Genotyping of Human Brucella melitensis Biovar 3 Isolated from Shanxi Province in China by MLVA16 and HOOF

Background

Brucellosis presents a significant economic burden for China because it causes reproductive failure in host species and chronic health problems in humans. These problems can involve multiple organs. Brucellosis is highly endemic in Shanxi Province China. Molecular typing would be very useful to epidemiological surveillance. The purpose of this study was to assess the diversity of Brucella melitensis strains for epidemiological surveillance. Historical monitoring data suggest that Brucella melitensis biovar 3 is the predominant strain associated with the epidemic of brucellosis in Shanxi Province.

Methods/Principal Findings

Multiple-locus variable-number repeat analysis (MLVA-16) and hypervariable octameric oligonucleotide fingerprinting (HOOF-print) were used to type a human-hosted Brucella melitensis population (81 strains). Sixty-two MLVA genotypes (discriminatory index: 0.99) were detected, and they had a genetic similarity coefficient ranging from 84.9% to 100%. Eighty strains of the population belonged to the eastern Mediterranean group with panel 1 genotypes 42 (79 strains) and 43 (1 strain). A new panel 1 genotype was found in this study. It was named 114 MLVAorsay genotype and it showed similarity to the two isolates from Guangdong in a previous study. Brucella melitensis is distributed throughout Shanxi Province, and like samples from Inner Mongolia, the eastern Mediterranean genotype 42 was the main epidemic strain (97%). The HOOF-printing showed a higher diversity than MLVA-16 with a genetic similarity coefficient ranging from 56.8% to 100%.

Conclusions

According to the MLVA-16 and HOOF-printing results, both methods could be used for the epidemiological surveillance of brucellosis. A new genotype was found in both Shanxi and Guangdong Provinces. In areas with brucellosis, the MLVA-16 scheme is very important for tracing cases back to their origins during outbreak investigations. It may facilitate the expansion and eradication of the disease.     

Trehalose-Mediated Autophagy Impairs the Anti-Viral Function of Human Primary Airway Epithelial Cells

Human rhinovirus (HRV) is the most common cause of acute exacerbations of chronic lung diseases including asthma. Impaired anti-viral IFN-λ1 production and increased HRV replication in human asthmatic airway epithelial cells may be one of the underlying mechanisms leading to asthma exacerbations. Increased autophagy has been shown in asthmatic airway epithelium, but the role of autophagy in anti-HRV response remains uncertain. Trehalose, a natural glucose disaccharide, has been recognized as an effective autophagy inducer in mammalian cells. In the current study, we used trehalose to induce autophagy in normal human primary airway epithelial cells in order to determine if autophagy directly regulates the anti-viral response against HRV. We found that trehalose-induced autophagy significantly impaired IFN-λ1 expression and increased HRV-16 load. Inhibition of autophagy via knockdown of autophagy-related gene 5 (ATG5) effectively rescued the impaired IFN-λ1 expression by trehalose and subsequently reduced HRV-16 load. Mechanistically, ATG5 protein interacted with retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) and IFN-β promoter stimulator 1 (IPS-1), two critical molecules involved in the expression of anti-viral interferons. Our results suggest that induction of autophagy in human primary airway epithelial cells inhibits the anti-viral IFN-λ1 expression and facilitates HRV infection. Intervention of excessive autophagy in chronic lung diseases may provide a novel approach to attenuate viral infections and associated disease exacerbations.     

The Selective Impairment of Resting-State Functional Connectivity of the Lateral Subregion of the Frontal Pole in Schizophrenia

Objective

Although extensive resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) changes have been reported in schizophrenia, rsFC changes of the frontal pole (FP) remain unclear. The FP contains several subregions with different connection patterns; however, it is unknown whether the FP subregions are differentially affected in schizophrenia. To explore this possibility, we compared rsFC differences of the FP subregions between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls.

