The function of the ATG8 in the cilia and cortical microtubule maintenance of Euplotes amieti.

Autophagy regulates the formation of primary cilia, which in turn affects autophagy. The relationship between autophagy and cilia is known to be bidirectional although the specific mechanisms involved have yet to be elucidated. In this study, we found for the first time that ATG8 protein localizes in the basal body of the dorsal kineties and the base of the ventral cirri in Euplotes amieti. ATG8 protein maintains the structural integrity of cilia and plays a role in the construction of the cortical ciliature and microtubule cytoskeleton associated with cilia. ATG8 gene interference leads to the degradation of IFT88, the transport protein in cilia, thus inhibiting the generation of cilia, and affecting the swing of cilia. This influences the swimming speed and cilia pattern, leading to death in Euplotes amieti.

Boron-peptide conjugates with angiopep-2 for boron neutron capture therapy.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) induces intracellular nuclear reaction to destroy cancer cells during thermal neutron irradiation. To selectively eliminate cancer cells but avoid harmful effects on normal tissues, novel boron-peptide conjugates with angiopep-2, namely ANG-B, were constructed and evaluated in preclinical settings. Boron-peptide conjugates were synthesized using solid-phase peptide synthesis, and the molecular mass was validated by mass spectrometry afterwards. Boron concentrations in 6 cancer cell lines and an intracranial glioma mouse model after treatments were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Phenylalanine (BPA) was tested in parallel for comparison. In vitro treatment with boron delivery peptides significantly increased boron uptake in cancer cells. BNCT with 5 mM ANG-B caused 86.5% ± 5.3% of clonogenic cell death, while BPA at the same concentration caused 73.3% ± 6.0% clonogenic cell death. The in vivo effect of ANG-B in an intracranial glioma mouse model was evaluated by PET/CT imaging at 31 days after BNCT. The mouse glioma tumours in the ANG-B-treated group were shrunk by 62.9% on average, while the BPA-treated tumours shrank by only 23.0%. Therefore, ANG-B is an efficient boron delivery agent, which has low cytotoxicity and high tumour-to-blood ratio. Based on these experimental results, we expected that ANG-B may leverage BNCT performance in clinical applications in future.

Human papillomavirus associated XPF deficiency increases alternative end joining and cisplatin sensitivity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: Human papillomavirus (HPV) positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) showed a considerably better prognosis with greater cisplatin sensitivity compared to their HPV-negative counterparts. Deciphering the underlying molecular mechanisms for HPV-induced cisplatin sensitivity is imperative to improve the prognosis of HPV-negative HNSCC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Fanconi anemia (FA) pathway status in HNSCC cells was analysed by detecting the cell cycle and chromosomal aberrations. XPF expression was validated using PCR, western blot, and immunohistochemistry. Droplet digital PCR and GFP expressing reporter assay were used to analyse the changes in alternative end-joining (alt-EJ) levels. The cisplatin sensitization was verified by cell proliferation assay, clonogenic cell survival assay, and TUNEL. RESULTS: HPV-positive HNSCC cells showed significant prolonged G2-M cell cycle arrest and aberrant chromosome formation under interstrand crosslinker treatment. Both mRNA and protein expression of XPF were considerably decreased in HPV-positive HNSCC, according to the analysis of cellular and clinical data. XPF inhibition upregulated the activity of the alt-EJ pathway in HPV-negative HNSCC cells by 32.02% (P < 0.001) but had little effect on HPV-positive HNSCC. Consistent with this, simultaneous suppression of XPF and alt-EJ enhanced cisplatin sensitivity of HPV-negative HNSCC in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION: HPV-positive HNSCC cells exhibit a profound FA pathway deficiency associated with reduced XPF expression. HNSCC cells with compromised XPF function are more reliant on the alt-EJ pathway for genomic stability. Combining FA and alt-EJ inhibition may be used to cope with the hard-to-treat HPV-negative HNSCC.

Fermented dairy foods consumption and depressive symptoms: A meta-analysis of cohort studies.

