000 1), education (χ(2)=0.74, P=0.46) and gender (χ(2)=0.46, P=0.50). Conclusion: Immune status of the Chinese provincial PNL practitioners appeared fairly good as 86% of all the workers had received polio-related vaccination, with 41% of them completed a 3-time inoculation program, when started working in this field.

[Statins in periodontitis therapy].

Statins inhibit the activity of enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-acetyl coenzyme A reductase and further inhibit cholesterol synthesis. Statins are the most widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs in clinical practice. Studies have found that statins also play a positive role in periodontitis treatment. In this paper, we reviewed the functions of statins in bone metabolism and anti-inflammation in periodontitis. In addition, the application of statins as a local drug delivery system in the treatment of periodontitis was described.

[Analysis of type C behavior in patients with oral lichen planus].

OBJECTIVE: To assess type C behavior in patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) in order to provide basis for clinical prevention, treatment and psychological intervention of OLP. METHODS: Type C behavior scale was used on 85 OLP patients and 85 control patients, who were in accordance with the inclusion criteria, in order to investigate their type C behavior. The scale included 9 items: anxiety, depression, anger, anger toward inside (anger-in), anger toward outside (anger-out), reasoning, domination, optimism, and social support. Scores of the 9 items between OLP patients and control group were calculated under the instruction of the scale and were statistically analyzed, and OLP group was further stratified statistically by sex, reticulate-erosive-ulcerative (REU) pathological type and course of diseases, and the scores of each group were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: Among the 85 OLP patients, there were more females, more non-erosive lesion type, and the most common site for OLP was the buccal mucosa. The scores of the type-C behavior questionnaire for anxiety, depression, anger and optimism were respectively 43.01±7.47, 44.02±7.61, 21.56±5.26, 22.15±4.00 among the OLP patients and were 37.94±8.70, 39.58±7.35, 18.12±5.39, 24.05±3.23 among control group, with significant differences(P<0.05 for all) between the two groups. The female OLP patients had higher anxiety, depression, anger scores (43.21±6.97, 44.29±7.54, 21.64±5.09) and lower reasoning, domination, optimism scores (39.12±5.66, 16.29±3.95, 22.05±4.12) with significant differences (P<0.05 for all) compared with those of the female controls. The scores between male patients and male controls showed no significant difference. The patients with erosive lesions had higher anger score (22.94±5.26) than that of the patients without erosive lesions(20.60±5.03), with a significant difference(P<0.05). With the development of the disease, the tendency of anxiety and depression of the patients were more obvious, while optimism scores remained declining. The patients suffering more than 3 years of OLP had higher anger-toward-outside scores (17.36±3.35) than the patients suffering less than 3 years of OLP (15.19±3.99), with a significant difference (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: OLP patients showed an obvious type C behavior characteristic, especially in anxiety, depression, anger and low optimism. This research provides the C behavior characteristic of OLP for further psychological consultation or intervention during OLP treatment.

Identification of low potassium stress-responsive proteins in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) seedling roots using an iTRAQ-based analysis.

Potassium is one of the three main mineral nutrients, and is vital for leaf growth and the quality of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants. In recent years, the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) method has been one of the most popular techniques for quantitative proteomic analysis. In this study, we used iTRAQ to compare protein abundances in the roots of control and low potassium-treated tobacco seedlings, and found that 108 proteins were differentially expressed between the two treatments. Of these, 34 were upregulated and 74 were downregulated, and 39 (36%) were in the chloroplasts. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment results suggested that metabolic pathways were the dominant pathways (10 upregulated and 14 downregulated proteins). Ten proteins involved in the pyruvate metabolism pathway increased their expression levels, and 17 upregulated proteins were enriched in the ribosomes category. To evaluate correlations between protein and gene transcript abundances, the expression patterns of 12 randomly chosen genes were examined. A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that the 12 genes were induced after low potassium treatment for 3, 6, 12, and 24 h. Our results demonstrate that low potassium levels affect protein profiles in tobacco roots.