Method

One hundred healthy controls and 91 patients with schizophrenia underwent resting-state functional MRI with a sensitivity-encoded spiral-in (SENSE-SPIRAL) imaging sequence to reduced susceptibility-induced signal loss and distortion. The FP was subdivided into the orbital (FPo), medial (FPm), and lateral (FPl) subregions. Mean fMRI time series were extracted for each FP subregion and entered into a seed-based rsFC analysis.

Results

The FP subregions exhibited differential rsFC patterns in both healthy controls and schizophrenia patients. Direct comparison between groups revealed reduced rsFCs between the bilateral FPl and several cognitive-related regions, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus, temporal cortex and inferior parietal lobule in schizophrenia. Although the FPl exhibited obvious atrophy, rsFC changes were unrelated to volumetric atrophy in the FPl, to duration of illness, and to antipsychotic medication dosage. No significant differences were observed in the rsFCs of other FP subregions.

Conclusion

These findings suggest a selective (the lateral subregion) functional disconnection of the FP subregions in schizophrenia.     

Significance of Oxygen Supply in Jarosite Biosynthesis Promoted by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

Jarosite [(Na⁺, K⁺, NH₄ ⁺, H₃O⁺)Fe₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆] is an efficient scavenger for trace metals in Fe- and SO₄ ^2--rich acidic water. During the biosynthesis of jarosite promoted by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, the continuous supply of high oxygen levels is a common practice that results in high costs. To evaluate the function of oxygen in jarosite production by A. ferrooxidans, three groups of batch experiments with different oxygen supply levels (i.e., loading volume percentages of FeSO₄ solution of 20%, 40%, and 70% v/v in the flasks), as well as three groups of sealed flask experiments with different limiting oxygen supply conditions (i.e., the solutions were not sealed at the initial stage of the ferrous oxidation reaction by paraffin but were rather sealed at the end of the ferrous oxidation reaction at 48 h), were tested. The formed Fe-precipitates were characterized via X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectral analysis. The results showed that the biosynthesis of jarosite by A. ferrooxidans LX5 could be achieved at a wide range of solution loading volume percentages. The rate and efficiency of the jarosite biosynthesis were poorly correlated with the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the reaction solution. Similar jarosite precipitates, expressed as KFe₃ (SO₄) ₂(OH)₆ with Fe/S molar ratios between 1.61 and 1.68, were uniformly formed in unsealed and 48 h sealed flasks. These experimental results suggested that the supply of O₂ was only essential in the period of the oxidation of ferrous iron to ferric but was not required in the period of ferric precipitation.     

Rescue of Fructose-Induced Metabolic Syndrome by Antibiotics or Faecal Transplantation in a Rat Model of Obesity

A fructose-rich diet can induce metabolic syndrome, a combination of health disorders that increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Diet is also known to alter the microbial composition of the gut, although it is not clear whether such alteration contributes to the development of metabolic syndrome. The aim of this work was to assess the possible link between the gut microbiota and the development of diet-induced metabolic syndrome in a rat model of obesity. Rats were fed either a standard or high-fructose diet. Groups of fructose-fed rats were treated with either antibiotics or faecal samples from control rats by oral gavage. Body composition, plasma metabolic parameters and markers of tissue oxidative stress were measured in all groups. A 16S DNA-sequencing approach was used to evaluate the bacterial composition of the gut of animals under different diets. The fructose-rich diet induced markers of metabolic syndrome, inflammation and oxidative stress, that were all significantly reduced when the animals were treated with antibiotic or faecal samples. The number of members of two bacterial genera, Coprococcus and Ruminococcus, was increased by the fructose-rich diet and reduced by both antibiotic and faecal treatments, pointing to a correlation between their abundance and the development of the metabolic syndrome. Our data indicate that in rats fed a fructose-rich diet the development of metabolic syndrome is directly correlated with variations of the gut content of specific bacterial taxa.     

Maternal Serum Meteorin Levels and the Risk of Preeclampsia

Background

Meteorin (METRN) is a recently described neutrophic factor with angiogenic properties. This is a nested case-control study in a longitudinal cohort study that describes the serum profile of METRN during different periods of gestation in healthy and preeclamptic pregnant women. Moreover, we explore the possible application of METRN as a biomarker.

