AIM: To develop hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccine using HBcAg as the immuno-carrier to express HCV T epitope and to investigate its immunogenicity in mice. METHODS: We constructed the plasmid pTrc-coreNheI using gene en...AIM: To develop hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccine using HBcAg as the immuno-carrier to express HCV T epitope and to investigate its immunogenicity in mice. METHODS: We constructed the plasmid pTrc-coreNheI using gene engineering technique, constructed the pcDNA3.1-coreNheI-GFP plasmid with GFP as the reporter gene, and transfected them into Hela cells. The expression of GFP was observed under confocal microscopy and the feasibility of using HBcAg as an immuno-carrier vaccine was studied. pTrc-core gene with a synthetic T epitope antigen gene of HCV (35-44aa) was fused and expressed in the plasmid pTrc- core-HCV (T). For the fusion of the HBcAg-T protein, sucrose, density gradient centrifugation was used, and its molecular weight and purity were analyzed by SDS- PAGE. Then balb/c mice were immunized by the plasmid with the HBcAg (expressed by pTrc-core) protein as control. The tumor regression potential was investigated in mice and evaluated at appropriate time. After three times of immunization, the peripheral blood and spleen of vaccinated mice were collected. HBcAb was detected by ELISA, and nonspecific T lymphocyte proliferation and response of splenocytes were respectively examined by MTT assay. T cell subset of blood and spleen were detected by FACS. RESULTS: GFP was successfully expressed. Tumor regression trial showed that no tumor formation was found in the group receiving immunization, while tumor xenograft progression was not changed in the control group. Strong nonspecific lymphocyte proliferation response was induced. FACS also showed that the ratio of CD8+ T cells in the experimental group was higher than the controls, but the serum HBcAb in experimental group was similar to the control. CONCLUSION: HBcAg can be used as an immuno-carrier of vaccine, the fusion of HBcAg-T protein could induce stronger cellular immune responses and it might be a candidate for therapeutic vaccines specific for HCV.展开更多
OBJECTIVE： To identify global research trends in transplantation of neural stem cells, Schwann cells and olfactory ensheathing cells for spinal cord injury. DATA RETRIEVAL： We performed a bibliometric analysis of st...OBJECTIVE： To identify global research trends in transplantation of neural stem cells, Schwann cells and olfactory ensheathing cells for spinal cord injury. DATA RETRIEVAL： We performed a bibliometric analysis of studies on transplantation of neural stem cells, Schwann cells and olfactory ensheathing cells for spinal cord injury published from 2002 to 2011 and retrieved from the Web of Science, using the key words spinal cord injury along with either neural stem cell, Schwann cell or olfactory ensheathing cell. SELECTION CRITERIA： Inclusion criteria： （a） peer-reviewed published articles on neural stem cells, Schwann cells or olfactory ensheathing cells for spinal cord injury indexed in the Web of Science; （b） original research articles, reviews, meeting abstracts, proceedings papers, book chapters, editorial materials and news items; and （c） published between 2002 and 2011. Exclusion criteria： （a） articles that required manual searching or telephone access; （b） documents that were not published in the public domain; and （c） corrected papers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： （1）Annual publication output, distribution by journal, distribution by institution and top-cited articles on neural stem cells; （2） annual publication output, distribution by journal, distribution by institution and top-cited articles on Schwann cells; （3） annual publication output, distribution by journal, distribution by institution and top-cited articles on olfactory ensheathing cells. RESULTS： This analysis, based on articles indexed in the Web of Science, identified several research trends among studies published over the past 10 years in transplantation of neural stem cells, Schwann cells and olfactory ensheathing cells for spinal cord injury. The number of publications increased over the 10-year period examined. Most papers appeared in journals with a focus on neurology, such as Journal of Neurotrauma, Experimental Neurology and Gila. Research institutes publishing on the use of neural stem cells to repair spinal cord injury were mostly in the USA and Canada. Those publishing on the use of Schwann cells were mostly in the USA and Canada as well. Those publishing on the use of olfactory ensheathing cells were mostly in the UK, the USA and Canada. CONCLUSION： On the basis of the large number of studies around the world, cell transplantation has proven to be the most promising therapeutic approach for spinal cord injury.展开更多
