Oral hygiene status and oral care motivation in children aged 7-9 years in a Vietnam primary school: A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Oral hygiene is a crucial factor in oral health, especially in children. To increase the awareness of oral care behaviour among children, oral care motivation plays a critical role in daily dental practices. Therefore, this cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the current oral hygiene status and evaluate the association between oral care motivation and oral hygiene index in 7-9-year-old children at Primary School in Hanoi, Vietnam. METHODS: Clinical examinations were performed on 200 randomly selected children to assess the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S). Face-to-face interviews were applied to record students' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for oral care through a questionnaire, which consisted of questions regarding demographic characteristics and oral care motivation. Data were analyzed using STATA 15.0 software and a p-value < 0.05 was statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean OHI-S score was 2.48 ± 0.72. Good and fair oral hygiene were observed in 7.5 % and 66 % of participants, respectively. Students' motivation for dental care was predominantly extrinsic, with a mean score of 15.87 ± 1.322. Higher motivation in dental care is statistically significantly associated with oral hygiene index score (Coef=-0.27). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that students with intrinsic motivation exhibit better oral hygiene practices. Consequently, strengthening oral health educational programs in primary schools based on intrinsic motivation could be helped improve the oral hygiene status and oral care behaviours of children.

Rice Yellow Mottle Virus resistance by genome editing of the Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica nucleoporin gene OsCPR5.1 but not OsCPR5.2.

Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) causes one of the most devastating rice diseases in Africa. Management of RYMV is challenging. Genetic resistance provides the most effective and environment-friendly control. The recessive resistance locus rymv2 (OsCPR5.1) had been identified in African rice (Oryza glaberrima), however, introgression into Oryza sativa ssp. japonica and indica remains challenging due to crossing barriers. Here, we evaluated whether CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing of the two rice nucleoporin paralogs OsCPR5.1 (RYMV2) and OsCPR5.2 can be used to introduce RYMV resistance into the japonica variety Kitaake. Both paralogs had been shown to complement the defects of the Arabidopsis atcpr5 mutant, indicating partial redundancy. Despite striking sequence and structural similarities between the two paralogs, only oscpr5.1 loss-of-function mutants were fully resistant, while loss-of-function oscpr5.2 mutants remained susceptible, intimating that OsCPR5.1 plays a specific role in RYMV susceptibility. Notably, edited lines with short in-frame deletions or replacements in the N-terminal domain (predicted to be unstructured) of OsCPR5.1 were hypersusceptible to RYMV. In contrast to mutations in the single Arabidopsis AtCPR5 gene, which caused severely dwarfed plants, oscpr5.1 and oscpr5.2 single and double knockout mutants showed neither substantial growth defects nor symptoms indicative lesion mimic phenotypes, possibly reflecting functional differentiation. The specific editing of OsCPR5.1, while maintaining OsCPR5.2 activity, provides a promising strategy for generating RYMV-resistance in elite Oryza sativa lines as well as for effective stacking with other RYMV resistance genes or other traits.

Enhancing human resilience beyond COVID-19-related stress: public responses to multi-benefits of home gardening.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused a public health crisis globally. Against the backdrop of global resilience, studies have demonstrated the therapeutic value of home gardening as a measure to strengthen human health. However, there is a lack of comparative studies on its benefits across countries. Studies need to examine the role of home gardening in improving public health in various societies to understand and encourage this practice broadly and effectively. We chose Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam as case studies, which have suffered substantial pandemic impacts, with millions of infections and thousands of deaths. We explored and compared the perceptions of people on home gardening and its health benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted online surveys in three countries between May 1 and September 30, 2022, with a total of 1172 participants. Data were collated on perceived pandemic stress, challenges and solutions in gardening, home gardening intentions, and mental and physical health benefits. In these countries, we found that perceived pandemic stress positively affects home gardening intentions, whereby the motivation of Vietnamese people is the highest. Challenges hinder gardening intentions, while the solutions only positively affect gardening intentions in Taiwan and Vietnam. Home gardening intentions positively affect mental and physical health, whereby there are higher mental health benefits in Taiwanese people than in Thai people. Our findings potentially support public health recovery and promote healthy lifestyles during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Genome editing of an African elite rice variety confers resistance against endemic and emerging Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae strains.

