Visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution using a polyoxometalate-based copper molecular catalyst.

Polyoxometalate-based copper clusters as promising hydrogen evolution catalysts are rarely reported. Here, [Cu5(OH)4(H2O)2(A-α-SiW9O33)2]10- (1) was tested as an effective molecular catalyst for visible-light-driven H2 evolution. A high turnover number (TON) of 718.9 was achieved in the photocatalytic reaction. Many stability experiments showed that compound 1 could maintain its structure intact during the photocatalytic process.

Effectiveness of vitamin D for adult patients with gingivitis.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to explore the effectiveness of vitamin D for the management of adult patients with gingivitis. METHODS: We will perform a comprehensive search from the following electronic databases: Cochrane Library, PUBMED, EMBASE, AMED, CINAHL, WANGFANG, VIP, CBM, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. All databases will be searched from their inceptions to the present without language limitation. We will also search for unpublished data to avoid missing more potential studies. Two authors will carry out study selection, data extraction, and methodological quality evaluation, respectively. RevMan 5.3 software will be utilized for statistical analysis. RESULTS: This study will summarize the up-to-date evidence about the anti-inflammatory effect of vitamin D for the management of adult patients with gingivitis through assessing modified gingival, gingival bleeding indices, inflammatory factors, plaque, quality of life, and any adverse events. CONCLUSION: This study may provide helpful evidence of vitamin D for the management of adult patients with gingivitis for clinical practice. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42019156561.

[Detection on drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by microscopic observation drug susceptibility].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of microscopic observation drug susceptibility (MODS) in detecting susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) onto four first line anti-tuberculosis drugs. METHOD: The 24-hole cell culture plates were used to test drug susceptibility of MTB on liquid medium, and the best detecting condition of MODS assay was probed; 66 clinical isolates susceptibility to streptomycin (S), isoniazid (H), rifampin (R) and ethambutal (E) were evaluated by using MODS assay and Lowenstein-Jensen (L-J), thereafter, all the inconcordance of isolates between MODS and L-J were tested for the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC). RESULTS: Concordance rate of the susceptibility to S, H, R and E in 66 clinical isolates detected by MODS and L-J was 97.0%, 90.9%, 95.5% and 86.4% respectively. If the results obtained by L-J were taken as a golden standard, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value (PPV and NPV) as well as accuracy of susceptibility test to S detected by MODS was 96.0%, 97.6%, 96.0%, 97.6% and 97.0%; 100%, 85.4%, 81.0%, 100% and 90.9% to H; 96.2%, 95%, 92.6%, 97.4% and 95.5% to R; 73.7%, 91.5%, 77.8%, 89.6% and 86.4% to E. There were 20 inconsistent results of 16 isolates by comparing MODS with L-J, and MIC yielded 16 results of those 14 isolates showing identical results with those of the MODS, while 4 results of other 4 isolates identical with L-J. CONCLUSION: MODS method simultaneously provides drug susceptibility to S, H, R and E. MODS might be one of the rapid tools to diagnosing multidrug-resistant tuberculosis as it is rapid, simple, inexpensive and has high concordance with L-J drug susceptibility test.

[Identification of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex by detecting recombinant secretory protein MPT64].

OBJECTIVE: To identify the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex by detecting the secretory protein MPT64. METHODS: The gene mpt64 was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H(37)Rv strain and cloned into expression vector. Immune sera from rabbits by recombinant proteins MPT64, were used to make enzyme-labeled antibodies and coated antibodies. A double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was established to detect the secretory protein MPT64 of the culture supernatants in Mycobacterium strains. Results of ELISA were compared to those of the gene mpt64 amplified by PCR. RESULTS: A recombinant vector was constructed. The minimum detectable concentration of MPT64 was 0.01 mg/L. A total of 27 reference strains and 170 clinical isolate strains were evaluated. PCR for Mycobacterium tuberculosis reference strain, Mycobacterium bovis reference strain and Mycobacterium africanum reference strain was positive, but that for other reference stains was negative, consistent with the results of ELISA. In the 170 clinical isolate stains, the positive result of PCR and ELISA was 98.2% (111/113) and 97.3% (110/113) respectively, while the specificity of PCR and ELISA was both 100%, no positive result in non-tuberculosis mycobacterium strains. CONCLUSION: Identification of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex by detecting secretory protein MPT64 is rapid, sensitive, and specific, which can be used routinely in clinical laboratories.