Dear Editor,Bacteriophages(phages)are viruses that specifically infect and kill bacteria.They are ubiquitous throughout all environments that bacteria inhabit.Following their discovery by F.W.Twort in 1915 and F.d’He...Dear Editor,Bacteriophages(phages)are viruses that specifically infect and kill bacteria.They are ubiquitous throughout all environments that bacteria inhabit.Following their discovery by F.W.Twort in 1915 and F.d’Herele in 1917,bacteriophages were recognized as potential agents to treat bacterial diseases and phage therapy has been used展开更多
Wantong Jingu Tablet(WJT),a mixture of traditional Chinese medicine,was reported to relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis(RA),but its pharmacological mechanism was not completely understood.The aim of this stud...Wantong Jingu Tablet(WJT),a mixture of traditional Chinese medicine,was reported to relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis(RA),but its pharmacological mechanism was not completely understood.The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic mechanisms of WJT for RA in vivo.The effects of WJT on joint pathology,as well as the levels of Bax,Bcl-2,caspase-3,cleaved-caspase-3,ERK1/2,pERK1/2,TNF-α,IL-1β,and IL-6 were measured using collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)rats.The intestinal flora composition and the metabolites alteration were analyzed by 16S rDNA sequencing and metabolomics method,respectively.We found that WJT ameliorated the severity of the CIA rats which might be mediated by inducing apoptosis,inactivating the MEK/ERK signals and reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.WJT,in part,relieved the gut microbiota dysbiosis,especially bacterial phylum Bacteroidetes,Tenericutes and Deferribacteres,as well as bacterial genus Vibrio,Macrococcus and Vagococcus.3’-N-debenzoyl-2’-deoxytaxol,tubulysin B,and magnoline were significantly associated with the specific genera.We identified serotonin,glutathione disulfide,N-acetylneuraminic acid,naphthalene and thromboxane B2 as targeted molecules via metabolomics.Our findings contributed to the understanding of RA pathogenesis,and WJT played essential roles in gut microbiota health and metabolite modulation in the CIA rats.展开更多
Gastric cancer(GC) is one of the most common cancers in the world and a significant threat to the health of patients, especially those from China and Japan. The prognosis for patients with late stage GC receiving the ...Gastric cancer(GC) is one of the most common cancers in the world and a significant threat to the health of patients, especially those from China and Japan. The prognosis for patients with late stage GC receiving the standard of care treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, remains poor. Developing novel treatment strategies, identifying new molecules for targeted therapy, and devising screening techniques to detect this cancer in its early stages are needed for GC patients. The discovery of non-coding RNAs(nc RNAs), primarily micro RNAs(mi RNAs) and long non-coding RNAs(lnc RNAs), helped to elucidate the mechanisms of tumorigenesis, diagnosis and treatment of GC. Recently, significant research has been conducted on non-coding RNAs and how the regulatory dysfunction of these RNAs impacts the tumorigenesis of GC. In this study, we review papers published in the last five years concerning the dysregulation of noncoding RNAs, especially mi RNAs and lnc RNAs, in GC. We summarize instances of aberrant expression of the ncR NAs in GC and their effect on survival-related events, including cell cycle regulation, AKT signaling, apoptosis and drug resistance. Additionally, we evaluate how nc RNA dysregulation affects the metastatic process, including the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, stem cells, transcription factor activity, and oncogene and tumor suppressor expression. Lastly, we determine how ncR NAs affect angiogenesis in the microenvironment of GC. We further discuss the use of ncR NAs as potential biomarkers for use in clinical screening, early diagnosis and prognosis of GC. At present, no ideal ncR NAs have been identified as targets for the treatment of GC.展开更多
