A baseline epidemiological study of the co-infection of enteric protozoans with human immunodeficiency virus among men who have sex with men from Northeast China

BackgroundHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and enteric parasite co-infection not only aggravates the clinical symptoms of parasites but also accelerates acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) progression. However, co-infection research on men who have sex with men (MSM), the predominant high-risk population of HIV/AIDS in China, is still limited. In this study, we investigated the epidemiology of enteric parasites, risk factors, and associations with clinical significance in an MSM HIV/AIDS population in Heilongjiang Province, northeast China.MethodsWe recruited 308 MSMs HIV/AIDS patients and 199 HIV-negative individuals in two designated AIDS hospitals in Heilongjiang between April 2016 and July 2017. Fresh stool samples were collected. DNA extraction, molecular identification, and genotyping of Cryptosporidium species, Entamoeba histolytica, Cyclospora cayetanensis, Enterocytozoon bieneusi, and Blastocystis hominis were performed. Fourteen diarrhea-related pathogens were examined to exclude the influence of other bacterial pathogens on diarrhea incidence.Results31.5% of MSM HIV/AIDS participants were infected with at least one parasite species, a significantly higher proportion than that found in the HIV-negative individuals (2.5%). E. bieneusi presented the highest prevalence, followed by B. hominis, E. histolytica, Cryptosporidium spp., and C. cayetanensis. Warm seasons were the risk factor for parasitic infections in this population [odds ratio (OR) = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.47–4.57]. In addition, these individuals showed a higher proportion (35.8%) of present diarrhea (PD) compared with men who have sex with women (MSW) with HIV/AIDS (16.7%). The infection proportions of both Cryptosporidium spp. and E. histolytica were significantly higher in the PD. E. bieneusi infection was more prevalent in the historic diarrhea (HD) group. CD4⁺ T cell counts in the MSM patients with the above three parasites were significantly lower. New species and genotypes were found, and MSM patients had a wider range of species or genotypes.ConclusionsEnteric parasitic infection was prevalent in the MSM HIV/AIDS population, especially in patients with present diarrhea during warm seasons. E. histolytica and B. hominis should also be considered high-risk parasites for opportunistic infections in AIDS patients in addition to Cryptosporidium spp.     

Studying bona fide SARS-CoV-2 biology in a BSL-2 biosafety environment using a split-virus-genome system

<正>Dear Editor,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARSCoV-2) was identified as the pathogen causing the coronavirus disease(COVID-19), which sometimes resulted in fatal pneumonia(Hu et al., 2021). SARS-CoV-2 is a biosafety level 3(BSL-3) pathogen, and the requirement for high containment conditions is a bottleneck for basic research on viral biology.     

溶藻弧菌群体基因组学研究

溶藻弧菌(Vibrio alginolyticus)是一种能够对人类以及鱼、虾、贝类等水产品致病的弧菌,给人类健康带来威胁,也给水产养殖业造成巨大的经济损失.目前该物种基于全基因组的遗传多样性和重要遗传元件研究报道较少.本研究对采集自全国4个省份的68株溶藻弧菌进行高通量测序,获得全基因组序列,并结合113株公开发表的...     

A single dose of recombinant VSV-RABVG vaccine provides full protection against RABV challenge

Highlights:
1. A replication-competent recombinant VSV with RABV-G protein replacement was generated.
2. Single dose of VSV-RABVG immunization induce potent antigen-specific humoral immune response, especially the virus neutralizing antibodies.
3. Mice intranasally immunized with single dose of VSV-RABVG were 100% protected upon RABV challenge.     

Cytoplasmic domain and enzymatic activity of ACE2 are not required for PI4KB dependent endocytosis entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells

The recent COVID-19 pandemic poses a global health emergency. Cellular entry of the causative agent SARS-CoV-2 is mediated by its spike protein interacting with cellular receptor-human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Here, by using lentivirus based pseudotypes bearing spike protein, we demonstrated that entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells was dependent on clathrin-mediated endocytosis, and phosphoinositides played essential roles during this process. In addition, we showed that the intracellular domain and the catalytic activity of ACE2 were not required for efficient virus entry. Finally, we showed that the current predominant Delta variant, although with high infectivity and high syncytium formation, also entered cells through clathrin-mediated endocytosis. These results provide new insights into SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry and present proof of principle that targeting viral entry could be an effective way to treat different variant infections.     

Valuing urban green spaces in mitigating climate change: A city‐wide estimate of aboveground carbon stored in urban green spaces of China's Capital

Urban green spaces provide manifold environmental benefits and promote human well‐being. Unfortunately, these services are largely undervalued, and the potential of urban areas themselves to mitigate future climate change has received little attention. In this study, we quantified and mapped city‐wide aboveground carbon storage of urban green spaces in China's capital, Beijing, using field survey data of diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree height from 326 field survey plots, combined with satellite‐derived vegetation index at a fine resolution of 6 m. We estimated the total amount of carbon stored in the urban green spaces to be 956.3 Gg (1 Gg = 10⁹ g) in 2014. There existed great spatial heterogeneity in vegetation carbon density varying from 0 to 68.1 Mg C ha^‐1, with an average density of 7.8 Mg C ha^?1. As expected, carbon density tended to decrease with urban development intensity (UDI). Likely being affected by vegetation cover proportion and configuration of green space patches, large differences were presented between the 95th and 5th quantile carbon density for each UDI bin, showing great potential for carbon sequestration. However, the interquartile range of carbon density narrowed drastically when UDI reached 60%, signifying a threshold for greatly reduced carbon sequestration potentials for higher UDI. These findings suggested that urban green spaces have great potential to make contribution to mitigating against future climate change if we plan and design urban green spaces following the trajectory of high carbon density, but we should be aware that such potential will be very limited when the urban development reaches certain intensity threshold.     

蜡梅种子抑菌成分研究

在抑菌活性追踪指导下,采用硅胶柱层析的方法。从蜡梅种子中分离得到一活性化合物A,经质谱、核磁共振波谱等技术鉴定为d－洋蜡梅碱。经杀虫活性和抑菌活性测定,该化合物对粘虫的幼虫无毒杀活性;对西瓜枯萎病菌、玉米小斑病菌、玉米大斑病菌、番茄早疫病菌均有显著的抑菌活性。其抑制中浓（EC50）分别为：3878．8、29．3、103．1、328．3mg／L,但对油菜菌核病菌无抑制活性。