A randomised controlled trial of dexmedetomidine for delirium in adults undergoing heart valve surgery.

Dexmedetomidine might reduce delirium after cardiac surgery. We allocated 326 participants to an infusion of dexmedetomidine at a rate of 0.6 µg kg-1 for 10 min and then at 0.4 µg.kg-1 .h-1 until the end of surgery; 326 control participants received comparable volumes of saline. We detected delirium in 98/652 (15%) participants during the first seven postoperative days: 47/326 after dexmedetomidine vs. 51/326 after placebo, p = 0.62, adjusted relative risk (95%CI) 0.86 (0.56-1.33), p = 0.51. Postoperative renal impairment (Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes stages 1, 2 and 3) was detected in 46, 9 and 2 participants after dexmedetomidine and 25, 7 and 4 control participants, p = 0.040. Intra-operative dexmedetomidine infusion did not reduce the incidence of delirium after cardiac valve surgery but might impair renal function.

Impact of Spectators on a Two-Qubit Gate in a Tunable Coupling Superconducting Circuit.

Cross-resonance (CR) gates have emerged as a promising scheme for fault-tolerant quantum computation with fixed-frequency qubits. We experimentally implement an entangling CR gate by using a microwave-only control in a tunable coupling superconducting circuit, where the tunable coupler provides extra degrees of freedom to verify optimal conditions for constructing a CR gate. By developing a three-qubit Hamiltonian tomography protocol, we systematically investigate the dependency of gate fidelities on spurious qubit interactions and present the first experimental approach to the evaluation of the perturbation impact arising from spectator qubits. Our results reveal that the spectator qubits lead to reductions in CR gate fidelity dependent on ZZ interactions and particular frequency detunings between spectator and gate qubits. The target spectator demonstrates a more serious impact than the control spectator under a standard echo pulse scheme, whereas the degradation of gate fidelity is observed up to 22.5% as both the spectators are present with a modest ZZ coupling to the computational qubits. Our experiments uncover an optimal CR operation regime, and the method we develop here can readily be applied to improving other kinds of two-qubit gates in large-scale quantum circuits.

Esophagectomy combined with off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting through left posterolateral incision is safe and feasible for esophageal cancer associated with coronary artery disease.

Controversy still exists as to whether surgical treatment has any impact on the long-term survival of esophageal cancer (EC) patients with coronary artery disease treated with curative esophagectomy combined with off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG). Therefore, the aim of this study was to introduce and assess the effect of esophagectomy combined with OPCABG on both short- and long-term outcomes. From January 2010 to January 2015, 1428 EC or esophagogastric junction cancer patients underwent surgical treatment at Henan Chest Hospital, Zhengzhou, China. The clinical data of 25 patients who underwent EC resection through a left thoracotomy following OPCABG and the perioperative characteristics and follow-up results were analyzed. The majority of the patients were male, and the EC stage was predominantly cT2N0-1M0 II. The most common pathological types were squamous cell carcinoma. The EC surgeries consisted of 15 chest anastomosis procedures and 10 cervical anastomosis procedures with aortocoronary graft implantation (mean: 2.36 grafts per patient). The mean total operative time was 330.8 ± 83.5 minutes. The median intensive care unit and hospital lengths of stay were 1.72 and 21.16 days, respectively. Resection without macroscopic residual disease (R0) was achieved in all of the patients. The most frequent complications included pulmonary infections (24%), arrhythmias (24%), pleural effusion (12%), and esophageal anastomotic leakage (8%). There were no postoperative deaths or myocardial infarctions within 30 days after the surgery. The overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 88%, 40%, and 24%, respectively, with a median survival time of 43 months. In the short-term, radical resection of EC following OPCABG is a safe and feasible treatment with low postoperative mortality rates. In the long-term, simultaneous surgery is acceptable and is associated with favorable overall and disease-free survival.

LncRNA FEZF1-AS1 promoted chemoresistance, autophagy and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through regulation of miR-25-3p/ITGB8 axis in prostate cancer.

The article "LncRNA FEZF1-AS1 promoted chemoresistance, autophagy and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through regulation of miR-25-3p/ITGB8 axis in prostate cancer, by Z.-H. Wang, J.-H. Wang, K.-Q. Wang, Y. Zhou, J. Wang, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2020; 24(5): 2281-2293-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202003_20494-PMID: 32196579" has been withdrawn from the authors. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/20494.

