Morphology and Phylogeny of Calyptospora paranaidji n. sp. (Eimeriorina: Calyptosporidae), an Apicomplexan Parasite of the Hepatic Tissue of Cichla piquiti Kullander & Ferreira, 2006, From a Reservoir in the Brazilian Amazon Region

The coccidians of the family Calyptosporidae are parasites of the tissue and organs of fish and aquatic invertebrates, in particular in the tropical region. In contrast with other apicomplexans of the suborder Eimeriorina, the diversity and ecology of the species of the genus Calyptospora have been poorly investigated, resulting in a lacuna that restricts the understanding of the distribution and prevalence of this group of eukaryote microparasites in the Amazon region. In the present study, the integrated comparative analysis of morphological characteristics, histological and structural traits, and the sequences of a fragment of the 18S rRNA gene, provides support for the identification of a new species of Calyptospora, found parasitizing the hepatic tissue of the piscivorous blue peacock bass, Cichla piquiti, captured in the reservoir of the Estreito hydroelectric dam on the middle Tocantins River in northern Brazil. This new species was named Calyptospora paranaidji n. sp.     

Interleukin-34 as a promising clinical biomarker and therapeutic target for inflammatory arthritis

Interleukin-34 (IL-34), recently identified as a novel inflammatory cytokine and the second ligand for colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor, is known to play regulatory roles in the development, maintenance, and function of mononuclear phagocyte lineage cells – especially osteoclasts. Regarding its primary effect on osteoclasts, IL-34 has been shown to stimulate formation and activation of osteoclasts, which in turn magnifies osteoclasts-resorbing activity. In addition to its role in osteoclastogenesis, IL-34 has been implicated in inflammation of synovium via augmenting production of inflammatory mediators, in which altered IL-34 expression is regulated by pro-inflammatory cytokines responsible for cartilage degradation. Indeed, IL-34 has been documented to be highly expressed in inflamed synovium of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients, which are recognized as inflammatory arthritis. Furthermore, a number of clinical studies demonstrated that IL-34 levels were significantly increased in the circulation and synovial fluid of patients with RA and knee OA. Its levels were also found to be positively associated with disease severity – especially radiographic severity of both RA and knee OA patients. Interestingly, emerging evidence has accumulated that functional blockage of IL-34 with specific antibody can alleviate the severity of inflammatory arthritis. It is therefore reasonable to speculate that IL-34 may be developed as a potential biomarker and a new therapeutic candidate for inflammatory arthritis. To date, there are numerous studies showing IL-34 involvement and association with many aspects of inflammatory arthritis. Herein, this review aimed to summarize the recent findings regarding regulatory role of IL-34 in synovial inflammation-mediated cartilage destruction and update the current comprehensive knowledge on usefulness of IL-34-based treatment in inflammatory arthritis – particularly RA and knee OA.     

Evaluation of the allergenicity of ω5-gliadin-deficient Hokushin wheat (1BS-18) in a wheat allergy rat model

We previously developed Hokushin wheat line as a hypoallergenic wheat lacking ω5-gliadin (1BS-18), a major allergen for wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis. However, the allergenicity of 1BS-18 has not been understood completely. In this study, we evaluated the allergenicity of 1BS-18 such as anaphylactic elicitation ability and sensitization ability using rats sensitized with ω5-gliadin or glutens prepared from Hokushin (Hokushin gluten) or 1BS-18 (1BS-18 gluten). Rats were sensitized by intraperitoneal administration of ω5-gliadin, Hokushin gluten or 1BS-18 gluten. Immunoglobulin E-mediated systemic anaphylaxis was evaluated by measuring changes in rectal temperature for 30 min after intravenous challenge with ω5-gliadin or the test glutens in unsensitized rats or rats sensitized with ω5-gliadin or the test glutens. In ω5-gliadin-sensitized rats, intravenous challenge with ω5-gliadin or Hokushin gluten significantly decreased the rectal temperature at 30 min after challenge while challenge with 1BS-18 gluten did not reduce the rectal temperature. Furthermore, intravenous challenge with ω5-gliadin significantly decreased the rectal temperature in rats sensitized with Hokushin gluten or 1BS-18 gluten. However, the reduced degree observed in 1BS-18 gluten-sensitized rats was smaller than that in Hokushin gluten-sensitized rats. In conclusion, 1BS-18 elicited no allergic reaction in ω5-gliadin-sensitized rats and had less sensitization ability for ω5-gliadin than that of Hokushin wheat.     