AIM:To identify and assess the novel makers for detection of Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 with an integrated computational and experimental approach. METHODS:High-throughput NCBI blast (E-valu...AIM:To identify and assess the novel makers for detection of Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 with an integrated computational and experimental approach. METHODS:High-throughput NCBI blast (E-value cutoff e-5) was used to search homologous genes among all sequenced prokaryotic genomes of each gene encoded in each of the three strains of STEC O157:H7 with complete genomes,aiming to find unique genes in O157:H7 as its potential markers. To ensure that the identified markers from the three strains of STEC O157:H7 can serve as general markers for all the STEC O157:H7 strains,a genomic barcode approach was used to select the markers to minimize the possibility of choosing a marker gene as part of a transposable element. Effectiveness of the markers predicted was then validated by running polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on 18 strains of O157:H7 with 5 additional genomes used as negative controls. RESULTS:The blast search identified 20,16 and 20 genes,respectively,in the three sequenced strains of STEC O157:H7,which had no homologs in any of the other prokaryotic genomes. Three genes,wzy,Z0372 and Z0344,common to the three gene lists,were selected based on the genomic barcode approach. PCR showed an identification accuracy of 100% on the 18 tested strains and the 5 controls. CONCLUSION:The three identified novel markers,wzy,Z0372 and Z0344,are highly promising for the detection of STEC O157:H7,in complementary to the known markers.展开更多
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of transvaginal cervical cerclage in singleton pregnancies with cervical incompetence, determine the predictive factors of success and failure, and then compare elective and em...Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of transvaginal cervical cerclage in singleton pregnancies with cervical incompetence, determine the predictive factors of success and failure, and then compare elective and emergency cerclage. Study Design: This was a retrospective study of 62 patients who underwent cervical cerclage in The First Hospital of Jilin University, China, between May 2015 and January 2018. Successful group was defined as those who delivered live babies and failure group who experienced abortion or stillbirth. Results: Out of 104 patients, 62 met inclusion criteria. In 62 cases, 47 (75.8%) succeeded and 15 (24.2%) failed. In successful group, 21 (44.7%) women delivered pretermly and 26 (55.3%) termly. No severe complications occurred except cervical laceration (2, 3.23%), premature rupture of membranes (13, 20.97%). In 62 cases, 40 (64.5%) have ≤2 previous second-trimester losses and 22 (35.5%) have >2 previous second-trimester losses. No significant differences were found in neonatal outcomes. Analysis revealed that higher postoperative C-reactive protein and presence of premature rupture of membranes were the strongest predictors of cerclage failure. Among 62 cases, 48 (77.4%) were allocated in elective and 14 (22.6%) in emergency cerclage. Pregnancy prolongation was significantly more (P = 0.014) in elective group with no significant differences in premature rupture of membranes, neonatal outcomes (all P > 0.05) except Apgar score at 5 min (P = 0.042). Conclusion: Achieving 75.8% live births proves that transvaginal cervical cerclage is an effective and safe technique in prolonging the gestational age, improving the obstetric outcomes in singleton pregnancies with cervical incompetence under various cerclage indications. Postoperative C-reactive protein and premature rupture of membranes are the predictive factors related to success or failure. Elective cerclage is more effective in prolonging the pregnancy compared to emergency cerclage, no significant differences are seen regarding neonatal outcomes and complications.展开更多
AIM:To apply a new,integrated technique for visualizing bacterial genomes to identify novel pathogenicity islands in Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori).METHODS:A genomic barcode imaging method(converting frequency matrices...AIM:To apply a new,integrated technique for visualizing bacterial genomes to identify novel pathogenicity islands in Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori).METHODS:A genomic barcode imaging method(converting frequency matrices to grey-scale levels)was designed to visually distinguish origin-specific genomic regions in H.pylori.The complete genome sequences of the six H.pylori strains published in the National Center for Biotechnological Information prokaryotic genome database were scanned,and compared to the genome barcodes of Escherichia coli(E.coli)O157:H7 strain EDL933 and a random nucleotide sequence.The following criteria were applied to identify potential pathogenicity islands(PAIs):(1)barcode distance distinct from that of the general background;(2)length greater than 10000 continuous base pairs;and(3)containing genes with known virulence-related functions(as determined by PfamScan and Blast2GO).RESULTS:Comparison of the barcode images generated