Silence of ATAD2 inhibits proliferation of colorectal carcinoma via the Rb-E2F1 signaling.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to clarify the potential function of ATAD2 (ATPase family, AAA domain containing 2) in regulating proliferative and apoptotic abilities of colorectal carcinoma (CRC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: ATAD2 levels in CRC specimens and cell lines were detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Overall survival in CRC patients with high or low level of ATAD2 was assessed by Kaplan-Meier method. The correlation between ATAD2 level and clinical characteristics of CRC patients was analyzed by χ2 test. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression models were generated to illustrate potential risk factors for the overall survival of CRC. After knockdown of ATAD2 in SW620 cells, relative levels of Cyclin D1, ppRb, pRb, E2F1, Cyclin E and cleaved Caspase 3 were detected by Western blot. Regulatory effects of ATAD2 on viability, clonality, cell cycle distribution, and apoptosis in SW620 and HCT15 cells were examined by a series of functional experiments. RESULTS: Upregulated ATAD2 in CRC was correlated to tumor size, tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging, and histological classification of CRC. High level of ATAD2 predicted poor prognosis in CRC patients. Cox regression test suggested that ATAD2 level, tumor size, TNM staging and histological classification were independent factors influencing overall survival in CRC. Knockdown of ATAD2 reduced viability and clonality in SW620 and HCT15 cells. In addition, cell cycle was arrested in G1 phase and apoptosis was stimulated in CRC cells with ATAD2 knockdown. In SW620 cells transfected with ATAD2 shRNA, protein levels of Cyclin D1, ppRb, E2F1 and Cyclin E were downregulated, and cleaved Caspase 3 was upregulated. CONCLUSIONS: ATAD2 is upregulated in CRC tissues and correlated to poor prognosis of CRC patients. It exerts an anti-proliferation role in CRC by arresting cell cycle in G1/S phase and triggering apoptosis via the Rb-E2F1 signaling.

GPAA1 promotes progression of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia through regulating c-myc.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have shown that glycosylphosphatidylinositol Anchor Attachment Protein 1 (GPAA1) is a cancer-promoting gene; however, the role of GPAA1 in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has not been reported. This study aims to illustrate the role of GPAA1 in promoting the metastasis of ALL by targeting c-myc and the potential mechanism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to examine serum levels of GPAA1 and c-myc in 42 childhood ALL patients and healthy volunteers. The interaction between GPAA1 expression and prognosis of childhood ALL was analyzed. Meanwhile, expressions of GPAA1 and c-myc in ALL cell lines were determined by qRT-PCR. Furthermore, after GPAA1 knockdown model was constructed by lentivirus transfection in MOLT-4 and SUP-B15 cells, cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), transwell invasion, and cell wound healing assays were conducted to analyze the effect of GPAA1 on the biological functions of ALL cells. Potential mechanism was further explored through Luciferase reporter gene assay and cell recovery experiments. RESULTS: QRT-PCR results indicated that serum level of GPAA1 in childhood ALL patients was remarkably higher than that of healthy volunteers, and the difference was statistically significant. Childhood ALL patients with high expression of GPAA1 had lower overall survival rate compared with those expressing low expression of GPAA1. Proliferation and metastasis abilities of pediatric ALL cells with GPAA1 knockdown remarkably decreased. Subsequently, c-myc expression was also found remarkably upregulated in ALL cell lines and serum samples of childhood ALL patients and it was positively correlated with GPAA1 level. In addition, Luciferase reporter gene assay demonstrated that overexpression of c-myc remarkably attenuated the Luciferase activity of the wild-type GPAA1 vector without attenuating that of the mutant vector or empty vector, further demonstrating that GPAA1 can be targeted by c-myc. At the same time, cell recovery experiment found that the interaction between GPAA1 and c-myc together regulated the malignant progression of ALL. CONCLUSIONS: GPAA1 was up-regulated in serum of childhood ALL patients, which was remarkably associated with the prognosis. In addition, GPAA1 may contribute to the malignant progression of childhood ALL via activating c-myc.