pr2-primers: An 18S rRNA primer database for protists

Metabarcoding of microbial eukaryotes (collectively known as protists) has developed tremendously in the last decade, almost solely relying on the 18S rRNA gene. As microbial eukaryotes are extremely diverse, many primers and primer pairs have been developed. To cover a relevant and representative fraction of the protist community in a given study system, an informed primer choice is necessary, as no primer pair can target all protists equally well. As such, a smart primer choice is very difficult even for experts and there are very few online resources available to list existing primers. We built a database listing 285 primers and 83 unique primer pairs that have been used for eukaryotic 18S rRNA gene metabarcoding. In silico performance of primer pairs was tested against two sequence databases: PR² version 4.12.0 for eukaryotes and a subset of silva version 132 for bacteria and archaea. We developed an R -based web application enabling browsing of the database, visualization of the taxonomic distribution of the amplified sequences with the number of mismatches, and testing any user-defined primer or primer set ( https://app.pr2-primers.org ). Taxonomic specificity of primer pairs, amplicon size and location of mismatches can also be determined. We identified universal primer sets that matched the largest number of sequences and analysed the specificity of some primer sets designed to target certain groups. This tool enables guided primer choices that will help a wide range of researchers to include protists as part of their investigations.     

慢性肺源性心脏病患者血清白细胞介素-6、降钙素原、D-二聚体、N端B型脑钠肽前体与心功能分级和预后的关系研究

摘要 目的：探讨慢性肺源性心脏病（CCP）患者血清白细胞介素-6（IL-6）、降钙素原（PCT）、D-二聚体（D-D）、N端B型脑钠肽前体（NT-proBNP）与心功能分级和预后的关系。方法：选取2020年1月～2021年5月合肥市第一人民医院全科医学科及呼吸与危重症科收治的170例CCP患者（CCP组）,其中纽约心脏协会（NYHA）心功能分级Ⅱ级49例、Ⅲ级66例、Ⅳ级55例,根据1年后存活状况分为死亡组26例和存活组144例,另选取同期54名体检健康者（对照组）。收集CCP患者临床资料,采用酶联免疫吸附法检测血清IL-6、PCT、D-D、NT-proBNP水平。通过多因素Logistic回归分析CCP患者预后不良的影响因素,受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线分析血清IL-6、PCT、D-D、NT-proBNP水平对CCP患者预后不良的预测价值。结果：与对照组比较,CCP组血清IL-6、PCT、D-D、NT-proBNP水平升高（P＜0.05）。Ⅱ级、Ⅲ级、Ⅳ级CCP患者血清IL-6、PCT、D-D、NT-proBNP水平依次升高（P＜0.05）。单因素分析显示,死亡组NYHA心功能分级Ⅳ级、肺动脉收缩压、Tie指数和血清IL-6、PCT、D-D、NT-proBNP水平高于存活组,第1秒用力呼气容积（FEV₁）占预计值％、FEV₁/用力肺活量（FVC）、三尖瓣环收缩期位移低于存活组（P＜0.05）。多因素Logistic回归分析显示,NYHA心功能分级Ⅳ级和肺动脉收缩压、IL-6、PCT、D-D、NT-proBNP升高为CCP患者预后不良的独立危险因素,FEV1占预计值％升高为独立保护因素（P＜0.05）。ROC曲线分析显示,血清IL-6、PCT、D-D、NT-proBNP水平单独与联合预测CCP患者预后不良的曲线下面积分别为0.789、0.789、0.792、0.801、0.954,灵敏度分别为93.33％、66.67％、66.67％、86.67％、86.67％,特异度分别为46.67％、82.67％、85.33％、66.67％、94.67％。血清IL-6、PCT、D-D、NT-proBNP水平联合预测CCP患者预后不良的AUC大于单项预测（P＜0.05）。结论：CCP患者血清IL-6、PCT、D-D、NT-proBNP水平升高可增加心功能严重程度并导致预后不良,可作为CCP患者预后不良的辅助预测指标,且四项指标联合检测具有更好的预测效能。     

氢火焰气相色谱仪内标法测定反式脂肪酸的条件的建立及验证

目的:研究氢火焰气相色谱仪(GC112A)内标法测定反式脂肪酸的实验室最佳条件。方法:采用气相色谱内标-标准曲线法,通过测定反式脂肪酸标准品工作液的标准曲线、重现性和分离度来确定和验证GC112A的最佳色谱条件。结果:实验室最佳色谱条件:毛细管柱,PC-88(100 m×0.25 mm×0.2μm);进样口温度:260℃;载气:高纯N2,压力220 k Pa,流速41.0 m L/min;检测器(FID)温度:290℃,氢气压力100 k Pa,流速21.0 m L/min;空气压力160 k Pa,流速215.0 m L/min;检测器(FID)灵敏度:1010;手动进样,进样量:1.0μL。结论:该方法避免了外标法(国标方法)的国产仪器局限性和操作者人工进样的不确定性,具有受仪器参数变化的影响较小的特点,适合在基层食品检验机构推广。     

Considering external information to improve the phylogenetic comparison of microbial communities: a new approach based on constrained Double Principal Coordinates Analysis (cDPCoA)