BACKGROUND: The gut-brain axis has been potentially proposed as a link between the intake of fermented dairy foods and depression. We carried out this meta-analysis on published cohort studies to estimate the overall depression risk of fermented dairy foods intake. METHODS: We searched the CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) and PubMed databases for all articles within a range of published years from 2010 to 2022 on the association between fermented dairy foods intake and depression. RESULTS: Finally, 8 studies met the inclusion criteria for this study, with 83,533 participants. Overall, there was statistical evidence of significantly decreased depression risk was found to be associated with fermented dairy foods intake (OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.81-0.98). In subgroup analysis, cheese and yogurt consumptions were significantly associated with decreased depression risk (OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.84-0.98 for cheese and OR = 0. 84, 95% CI = 0.72-0.99 for yogurt). However, we failed to find superabundant intake of fermented dairy foods intake decreased the risk of depression. CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis indicated that fermented dairy foods intake may have potential beneficial effect on depression via the gut-brain axis.

Serum levels of IL-12, IL-18, and IL-21 are indicators of viral load in patients chronically infected with HBV.

This study explored the correlation between interleukins (IL)-12, IL-18, and IL-21 and the viral load in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV). A total of 142 patients were consecutively enrolled. All were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive for >6 months and did not receive drug therapy. An ELISA kit was used to test the IL-12, IL-18, IL-21, and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) levels in serum samples from chronic HBV patients and healthy control groups. The amounts of IL-12 and IL-18 were highest in the 5-6log10 (high viral load) group, while IL-21 was highest in the 3-4log10 (low viral load) group. Also, the IL-21 amount was decreased in the HBsAg+/HBeAg/HBcAb+ group, and IL-12, IL-18, and IL-21 were decreased in the normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) group compared to the abnormal ALT group. These data suggested that IL-12, IL-18, and IL-21 serum levels were positively correlated with disease progression and could reflect disease severity for different HBV-DNA loads. Detection of IL-12, IL-18, and IL-21 levels was found to be helpful for evaluating the degree of liver cell damage and predicting the progression of hepatitis.

Dual-wavelength-excitation aerosol fluorescence spectra detection using combined spectrometer with Czerny-Turner design.

We developed a dual-wavelength-excitation aerosol fluorescence spectra detection device prototype. In our system, the 263 nm and 355 nm lasers are used to sequentially excite the fluorescence of aerosol stream, which is located spatially and temporally by two crossed infrared lasers; a bifurcated fiber bundle is applied to receive the fluorescence spectra of 274-463 nm and 374-565 nm. Besides, with a 32-channel photomultiplier tube as detector, a self-developed combined spectrometer with Czerny-Turner design is employed to detect the two band spectra in a preset timing sequence. Experiments show that the system can detect the fluorescence spectra, after dual-wavelength-excitation, of three intrinsic fluorophore samples and three bioaerosol samples.

Risk factors for depression and anxiety in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of anxiety and depression in pregnant women has significantly increased after the spread of COVID-19 throughout the world. We carried out this meta-analysis to reveal the information about risk factors for depression and anxiety in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We searched the PubMed, Embase and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) databases for all articles. The odds ratio (OR) corresponding to the 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was used to assess the risk factors for mental health. The statistical heterogeneity among studies was assessed with the Q-test and I2 statistics. RESULTS: We collected 17 studies including 15,050 pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results found that factors including decrease in the perception of general support and difficulties in household finances have damage effects on anxiety, and factors including undereducated, unemployed during pregnancy, with a chronic physical illness before pregnancy, decrease in the perception of general support, difficulties in household finances, disobey the isolation rules, and smoking during pregnancy have increased risk of depression. CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis revealed some risk factors for mental health in pregnant women during COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health interventions in pregnant women may involve targeted methods individually.

Serum levels of IL-12, IL-18, and IL-21 are indicators of viral load in patients chronically infected with HBV

This study explored the correlation between interleukins (IL)-12, IL-18, and IL-21 and the viral load in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV). A total of 142 patients were consecutively enrolled. All were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive for >6 months and did not receive drug therapy. An ELISA kit was used to test the IL-12, IL-18, IL-21, and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) levels in serum samples from chronic HBV patients and healthy control groups. The amounts of IL-12 and IL-18 were highest in the 5-6log10 (high viral load) group, while IL-21 was highest in the 3-4log10 (low viral load) group. Also, the IL-21 amount was decreased in the HBsAg+/HBeAg/HBcAb+ group, and IL-12, IL-18, and IL-21 were decreased in the normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) group compared to the abnormal ALT group. These data suggested that IL-12, IL-18, and IL-21 serum levels were positively correlated with disease progression and could reflect disease severity for different HBV-DNA loads. Detection of IL-12, IL-18, and IL-21 levels was found to be helpful for evaluating the degree of liver cell damage and predicting the progression of hepatitis.

Low-dose aspirin use and cancer-specific mortality: a meta-analysis of cohort studies.