LncRNA FEZF1-AS1 promoted chemoresistance, autophagy and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through regulation of miR-25-3p/ITGB8 axis in prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Accumulating evidence determined that lncRNA plays important roles in the development and occurrence of cancers. Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer and one of the top five cancers for the cause of male death in the world. Therefore, this study was to explore the regulatory mechanism of lncRNA in chemoresistance of PC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: qRT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of FEZF1-AS1, miR-25-3p and ITGB8. Western blot was applied to measure the protein expression of ITGB8 E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin, LC3I, LC3II, ATG5 and Beclin-1. In addition, CCK-8 assay was used to assess cell proliferation of transfected cells. Luciferase reporter assay and RIP assay were used to determine the relationship among FEZF1-AS1, miR-25-3p and ITGB8. RESULTS: In this study, the expression of FEZF1-AS1 and ITGB8 was upregulated, whereas the expression of miR-25-3p was downregulated in PC tumor tissues and PC/PTX cells. Luciferase reporter assay and RIP assay determined that miR-25-3p was a target of FEZF1-AS1 and ITGB8 was a target mRNA of miR-25-3p. Interestingly, knockdown of FEZF1-AS1 could inhibit cell viability and EMT and promoted cell autophagy in PC/PTX cells, but inhibition of miR-25-3p or promotion of ITGB8 could reverse the effects of si-FEZF1-AS1 on PC/PTX cells. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we found that lncRNA FEZF1-AS1 promoted chemoresistance, autophagy and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through regulation of miR-25-3p/ITGB8 axis in PC, providing a new regulatory mechanism of PC and a novel therapeutic target.

Focus on autonomic dysfunctions in anti-NMDAR encephalitis: a case report.

OBJECTIVE: We hope it will provide a reference for early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment of atypical Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis with non-typical autonomic dysfunctions as the first symptom. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We present a 15-year-old girl with the repetition of conscious disturbance at different levels, but no abnormal movements. Initially, there were no positive findings on routine electroencephalography (EEG) and dynamic video-electroencephalography (V-EEG), but the head-up tilt test (HTT) suggested neurocardiogenic syncope (vascular rejection type), which seemed to be the final diagnosis. However, the patient later experienced several episodes of disturbance of consciousness with unexplained abdominal pain. Abnormalities were discovered on EEG, which indicated the possibility of "epileptic seizures with autonomic-gastrointestinal features". Based on these findings, we finally tested the autoimmune encephalitis-related antibodies for the patient after the literature search and review. RESULTS: The patient was finally diagnosed with anti-NMDAR encephalitis. Her symptoms were fully controlled after glucocorticoid and gamma globulin treatment, and she left the hospital with complete recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Although autonomic nervous dysfunction occurred in our patient, her prognosis was good because she did not have respiratory or (and) circulatory failure. Exclusive diagnosis and early treatment are important in patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis. Abdominal pain with positive HTT may be a manifestation of autonomic dysfunction in this disease.

LncRNA-NEF inhibits proliferation, migration and invasion of esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma cells by inactivating wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to investigate the role of lncRNA-Neighboring Enhancer of FOXA2 (NEF) in esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Tumor tissues and adjacent tissues were obtained from esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma patients, and blood samples were extracted from both patients with esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma and healthy volunteers. The expression of NEF was detected by quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). All patients were followed-up for 5 years and ROC curve analysis and survival analysis were performed to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic values of serum NEF for esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma. NEF expression vector was transfected into cells of esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma cell lines. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were detected by CCK-8 assay, transwell migration assay, and transwell invasion assay, respectively. The interaction between NEF and wnt/ß-catenin pathway were explored by Western blot and qRT-PCR. RESULTS: Expression of NEF was significantly downregulated in tumor tissues than in adjacent tissues in most patients. Serum level of NEF was higher in esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma patients than in healthy controls, and was significantly correlated with tumor size and tumor distant tumor metastasis. Serum NEF is a promising diagnostic and prognostic marker for esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma. NEF overexpression inhibited cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion. NEF overexpression decreased the expression levels of wnt/ß-catenin pathway-related proteins, while Wnt activator showed no significant effects on NEF. However, Wnt inhibitor reduced the effects of NEF overexpression on cell proliferation, migration and invasion. CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA NEF may inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma cells by inactivating with wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Clinical treatment efficiency of mechanical thrombectomy combined with rhPro-UK thrombolysis for acute moderate/severe cerebral infarction.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to compare clinical efficiency of mechanical thrombectomy combined with rhPro-UK thrombolysis on moderate or severe acute brain infarction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 90 acute cerebral infarction patients due to artery stenosis or blockade from May 2016 to May 2017 were recruited and randomly assigned into thrombolysis group (N = 30), mechanical thrombectomy (N = 30), and combined treatment group (N = 30). Clinical information was collected. Thrombolysis group received rhPro-UK, mechanical thrombectomy group received Solitaire scaffold, and combined group received rhPro-UK after Solitaire scaffold. Barthel scale and NIHSS scale were used to evaluate the quality of life and mental deficit of patients. Modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) was compared among three groups, along with the observation of hemorrhage, neurological recovery within 90 days, and adverse effects. RESULTS: No significant difference was found in NIHSS within 24 h of treatment among three groups (p > 0.05), but the decreasing levels were shown at 24 h, 7 days, and 90 days comparing to those before treatment (p < 0.05). In combined treatment group, lower NIHSS at 7 d and 90 d were detected comparing to other two groups (p < 0.05). Recanalization rates were 53.33% and 60.00% in thrombolysis and mechanical groups (p > 0.05), respectively, which were significantly lower than that in combined group (83.33%) (p < 0.05). Curative rate in combined group was 70%, significantly higher than thrombolysis (46.67%) and mechanical group (53.33%) (p < 0.05). No statistical difference of curative rate was observed between thrombolysis and mechanical groups (p > 0.05). Moreover, neither significant difference of coagulation function nor platelet count was found among three groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Mechanical thrombectomy combined with thrombolysis presented favorable efficiency in the treatment of moderate to severe acute cerebral infarction than single treatment, among which the occurrence of adverse effects were similar.

