Newly discovered insect RNA viruses in China

Insects are a group of arthropods and the largest group of animals on Earth,with over one million species described to date.Like other life forms,insects suffer from viruses that cause disease and death.Viruses that are pathogenic to beneficial insects cause dramatic economic losses on agriculture.In contrast,viruses that are pathogenic to insect pests can be exploited as attractive biological control agents.All of these factors have led to an explosion in the amount of research into insect viruses in recent years,generating impressive quantities of information on the molecular and cellular biology of these viruses.Due to the wide variety of insect viruses,a better understanding of these viruses will expand our overall knowledge of their virology.Here,we review studies of several newly discovered RNA insect viruses in China.     

非布司他对痛风合并高尿酸血症患者血清sICAM-1, ET-1 及尿酸水平的影响

目的:探讨非布司他对痛风合并高尿酸血症患者血清内皮素-1(ET-1)、细胞间粘附分子-1(ICAM-1)及尿酸水平的影响。方法:收集在我院就诊或住院治疗的80例痛风合并高尿酸血症患者,随机分为实验组和对照组,每组40例。对照组患者给予别嘌呤醇片治疗;实验组患者给予非布司他片治疗。观察并比较两组患者治疗前后血尿酸、s ICAM-1、ET-1水平及临床疗效。结果:与治疗前相比,两组患者治疗后的血尿酸、s ICAM-1、ET-1水平均显著降低(P0.05);与对照组相比,实验组患者的血尿酸、s ICAM-1、ET-1水平较低(P0.05),临床治疗总有效率较高(P0.05)。结论:非布司他能够降低痛风合并高尿酸血症的s ICAM-1、ET-1及尿酸水平,且临床疗效较好。     

细菌性肝脓肿临床特点的回顾性分析

目的:总结细菌性肝脓肿(pyogenic liver abscesses,PLA)的临床特点、诊断及治疗经验,提高诊疗水平。方法:回顾性分析哈尔滨医科大学第二临床医学院2013年1月-2014年12月收治的75例PLA患者的临床资料。结果:75例患者的平均年龄57岁,最大78岁,最小34岁。其中,男45例,女30例,男:女为1.5:1。75例患者中表现为发热者69例(92.0%)、寒战28例(37.3%)、右上腹痛66例(88.0%),伴恶心呕吐者28例(37.3%),黄疸15例(20.0%),肝肿大8例(10.7%)。有糖尿病病史患者28例(37.3%)。胆系疾病(78.7%)是本组资料主要的易患因素,其中53例患有胆囊炎(70.7%)。外周血白细胞增高67例(89.3%),血红蛋白降低41例(54.7%),白蛋白降低46例(61.3%);75例患者转氨酶升高58例(77.3%)。肝右叶单发脓肿多见(75例患者中36例,占48%)。51例B超确诊,24例行B超+CT或CT检查。48例行穿刺液细菌培养及25例血培养,其中肺炎克雷伯氏菌为主要病原菌。平均住院天数为19天,多数患者经皮下肝脓肿穿刺或置管引流而好转,1例漏诊为肺炎,2例患者反复入院,1例因菌血症死亡。结论:PLA的临床表现多样,以发热最为常见;多为肝右叶单发,部分患者血红蛋白及血清白蛋白降低。糖尿病为PLA最常见基础疾病,胆系疾病是主要的易患因素。肺炎克雷伯杆菌是本组PLA患者的主要致病菌。     

Genome editing in Bombyx mori: New opportunities for silkworm functional genomics and the sericulture industry

In recent years, research in life sciences has been remarkably revolutionized owing to the establishment, development and application of genome editing technologies. Genome editing has not only accelerated fundamental research but has also shown promising applications in agricultural breeding and therapy. In particular, the clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) technology has become an indispensable tool in molecular biology owing to its high efficacy and simplicity. Genome editing tools have also been established in silkworm (Bombyx mori), a model organism of Lepidoptera insects with high economic importance. This has remarkably improved the level and scope of silkworm research and could reveal new mechanisms or targets in basic entomology and pest management studies. In this review, we summarize the progress and potential of genome editing in silkworm and its applications in functional genomic studies for generating novel genetic materials.     