BACKGROUND: Considering the increased risk of bleeding caused by aspirin, and the observed benefit in all-cause mortality may be due to an improvement in cardiovascular-related mortality. We carried out this meta-analysis to estimate the association of low-dose aspirin use and risk of cancer-specific mortality. METHODS: We searched the PubMed and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases for all articles within a range of published years from 1980 to 2018. RESULTS: Finally, 13 published cohort studies with 65 768 patients were available for estimating overall risk of cancer-specific mortality associating with post-diagnosis low-dose aspirin use, and 4 cohort studies were available for pre-diagnosis low-dose aspirin use with 16 654 patients. Overall, statistical evidence of significantly decreased cancer-specific mortality was found to be associated with post-diagnosis low-dose aspirin use (OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.75-0.93), but not with pre-diagnosis low-dose aspirin use. In terms of subgroup analyses by cancer type, post-diagnosis low-dose aspirin use was significantly with decreased cancer-specific mortality for digestive tract cancer including colorectal cancer, esophageal cancer and gastric cancer. CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis indicated that post-diagnosis but not pre-diagnosis low-dose aspirin use may reduce cancer-specific mortality.

Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Cancer Risk: Evidence from Meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Weight loss after bariatric surgery yields important health benefits. A multitude of observational studies have investigated the association of bariatric surgery for severe obesity with the risk of cancer. However, the results were debatable. The aim of the present study was to estimate the effect of bariatric surgery on overall cancer risk. METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed to identify studies evaluating the association of bariatric surgery for severe obesity with the risk of cancer. Meta-analysis was performed to calculate combined prevalence. RESULTS: Twenty-one cohort studies with 304,516 patients with obesity having under gone bariatric surgery and 8,492,408 patients with obesity as controls were included. Meta-analysis found decreased cancer risk to be associated with bariatric surgery (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.48-0.66), both for the incidence of cancer (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.46-0.68) and mortality of cancer (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.41-0.75). In subgroup analysis, bariatric surgery was significantly associated with decreased breast cancer risk and endometrial cancer risk, but not associated with other cancer risk. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis indicated that bariatric surgery for severe obesity was associated with decreased cancer risk, both for cancer incidence and mortality. Moreover, further studies estimating the functional effect and side effects may eventually provide a better, comprehensive understanding.

Polarimetric target depth sensing in ambient illumination based on polarization-coded structured light.

Depth sensing is a basic issue in three-dimensional computer vision, and structured light is one of the most prevailing methods for it. However, complex surroundings and strong ambient illumination are fairly unfavorable to depth sensing based on structured light. Complex surroundings increase computation overhead and require extra effort to be separated from the target object. Strong ambient illumination is unfavorable to the signal-noise ratio of structured light and, thus, increases the difficulty of decoding. In this paper, we propose that the polarization-coded structured light is capable of target enhanced depth sensing in ambient illumination. We present the polarimetric principle, an improved algorithm of polarization-coded structured light, and signal-noise-ratio analysis in ambient illumination. Experimental results show that polarization-coded structured light is efficient and robust for target depth sensing of a complicated environment. The polarization-coded structured light is promising to the target depth sensing in an outdoor scenario and industrial inspection.

Role of psychosocial factors and serotonin transporter genotype in male adolescent criminal activity.

INTRODUCTION: Violent behavior is influenced by various environmental factors and the serotonergic circuitry alike. Nevertheless, studies on relations among genes, personality, social environment, and juvenile violent behavior are limited, and there is no such study in China. METHODS: In the current study, we aimed to investigate the contribution of serotonin transporter (5-HTT) polymorphisms to the development of violence and to explore the relations among genes, personality, social environment, and juvenile violent behavior in China. We recruited 213 male adolescents with violent crime history and 145 male adolescents without violent crime history. The association between each risk factor and violent behavior for all the participants was examined, and the interrelation of the domains (personality, family, social support, coping style, impulsivity, and aggression) and the adolescents' violent behavior was analyzed. Chi-square test was used to examine the association between genotypes and violent behavior. RESULTS: Adolescents with a violent crime history had lower education levels, higher neuroticism and psychoticism, but lower dissimulate. Social support and coping style were significantly associated with their criminal behaviors. DISCUSSION: The 5-HTTLPR genotype distributions differed significantly between the violent and nonviolent groups.

Characterization and mucosal responses of interleukin 17 family ligand and receptor genes in channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus.