[Clinical characters of pre-malignant and malignant polyp in postmenopausal women and the diagnostic value of hysteroscopy].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics of pre-malignant and malignant polyps in postmenopausal patients and to evaluate the diagnositic value of hysteroscopy in this disease. METHODS: From June 2005 to October 2014, 403 postmenopausal patients with polyps were treated in the Gynecologic Minimally Invasive Center, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital. There were 27 patients including 22 patients with pre-malignant and 5 patients with malignant polyps. All malignant lesions were endometrioid adenocarcinoma. The clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Based on pathology, the diagnostic value of hysteroscopy was evaluated. RESULTS: (1) CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS: there were 27 cases with pre-malignant and malignant polyps (group 1) and 376 cases with benign polyps (group 2). Compared the two groups, the average age was (60±8) vs (58±6) years old, the period of menopause was (9.8±8.1) vs (8.3±6.9) years. Thirteen cases (48.1%, 13/27) in group 1 and 159 cases (42.3%, 159/376) in group 2 had clinical symptoms including postmenopausal bleeding and vaginal discharge. Twelve cases (44.4%, 12/27) in group 1 and 140 cases (37.2%, 140/376) in group 2 were with hypertension. Five cases (18.5%, 5/27) in group 1 and 43 cases (11.4%, 43/376) in group 2 were with diabetes. The measures above were no significant differences (P>0.05) (2) Ultrasound features: the average thick of endometrium in group 1 and group 2 were respectively (1.3±0.7) and (0.8±0.4) cm, which had statistical significance (t=4.98, P=0.001). (3) Hysteroscopic diagnosis: the average diameters of polyp in group 1 and group 2 were respectively (2.4±1.0) and (1.6±1.0) cm, which had statistical significance (t=2.93, P=0.004). Six cases in group 1 were diagnosed by hysteroscopy including 4 cases of malignant polyp and 2 cases of pre-malignant polyp. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and the accuracy were 22.2% (6/27), 100.0% (376/376), 100.0% (6/6), 94.7% (376/397) and 94.8% (382/403), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-malignant and malignant endometrial polyps are more common in the subjects with the larger diameters and the thicker endometrium. All polyps should be under complete resection by hysteroscopy and through pathology examination.

Remote Postconditioning Induced by Trauma Protects the Mouse Heart against Ischemia Reperfusion Injury. Involvement of the Neural Pathway and Molecular Mechanisms.

PURPOSE: Abdominal superficial surgical incision elicits cardioprotection against myocardial ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury in mice. This cardioprotective phenomenon, termed remote preconditioning of trauma (RPCT), results in an 80 to 85 % reduction in cardiac infarct size. We evaluated cardioprotection and the molecular mechanisms of remote postconditioning of trauma (RPostCT) in a murine I/R injury model. METHODS: Mice were analyzed using a previously established I/R injury model. An abdominal superficial surgical incision was made 45 min after myocardial ischemia at the end of coronary occlusion, and infarct size was determined 24 h after reperfusion. RESULTS: The results indicated that a strong cardioprotective effect occurred during RPostCT (56.94 ± 2.71 % sham vs. 15.58 ± 2.16 % RPostCT; the mean area of the infarct divided by the mean area of the region at risk; p ≤ 0.05; n = 10). Furthermore, pharmacological intervention revealed neurogenic signaling involvement in the beneficial effects of RPostCT via sensory and sympathetic thoracic nerves. Pharmacological experiments in transgenic mice demonstrated that bradykinin receptors, ß-adrenergic receptors (AR), and protein kinase C were implicated in the cardioprotective effects of RPostCT. CONCLUSIONS: RPostCT significantly decreased myocardial infarction size via neurogenic transmission and various signaling pathways. This study describes a new cardiac I/R injury prevention method that might lead to the development of therapies that are more clinically relevant for myocardial I/R injury.

Genetic diversity analysis of fruit characteristics of hawthorn germplasm.

One hundred and six accessions of hawthorn intraspecific resources, from the National Germplasm Repository at Shenyang, were subjected to genetic diversity and principal component analysis based on evaluation data of 15 fruit traits. Results showed that the genetic diversity of hawthorn fruit traits varied. Among the 15 traits, the fruit shape variable coefficient had the most obvious evaluation, followed by fruit surface state, dot color, taste, weight of single fruit, sepal posture, peduncle form, and metula traits. These are the primary traits by which hawthorn could be classified in the future. The principal component demonstrated that these traits are the most influential factors of hawthorn fruit characteristics.

Expression of recombinant BMP-7 gene increased ossification activity in the rabbit bone mesenchymal stem cells.

OBJECTIVE: The mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which were distributed in the bone marrow stroma, become ideal progenitor cells in bone tissue engineering because of their convenient isolation, small injury when obtained, and strong osteogenic capacity. The osteogenic differentiation of MSCs, which is indicated by the increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the enhanced accumulation of collagen, could be induced by a strong osteogenic capacity biological factor termed bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7). Although the chemically synthesized BMP-7 was widely applied to study the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs, transferring and expressing BMP-7 gene in target cells is more desirable, especially for gene therapy, given the advantages and convenience on the stable expression of BMP-7. The aim of this study was to determine whether recombinant BMP-7-expressing MSCs would induce bone formation in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: BMP-7 gene was cloned from human placental tissue to construct a recombinant eukaryotic expression plasmid carrying BMP-7 gene by conjugating with eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1. MSCs were isolated from rabbit bone marrow and cultured in vitro. Then they were divided into 3 groups: pcDNA3.1-BMP-7-transfected, pcDNA3.1-transfected, and untransfected. Human healthy fresh placental tissue was provided by the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University. Written informed consent was obtained from the women. One healthy male New Zealand rabbit was provided by the Laboratory Animal Center, Harbin Medical University. RESULTS: A significant increase of ALP activity was detected in the supernatant of pcDNA3.1-BMP-7 transfected MSCs, and the enhanced collagen accumulation, which was inferred by the increased hydroxyproline content and RT-PCR. CONCLUSIONS: These results implied that BMP-7 gene was expressed in MSCs sufficiently and was involved in inducing differentiation of MSCs into osteoblast.