for the 26695,HPAG1,J99,Shi470,G27 and P12 H.pylori genomes with those for the E.coli and random sequence controls revealed that H.pylori genomes contained fewer anomalous regions.Among the H.pylorispecific continuous anomalous regions(longer than 20 kbp in each strain's genome),two fit the criteria for identifying candidate PAIs.The bioinformatic-based functional analyses revealed that one of the two anomalous regions was the known pathogenicity island cag PAI,this finding also served as proof-of-principle for the utility of the genomic barcoding approach for identifying PAIs,and characterized the other as a novel PAI,which was designated as tfs3-PAI.Furthermore,the cag-PAI and tfs3-PAI harbored genes encoding type IV secretion system proteins and were predicted to have potential for functional synergy.CONCLUSION:Genomic barcode imaging represents an effective bioinformatic-based approach for scanning bacterial genomes,such as H.pylori,to identify candidate PAIs.展开更多
In recent years,the incidence and mortality rates of pancreatic cancer have been steadily increasing,and conventional therapies have shown a high degree of tolerance.There-fore,the search for new therapeutic targets r...In recent years,the incidence and mortality rates of pancreatic cancer have been steadily increasing,and conventional therapies have shown a high degree of tolerance.There-fore,the search for new therapeutic targets remains a key issue in current research.Mitochon-drial glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase 2(GOT2)is an important component of the malate-aspartate shuttle system,which plays an important role in the maintenance of cellular redox balance and amino acid metabolism,and has the potential to become a promising target for anti-cancer therapy.In this paper,we will elaborate on the metabolic and immune effects of GOT2 in pancreatic cancer based on existing studies,with a view to opening up new avenues for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.展开更多
HPRP-A1, a 15-mer α-helical cationic peptide, was derived from N-terminus of ribosomal protein L1 (RpL1) of Helicobacter pylori. In this study, HPRP-A1 was used as a framework to obtain a series of peptide analogs wi...HPRP-A1, a 15-mer α-helical cationic peptide, was derived from N-terminus of ribosomal protein L1 (RpL1) of Helicobacter pylori. In this study, HPRP-A1 was used as a framework to obtain a series of peptide analogs with different hydrophobicity by single amino acid substitutions in the center of nonpolar face of the amphipathic helix in order to systematically study the effect of hydrophobicity on biological activities of -helical antimicrobial peptides. Hydrophobicity and net charge of peptides played key roles in the biological activities of these peptide analogs; HPRP-A1 and peptide analogs with relative higher hydrophobicity exerted broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria and pathogenic fungi, but also showed stronger hemolytic activity; the change of hydrophobicity and net charge of peptides had similar effects with close trend and extent on antibacterial activities and antifungal activities. This indicated that there were certain correlations between the antibacterial mode of action and the antifungal mode of action of these peptides in this study. The peptides exhibited antimicrobial specificity for bacteria and fungi, which provided potentials to develop new antimicrobial drugs for clinical practices.展开更多
This study described the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of patients who died from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)infection,and pointed out the potential risk factors associated ...This study described the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of patients who died from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)infection,and pointed out the potential risk factors associated with fatal outcomes.Retrospective data from 42 death cases due to SARS-CoV-2 infection at Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Huazhong University of Science and Technology,Wuhan,China was analyzed.Demographics,clinical detection,laboratory findings,and treatments of the deceased were collected and analyzed.The average time between onset of symptoms and admission to the hospitals was 11±5 days of hospitalization.Among the deceased,60%were with co-morbidities.All of them were having fever and bilateral pneumonia on computed tomography,abnormal infection-related biomarkers,and renal impairment.Abnormal blood coagulation parameters that appeared in more than half of them,were consistent with disseminated intravascular coagulation.All of the patients were treated in the ICU.Based on the fact that SARS-CoV-2 infection carries a risk of mortality,we may infer a few older male patients with underlying comorbidities are likely to have the increased risk.Impaired consciousness level,markers of renal impairment and coagulation abnormalities may be poor prognostic factors.展开更多
