Infectious hepatitis E virus excreted into the vagina.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) persists in the male genital tract that associates with infertility. However, the presence of HEV in the female genital tract is unreported. Vaginal secretions, cervical smears, and cervix uteri were collected to explore the presence of HEV in the female genital tract. HEV RNA and/or antigens were detected in the vaginal secretions, cervical smears, and the cervix uteri of women. The infectivity of HEV excreted into vaginal secretions was further validated in vitro. In addition, HEV replicates in the female genital tract were identified in HEV-infected animal models by vaginal injection or vaginal mucosal infection to imitate sexual transmission. Serious genital tract damage and inflammatory responses with significantly elevated mucosal innate immunity were observed in women or animals with HEV vaginal infection. Results demonstrated HEV replicates in the female genital tract and causes serious histopathological damage and inflammatory responses.

Genotype 4 Hepatitis E virus replicates in the placenta, causes severe histopathological damage, and vertically transmits to fetuses.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in pregnant women causes adverse pregnancy outcomes, including maternal death, premature delivery, stillbirth, and fetal infection. However, the pathogenesis of maternal and fetal HEV infection is unclear. METHODS: Placenta and placental appendixes were collected from HEV-4 infected pregnant women to explore the vertical transmission of HEV from mothers to fetuses. RESULTS: HEV-4 replicated in the placenta, placental membrane, and umbilical cord and was vertically transmitted from mothers to fetuses. HEV-4 placental infection resulted in serious histopathological damage, such as fibrosis and calcification, and severe inflammatory responses. Adverse maternal outcomes were observed in 38.5% of HEV-4 infected pregnant women. The distinct cytokine/chemokine expression patterns of HEV-infected pregnant women and nonpregnant women may contribute to the adverse pregnancy outcomes. Furthermore, the impaired maternal and fetal innate immune responses against HEV-4 facilitated viral replication during pregnancy. CONCLUSION: HEV-4 replicates in the placenta and is vertically transmitted from mothers to fetuses, causing severe histopathological damage.

Severe maternal-fetal pathological damage and inflammatory responses contribute to miscarriage caused by hepatitis E viral infection during pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection causes serious adverse pregnancy outcomes during pregnancy. However, the maternal and fetal damage induced by HEV infection is rarely reported. METHODS: A BALB/c pregnant mouse model was established to explore the maternal and fetal pathological damage and inflammatory responses caused by HEV infection. RESULTS: Notably, miscarriages and stillbirths were observed in HEV-infected pregnant mice. HEV infections were identified by qRT-PCR, immunohistochemical analysis and immunofluorescence assay in the uterus, placenta, umbilical cords and livers and brains of fetuses. Serious inflammatory responses and pathological damage were triggered in the uterus and placenta of HEV-infected pregnant mice. Vertical transmission of HEV resulted in severe pathological damage and inflammatory responses in the livers and brains of fetuses, as well as emerging apoptosis cells in the brains of fetuses. Most of the cytokines/chemokines in the sera were significantly increased in the HEV-infected pregnant mice. Remarkably, cytokines/chemokines were significantly different between HEV-infected pregnant and miscarriage mice; IL9, GM-CSF and IL1α were the most important three cytokines/chemokines in determining the pregnancy outcomes. CONCLUSION: HEV infections cause serious maternal/fetal pathological damage, inflammatory responses and apoptosis, which may be responsible for adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Potentiality of Using Luojia 1-01 Nighttime Light Imagery to Investigate Artificial Light Pollution.

The successful launch of Luojia 1-01 complements the existing nighttime light data with a high spatial resolution of 130 m. This paper is the first study to assess the potential of using Luojia 1-01 nighttime light imagery for investigating artificial light pollution. Eight Luojia 1-01 images were selected to conduct geometric correction. Then, the ability of Luojia 1-01 to detect artificial light pollution was assessed from three aspects, including the comparison between Luojia 1-01 and the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (NPP-VIIRS), the source of artificial light pollution and the patterns of urban light pollution. Moreover, the advantages and limitations of Luojia 1-01 were discussed. The results showed the following: (1) Luojia 1-01 can detect a higher dynamic range and capture the finer spatial details of artificial nighttime light. (2) The averages of the artificial light brightness were different between various land use types. The brightness of the artificial light pollution of airports, streets, and commercial services is high, while dark areas include farmland and rivers. (3) The light pollution patterns of four cities decreased away from the urban core and the total light pollution is highly related to the economic development. Our findings confirm that Luojia 1-01 can be effectively used to investigate artificial light pollution. Some limitations of Luojia 1-01, including its spectral range, radiometric calibration and the effects of clouds and moonlight, should be researched in future studies.