Sustainability of SARS-CoV-2 Induced Humoral Immune Responses in COVID-19 Patients from Hospitalization to Convalescence Over Six Months

Virologica Sinica - Understanding the persistence of antibody in convalescent COVID-19 patients may help to answer the current major concerns such as the risk of reinfection, the protection period...     

Current Status of Human Papillomavirus-Related Head and Neck Cancer: From Viral Genome to Patient Care

Virologica Sinica - Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection identified as a definitive human carcinogen is increasingly being recognized for its role in carcinogenesis of human cancers. Up to...     

Congestive heart failure in COX2 deficient rats

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) inhibit prostaglandin (PG) formation by targeting cyclooxygenase (COX) 1 and 2.Long-term use of NSAIDs that selectively inhibit COX2 increases the risk for thrombotic events,cardiac failure,and hypertension.However,the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.In this study,COX1- and COX2-deficient rats were created via Cas9/RNA-mediated gene targeting.DNA genotyping and Western blot analysis confirmed successful generation of COX1~(-/-)and COX2~(-/-)rats.Adult COX1~(-/-)rats grew normally,while more than 70%of COX2~(-/-)rats after wean died within 2 months.Echocardiography showed markedly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and fractional shortening in adult COX2~(-/-)rats compared to those in wildtype (WT) controls.Histological analysis revealed accumulation of inflammatory cells and severe interstitial and perivascular fibrosis in COX2~(-/-)cardiac tissues.Moreover,cardiac ATP and acetyl-Co A production was dramatically decreased in COX2~(-/-)rats.Consistently,the expression of genes related to mitochondrial oxidation,such as those that encode for subunits of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and acyl Co A dehydrogenases,were downregulated,while glycolytic hexokinase 1 (HK1) was upregulated in COX2~(-/-)heart tissues.These observations indicate that COX2-deficient rats developed spontaneously heart failure,likely as a result of dysregulated cardiac energy metabolism.     

A chloride efflux transporter,BIG RICE GRAIN 1, is involved in mediating grain size and salt tolerance in rice

Grain size is determined by the size and number of cells in the grain. The regulation of grain size is crucial for improving crop yield; however, the genes and molecular mechanisms that control grain size remain elusive. Here, we report that a member of the detoxification efflux carrier /Multidrug and Toxic Compound Extrusion (DTX/MATE) family transporters, BIG RICE GRAIN 1 (BIRG1), negatively influences grain size in rice (Oryza sativa L.). BIRG1 is highly expressed in reproductive organs and roots. In birg1 grain, the outer parenchyma layer cells of spikelet hulls are larger than in wild-type (WT) grains, but the cell number is unaltered. When expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, BIRG1 exhibits chloride efflux activity. Consistent with this role of BIRG1, the birg1 mutant shows reduced tolerance to salt stress at a toxic chloride level. Moreover, grains from birg1 plants contain a higher level of chloride than those of WT plants when grown under normal paddy field conditions, and the roots of birg1 accumulate more chloride than those of WT under saline conditions. Collectively, the data suggest that BIRG1 in rice functions as a chloride efflux transporter that is involved in mediating grain size and salt tolerance by controlling chloride homeostasis.     

彩色多普勒超声对盆腔瘀血综合征的诊断价值及与临床因素的相关性研究

目的:探讨盆腔瘀血综合征患者彩色多普勒超声的影像学特征及与临床因素的相关性。方法:对112例盆腔瘀血综合征患者行彩色多普勒超声检查,按超声诊断分级Ⅰ级、Ⅱ级、Ⅲ级分为62例、27例、23例,观察彩色多普勒超声的影像学特征,分析静脉内径与病程的相关性,并分析超声诊断分级与临床症状积分、体质量指数(BMI)、妊娠次数、既往工作站立时间的相关性。结果:不同超声诊断分级患者的静脉内径、静脉丛范围和静脉流速差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05)。静脉内径与病程呈正相关(P<0.05),超声诊断分级与临床症状积分、妊娠次数、既往工作站立时间呈显著正相关(P<0.05),与BMI呈负相关(P<0.05)。结论:彩色多普勒超声对盆腔瘀血综合征具有特异性的诊断价值,超声诊断分级、静脉内径与临床因素存在一定的的关联性。     

6种复配杀虫剂对七星瓢虫的毒力测定及风险评估

采用药膜法分别测定了10％甲维盐·茚虫威悬浮剂、12％甲维盐·虫螨腈悬浮剂、12％虫螨腈·虱螨脲悬浮剂、14％呋虫胺·螺虫乙酯悬浮剂、22％吡虫啉·螺虫乙酯悬浮剂和6％吡虫啉·高效氯氟氰菊酯悬浮剂6种复配杀虫剂对七星瓢虫Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus幼虫急性毒性,并进行了初级风险评估.结果 显示,6种药剂对七星瓢虫48 h的LR5o(半致死用量,Median lethal rate)分别为0.812、2.255、4.082、22.735、6.755和0.00467 g a.i/hm2.在农田内暴露场景下,6种复配杀虫剂对七星瓢虫风险均不可接受;在农田外暴露场景下,仅有14％呋虫胺·螺虫乙酯悬浮剂和22％吡虫啉·螺虫乙酯悬浮剂对七星瓢虫风险可接受,其它均不可接受.结果 表明在田间最大推荐用量下,6种药剂对七星瓢虫的初级风险评价均存在高风险.     

Longitudinal virological changes and underlying pathogenesis in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Guangzhou,China

Science China Life Sciences - Prolonged viral RNA shedding and recurrence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients have been...     

A practical guide to amplicon and metagenomic analysis of microbiome data

Advances in high-throughput sequencing(HTS)have fostered rapid developments in the field of microbiome research,and massive microbiome datasets are now being generated.However,the diversity of software tools and the complexity of analysis pipelines make it difficult to access this field.Here,we systematically summarize the advantages and limitations of micro-biome methods.Then,we recommend specific pipelines for amplicon and metagenomic analyses,and describe commonly-used software and databases,to help researchers select the appropriate tools.Furthermore,we introduce statistical and visualization methods suit-able for microbiome analysis,including alpha-and beta-diversity,taxonomic composition,difference compar-isons,correlation,networks,machine learning,evolu-tion,source tracing,and common visualization styles to help researchers make informed choices.Finally,a step-by-step reproducible analysis guide is introduced.We hope this review will allow researchers to carry out data analysis more effectively and to quickly select the appropriate tools in order to efficiently mine the bio-logical significance behind the data.     

Is oral microbiome of children able to maintain resistance and functional stability in response to short-term interference of ingesta?

Dear Editor, A series of studies had focused on the ecological stability of human microbiome (Lozupone et al.,2012;Faith et al.,2013;Moya and Ferrer,2016).Despite the continuous perturbation and the highly personalized composition within the human microbiome (Human Microbiome Project,2012),healthy adults stably maintain their microbial communities in terms of space and time (Faith et al.,2013;Moya and Ferrer,2016;Oh et al.,2016).This stability is proved to be critical for the well-being of human body (Lozupone et al.,2012).On the contrary,major shifts in microbial community composition are often related to diseases (Lynch and Pedersen,2016).     

Effects of a Potential Host Gut-Derived Probiotic,Bacillus subtilis 6-3-1, on the Growth,Non-specific Immune Response and Disease Resistance of Hybrid Grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus♀ × Epinephelus lanceolatus♂)

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - A potential host-derived probiotic, Bacillus subtilis 6-3-1, was successfully screened from 768 isolates from the intestines of healthy hybrid grouper...