文摘AIM: To develop hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccine using HBcAg as the immuno-carrier to express HCV T epitope and to investigate its immunogenicity in mice. METHODS: We constructed the plasmid pTrc-coreNheI using gene engineering technique, constructed the pcDNA3.1-coreNheI-GFP plasmid with GFP as the reporter gene, and transfected them into Hela cells. The expression of GFP was observed under confocal microscopy and the feasibility of using HBcAg as an immuno-carrier vaccine was studied. pTrc-core gene with a synthetic T epitope antigen gene of HCV (35-44aa) was fused and expressed in the plasmid pTrc- core-HCV (T). For the fusion of the HBcAg-T protein, sucrose, density gradient centrifugation was used, and its molecular weight and purity were analyzed by SDS- PAGE. Then balb/c mice were immunized by the plasmid with the HBcAg (expressed by pTrc-core) protein as control. The tumor regression potential was investigated in mice and evaluated at appropriate time. After three times of immunization, the peripheral blood and spleen of vaccinated mice were collected. HBcAb was detected by ELISA, and nonspecific T lymphocyte proliferation and response of splenocytes were respectively examined by MTT assay. T cell subset of blood and spleen were detected by FACS. RESULTS: GFP was successfully expressed. Tumor regression trial showed that no tumor formation was found in the group receiving immunization, while tumor xenograft progression was not changed in the control group. Strong nonspecific lymphocyte proliferation response was induced. FACS also showed that the ratio of CD8+ T cells in the experimental group was higher than the controls, but the serum HBcAb in experimental group was similar to the control. CONCLUSION: HBcAg can be used as an immuno-carrier of vaccine, the fusion of HBcAg-T protein could induce stronger cellular immune responses and it might be a candidate for therapeutic vaccines specific for HCV.
基金supported by the Foundation of Science and Technology Development Program of Jilin Provincial Science and Technology Department,No.200905183
文摘OBJECTIVE： To identify global research trends in transplantation of neural stem cells, Schwann cells and olfactory ensheathing cells for spinal cord injury. DATA RETRIEVAL： We performed a bibliometric analysis of studies on transplantation of neural stem cells, Schwann cells and olfactory ensheathing cells for spinal cord injury published from 2002 to 2011 and retrieved from the Web of Science, using the key words spinal cord injury along with either neural stem cell, Schwann cell or olfactory ensheathing cell. SELECTION CRITERIA： Inclusion criteria： （a） peer-reviewed published articles on neural stem cells, Schwann cells or olfactory ensheathing cells for spinal cord injury indexed in the Web of Science; （b） original research articles, reviews, meeting abstracts, proceedings papers, book chapters, editorial materials and news items; and （c） published between 2002 and 2011. Exclusion criteria： （a） articles that required manual searching or telephone access; （b） documents that were not published in the public domain; and （c） corrected papers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： （1）Annual publication output, distribution by journal, distribution by institution and top-cited articles on neural stem cells; （2） annual publication output, distribution by journal, distribution by institution and top-cited articles on Schwann cells; （3） annual publication output, distribution by journal, distribution by institution and top-cited articles on olfactory ensheathing cells. RESULTS： This analysis, based on articles indexed in the Web of Science, identified several research trends among studies published over the past 10 years in transplantation of neural stem cells, Schwann cells and olfactory ensheathing cells for spinal cord injury. The number of publications increased over the 10-year period examined. Most papers appeared in journals with a focus on neurology, such as Journal of Neurotrauma, Experimental Neurology and Gila. Research institutes publishing on the use of neural stem cells to repair spinal cord injury were mostly in the USA and Canada. Those publishing on the use of Schwann cells were mostly in the USA and Canada as well. Those publishing on the use of olfactory ensheathing cells were mostly in the UK, the USA and Canada. CONCLUSION： On the basis of the large number of studies around the world, cell transplantation has proven to be the most promising therapeutic approach for spinal cord injury.