Methods and Findings

Serum METRN was measured by ELISA in a longitudinal prospective cohort study in 37 healthy pregnant women, 16 mild preeclamptic women, and 20 healthy non-pregnant women during the menstrual cycle with the aim of assessing serum METRN levels and its correlations with other metabolic parameters. Immunostaining for METRN protein was performed in placenta. A multivariate logistic regression model was proposed and a classifier model was formulated for predicting preeclampsia in early and middle pregnancy. The performance in classification was evaluated using measures such as sensitivity, specificity, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. In healthy pregnant women, serum METRN levels were significantly elevated in early pregnancy compared to middle and late pregnancy. METRN levels are significantly lower only in early pregnancy in preeclamptic women when compared to healthy pregnant women. Decision trees that did not include METRN levels in the first trimester had a reduced sensitivity of 56% in the detection of preeclamptic women, compared to a sensitivity of 69% when METRN was included.

Conclusions

The joint measurements of circulating METRN levels in the first trimester and systolic blood pressure and weight in the second trimester significantly increase the probabilities of predicting preeclampsia.     

Treatment of Solitary Painful Osseous Metastases with Radiotherapy,Cryoablation or Combined Therapy: Propensity Matching Analysis in 175 Patients

Purpose

aim of this study was to identify outcomes in pain relief and quality of life in patients with a solitary painful osseous metastasis treated by radiotherapy, cryoablation or the combination using a propensity score matching study design.

Materials and Methods

175 patients with painful bone metastases were included in the study. Twenty-five of them underwent a radiation course (20 Gy in five daily fractions) 15 days after the cryoablation. These subjects were retrospectively matched by propensity analysis with a group of subjects treated by radiotherapy (125 subjects) and with a group treated byCryoablation (25 subjects). The pain relief in terms of complete response, rate of subjects requiring analgesics after treatments and the changes in self-rated quality of life were measured. Informed consent was obtained from the subject and the study was approved by the local Ethical Committee.

Results

An higher proportion of subjects treated by cryoablation (32%) or cryoablation followed by RT (72%;) experienced a complete response compared with patients treated by radiotherapy alone (11.2%). After Bonferroni correction strategy, the addition of radiotherapy to cryoablation significantly improved the rate of complete response compared with cryoablation alone (p = 0.011) and this paralleled with an improved self-rated quality of life. Seventeen subjects (13.6%) of patients in the radiotherapy group, 9 (36%) in the cryoablation group, and 19 (76)% in the cryoablation- radiotherapy group did not require narcotic medications.

Conclusions

The addition of radiotherapy to cryoablation favorably impacts on perceived pain, with a favorable toxicity profile. However, our data should be interpreted with caution and could serve as a framework around which to design future trials.     

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Is a Risk Factor for the Development of Diabetic Nephropathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is prevalent in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is also associated with T2DM. However, little is known about the interaction between these conditions in patients with T2DM.

Objective

To examine the association between NAFLD and DN in patients with T2DM.

Methods

This retrospective study included patients seen between January 2006 and July 2014.T2DM patients were divided into two groups based on NAFLD status (with NAFLD = group A; without = group B). The cumulative incidence of DN and chronic kidney disease (CKD) staging were compared between the two groups. Liver fat content was examined in some patients. Associations among NAFLD, other factors,and DN were analyzed by the additive interaction method.

Results

Cumulative incidence of DN in patients from group A (58.58%) was higher than in group B (37.22%) (P = 0.005). In both groups, the number of DN patients with CKD stage 1 was greater than the number of patients with stages 2–5. Increased liver fat content was associated with increased occurrence of severe and mild albuminuria and decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR). There were positive correlations between NAFLD and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), free fatty acids (FFA), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), omentin-1, visceral fat area, homocysteine (HCY), and serum uric acid (UA).

Conclusion

NAFLD might be a risk factor for DN. Elevated liver fat content could be associated with higher DN burden.