Discovery of Fusarium pseudograminearum Causing Crown Rot of Winter Wheat in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China.

Fusarium pseudograminearum is an important plant pathogen that invades many crops (Zhang et al. 2018). Since it was first discovered in Australia in 1951, F. pseudograminearum has been reported in many countries and regions and caused huge economic losses (Burgess et al. 2001). In 2012, crown rot of wheat caused by F. pseudograminearum was discovered for the first time in Henan Province, China (Li et al. 2012). Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important food crops in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), with 1.07 million hectares cultivated in 2020. In June 2023, a survey of crown rot disease was carried out in winter wheat cv. Xindong 20 in Hotan area, XUAR, China (80.148907°E, 37.051474°N). About 5% of wheat plants showed symptoms of crown rot such as browning of the stem base and white head. The disease was observed in 85% of wheat fields. In order to identify the pathogens, 36 pieces of diseased stem basal tissue, 0.5 cm in length, were collected and sterilized with 75% alcohol for 30s and 5% NaOCl solution for 2 min, then rinsed three times with sterile water and placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium at 25°C. A total of 27 isolates with consistent morphological characteristics were obtained using single-spore technique (Leslie and Summerell. 2006), and the isolation rate was 75%. The isolates grew rapidly on PDA, produced large numbers of fluffy white hyphae, and pink pigment accumulated in the medium. The isolates were grown on 2% mung bean flour medium and identified by morphological and molecular methods. Macroconidia were abundant, relatively slender, curved to almost straight, commonly two to seven septate, and averaged 22 to 72 × 1.8 to 4.9 µm. Microconidia were not observed. The morphological characters are consistent with Fusarium (Aoki and O'Donnell. 1999). Two isolates (LP-1 and LP-3) were selected for molecular identification. Primers EF1/EF2 (5'-ATGGGTAAGGARGACAAGAC-3'/5'-GGARGTACCAGTSATCATG-3') were used to amplify a portion of the EF-1α gene (O'Donnell et al. 1998). The two 696 bp PCR products were sequenced and submitted to GenBank. The EF-1α gene sequences (GenBank Accession No: PP062794 and PP062795) shared 99.9% identity (695/696) with published F.pseudograminearum sequences (e.g., OP105187, OP105184, OP105179, OP105173). The identification was further confirmed by F. pseudograminearum species-specific PCR primers Fp1-1/Fp1-2 (Aoki and O'Donnell. 1999). The expected PCR products of 518 bp were produced only in F. pseudograminearum. Pathogenicity tests of LP-1 and LP-3 isolates were performed on 7-day-old seedlings of winter wheat cv. Xindong 20 using the drip inoculation method with a 10-µl of a 106 macroconidia ml-1 suspension near the stem base (Xu et al. 2017). The experiment was repeated five times in a 20 to 25°C greenhouse. Control seedlings were treated with sterile water. After 4 weeks, wheat seedling death and crown browning occurred in the inoculated plants with over 90% incidence. No symptoms were observed in the control plants. The pathogen was reisolated from the inoculated plants by the method described above and identified by morphological and PCR amplification using F. pseudograminearum species-specific primers Fp1-1/Fp1-2. No F. pseudograminearum was isolated from the control plants, fulfilling Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of F. pseudograminearum causing crown rot of winter wheat in XUAR of China. Since F. pseudograminearum can cause great damage to wheat, one of the most important food crops in China, necessary measures should be taken to prevent the spread of F. pseudograminearum to other regions.

An online survey data in senior high school students and their parents in China during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019.