基金supported by the Jilin Industrial Technology Research and Development Projects (Grant number: 2013C015-2)Jilin high tech industry development project
文摘Dear Editor,Bacteriophages(phages)are viruses that specifically infect and kill bacteria.They are ubiquitous throughout all environments that bacteria inhabit.Following their discovery by F.W.Twort in 1915 and F.d’Herele in 1917,bacteriophages were recognized as potential agents to treat bacterial diseases and phage therapy has been used
文摘Wantong Jingu Tablet(WJT),a mixture of traditional Chinese medicine,was reported to relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis(RA),but its pharmacological mechanism was not completely understood.The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic mechanisms of WJT for RA in vivo.The effects of WJT on joint pathology,as well as the levels of Bax,Bcl-2,caspase-3,cleaved-caspase-3,ERK1/2,pERK1/2,TNF-α,IL-1β,and IL-6 were measured using collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)rats.The intestinal flora composition and the metabolites alteration were analyzed by 16S rDNA sequencing and metabolomics method,respectively.We found that WJT ameliorated the severity of the CIA rats which might be mediated by inducing apoptosis,inactivating the MEK/ERK signals and reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.WJT,in part,relieved the gut microbiota dysbiosis,especially bacterial phylum Bacteroidetes,Tenericutes and Deferribacteres,as well as bacterial genus Vibrio,Macrococcus and Vagococcus.3’-N-debenzoyl-2’-deoxytaxol,tubulysin B,and magnoline were significantly associated with the specific genera.We identified serotonin,glutathione disulfide,N-acetylneuraminic acid,naphthalene and thromboxane B2 as targeted molecules via metabolomics.Our findings contributed to the understanding of RA pathogenesis,and WJT played essential roles in gut microbiota health and metabolite modulation in the CIA rats.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.31571443(to QY)Jilin Provincial Science and Technology Department,No.20140414031GH and No.20150101121JC(to QY)+1 种基金Health and Family Planning Commission of Jilin Province,No.2014Z068(to QY)Graduate Innovation Fund of Jilin University,No.2014031(to RWZ)
文摘Gastric cancer(GC) is one of the most common cancers in the world and a significant threat to the health of patients, especially those from China and Japan. The prognosis for patients with late stage GC receiving the standard of care treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, remains poor. Developing novel treatment strategies, identifying new molecules for targeted therapy, and devising screening techniques to detect this cancer in its early stages are needed for GC patients. The discovery of non-coding RNAs(nc RNAs), primarily micro RNAs(mi RNAs) and long non-coding RNAs(lnc RNAs), helped to elucidate the mechanisms of tumorigenesis, diagnosis and treatment of GC. Recently, significant research has been conducted on non-coding RNAs and how the regulatory dysfunction of these RNAs impacts the tumorigenesis of GC. In this study, we review papers published in the last five years concerning the dysregulation of noncoding RNAs, especially mi RNAs and lnc RNAs, in GC. We summarize instances of aberrant expression of the ncR NAs in GC and their effect on survival-related events, including cell cycle regulation, AKT signaling, apoptosis and drug resistance. Additionally, we evaluate how nc RNA dysregulation affects the metastatic process, including the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, stem cells, transcription factor activity, and oncogene and tumor suppressor expression. Lastly, we determine how ncR NAs affect angiogenesis in the microenvironment of GC. We further discuss the use of ncR NAs as potential biomarkers for use in clinical screening, early diagnosis and prognosis of GC. At present, no ideal ncR NAs have been identified as targets for the treatment of GC.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30872415National Science Foundation, No. DBI-0354771, ITR-IIS-0407204, DBI-0542119, CCF0621700+1 种基金National Institutes of Health, No. 1R01GM075331 and 1R01GM081682BioEnergy Science Center, US Department of Energy BioEnergy Research Center supported by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research in DOE Office of Science
文摘AIM:To identify and assess the novel makers for detection of Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 with an integrated computational and experimental approach. METHODS:High-throughput NCBI blast (E-value cutoff e-5) was used to search homologous genes among all sequenced prokaryotic genomes of each gene encoded in each of the three strains of STEC O157:H7 with complete genomes,aiming to find unique genes in O157:H7 as its potential markers. To ensure that the identified markers from the three strains of STEC O157:H7 can serve as general markers for all the STEC O157:H7 strains,a genomic barcode approach was used to select the markers to minimize the possibility of choosing a marker gene as part of a transposable element. Effectiveness of the markers predicted was then validated by running polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on 18 strains of O157:H7 with 5 additional genomes used as negative controls. RESULTS:The blast search identified 20,16 and 20 genes,respectively,in the three sequenced strains of STEC O157:H7,which had no homologs in any of the other prokaryotic genomes. Three genes,wzy,Z0372 and Z0344,common to the three gene lists,were selected based on the genomic barcode approach. PCR showed an identification accuracy of 100% on the 18 tested strains and the 5 controls. CONCLUSION:The three identified novel markers,wzy,Z0372 and Z0344,are highly promising for the detection of STEC O157:H7,in complementary to the known markers.