Interleukin (IL) 17 family cytokines are important mediators of mucosal immune responses, tightly regulated by signals from the complex milieu of pathogenic and commensal microbes, epithelial cells and innate and adaptive leukocytes found at tissue barriers. In mammals, IL17 ligand expression has been linked not only to protective immunity but also excessive tissue inflammation and damage in the gut and lungs. To better understand the scope and action of the IL17 family in channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus, we identified and characterized seven IL17 ligands and four IL17 receptor (IL17R) homologues from transcriptomic and genomic databases. To gain insight into the mucosal actions of the IL17A/Fs-associated pathway in inflammatory processes, the expression profiles of three IL17A/Fs and their putative receptors IL17RA and IL17RC in mucosal tissues of catfish following experimental challenge with Edwardsiella ictaluri and Flavobacterium columnare were investigated. Bacterial challenge induced higher expression of the catfish IL17A/Fs as early at 4 h post-infection, particularly in gill tissue. In contrast, in the catfish intestine, where IL17 function is best understood in mouse models, IL17A/F expression showed minimal early responses to E. ictaluri infection. Instead, a significant up-regulation of IL17 ligands and receptors was observed in the intestine at 7 d, highlighting species and tissue-specific regulation of the IL17 family.

Transcriptomic profiling of differential responses to drought in two freshwater mussel species, the giant floater Pyganodon grandis and the pondhorn Uniomerus tetralasmus.

The southeastern US has experienced recurrent drought during recent decades. Increasing demand for water, as precipitation decreases, exacerbates stress on the aquatic biota of the Southeast: a global hotspot for freshwater mussel, crayfish, and fish diversity. Freshwater unionid mussels are ideal candidates to study linkages between ecophysiological and behavioral responses to drought. Previous work on co-occurring mussel species suggests a coupling of physiology and behavior along a gradient ranging from intolerant species such as Pyganodon grandis (giant floater) that track receding waters and rarely burrow in the substrates to tolerant species such as Uniomerus tetralasmus (pondhorn) that rarely track receding waters, but readily burrow into the drying sediments. We utilized a next-generation sequencing-based RNA-Seq approach to examine heat/desiccation-induced transcriptomic profiles of these two species in order to identify linkages between patterns of gene expression, physiology and behavior. Sequencing produced over 425 million 100 bp reads. Using the de novo assembly package Trinity, we assembled the short reads into 321,250 contigs from giant floater (average length 835 bp) and 385,735 contigs from pondhorn (average length 929 bp). BLAST-based annotation and gene expression analysis revealed 2,832 differentially expressed genes in giant floater and 2,758 differentially expressed genes in pondhorn. Trancriptomic responses included changes in molecular chaperones, oxidative stress profiles, cell cycling, energy metabolism, immunity, and cytoskeletal rearrangements. Comparative analyses between species indicated significantly higher induction of molecular chaperones and cytoskeletal elements in the intolerant P. grandis as well as important differences in genes regulating apoptosis and immunity.

Heavy metals in surface sediments of the Jialu River, China: their relations to environmental factors.

This work investigated heavy metal pollution in surface sediments of the Jialu River, China. Sediment samples were collected at 19 sites along the river in connection with field surveys and the total concentrations were determined using atomic fluorescence spectrometer and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer. Sediment samples with higher metal concentrations were collected from the upper reach of the river, while sediments in the middle and lower reaches had relatively lower metal concentrations. Multivariate techniques including Pearson correlation, hierarchical cluster and principal components analysis were used to evaluate the metal sources. The ecological risk associated with the heavy metals in sediments was rated as moderate based on the assessments using methods of consensus-based Sediment Quality Guidelines, Potential Ecological Risk Index and Geo-accumulation Index. The relations between heavy metals and various environmental factors (i.e., chemical properties of sediments, water quality indices and aquatic organism indices) were also studied. Nitrate nitrogen, total nitrogen, and total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentrations in sediments showed a co-release behavior with heavy metals. Ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen, orthophosphate, total phosphate and permanganate index in water were found to be related to metal sedimentation. Heavy metals in sediments posed a potential impact on the benthos community.

L-Rhamnose-binding lectins (RBLs) in channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus: Characterization and expression profiling in mucosal tissues.