The dataset presents the raw data collected through an online survey of senior high school students and their parents from 24 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions (96 cities) of China. We conducted the online survey using electronic self-administered questionnaires designed as student-version and parent-version during 26th February and 4th March of 2020. The questionnaires were designed using the online survey tool Sojump (Shanghai Information Co.), and released through WeChat platform (Tencent Corp) following principals-head teachers-students/parents approach. All the students and the parents were asked to answer the questions voluntarily and anonymously after reading informed consent at the fore page of the questionnaires. The information collected from students included: 1) demographic characteristics, including sex, date of birth, name of high school, academic year, and self-evaluated performance level; 2) educational levels and occupations of parents; 3) degree preferences, including the willingness to learn medicine (prior and post COVID-19 outbreak), preferred medical career (clinician, public health practitioner, pharmacist, nurse or others), and main motivations for selecting or unselecting medical study; 4) infection of COVID-19 in acquaintances; 5) health literacy level on infectious diseases assessed using the Infectious Disease-specific Health Literacy Scale (IDSHL), and 6) anxiety level evaluated using the Chinese version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7). Information collected from parents included sex of their children and name of high school attended by their children, as well as their own educational level, occupation, anxiety symptoms, attitude toward their children's studying medicine, and main reasons for supportive or unsupportive attitudes, which were similar to the main motivations or de-motivations for medical study listed in the student-version questionnaire. Date and time for completion of the questionnaire were auto-recorded by the Sojump system. The dataset was established at the early stage of pandemic of COVID-19, and is valuable for understanding the instant psychological impacts of the outbreak of an emerging fatal infectious disease on senior high school students and their patents, and can provide evidence for policymakers on mental health intervention and medical education in China. The data are provided with this article.

Self-reported anxiety level and related factors in senior high school students in China during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of COVID-19 has been a big challenge for senior high school students in China who are facing tremendous pressure of the highly competitive College Entrance Examination. METHODS: To evaluate the psychological impact of the event in the population, we conducted an anonymous online survey among senior high school students in China between 26 Feb and 4 March, 2020. Information collected included demographic characteristics, attitude toward medical study, infection of COVID-19 in acquaintances, anxiety symptoms evaluated using the GAD-7, and health literacy level measured using the IDSHL. RESULTS: Of 21,085 participants, 3,575 (17.0%), 943 (4.5%) and 448 (2.1%) reported with mild, moderate, and severe anxiety. Female, higher academic year, worse self-evaluated academic performance, negative attitude toward medical study, living in Hubei province and having acquaintance infected with COVID-19 were significantly associated with anxiety level, while higher education level of mother and higher IDSHL score were associated with a lower risk. The score of IDSHL, particularly of the domain "infectious disease prevention", was associated with the GAD-7 score in a linear pattern (ß=-0.0371, p<0.01). LIMITATIONS: Limitations included the cross-sectional study design unable to infer the casual relationship, anonymous survey, selection bias and self-reported anxiety disorder levels. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that COVID-19 outbreak may increase anxiety level in senior high school students in China. The anxiety related factors observed in this study may help to identify vulnerable individuals and develop interventions.

Retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial resection of the renal pelvis for urothelial carcinoma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: The standard treatment of transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract consists of radical nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff removal, which can be performed either in open or laparoscopy or robot-assisted laparoscopy. Treatment of chronic renal insufficiency patients with upper urothelial tumor is in a dilemma. Urologists weigh and consider the balance between tumor control and effective renal function preservation. European Association of Urology guidelines recommend that select patients may benefit from endoscopic treatment, but laparoscopic treatment is rarely reported. CASE SUMMARY: In this case report, we describe a case of 79-year-old female diagnosed with urothelial carcinoma of the renal pelvis and adrenal adenoma with chronic renal insufficiency. The patient was treated with retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial resection of the renal pelvis and adrenal adenoma resection simultaneously. CONCLUSION: Retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial resection of the renal pelvis is an effective surgical procedure for the treatment of urothelial carcinoma of the renal pelvis.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer via CXCL12/CXCR4 axis.

Aim: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are closely related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and chemoresistance in various cancers. Patients & methods: Experiments in vivo and retrospective studies were applied to explore the role of CAFs in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Results: We found that CXCL12 expression was significantly increased in interstitial CAFs by immunofluorescence. CAF-derived CXCL12 induced EMT though CXCR4/Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in EOC cells. Inhibited EMT led to increased apoptosis and cisplatin sensitivity. Multivariate regression analysis shows that CXCL12 expression in the stromal cells and cytoreduction satisfaction are independent prognostic markers of platinum-containing chemotherapy sensitivity in 296 EOC patients. Conclusion: CAFs may activate the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in EOC cells via CXCL12/CXCR4 axis, and then induce EMT and cisplatin resistance.

