Prevalence of HIV Infection and Associated Risk Factors among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in Harbin,P. R. China

Objective

To assess the prevalence of HIV infection and characteristically risk of factors which associated with HIV infection among MSM in Harbin, China.

Methods

A face-to-face questionnaire interview was conducted among 463 Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) who were recruited by the snowball sampling in Harbin from April, 2011 to July, 2011. The questionnaire mainly included demographics, AIDS knowledge, homosexual behavior and the status of intervention in MSM. Blood specimens were obtained and tested for the diagnoses of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Associations between above exposed factors and HIV infection were analyzed using a univariate analysis and forward stepwise logistic regression.

Results

The prevalence of HIV and syphilis was 9.5 and 14.3%. The awareness rate of AIDS was 86.8%. The rate of unprotected sexual behavior was 57.6% of MSM during the past 6 months. The univariate analysis identified that the age (age≥35 years old), cohabitation, more than 10 years of homosexual behavior and more than 10 homosexual partners were risk factors which associated with the HIV infection, and that protected sex during the past 6 months was a protective factor for the HIV infection. The multivariate analysis identified that the duration of homosexual behavior and commercial sexual behavior were independent risk factors which associated with the HIV infection, and the protected sex during the past 6 months was a protective factor for the HIV infection.

Conclusion

The prevalence of HIV among MSM in Harbin has been rapidly increasing in the past few years. Targeted, tailored, and comprehensive interventions are urgently needed to prevent the HIV infection from MSM.     

Increased Global and Local Efficiency of Human Brain Anatomical Networks Detected with FLAIR-DTI Compared to Non-FLAIR-DTI

Diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI), the only non-invasive technique for probing human brain white matter structures in vivo, has been widely used in both fundamental studies and clinical applications. Many studies have utilized diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tractography approaches to explore the topological properties of human brain anatomical networks by using the single tensor model, the basic model to quantify DTI indices and tractography. However, the conventional DTI technique does not take into account contamination by the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which has been known to affect the estimated DTI measures and tractography in the single tensor model. Previous studies have shown that the Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) technique can suppress the contribution of the CSF to the DW-MRI signal. We acquired DTI datasets from twenty-two subjects using both FLAIR-DTI and conventional DTI (non-FLAIR-DTI) techniques, constructed brain anatomical networks using deterministic tractography, and compared the topological properties of the anatomical networks derived from the two types of DTI techniques. Although the brain anatomical networks derived from both types of DTI datasets showed small-world properties, we found that the brain anatomical networks derived from the FLAIR-DTI showed significantly increased global and local network efficiency compared with those derived from the conventional DTI. The increases in the network regional topological properties derived from the FLAIR-DTI technique were observed in CSF-filled regions, including the postcentral gyrus, periventricular regions, inferior frontal and temporal gyri, and regions in the visual cortex. Because brain anatomical networks derived from conventional DTI datasets with tractography have been widely used in many studies, our findings may have important implications for studying human brain anatomical networks derived from DW-MRI data and tractography.     

The ING4 Binding with p53 and Induced p53 Acetylation were Attenuated by Human Papillomavirus 16 E6

High risk subtype HPV16 early oncoprotein E6 contributes host cell immortalization and transformation through interacting with a number of cellular factors. ING4 is one member of the inhibitor of growth (ING) family of type II tumor suppressors and it has been shown to be involved in regulating p53 function. However, the effect and mechanism of HPV16 E6 on ING4 function remain elusive. In this study, we report HPV16 E6 combines with ING4 in vivo and in vitro. The ING4 induced p53 acetylation and its combining with p53 were attenuated by HPV16 E6 independent of p53 degradation. The enhancing function of ING4 on p53 mediated apoptosis was diminished when HPV16 E6 existed. These findings reveal that ING4 may be a common target of oncogenic viruses for driving host cell carcinogenesis.     

Amelioration of Cd-Induced Oxidative Stress,MT Gene Expression,and Immune Damage by Vitamin C in Grass Carp Kidney Cells

Biological Trace Element Research - Cadmium (Cd) is the most common heavy metal and is easily detected in aquatic environments on a global scale. Vitamin C was a widely used vitamin in aquaculture....     

TRIM59 predicts poor prognosis and promotes pancreatic cancer progression via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR-glycolysis signaling axis

Aberrant expression of the tripartite motif containing 59 (TRIM59) has been reported to participate in the development and progression of various human cancers. However, its expression pattern and cellular roles in pancreatic cancer (PC) remains unclear. In our study, we found that TRIM59 expression was significantly increased in PC tissues and was positively correlated with several malignant behaviors and poor overall survival of PC patients based on bioinformatics analysis and immunohistochemistry staining. Functionally, small interfering RNA–mediated TRIM59 depletion inhibited cell proliferation and migration in vitro, while TRIM59 overexpression promoted cell proliferation and migration in vitro and drove tumor growth and liver metastasis in vivo. Mechanically, TRIM59 was found to enhance glycolysis through activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, ultimately contributing to PC progression. Taken together, our results demonstrate that TRIM59 may be a potential predictor for PC and promotes PC progression via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR-glycolysis signaling pathway, which establishes the rationale for targeting the TRIM59-related pathways to treat PC.     

Intraspecific Diversity and Taxonomy of Emmonsia crescens

Mycopathologia - Emmonsia crescens is known as an environmental pathogen causing adiaspiromycosis in small rodents. As the generic name Emmonsia is no longer available for this species, its...     

基于环介导等温扩增技术的微流控芯片在病原菌检测方面的研究进展

环介导等温扩增(LAMP)技术是一种新兴的核酸恒温扩增技术,与微流控芯片技术相结合,可实现对病原菌的快速检测,具有特异性强、灵敏度高、操作简单等优点。本文根据不同终产物的检测方法对目前检测病原菌的相关微流控LAMP芯片进行了分类与介绍,并对技术的改进和存在的问题进行了分析,以期为后续的相关研究提供参考。     

A novel immunoproteomics method for identifying in vivo-induced Campylobacter jejuni antigens using pre-adsorbed sera from infected patients

Background

Campylobacter jejuni is an important food-borne and zoonotic pathogen with a worldwide distribution. Humans and chickens are hosts of this pathogen. At present, there is no ideal vaccine for controlling human campylobacteriosis or the carriage of C. jejuni by chickens. Bacterial in vivo-induced antigens are useful as potential vaccine candidates and biomarkers of virulence.

Methods

In this study, we developed a novel systematic immunoproteomics approach to identify in vivo-induced antigens among the total cell proteins of C. jejuni using pre-adsorbed sera from patients infected with C. jejuni.

Results

Overall, 14 immunoreactive spots were probed on a PVDF membrane using pre-adsorbed human sera against C. jejuni. Then, we excised these protein spots from a duplicate gel and identified using MALDI–TOF MS. In total, 14 in vivo-induced antigens were identified using PMF and BLAST analysis. The identified proteins include CadF (CadF-1 and CadF-2), CheW, TufB, DnaK, MetK, LpxB, HslU, DmsA, PorA, ProS, CJBH_0976, CSU_0396 and hypothetical protein cje135_05017. Real-time RT-PCR was performed on 9 genes to compare their expression levels in vivo and in vitro. The data showed that 8 of the 9 analyzed genes were significantly upregulated in vivo relative to in vitro.

Conclusion

We successfully developed a novel immunoproteomics method for identifying in vivo-induced Campylobacter jejuni antigens by using pre-adsorbed sera from infected patients.

General significance

This new analysis method may prove to be useful for identifying in vivo-induced antigens within any host infected by bacteria and will contribute to the development of new subunit vaccines.