Risk of hypertension after hysterectomy: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: Hysterectomy is the second most common surgery performed mainly for benign uterine pathologies in females. The association between hysterectomy and the subsequent risk of hypertension remains controversial. This study investigated the risk of developing hypertension in women who had a hysterectomy. DESIGN: Population-based retrospective cohort study. SETTING: We used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database with claims data of 1 million randomly selected insured individuals. POPULATION: Women with and without hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, aged 30-49 years, were identified in 2000-2013 from the insurance data. METHODS: From the claims data, we identified 6674 women with hysterectomy without hypertension at the time of the surgery. The comparison cohort were 26 696 women randomly selected from women without hysterectomy and hypertension, matched by age and the year hysterectomy was performed. Adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of hypertension was estimated after controlling for comorbidities. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Prediction for hypertension following hysterectomy for benign disease. RESULTS: Both cohorts had a median age of 43.9 years. After a median follow up of 6.4 years, the incident hypertension was higher in the hysterectomy cohort than in the comparison cohort, with an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 1.35 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.27-1.44]. The incidence increased with age, with a higher aHR in hysterectomised women aged 40-49 years (aHR 1.37, 95% CI 1.06-1.83) than in those aged 30-39 years (aHR 1.22, 95% CI 1.02-1.46). CONCLUSION: Findings in this study suggest that women with hysterectomy are more likely to be diagnosed with hypertension in the follow-up period. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Women with hysterectomy before 50 years of age are at an increased risk of developing subsequent hypertension. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Hysterectomy is one of the most common surgeries for women with benign uterine disease. Hysterectomy may lead to a sudden decline in the production of sex hormone (estrogen and progesterone), which is responsible for vessel wall endothelial dysfunction leading to hardening of arteries and subsequent hypertension. However, the association between hysterectomy and risk of hypertension remains controversial. This study investigated whether premenopausal women have an elevated risk of hypertension after hysterectomy. This study employed the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database to identify 6674 women 30-49 years old who had a hysterectomy between 2000 and 2013, and a comparison group of 26 696 women who did not have a hysterectomy matched by age. Women in both the groups had no hypertension at baseline (recruiting date or within 1 year after recruiting date). By the end of 2013, we found that 1196 (17.9%) and 3613 (13.5%) women had developed hypertension in the hysterectomy and the comparison groups, respectively. The hypertension incidence was 1.4-fold greater in the hysterectomy group than in the control group (27.8 versus 20.2/1000 person-years).

The incidence and predictors of HBV relapse after cessation of tenofovir therapy in chronic hepatitis B patients.