[Magnetic resonance-ultrasound fusion guided transperineal prostate biopsy for the diagnosis of prostate cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the application value of magnetic resonance-ultrasound fusion (MR-USF) guided transperineal prostate biopsy (TPPB) in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. METHODS: Relevant data were collected retrospectively from 77 patients undergoing MR-USF guided TPPB (n = 22) or 12-core systematic prostate biopsy (SPB) (n = 55) in Binhai People's Hospital from May to July 2019 and statistically analyzed using the software Graphad Prism 7.0 and SPSS 22.0. RESULTS: The patients were aged 51－91 (70.5 ± 9.7) years, with a mean PSA level of (35.1 ± 115.4) µg/L (1.02－959 µg/L) and an average prostate volume of (48.81 ± 38.4) cm3 (7.54－307.61 cm3). There were no statistically significant differences in age, PSA, and BMI between the two groups of patients (P > 0.05). Prostate cancer was confirmed in 31 of the cases, with a positive rate of 40.26% (31/77), significantly higher in the TPPB (45.45% ï¼»10/22ï¼½ than in the SPB group (38.18% ï¼»21/55ï¼½, P < 0.01). Based on the PI-RADS scores, the Gleason grade was also higher in the former than in the latter group. CONCLUSIONS: MR-USF guided TPPB can improve the biopsy performance. Whether it should be used is based on the patient's PSA level and PI-RADS scores.

TNFSF9 exerts an inhibitory effect on hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Tumor necrosis factor superfamily member 9 (TNFSF9), also known as 4-1BBL and CD137L, has been implicated in cancer immunotherapy due to its function as a T-cell co-stimulator. We aimed to investigate the role of TNFSF9 in the cancer pathogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: TNFSF9 expression was examined by immunohistochemistry in 106 pairs of HCC and adjacent non-tumorous tissues, and by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot in HCC cell lines. The impact of TNFSF9 on the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells was determined using the 3-(4,5-diethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, inner salt (MTS) and transwell assays in vitro. We also assessed the influence of TNFSF9 on the growth and metastasis of HCC tumors in an orthotopic mouse model of human HCC. RESULTS: TNFSF9 expression was downregulated in approximately 70% of HCC tissues. A decreased expression of TNFSF9 was also consistently observed in all the four HCC cell lines. Either the overexpression of TNFSF9 or treatment with recombinant TNFSF9 protein could significantly inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of Huh7 and SMMC-7721 HCC cells in vitro. The inhibitory effect of TNFSF9 on HCC was further confirmed in vivo. Mice orthotopically transplanted with TNFSF9-overexpressing Huh7 cells developed significantly smaller tumors with less intrahepatic metastasis and distant metastasis compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: TNFSF9 may be a tumor suppressor in HCC. Based on its immune stimulatory aspect and the tumor inhibition property, TNFSF9 may be a promising therapeutic target for HCC.

Overexpression of Gli1 in cancer interstitial tissues predicts early relapse after radical operation of breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether Gli1 expression is important in relapse after radical operation of breast cancer. METHODS: Using immunohistochemistry, Gli1 expression was analyzed in human primary breast cancer (n=284) and paracancerous tissues (n=20), and also in local lymph nodes (n=28) and metastatic lymph nodes (n=28). RESULTS: Initial analysis of Gli1 expression in a small cohort of 20 breast tumors and their paracancerous tissues showed a tendency towards Gli1 overexpression in breast cancer tissues (P<0.001). Further, Gli1 expression in 284 breast cancer tissue samples was analyzed and a significant correlation was found between increased expression of nuclear Gli1 and unfavorable recurrence-free survival (RFS) (P<0.05). The nuclear expression of Gli1 in metastatic lymph nodes following relapse after radical operation was much higher than that in the local lymph nodes of primary carcinoma (P<0.05). Most interestingly, the expression of Gli1 was much higher in the interstitial tissues of the relapsed group than of the non-relapsed group (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer shows a high prevalence of Gli1 expression, which is significantly correlated with aggressive features and unfavorable RFS. Nuclear Gli1 overexpression, especially in the interstitial tissues, signified early relapse after radical operation of breast cancer.

[Complete sequence determination and phylogenetic analysis of FKN among seven higher primates including homonids and Old World Monkeys].

