Viral communities locked in high elevation permafrost up to 100 m in depth on the Tibetan Plateau.

Permafrost serves as a natural cold reservoir for viral communities. However, little is known about the viromes in deep permafrost soil, as most studies of permafrost were restricted to shallow areas. Here, permafrost soil samples of up to 100 m in depth were collected from two sites in the Tuotuo River permafrost area on the Tibetan Plateau. We investigated the viral composition in these permafrost soil samples and analyzed the relationship of viral composition and diversity along with depths. Our study revealed that greater permafrost thickness corresponds to higher diversity within the viral community. Bacteriophages were found to be the dominant viral communities, with "kill the winner" dynamics observed within the Siphoviridae and Myoviridae. The abundance and diversity of viral communities may follow a potential pattern along soil layers and depths, influenced by pH, trace elements, and permafrost thickness. Notably, strong correlations were discovered between the content of inorganic elements, including B, Mg, Cr, Bi, Ti, Na, Ni, and Cu, and the viral composition. Moreover, we discovered highly conserved sequences of giant viruses at depth of 10, 20, and 50 m in permafrost, which play a crucial role in evolutionary processes. These findings provide valuable insights into the viral community patterns from shallow to 100-m-depth in high-elevation permafrost, offering crucial data support for the formulation of strategies for permafrost thaw caused by climate change and anthropogenic activities.

MiR-217 regulates autophagy through OPG/RANKL/RANK in giant cell tumors.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in cancer development and progression. Our previous study showed remarkably lower levels of miR-217 in GCT cells and tissues, and miR-217 re-expression inhibited the occurrence and development of GCT in vitro; however, the associated mechanisms remain unknown. Thus, this study aimed to explore the mechanisms underlying the proliferation inhibitory effect of miR-217 in GCT cells. METHODS: The proliferative potential of the GCT cells was measured with an MTT assay and BrdU straining. Changes in GCT cell migration and invasion was assessed by a transwell assay. Finally, Western blot and RT-PCR assays were employed to evaluate OPG/RANKL/RANK signaling pathway-related protein expression. RESULTS: The excessive upregulation of miR-217 markedly suppressed GCT cell proliferation and tumorigenesis both in vitro and in vivo. miR-217 overexpression could inhibit the OPG/RANKL/RANK signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, ALP activity was significantly decreased in GCT cells following miR-217 treatment. Importantly, miR-217 could inhibit autophagy-related protein expression and autophagosome/autolysosome formation in GCT cells and tissues. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that miR-217 upregulation could inhibit the occurrence and development of GCT by blocking autophagy. These findings offer an effective therapeutic target to improve the survival rates of patients with CGT in the future.

Fine mapping of the antigenic epitopes of the Gc protein of Guertu virus.

Guertu virus (GTV), a newly discovered member of the genus Banyangvirus in the family Phenuiviridae, poses a potential health threat to humans and animals. The viral glycoprotein (GP) binds to host cell receptors to induce a neutralizing immune response in the host. Therefore, identification of the B-cell epitopes (BCEs) in the immunodominant region of the GTV Gc protein is important for the elucidation of the virus-host cell interactions and the development of GTV epitope assays and vaccines. In this study, an improved overlapping biosynthetic peptide method and rabbit anti-GTV Gc polyclonal antibodies were used for fine mapping of the minimal motifs of linear BCEs of the GTV Gc protein. Thirteen BCE motifs were identified from eleven positive 16mer-peptides, namely EGc1 (19KVCATTGRA27), EGc2 (58KKINLKCKK66), EGc3 (68SSYYVPDA75), EGc4 (75ARSRCTSVRR84), EGc5 (79CTSVRRCRWA88), EGc6 (90DCQSGCPS97), EGc7 (96PSHFTSNS103), EGc8 (115AGLGFSG121), EGc9 (148ENPHGVI154), EGc10 (179KVFHPMS185), EGc11 (230QAGMGVVG237), EGc12 (303RSHDSQGKIS312), and EGc13 (430DIPRFV435). Of these, 7 could be recognized by GTV IgG-positive sheep sera. Three-dimensional structural analysis revealed that all 13 BCEs were present on the surface of the Gc protein. Sequence alignment of the 13 BCEs against homologous proteins from 10 closely related strains of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus from different geographical regions revealed that the amino acid sequences of EGc4, EGc5, EGc8, EGc11, and EGc12 were highly conserved, with 100% similarity. The remaining 8 epitopes (EGc1, EGc2, EGc3, EGc6, EGc7, EGc9, EGc10, and EGc13) showed high sequence similarity in the range of 71.43%-87.50%. These 13 BCEs of the GTV Gc protein provide a molecular foundation for future studies of the immunological properties of GTV glycoproteins and the development of GTV multi-epitope assays and vaccines.