Efficacy and safety of cisplatin for the management of adult patients with oral cancer: A protocol for systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin is often used for the treatment of oral cancer (OC). However, there are inconsistent results. Thus, this study plans to systematically assess the clinical efficacy and safety of cisplatin for adult patients with OC. METHODS: We will search for PUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, AMED, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. All of them will be searched from the construction of each database up to the present with no restrictions of language and publication status. The data analysis will be conducted using RevMan 5.3 software to assess the efficacy and safety of cisplatin for adult patients with OC. RESULTS: This study will summarize the most recent high-quality evidence and will provide helpful information about the efficacy and safety of cisplatin for adult patients with OC. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study will provide convinced evidence of cisplatin for adult patients with OC, and provide recommendations for clinical practice. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42019156558.

[Expression and purification of CFP32 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its serodiagnostic analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a recombinant plasmid of CFP32 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in E. coli, and to analyze its antigenicity. METHODS: Rv0577 gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction from genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and then cloned into vector pMD18-T followed by the subclone into the expression vector pET21a. Recombinant CFP32 was expressed and purified. The antigenicity of the recombinant protein was analyzed by using Western-blot. The purified recombinant CFP32 protein was used as an antigen to screen the sera of 7 pulmonary TB patients (n = 97), as well as the other pulmonary disease patients (n = 25), and the clinically healthy controls (n = 38) by ELISA. RESULTS: Recombinant plasmid of CFP32 was established, and be expressed efficiently in E. coli BL21 (DE3). The relative molecular mass of the protein was about 300,000 by SDS-PAGE analysis. The protein purified by Ni-NTA was in a purity over 90%, which was confirmed by Western-blot analysis. ELISA analysis showed its sensitivity and specificity were 63.9% (62/97) and 96.8% (2/63) respectively. CONCLUSION: The recombinant expression plasmid pET21a CFP32 has been constructed and CFP32 proteins has been successfully expressed and be purified in E. coli and, ELISA analysis has identified the recombinant CFP32 as a candidate antigen for TB serodiagnosis.

lncRNA NORAD Contributes to Colorectal Cancer Progression by Inhibition of miR-202-5p.

Previous study indicates that long noncoding RNA NORAD could serve as a competing endogenous RNA to pancreatic cancer metastasis. However, its role in colorectal cancer (CRC) needs to be investigated. In the present study, we found that the expression of NORAD was significantly upregulated in CRC tissues. Furthermore, the expression of NORAD was positively related with CRC metastasis and patients' poor prognosis. Knockdown of NORAD markedly inhibited CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion but induced cell apoptosis in vitro. In vivo experiments also indicated an inhibitory effect of NORAD on tumor growth. Mechanistically, we found that NORAD served as a competing endogenous RNA for miR-202-5p. We found that there was an inverse relationship between the expression of NORAD and miR-202-5p in CRC tissues. Moreover, overexpression of miR-202-5p in SW480 and HCT116 cells significantly inhibited cellular proliferation, migration, and invasion. Taken together, our study demonstrated that the NORAD/miR-202-5p axis plays a pivotal function on CRC progression.

Toll-like receptor 4 gene polymorphism is associated with chronic periodontitis.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) contribute to the immune response by recognizing patterns presented by bacteria and other pathogens. These receptors have been implicated in the inflammatory response that contributes to gingivitis and periodontitis. Conflicting reports have suggested that variations in the genes encoding TLRs, particularly TLR2 and TLR4, may influence susceptibility to periodontitis. In this study, the contribution of variations in the genes encoding TLR2 and TLR4 in the context of periodontitis was examined in 254 patients with moderate periodontitis, 418 patients with severe periodontitis, and 260 healthy controls free of gum disease. Genomic DNA was extracted from participants' whole blood, and genotyping of TLR2/TLR4 as performed using real-time polymerase chain reaction with TaqMan MGB primer. The genotype, allele, and haplotype frequencies were compared among control, moderate periodontitis, and severe periodontitis groups. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-square and logistic regression analyses. Of the 9 polymorphic loci detected in the two genes, one, rs11536889 (G>C) in TLR4, displayed a statistically significant difference in distribution between individuals with moderate periodontitis and severe periodontitis (P<0.05). The distribution of the GG genotype in moderate periodontitis was higher than in the severe periodontitis group (P<0.05). Further, for the haplotype rs7873784, rs1927907, and rs1153688 of TLR4, the distribution of haplotype GCG was statistically different between moderate periodontitis and severe periodontitis (P<0.05, OR=1.501). These findings indicate that variation in TLR4 may affect chronic periodontitis susceptibility in a Han Chinese population.