This study investigates the incidences and predictors of hepatitis B virus (HBV) relapse after tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) therapy in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive and -negative patients. We retrospectively recruited 143 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients without cirrhosis (39 HBeAg-positive and 104 HBeAg-negative patients) who were previously treated with TDF and had post-treatment follow-up for at least 6 months (median: 55, IQR 36-85 weeks). All the patients fulfilled the stopping criteria of APASL 2012. The virological and clinical relapse rates at 104 weeks in HBeAg-positive patients were 66.6% and 59.1%, while they were 72.3% and 55.9%, respectively, in HBeAg-negative patients. Cox regression analysis revealed that the higher end-of-treatment HBsAg levels were an independent factor of virological relapse in HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative patients. The end-of-treatment HBsAg levels of 200 (area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC): 0.624) and 80 IU/mL (AUROC: 0.959) were the optimal values for predicting HBV relapse in HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative patients, respectively. The virological relapse rate at 78 weeks was 14.3% and 19.6% in HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative patients who achieved HBsAg ≤200 IU/mL and HBsAg ≤80 IU/mL, respectively. Two patients experienced hepatic decompensation upon hepatitis flares, and no patient died after timely retreatment. Seven patients experienced off-therapy HBsAg loss. The cumulative rates of HBsAg loss at 104 weeks were 45.5% and 59.3% in patients with end-of-treatment HBsAg ≤80 IU/mL and ≤50 IU/mL, respectively. In conclusions, the end-of-treatment HBsAg levels were a useful marker for predicting HBV relapse in HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative CHB patients.

Long-term incidence and predictors of hepatitis B surface antigen loss after discontinuing nucleoside analogues in noncirrhotic chronic hepatitis B patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the long-term incidence and predictors for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss after nucleoside analogue therapy. METHODS: The study included 411 noncirrhotic chronic hepatitis B patients (148 hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive and 263 HBeAg-negative patients) who were treated with lamivudine (n = 110) or entecavir (n = 301) with posttreatment follow-up of at least 12 months. RESULTS: In HBeAg-positive patients, the 8-year cumulative rates of virologic relapse, clinical relapse and HBsAg loss were 55.6%, 47.7% and 19.6%, respectively. In HBeAg-negative patients, the rates were 69.3%, 58.9% and 33.1%, respectively. Cox regression analysis showed that hepatitis B virus genotype C and lower end-of-treatment HBsAg levels were independent predictors of HBsAg loss in HBeAg-positive and -negative patients. The 5-year HBsAg loss rate was 47.3% in HBeAg-positive patients with end-of-treatment HBsAg levels <300 IU/mL, while the 8-year HBsAg loss rate was 69.3% in HBeAg-negative patients with end-of-treatment HBsAg levels <200 IU/mL. Five patients experienced hepatitis flares with decompensation after stopping nucleoside analogue therapy, and one died after retreatment. Of the 48 patients who developed off-therapy HBsAg loss, two developed hepatocellular carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of HBsAg loss was relatively high and the rate of hepatic events was low in noncirrhotic patients who discontinued nucleoside analogue therapy.

Glycolysis gatekeeper PDK1 reprograms breast cancer stem cells under hypoxia.

Glycolysis is critical for cancer stem cell reprogramming; however, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we show that pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1) is enriched in breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs), whereas depletion of PDK1 remarkably diminishes ALDH+ subpopulations, decreases stemness-related transcriptional factor expression, and inhibits sphere-formation ability and tumor growth. Conversely, high levels of PDK1 enhance BCSC properties and are correlated with poor overall survival. In mouse xenograft tumor, PDK1 is accumulated in hypoxic regions and activates glycolysis to promote stem-like traits. Moreover, through screening hypoxia-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in PDK1-positive tissue, we find that lncRNA H19 is responsible for glycolysis and BCSC maintenance. Furthermore, H19 knockdown decreases PDK1 expression in hypoxia, and ablation of PDK1 counteracts H19-mediated glycolysis and self-renewal ability in vitro and in vivo. Accordingly, H19 and PDK1 expression exhibits strong correlations in primary breast carcinomas. H19 acting as a competitive endogenous RNA sequesters miRNA let-7 to release Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α, leading to an increase in PDK1 expression. Lastly, aspirin markedly attenuates glycolysis and cancer stem-like characteristics by suppressing both H19 and PDK1. Thus, these novel findings demonstrate that the glycolysis gatekeeper PDK1 has a critical role in BCSC reprogramming and provides a potential therapeutic strategy for breast malignancy.

Glycolysis gatekeeper PDK1 reprograms breast cancer stem cells under hypoxia.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/onc.2017.368.

Payload hardware and experimental protocol development to enable future testing of the effect of space microgravity on the resistance to gentamicin of uropathogenic Escherichia coli and its σs-deficient mutant.