文摘Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of transvaginal cervical cerclage in singleton pregnancies with cervical incompetence, determine the predictive factors of success and failure, and then compare elective and emergency cerclage. Study Design: This was a retrospective study of 62 patients who underwent cervical cerclage in The First Hospital of Jilin University, China, between May 2015 and January 2018. Successful group was defined as those who delivered live babies and failure group who experienced abortion or stillbirth. Results: Out of 104 patients, 62 met inclusion criteria. In 62 cases, 47 (75.8%) succeeded and 15 (24.2%) failed. In successful group, 21 (44.7%) women delivered pretermly and 26 (55.3%) termly. No severe complications occurred except cervical laceration (2, 3.23%), premature rupture of membranes (13, 20.97%). In 62 cases, 40 (64.5%) have ≤2 previous second-trimester losses and 22 (35.5%) have >2 previous second-trimester losses. No significant differences were found in neonatal outcomes. Analysis revealed that higher postoperative C-reactive protein and presence of premature rupture of membranes were the strongest predictors of cerclage failure. Among 62 cases, 48 (77.4%) were allocated in elective and 14 (22.6%) in emergency cerclage. Pregnancy prolongation was significantly more (P = 0.014) in elective group with no significant differences in premature rupture of membranes, neonatal outcomes (all P > 0.05) except Apgar score at 5 min (P = 0.042). Conclusion: Achieving 75.8% live births proves that transvaginal cervical cerclage is an effective and safe technique in prolonging the gestational age, improving the obstetric outcomes in singleton pregnancies with cervical incompetence under various cerclage indications. Postoperative C-reactive protein and premature rupture of membranes are the predictive factors related to success or failure. Elective cerclage is more effective in prolonging the pregnancy compared to emergency cerclage, no significant differences are seen regarding neonatal outcomes and complications.
基金Supported by Grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No. 81271897 and 81071424the National Basic Research Program of China 973 Program,No. 2011CB512003+4 种基金the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China,No. 20110061120093the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation,No. 20110491311 and 2012T50285the Foundation of Xinjiang Provincial Science and Technology Department,No. 201091148the Foundation of Jilin Provincial Health Department,No. 2011Z049the Norman Bethune Program of Jilin University,No. 2012219
文摘AIM:To apply a new,integrated technique for visualizing bacterial genomes to identify novel pathogenicity islands in Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori).METHODS:A genomic barcode imaging method(converting frequency matrices to grey-scale levels)was designed to visually distinguish origin-specific genomic regions in H.pylori.The complete genome sequences of the six H.pylori strains published in the National Center for Biotechnological Information prokaryotic genome database were scanned,and compared to the genome barcodes of Escherichia coli(E.coli)O157:H7 strain EDL933 and a random nucleotide sequence.The following criteria were applied to identify potential pathogenicity islands(PAIs):(1)barcode distance distinct from that of the general background;(2)length greater than 10000 continuous base pairs;and(3)containing genes with known virulence-related functions(as determined by PfamScan and Blast2GO).RESULTS:Comparison of the barcode images generated for the 26695,HPAG1,J99,Shi470,G27 and P12 H.pylori genomes with those for the E.coli and random sequence controls revealed that H.pylori genomes contained fewer anomalous regions.Among the H.pylorispecific continuous anomalous regions(longer than 20 kbp in each strain's genome),two fit the criteria for identifying candidate PAIs.The bioinformatic-based functional analyses revealed that one of the two anomalous regions was the known pathogenicity island cag PAI,this finding also served as proof-of-principle for the utility of the genomic barcoding approach for identifying PAIs,and characterized the other as a novel PAI,which was designated as tfs3-PAI.Furthermore,the cag-PAI and tfs3-PAI harbored genes encoding type IV secretion system proteins and were predicted to have potential for functional synergy.CONCLUSION:Genomic barcode imaging represents an effective bioinformatic-based approach for scanning bacterial genomes,such as H.pylori,to identify candidate PAIs.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.31972890 to Q.Y.)the Department of Science and Technology of Jilin Province,China(No.20230101139JC to Q.Y.).