The use of next‐generation sequencing technologies is revolutionizing microbial ecology by allowing a deep phylogenetic coverage of tens to thousands of samples simultaneously. Double Principal Coordinates Analysis (DPCoA) is a multivariate method, developed in community ecology, able to integrate a distance matrix describing differences among species (e.g. phylogenetic distances) in the analysis of a species abundance matrix. This ordination technique has been used recently to describe microbial communities taking into account phylogenetic relatedness. In this work, we extend DPCoA to integrate the information of external variables measured on communities. The constrained Double Principal Coordinates Analysis (cDPCoA) is able to enforce a priori classifications to retrieve subtle differences and (or) remove the effect of confounding factors. We describe the main principles of this new approach and demonstrate its usefulness by providing application examples based on published 16S rRNA gene data sets.     

PCT、IL-6及CRP对新生儿宫内细菌感染的诊断价值

目的:探讨新生儿宫内细菌感染采用降钙素原(PCT)、白细胞介素-6(IL-6)、及C反应蛋白(CRP)诊断的临床价值。方法:根据感染结局将2013年3月~2014年9月在我院分娩且有宫内感染高危因素的179例新生儿分为感染组(34例)和无感染组(145例),检测两组的PCT、IL-6及CRP水平,并比较各项指标对宫内细菌感染的诊断价值。结果:感染组脐带血PCT、IL-6、CRP水平均高于无感染组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。感染组各单个指标阳性率、两指标联合的阳性率高于无感染组,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05),感染组中PCT、IL-6阳性率高于CRP,PCT+IL-6的阳性率高于PCT+CRP、IL-6+CRP,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05)。PCT+IL-6的灵敏度、准确率高于单个指标及其他两个指标联合检测的结果,差异有统计学意义(P0.05),各项指标检测的特异性比较,差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:新生儿宫内感染采用脐带血PCT检测具有灵敏度高,特异性好的特点,联合IL-6检测是临床诊断新生儿宫内感染的最有效的方式。     

蜂花烧烫伤膏对深Ⅱ度烧伤大鼠TNF-alpha、IL-10 含量的影响*

目的：探究蜂花烧烫膏对深Ⅱ度烧伤大鼠肿瘤坏死因子-alpha(TNF-alpha)、白细胞介素-10 (IL-10)含量的的影响。方法：采用沸水烧 伤的方法,创建大鼠深Ⅱ度烧伤的模型,大鼠分成空白对照组、烧伤复苏组、京万红组和蜂花烧烫伤膏组。并检测烧伤后1、3、6、 12、24、48 h 六个时间点TNF-alpha和IL-10 的含量变化。结果：与空白对照组比较,烧伤复苏组在烧伤后1 h血浆TNF-alpha、IL-10 的含 量明显升高,具有显著统计学意义(P＜0.01),TNF-alpha的含量在12 h达峰值,IL-10 的含量在24 h达峰值,之后逐渐下降,但仍保持 较高水平。蜂花烧烫伤膏组与烧伤复苏组比较,血浆TNF-琢的含量六个时间点明显减少,血浆IL-10 的含量在1,3,6,12 h时间点 变化趋势基本一致,在24,48 h 低于烧伤复苏组,具有显著统计学意义(P＜0.01);与京万红组血浆TNF-alpha、IL-10 的含量对应时间 点趋势基本一致,但含量差异有统计学意义(P＜0.01)。结论：深Ⅱ度烧伤大鼠血浆TNF-alpha、IL-10 含量有明显升高,蜂花烧烫伤膏可 通过降低血浆TNF-alpha和升高IL-10 水平而发挥抗炎作用。     

IL-1，IL-6，IL-8 与胃癌的关系

胃癌是常见的恶性肿瘤之一,在我国其发病率居各类肿瘤前列,导致的死亡人数占所有肿瘤的四分之一,而且每年有近40万新增的胃癌病人,但是其早期诊断率低于20%,胃癌已经成为危害人民健康的最严重的疾病之一。白细胞介素(interleukin,IL)作为在白细胞或免疫细胞间相互作用的淋巴因子,不仅在介导T、B细胞活化、增殖与分化以及炎症反应中起着重要作用,近年来,越来越多的学者发现其与肿瘤的发生及发展也有着密不可分的联系。目前为止,已经发现了29种白细胞介素,分别被命名为IL-1~IL-29,它们各自承担着相应的使命。国内外大量实验及文献表明,IL-1,IL-6,IL-8和胃癌有着密切的关系,这对于胃癌的早期诊断及治疗提出了新的思路,进而提高胃癌的早期诊断率,改善胃癌的治疗状况。本文对IL-1,IL-6,IL-8的来源、分子结构及受体方面进行简要概述,同时阐述了其生物学特性及与胃癌的关系。