Rhamnose-binding lectins (RBLs) have recently emerged as important molecules in the context of innate immunity in teleost fishes. Previously, using RNA-seq technology, we observed marked up-regulation of a RBL in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) gill following a challenge with the bacterial pathogen Flavobacterium columnare. Furthermore, the magnitude of RBL up-regulation positively correlated with disease susceptibility. Moving forward from these findings, we wished to more broadly understand RBL function, diversity, and expression kinetics in channel catfish. Therefore, in the present study we characterized the RBL gene family present in select channel catfish tissues and profiled family member expression after challenge with two different Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. Here, six RBLs were identified from channel catfish and were designated IpRBL1a, IpRBL1b, IpRBL1c, IpRBL3a, IpRBL3b, and IpRBL5a. These RBLs contained carbohydrate recognition domains (CRD) ranging from one to three domains and each CRD contained the conserved motifs of -YGR- and -DPC-. Despite a level of structural conservation, the catfish RBLs showed low full-length identity with RBLs from outside the order Siluriformes. IpRBL expression after bacterial infection varied depending on both pathogen and tissue type, suggesting that IpRBLs may exert disparate functions or exhibit distinct tissue-selective roles in the host immune response to bacterial pathogens.

Evasion of mucosal defenses during Aeromonas hydrophila infection of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) skin.

The mucosal surfaces of fish serve as the first line of defense against the myriad of aquatic pathogens present in the aquatic environment. The immune repertoire functioning at these interfaces is still poorly understood. The skin, in particular, must process signals from several fronts, sensing and integrating environmental, nutritional, social, and health cues. Pathogen invasion can disrupt this delicate homeostasis with profound impacts on signaling throughout the organism. Here, we investigated the transcriptional effects of virulent Aeromonas hydrophila infection in channel catfish skin, Ictalurus punctatus. We utilized a new 8 × 60 K Agilent microarray for catfish to examine gene expression profiles at critical early timepoints following challenge--2 h, 8 h, and 12 h. Expression of a total of 2,168 unique genes was significantly perturbed during at least one timepoint. We observed dysregulation of genes involved in antioxidant, cytoskeletal, immune, junctional, and nervous system pathways. In particular, A. hydrophila infection rapidly altered a number of potentially critical lectins, chemokines, interleukins, and other mucosal factors in a manner predicted to enhance its ability to adhere to and invade the catfish host.

Prevalence of mental disorders in the male juvenile detention centers of Hunan and Sichuan.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of mental health problems in male violent offenders of Hunan and Sichuan Provinces; and to compare the types and severity of problems between the violent and nonviolent offenders. METHODS: Ninety-one violent juvenile offenders and 64 nonviolent juvenile offenders in the juvenile detention centers of Hunan, and 81 violent juvenile offenders in the juvenile detention centers of Sichuan; 39 high school students from a middle school of Hunan Province and 49 from a middle school of Sichuan Province were investigated using the Investigation Screening Inventory for Child Mental Disorder and the Kiddy Schedule for Affective Diseases and Schizophrenia (K-SADS-PL), and classified according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. RESULTS: In the Hunan violent group, 86.6% met the criterion of conduct disorder (CD), 17.6% of substance abuse, 9.9% of substance dependence, while in the Hunan nonviolent group, 75.0% met the criterion of CD, and 11.7% of substance abuse; these were all significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.05). In the Sichuan violent group, 17.3% met the criterion of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 18.5% of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), 69.1% of CD, and 22.2% of substance abuse; these were all significantly higher than those of the Sichuan control group. Moreover, 63.7% of Hunan-violent, 55.6% of Sichuan-violent, and 45.0% of Hunan-nonviolent offenders had a previous offence records. CONCLUSION: Mental and behavioral disorders among delinquent youth is becoming a serious problem, and there is an urgent need to develop and implement effective assessment and treatment approaches for juvenile offenders with the aim of reducing offence and recidivism in this population.

[Diagnosis of "unspecified psychotic disorder" in identifying criminal responsibility].

OBJECTIVE: To explore diagnosis and management of "unspecified psychotic disorder" in determination of criminal responsibility. METHODS: Analysis of 12 cases of "unspecified psychotic disorder" during determination of criminal responsibility in Sichuan Forensic Expertise Center in Southwest China from January 2006 to July 2007. RESULTS: The main reason to diagnose unspecified psychotic disorder was there were insufficient information and findings . Descriptions of mental abnormalities were not complete and were atypical (83.3%). Even if "unspecified psychotic disorder" was diagnosed, it was still possible to determine criminal responsibility by its motivation and intention to escape. 75% suspects were determined to bear limited criminal responsibility and 25% were not criminally responsible. CONCLUSION: The unspecified psychotic disorder is a provisional diagnosis. It should be used cautiously in the course of jurisdictional identification of mental diseases.