Intracameral Interleukin 1β, 6, 8, 10, 12p,Tumor Necrosis Factor α and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Axial Length in Patients with Cataract

ObjectiveTo assess associations between the aqueous humour concentration of interleukin IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and IL-12p, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and axial length in eyes with cataract.MethodsThe hospital-based investigation included patients who underwent cataract surgery between March 2014 and April 2014. Using aqueous humour collected at the start of cataract surgery, the interleukins IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and IL-12p, TNF-α and VEGF were examined using a cytometric bead array. Axial length was determined by partial coherence laser interferometry (IOL Master).ResultsThe study included 33 patients with cataract (33 eyes) with a mean age of 69.2±10.8 years (range:50–87 years) and a mean axial length of 24.7±1.9 mm (range:22.6–31.5 mm). Lower aqueous concentration of VEGF was significantly associated with longer axial length (VEGF concentration (pg/mL) = -5.12 x Axial Length (mm) + 163; correlation coefficient r = -0.41; P<0.001) and more myopic refractive error (VEGF concentration (pg/mL) = 1.27xspherical equivalent (diopters)+44.8; r = 0.383; P = 0.002). The aqueous concentrations of all other substances were not significantly (all P>0.10) associated with axial length or refractive error.ConclusionsHigher intravitreal concentrations of VEGF were measured in eyes with a longer axial length, while the intraocular concentrations of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p and TNF-α were not correlated with axial length. The lower concentration of VEGF in axially elongated eyes may be one of the reasons for the lower prevalence of age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy in myopic eyes.     

Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing in Uyghur Families with Non-Syndromic Sensorineural Hearing Loss

The mutation spectrum of deafness genes may vary in different ethnical groups. In this study, we investigated the genetic etiology of nonsyndromic deafness in four consanguineous and two multiplex Uyghur families in which mutations in common deafness genes GJB2, SLC26A4 and MT-RNR1 were excluded. Targeted next-generation sequencing of 97 deafness genes was performed in the probands of each family. Novel pathogenic mutations were identified in four probands including the p.L416R/p.A438T compound heterozygous mutations in TMC1, the homozygous p.V1880E mutation in MYO7A, c.1238delT frameshifting deletion in PCDH15 and c.9690+1G>A splice site mutation in MYO15A. Co-segregation of the mutations and the deafness were confirmed within each family by Sanger sequencing. No pathogenic mutations were identified in one multiplex family and one consanguineous family. Our study provided a useful piece of information for the genetic etiology of deafness in Uyghurs.     

Potato virus Y HC-Pro Reduces the ATPase Activity of NtMinD,Which Results in Enlarged Chloroplasts in HC-Pro Transgenic Tobacco

Potato virus Y (PVY) is an important plant virus and causes great losses every year. Viral infection often leads to abnormal chloroplasts. The first step of chloroplast division is the formation of FtsZ ring (Z-ring), and the placement of Z-ring is coordinated by the Min system in both bacteria and plants. In our lab, the helper-component proteinase (HC-Pro) of PVY was previously found to interact with the chloroplast division protein NtMinD through a yeast two-hybrid screening assay and a bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assay in vivo. Here, we further investigated the biological significance of the NtMinD/HC-Pro interaction. We purified the NtMinD and HC-Pro proteins using a prokaryotic protein purification system and tested the effect of HC-Pro on the ATPase activity of NtMinD in vitro. We found that the ATPase activity of NtMinD was reduced in the presence of HC-Pro. In addition, another important chloroplast division related protein, NtMinE, was cloned from the cDNA of Nicotiana tabacum. And the NtMinD/NtMinE interaction site was mapped to the C-terminus of NtMinD, which overlaps the NtMinD/HC-Pro interaction site. Yeast three-hybrid assay demonstrated that HC-Pro competes with NtMinE for binding to NtMinD. HC-Pro was previously reported to accumulate in the chloroplasts of PVY-infected tobacco and we confirmed this result in our present work. The NtMinD/NtMinE interaction is very important in the regulation of chloroplast division. To demonstrate the influence of HC-Pro on chloroplast division, we generated HC-Pro transgenic tobacco with a transit peptide to retarget HC-Pro to the chloroplasts. The HC-Pro transgenic plants showed enlarged chloroplasts. Our present study demonstrated that the interaction between HC-Pro and NtMinD interfered with the function of NtMinD in chloroplast division, which results in enlarged chloroplasts in HC-Pro transgenic tobacco. The HC-Pro/NtMinD interaction may cause the formation of abnormal chloroplasts in PVY-infected plants.     

Serological Evidence and Risk Factors for Swine Influenza Infections among Chinese Swine Workers in Guangdong Province

During July to September 2014, we performed a controlled, cross-sectional, seroepidemiologic study among 203 swine workers and 115 control subjects in Guangdong Province. Sera were tested using a hemagglutination inhibition assay against locally-isolated swine H3N2 and H1N1 viruses and commercially-obtained human influenza viral antigens. We found swine workers had a greater prevalence and odds of seropositivity against the swine H3N2 virus (17.3% vs. 7.0%; adjusted OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.1 -10.7). Younger age, self-report of a respiratory illness during the last 12 months, and seropositivity against seasonal H3N2 virus were identified as significant risk factors for seropositivity against swine H3N2 virus. As swine workers in China may be exposed to novel influenza viruses, it seems prudent for China to conduct special surveillance for such viruses among them. It also seems wise to offer such workers seasonal influenza vaccines with a goal to reduce cross-species influenza virus transmission.