Characterization of variants in the promoter of BZLF1 gene of EBV in nonmalignant EBV-associated diseases in Chinese children

Background

SEN virus is a blood-borne, circular ssDNA virus and possessing nine genotypes (A to I). Among nine genotypes, SENV-D and SENV-H genotypes have the strong link with patients with unknown (none-A to E) hepatitis infections. Infection with blood-borne viruses is the second important cause of death in thalassemic patients. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of SENV-D and SENV-H genotypes viremia by performing nested-PCR in 120 and 100 sera from healthy blood donors and thalassemic patients in Guilan Province, North of Iran respectively. Also, to explicate a possible role of SEN virus in liver disease and established changes in blood factors, the serum aminotransferases (ALT and AST) and some of the blood factors were measured.

Results

Frequency of SENV-D, SENV (SENV-H or SENV-D) and co-infection (both SENV-D and SENV-H) viremia was significantly higher among thalassemic patients than healthy individuals. Frequency of SENV-H viremia was significantly higher than SENV-D among healthy individuals. In comparison to SENV-D negative patients, the mean of mean corpuscular hemoglobin was significantly higher in SENV-D positive and co-infection cases (P < 0.05). The means of AST and ALT were significantly higher in thalassemic patients than healthy blood donors, but there were not any significant differences in the means of the liver levels between SENV-positive and -negative individuals in healthy blood donors and thalassemic patients. High nucleotide homology observed among PCR amplicon's sequences in healthy blood donors and thalassemic patients.

Conclusions

The high rate of co-infection shows that different genotypes of SENV have no negative effects on each other. The high frequency of SENV infection among thalassemic patients suggests blood transfusion as main route of transmission. High frequency of SENV infection in healthy individuals indicates that other routes rather than blood transfusion also are important. Frequency of 90.8% of SENV infection among healthy blood donors as well as high nucleotide homology of sequenced amplicons between two groups can probably suggest that healthy blood donors infected by SENV act partly as a source of SENV transmission to the thalassemic patients. In conclusion, SENV-D isolate in Guilan Province may be having a pathogenic agent for thalassemic patients.     

APPL1-Mediating Leptin Signaling Contributes to Proliferation and Migration of Cancer Cells

Leptin has been implicated in tumorigenesis and tumor progression, particularly in obese patients. As a multifunctional adaptor protein, APPL1 (containing pleckstrin homology domain, phosphotyrosine binding domain, and a leucine zipper motif 1) plays a critical role in regulating adiponectin and insulin signaling pathways. Currently, high APPL1 level has been suggested to be related to metastases and progression of some types of cancer. However, the intercourse between leptin signaling pathway and APPL1 remains poorly understood. Here, we show that the protein levels and phosphorylation statues of APPL1were highly expressed in tissues from human hepatocellular carcinoma and triple-positive breast cancer. Leptin stimulated APPL1 phosphorylation in a time-dependent manner in both human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cell and breast cancer MCF-7 cell. Overexpression or suppression of APPL1 promoted or attenuated, respectively, leptin-induced phosphorylation of STAT3, ERK1/2, and Akt in the cancer cells, accompanied with enhanced or mitigated cell proliferation and migration. In addition, we identified that APPL1 directly bound to both leptin receptor and STAT3. This interaction was significantly enhanced by leptin stimulation. Our results suggested that APPL1 positively mediated leptin signaling and promoted leptin-induced proliferation and migration of cancer cells. This finding reveals a novel mechanism by which leptin promotes the motility and growth of cancer cells.     

基于金属有机沸石咪唑骨架的固定化细胞的制备及其在丙谷二肽制备中的应用

来源于鞘氨醇杆菌(Sphingobacterium siyangensis)中的α-氨基酸酯酰基转移酶(α-amino acid ester acyltransferase, SAET),是目前发现的丙谷二肽催化合成能力最高的酶之一,能够以非保护的L-丙氨酸甲酯盐酸盐、L-谷氨酰胺合成L-丙氨酰-L-谷氨酰胺[即丙谷二肽(L-alanyl-L-glutamine, Ala-Gln)]。为了解决其在催化过程中的稳定问题,本研究在水相体系中采用“一步法”快速制备固定化细胞(SAET@ZIF-8),在构筑金属有机沸石咪唑骨架结构(ZIF-8)的同时,将表达有SAET的大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)包裹在其内部空间中。在此基础上,对其结构、催化活性和重复使用性及储存稳定性等催化性能进行探究。结果表明,通过该方法制备的SAET@ZIF-8纳米颗粒与文献报道的ZIF-8材料的形貌基本相同,细胞的引入没有明显改变ZIF-8的形貌。重复使用7次后,SAET@ZIF-8仍能保持67%左右的初始酶活;室温下放置4d时,固定化酶还保留有50%左右的初始酶活,表明SAET@ZIF-8具有较好的重...     

Risk Factors of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after Wenchuan Earthquake: A Case Control Study

Background

Few clues were found in the literature about the independent risk factors for PTSD among earthquake survivors in Sichuan province three years after the 2008 earthquake. Ours was the first case-control study with matching factors of age and distance from the epicenter among survivors age 16 years or older, three years after the catastrophe.

Objectives

To identify independent risk factors for PTSD among earthquake survivors.

Methods

We performed a population-based matched case-control study. The cases were drawn from earthquake areas three years after the Wenchuan earthquake, including 113 cases who met positive criteria for PTSD symptoms according to the PCL-C (PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version) score and 452 controls who did not meet the criteria. Cases and controls were matched individually by birth year (+ three years) and the town they lived in when the earthquake occurred.

Results

Independent risk factors for PTSD symptoms included two-week disease prevalence (odds ratio [OR],1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI],1.18–3.13), witnessing someone being killed in the earthquake (OR, 2.04;95%CI, 1.17–3.58), having no regular income after the earthquake (OR, 0.52; 95%CI, 0.28–0.98), receiving mental health support only one time after the earthquake (OR, 2.43; 95%CI, 1.09–5.42) and lower social support (lower PSSS score) (OR, 0.95; 95%CI, 0.93–0.97).

Conclusion

Earthquake experience, suffering from physical illnesses, lack of stable income, and lower social support were associated with PTSD symptoms.     

Overview of signal transduction between LL37 and bone marrow-derived MSCs

Journal of Molecular Histology - As a key signaling molecule, cationic antimicrobial peptide LL37 helps mediate intracellular and extracellular signal transduction. It interacts with various cells...