To obtain full-length FKN nucleotide sequences of homonids including human, chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan and gibbon, and Old World Monkeys including macaque and leaf monkey and make phylogenetic analysis, three exons of FKN were amplified by degenerated PCR using obtained peripheral blood cells DNA as template which was extracted from homonids and Old World Monkeys. After extracting and purifying from agarose gels, PCR products were sequenced and then spliced by using BioEdit. All the FKN sequences were aligned and compared the percent identity by using DNAStar. The phylogenetic tree was constructed using maximum evolution approach in Mega. The negative selection sites were analyzed by using Datamonkey. There is an apparent 30 bp nucleotides deletion mutation in homonids FKN comparing to that of Old World Monkeys besides other point mutations. Homology of nucleotide sequence between human and chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, gibbon, macaque and leaf monkey is 99.2%, 98.4%, 98.1%, 96.5%, 95.9% and 93.8%, respectively. Homology of amino acid sequence of them is 98.5%, 98.0%, 97.7%, 94.7%, 93.7% and 90.5%, respectively. In the same time, the genealogical relationship of human is a lot closer to chimpanzee than it is to gorilla and other apes. It is generally agreed that the evolution rule of FKN gene is in accord with that of the higher primates. In addition, Datamonkey shows that there are 3 negative selection sites 53Q, 84D and 239N in FKN. The full-length FKN gene of human, chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, gibbon, macaque and leaf monkey were sequenced successfully, and the FKN sequences analysis lays the foundation for further studying its evolution in immunological function in higher primates and the relation between its structure and function.

[Identification of hepatitis B virus integration sites in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues from patients with chronic hepatitis B].

OBJECTIVE: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) integration into the host genome is frequently detected in HBV positive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in China. The aim of this study is to carry out a large-scale screening for the HBV integrations sites in HCC samples from Chinese patients. METHODS: Cellular DNA was extracted from 40 HBV-related HCC by proteinase K digestion/phenol extraction method. One primer specific to HBV sequence and another primer directed to human Alu repeat were used to amplify the virus/cellular DNA junction. To avoid undesirable amplifications between Alu sequences, primers were constructed with dUTPs and destroyed by uracil DNA glycosylase treatment after 15 initial cycles of amplification. Only desirable fragments were then further amplified with specific primers to the known region and to a tag sequence introduced in the Alu-Specific primer. The PCR product was purified and subject to direct sequencing by ABI 3700 Auto sequencer. NCBI (national center for biotechnology information) BLAST and MapViewer search were used for identification of HBV location on human genomes. RESULTS: In 40 HBsAg positive HCC samples, 34 (85%) were showed to have at least one copy of HBV fragment in host genome, indicating HBV-Alu-PCR is a rapid way for identification of new cellular DNA sequences adjacent to HBV. Analysis from the 68 isolated viral-cellular junctions, X gene was found to be interrupted at any length, not specifically at DR1 and DR2 regions. Three-prime-deleted X gene was observed in 65 (96%) cases. HBV preferred to integrate into the intron and the up-stream regulatory region of the cellular genes. In no case HBV inserted into the exon. Our results also demonstrated that the cellular genes targeted by HBV are usually key regulators of cell proliferation and cell death. Three genes, myeloid/lymphoid or mixed-lineage leukemia 4, G protein alpha transducing activity polypeptide 1 and fibronectin, were found to be recurrently targeted by HBV. CONCLUSION: HBV-Alu-PCR is a powerful tool for the study of HBV integration sites. Truncated X is a major form existed in the HBV integrants. HBV integration is not distributed evenly throughout the host genome and viral insertional mutagenesis may play an important role in the development of HCC.

Protective effect of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate on liver injury induced by intestinal ischemia-reperfusion in rats.