Human immune response is compromised and bacteria can become more antibiotic resistant in space microgravity (MG). We report that under low-shear modeled microgravity (LSMMG), stationary-phase uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) become more resistant to gentamicin (Gm), and that this increase is dependent on the presence of σs (a transcription regulator encoded by the rpoS gene). UPEC causes urinary tract infections (UTIs), reported to afflict astronauts; Gm is a standard treatment, so these findings could impact astronaut health. Because LSMMG findings can differ from MG, we report preparations to examine UPEC's Gm sensitivity during spaceflight using the E. coli Anti-Microbial Satellite (EcAMSat) as a free-flying "nanosatellite" in low Earth orbit. Within EcAMSat's payload, a 48-microwell fluidic card contains and supports study of bacterial cultures at constant temperature; optical absorbance changes in cell suspensions are made at three wavelengths for each microwell and a fluid-delivery system provides growth medium and predefined Gm concentrations. Performance characterization is reported here for spaceflight prototypes of this payload system. Using conventional microtiter plates, we show that Alamar Blue (AB) absorbance changes can assess the Gm effect on E. coli viability, permitting telemetric transfer of the spaceflight data to Earth. Laboratory results using payload prototypes are consistent with wellplate and flask findings of differential sensitivity of UPEC and its ∆rpoS strain to Gm. if σs plays the same role in space MG as in LSMMG and Earth gravity, countermeasures discovered in recent Earth studies (aimed at weakening the UPEC antioxidant defense) to control UPEC infections would prove useful also in space flights. Further, EcAMSat results should clarify inconsistencies from previous space experiments on bacterial antibiotic sensitivity and other issues.

The safety profile of subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy in children with asthma in Hangzhou, East China

Background: The aim of the current study is to evaluate the prevalence, severity and possible risk factors of systemic reactions (SRs) to subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy (SCIT) in children and adolescents with asthma in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province. Methods: From January 2011 to December 2016, this survey analysed the SCIT-related SRs involving 429 patients (265 children and 134 adolescents) affected by allergic asthma. Recorded data included demographics, diagnosis, patient statuses, pulmonary function testing results before and after each injection, allergen dosage, and details of SRs. Results: All patients finished the initial phase and six patients withdrew during the maintenance phase. There were 2.59% (328/12,655) SRs in all injections (3.28% in children and 1.47% in adolescents); 15.62% (67/429) patients experienced SRs (18.49% children and 10.98% adolescents). There were 54.57% SRs of grade 1; 42.37% SRs of grade 2; 3.05% SRs of grade 3; and no grades 4 or grade 5 SRs occurred in patients. Most reactions were mild, and were readily controlled by immediate emergency treatment. There was no need for hospitalisation. The occurrence of SRs was significantly higher in children than that in adolescents (p < 0.01). A higher ratio of SRs was found among patients with moderate asthma. Conclusion: This retrospective survey showed that properly-conducted SCIT was a safe treatment for children and adolescents with asthma in Hangzhou, East China. Children and patients with moderate asthma may be prone to develop SRs (AU)

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Effects of Bacillus fermentation on the protein microstructure and anti-nutritional factors of soybean meal.

This study evaluated the effects of Bacillus fermentation on soybean meal protein (SBMP) microstructure and major anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) in soybean meal (SBM). The Bacillus siamensis isolate JL8 producing high yield of protease at 519·1 U g-1 was selected for the laboratory production of fermented soybean meal (FSBM). After 24 h fermentation, the FSBM showed better properties compared with those of SBM, the ANFs such as glycinin, ß-conglycinin and trypsin inhibitor significantly decreased by 86·0, 70·3 and 95·01%, while in vitro digestibility and absorbability increased by 8·7 and 18·9% respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of fermented soybean meal protein showed smaller aggregates and looser network than that of SBMP. Secondary structure examination of proteins revealed fermentation significantly decreased the content of ß-sheet structure by 43·2% and increased the random coil structure by 59·9%. It is demonstrated that Bacillus fermentation improved the nutritional quality of SBM through degrading ANFs and changing the microstructure of SBMP. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: There is limited information about the structural property changes of soybean protein during fermentation. In this study, physicochemical analysis of soybean meal protein showed evidence that the increase in in vitro digestibility and absorbability of fermented soybean meal reflected the decrease in ß-conformation and destruction of original structure in soybean meal protein. The results directly gained the understanding of nutritional quality improvement of soybean meal by Bacillus fermentation, and supply the potential use of Bacillus siamensis for fermented soybean meal production.