文摘In recent years,the incidence and mortality rates of pancreatic cancer have been steadily increasing,and conventional therapies have shown a high degree of tolerance.There-fore,the search for new therapeutic targets remains a key issue in current research.Mitochon-drial glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase 2(GOT2)is an important component of the malate-aspartate shuttle system,which plays an important role in the maintenance of cellular redox balance and amino acid metabolism,and has the potential to become a promising target for anti-cancer therapy.In this paper,we will elaborate on the metabolic and immune effects of GOT2 in pancreatic cancer based on existing studies,with a view to opening up new avenues for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
基金Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province(201015130)the Youth Foundation of Jilin Province (20100126)
文摘HPRP-A1, a 15-mer α-helical cationic peptide, was derived from N-terminus of ribosomal protein L1 (RpL1) of Helicobacter pylori. In this study, HPRP-A1 was used as a framework to obtain a series of peptide analogs with different hydrophobicity by single amino acid substitutions in the center of nonpolar face of the amphipathic helix in order to systematically study the effect of hydrophobicity on biological activities of -helical antimicrobial peptides. Hydrophobicity and net charge of peptides played key roles in the biological activities of these peptide analogs; HPRP-A1 and peptide analogs with relative higher hydrophobicity exerted broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria and pathogenic fungi, but also showed stronger hemolytic activity; the change of hydrophobicity and net charge of peptides had similar effects with close trend and extent on antibacterial activities and antifungal activities. This indicated that there were certain correlations between the antibacterial mode of action and the antifungal mode of action of these peptides in this study. The peptides exhibited antimicrobial specificity for bacteria and fungi, which provided potentials to develop new antimicrobial drugs for clinical practices.
基金supported by grants from the Epidemiology,Early Warning,and Response Techniques of Major Infectious Diseases in the Belt and Road Initiative(#2018ZX10101002)National Natural Science Foundation of China(#81871699)Foundation of Jilin Province Science and Technology Department(#172408GH010234983).
文摘This study described the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of patients who died from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)infection,and pointed out the potential risk factors associated with fatal outcomes.Retrospective data from 42 death cases due to SARS-CoV-2 infection at Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Huazhong University of Science and Technology,Wuhan,China was analyzed.Demographics,clinical detection,laboratory findings,and treatments of the deceased were collected and analyzed.The average time between onset of symptoms and admission to the hospitals was 11±5 days of hospitalization.Among the deceased,60%were with co-morbidities.All of them were having fever and bilateral pneumonia on computed tomography,abnormal infection-related biomarkers,and renal impairment.Abnormal blood coagulation parameters that appeared in more than half of them,were consistent with disseminated intravascular coagulation.All of the patients were treated in the ICU.Based on the fact that SARS-CoV-2 infection carries a risk of mortality,we may infer a few older male patients with underlying comorbidities are likely to have the increased risk.Impaired consciousness level,markers of renal impairment and coagulation abnormalities may be poor prognostic factors.