BACKGROUND: The nuclear translocation of transcription factors may be a critical factor in the intracellular pathway involved in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) in the pathogenesis of liver injury induced by intestinal ischemia/reperfusion (IIR) and to investigate the effect of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) on this liver injury. METHODS: Male Wistar rats were divided randomly into three experimental groups (8 rats in each): sham operation group (control group); intestinal/reperfusion group (I/R group): animals received 1-hour of intestinal ischemia and 2-hour reperfusion; and PDTC treatment group (PDTC group): animals that received I/R subject to PDTC treatment (100 mg/kg). The histological changes in the liver and intestine were observed, and the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), liver superoxide dismutase (SOD), and nitrite/nitrate (NO) were measured. The immunohistochemical expression and Western blot analysis of liver NF-kappaB and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) were observed. RESULTS: IIR induced liver injury characterized by the histological changes of liver edema, hemorrhage, polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) infiltration, and elevated serum levels of AST and ALT. The serum TNF-alpha level was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.01) and a high level of liver oxidant product was observed (P<0.01). These changes were parallel to the positive expression of NF-kappaB and ICAM-1. After the administration of PDTC, the histological changes after liver injury were improved; the levels of SOD and NO in the liver were elevated and reduced, respectively (P<0.01). The expressions of ICAM-1 and NF-kappaB in the liver were weakened (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: NF-kappaB plays an important role in the pathogenesis of liver injury induced by IIR. PDTC, an agent known to inhibit the activation of NF-kappaB, can reduce and prevent this injury.

[Observation on therapeutic effect of acupuncture at lateral cervical Jiaji points on cervical spondylosis of vertebroarterial type].

OBJECTIVE: To compare therapeutic effects of acupuncture at lateral cervical Jiaji and at traditional Jiaji points on cervical spondylosis of vertebroarterial type. METHODS: Seventy-two cases of vertebroarterial type cervical spondylosis were randomly divided into a needling lateral cervical Jiaji group (n=40) and a traditional Jiaji group (n=32). After 2 courses, therapeutic effects were evaluated and ultrasound Doppler's detection of skull was conducted. RESULTS: The therapeutic effect in the lateral cervical Jiaji group was better than that in the traditional Jiaji group (P < 0.05); And there was a significant or very significant difference between the two groups in the velocity of blood flow and the index of vascular pulsation (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The results of acupuncture at lateral cervical Jiaji points is better than that of acupuncture at traditional Jiaji points for treatment of cervical spondylosis of vertebroarterial type.

[Clinical study on Zhuyu Tongfu serial recipe combined with acupuncture and massotherapy in treating hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy and mechanism of Zhuyu Tongfu (ZYTF) Serial Recipe combined with acupuncture and massotherapy in treating hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage (HCH). METHODS: One hundred and eighteen patients with hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage, on the basis of conventional Western medicine treatment, were randomly divided into ZYTF combined with acupuncture and massotherapy group (treated group) and simple Western medicine group (control group); the clinical efficacy, neurofunction deficit scoring (NDS) alterations and hematoma absorption rate of both groups were observed, and also the plasma superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, plasma lipid peroxidase (LPO) content, erythrocyte glutathion peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity, hematocrit (Ht) and the whole blood viscosity (Va) change were also observed. RESULTS: In the treated group, the clinical efficacy, NDS improvement and hematoma absorption rate were superior to that of the control group; comparison between the two groups after treatment showed that plasma SOD activity and GSH-Px activity got more elevated and plasma LPO content, Ht and Va more lowered in the the treated group than those in the control group. CONCLUSION: ZYTF combined with acupuncture and massotherapy has better effect, its therapeutic mechanism was possibly correlated to the elevation of plasma SOD activity, GSH-Px activity and lowering of plasma LPO content, Ht and Va.

[Quantitative analysis of circulating DNA in serum of cancer patients].

OBJECTIVE: To develop a method for ng quantitation of circulating DNA in serum and explore the value in the diagnosis of cancer. METHODS: Serum DNA was extracted by commercial "genomic DNA extraction kit" and detected by fluorescent dye (SYBR green I) staining. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at BRCA1 (D17S579, D17S855) and p53 (TP53, D17S786) in serum DNA was analyzed by PCR-based method. RESULTS: SYBR green I dot staining could detect DNA as low as 2 ng. Using this method, we detected serum samples from 483 patients with various types of cancer and 150 healthy individuals. The mean DNA concentration in the normal controls was 22.2 +/- 13.4 ng/ml, while that in cancer patients was 81.3 +/- 98.3 ng/ml (P < 0.001). In 33 ovarian cancer patients with increased DNA level, 27(81.8%) displayed LOH in at least one of the four loci analyzed. CONCLUSION: Circulating DNA in serum may become additional tumor marker for the diagnosis of cancer.