啮齿类动物中汉坦病毒感染血清学和病原学检测方法比较研究

致病性汉坦病毒的宿主主要为啮齿类动物,其病毒感染状况是人间疫情发生的关键影响因素,可通过检测宿主动物标本中病毒基因组RNA、蛋白抗原及特异性抗体而进行监测。本研究利用367份鼠肺及鼠血标本,对双抗原夹心ELISA(ELISA)、实时荧光RT-PCR(RT-PCR)和免疫荧光(IFA)等三种分别检测抗体、核酸和抗原的方法进行比较评估。ELISA法检出抗体阳性鼠血标本46份,阳性率为12.53%;RT-PCR法检出病毒RNA阳性鼠肺标本28份,阳性率为7.63%;IFA检出抗原阳性鼠肺标本24份,阳性率为6.54%。宿主动物组织标本中检出汉坦病毒RNA和(或)结构蛋白抗原的标本,对应的血液标本中可检出病毒特异性抗体,100%(24/24)IFA检测阳性标本和89.3%(25/28)RT-PCR检测阳性标本对应血标本ELISA抗体检测阳性,反之亦然,检出抗体的标本基本包含了可检出抗原和RNA的标本。RT-PCR与IFA检测结果差异无显著性(χa2=0.64,P0.05),一致性检验Kappa系数为0.71,一致性高(Z=13.66,P0.05),首先对血标本开展基于ELISA的特异性抗体检测,可显著缩小RT-PCR或IFA法检测病毒RNA或抗原的范围(χb2=12.04,χc2=20.05,P0.05)。本研究为宿主动物汉坦病毒感染实验室监测方案优化提供了有益的依据。     

RNA interference silencing of the adaptor molecules ShcC and Fe65 differentially affect amyloid precursor protein processing and Abeta generation

The amyloid precursor protein (APP) and its pathogenic by-product amyloid-beta protein (Abeta) play central roles in Alzheimer disease (AD) neuropathogenesis. APP can be cleaved by beta-secretase (BACE) and alpha-secretase to produce APP-C99 and APP-C83. These C-terminal fragments can then be cleaved by gamma-secretase to produce Abeta and p3, respectively. p3 has been reported to promote apoptosis, and Abeta is the key component of senile plaques in AD brain. APP adaptor proteins with phosphotyrosine-binding domains, including ShcA (SHC1), ShcC (SHC3), and Fe65 (APBB1), can bind to and interact with the conserved YENPTY motif in the APP-C terminus. Here we have described for the first time the effects of RNA interference (RNAi) silencing of ShcA, ShcC, and Fe65 expression on APP processing and Abeta production. RNAi silencing of ShcC led to reductions in the levels of APP-C-terminal fragments (APP-CTFs) and Abeta in H4 human neuroglioma cells stably overexpressing full-length APP (H4-FL-APP cells) but not in those expressing APP-C99 (H4-APP-C99 cells). RNAi silencing of ShcC also led to reductions in BACE levels in H4-FL-APP cells. In contrast, RNAi silencing of the homologue ShcA had no effect on APP processing or Abeta levels. RNAi silencing of Fe65 increased APP-CTF levels, although also decreasing Abeta levels in H4-FL-APP cells. These findings suggest that pharmacologically blocking interaction of APP with ShcC and Fe65 may provide novel therapeutic strategies against AD.     

A critical role for IkappaB kinase beta in metallothionein-1 expression and protection against arsenic toxicity

Arsenic is a widespread environmental toxic agent that has been shown to cause diverse tissue and cell damage and at the same time to be an effective anti-cancer therapeutic agent. The objective of this study is to explore the signaling mechanisms involved in arsenic toxicity. We show that the IkappaB kinase beta (IKKbeta) plays a crucial role in protecting cells from arsenic toxicity. Ikkbeta(-)(/)(-) mouse 3T3 fibroblasts have decreased expression of antioxidant genes, such as metallothionein 1 (Mt1). In contrast to wild type and IKKbeta-reconstituted Ikkbeta(-)(/)(-) cells, IKKbeta-null cells display a marked increase in arsenic-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, which leads to activation of the MKK4-c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway, c-Jun phosphorylation, and apoptosis. Pretreatment with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and expression of MT1 in the Ikkbeta(-)(/)(-) cells prevented JNK activation; moreover, NAC pretreatment, MT1 expression, MKK4 ablation, and JNK inhibition all protected cells from death induced by arsenic. Our data show that two signaling pathways appear to be important for modulating arsenic toxicity. First, the IKK-NF-kappaB pathway is crucial for maintaining cellular metallothionein-1 levels to counteract ROS accumulation, and second, when this pathway fails, excessive ROS leads to activation of the MKK4-JNK pathway, resulting in apoptosis.