Repair of rotator cuff tears in patients aged 75 years and older: Does it make sense? A systematic review.

Background: Rotator cuff injuries are common, and morbidity increases with age. The asymptomatic full-thickness tear rate is 40% in the over 75-year-old population. Purpose: This study aimed to systematically review the literature on the outcomes of rotator cuff repair among >75 years old patients. Study design: Systematic review. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was performed following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. A literature search was performed in the electronic databases of PubMed, Medline, Embase, and The Cochrane Library. Studies in English evaluating repair of full-thickness rotator cuff tears in patients aged >75 years were included. Results: Six studies were reviewed, including 311 patients (313 shoulders) treated with arthroscopic and/or open rotator cuff repair. Sixty-one patients were lost to follow-up, leaving 252 shoulders with outcome data. Patients in this age group demonstrated a significant improvement in the clinical and functional scores after rotator cuff repair, with a high satisfaction rate. The mean American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores improved from 43.8 (range, 42.0-45.5) preoperatively to 85.3 (range, 84.0 to 86.5) postoperatively, and the mean Constant scores improved from 45.4 (range, 34.7-55.5) to 78.6 (range, 67.0-91.6). Pain, evaluated in all studies by the visual analog scale for pain, showed a significant improvement at the last follow-up compared with the mean preoperative score. Furthermore, range of motion and return to daily activities and sports gained marked improvements. Conclusion: Rotator cuff repair in patients aged >75 years could achieve high clinical success rates with good outcomes and pain relief. Although patients in this age group are at a high risk of retear, rotator cuff repair may offer a good option with significant functional and clinical improvement.

Evaluation of risk correlation between recurrence of patellar dislocation and damage to the medial patellofemoral ligament in different sites caused by primary patellar dislocation by MRI: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Non-surgical treatment of primary patellar dislocation has a high risk of recurrent dislocation; thus, we tried to identify injuries in which sites of the medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) were most associated with recurrent dislocation by analyzing relevant original literature in order to provide improved suggestions on early surgical treatment. METHODS: According to the preset retrieval strategy, the original studies were retrieved until January 2020 using MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Library. Review Manager 5.3 software was used to summarize and compare the differences of recurrent dislocation of MPFL injuries at different attachments. RESULTS: Although the incidence of recurrent patellar dislocation at the femoral attachment of MPFL was higher overall (femoral only vs. patellar only vs. combined: 37.6% vs. 32.3% vs. 35.8%), no statistical difference was found among the three groups (femoral only vs. patellar only, RR = 1.32 [95% CI 0.89-1.95]; P = 0.17) (femoral only vs. combined, RR = 1.15 [95% CI 0.59-2.22]; P = 0.68) (patellar only vs. combined, RR = 0.94 [95% CI 0.69-1.29]; P = 0.72). In addition, the sulcus angle of recurrent dislocation group is significantly greater than that in the non-recurrent dislocation group (MD = 3.06 [95% CI 0.42-5.70]; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the pooled data collected from the original studies available, the risk of recurrent patellar dislocation due to damage to the MPFL at different sites did not differ. Additionally, the sulcus angle in the group with recurrent dislocation was considerably higher when comparing with the group without recurrent dislocation, that is, the shallower and flatter of the trochlear groove, the higher the risk of recurrent patellar dislocation.