Bacterial leaf blight (BB) of rice, caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), threatens global food security and the livelihood of small-scale rice producers. Analyses of Xoo collections from Asia, Africa and the Americas demonstrated complete continental segregation, despite robust global rice trade. Here, we report unprecedented BB outbreaks in Tanzania. The causative strains, unlike endemic African Xoo, carry Asian-type TAL effectors targeting the sucrose transporter SWEET11a and iTALes suppressing Xa1. Phylogenomics clustered these strains with Xoo from Southern-China. African rice varieties do not carry effective resistance. To protect African rice production against this emerging threat, we developed a hybrid CRISPR-Cas9/Cpf1 system to edit all known TALe-binding elements in three SWEET promoters of the East African elite variety Komboka. The edited lines show broad-spectrum resistance against Asian and African strains of Xoo, including strains recently discovered in Tanzania. The strategy could help to protect global rice crops from BB pandemics.

OsSWEET11b, a potential sixth leaf blight susceptibility gene involved in sugar transport-dependent male fertility.

SWEETs play important roles in intercellular sugar transport. Induction of SWEET sugar transporters by Transcription Activator-Like effectors (TALe) of Xanthomonas ssp. is key for virulence in rice, cassava and cotton. We identified OsSWEET11b with roles in male fertility and potential bacterial blight (BB) susceptibility in rice. While single ossweet11a or 11b mutants were fertile, double mutants were sterile. As clade III SWEETs can transport gibberellin (GA), a key hormone for spikelet fertility, sterility and BB susceptibility might be explained by GA transport deficiencies. However, in contrast with the Arabidopsis homologues, OsSWEET11b did not mediate detectable GA transport. Fertility and susceptibility therefore are likely to depend on sucrose transport activity. Ectopic induction of OsSWEET11b by designer TALe enabled TALe-free Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) to cause disease, identifying OsSWEET11b as a potential BB susceptibility gene and demonstrating that the induction of host sucrose uniporter activity is key to virulence of Xoo. Notably, only three of six clade III SWEETs are targeted by known Xoo strains from Asia and Africa. The identification of OsSWEET11b is relevant for fertility and for protecting rice against emerging Xoo strains that target OsSWEET11b.

Effect of provincial competitiveness index on enterprise attraction in the Central Highlands, Vietnam.

This study aims to make a critical review of provincial competitiveness index (PCI) in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. In this regard, the research examines relationships between PCI and the possible attraction of enterprises operating in the region, thereafter, proposes some policy recommendations to improve business environment in the region. The secondary dataset of PCI and enterprise were incorporate with primary data collected from qualitative methods to explore the effect of PCI on enterprise attraction. The results show that the enterprises which have been operating in the Central Highlands accounted for 2.2% of the total with invested capital and accounted for 1.1% of whole country in 2018. PCI highly correlates with the number of enterprises, the employees and the capital of enterprises. Consequently, in order to attract enterprises, local governments in the region need to improve sub-indexes thereby improving general PCI scores.

Evaluation of an automated insulated isothermal polymerase chain reaction system for rapid and reliable, on-site detection of African swine fever virus.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the utility of an automated insulated isothermal PCR (iiPCR) system for rapid and reliable on-site detection of African swine fever virus (ASFV) in swine biological samples. SAMPLE: Lymph node, tissue homogenate, whole blood, serum, spleen, and tonsil samples collected from swine in North and South Vietnam. PROCEDURES: Analytic sensitivity of the iiPCR system was determined by serial dilution and analysis of 2 samples (swine tissue homogenate and blood) predetermined to be positive for ASFV. Analytic specificity was assessed by analysis of 2 samples predetermined to be negative for ASFV and positive or negative for other swine pathogens (classical swine fever virus, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, foot-and-mouth disease virus, and porcine circovirus type 2). Diagnostic performance of the iiPCR system for detection of ASFV was determined by analysis of the various tissue sample types. For all tests, a real-time PCR assay was used as the reference method. RESULTS: The iiPCR system was able to detect ASFV in swine blood or tissue homogenate at dilutions up to 106, whereas the real-time PCR assay was able to detect dilutions of up to 105 or 106. The iiPCR system had high analytic specificity for detection of ASFV versus other swine pathogens. Between 97% and 100% agreement was found between results of the iiPCR system for the various tissue samples and results of real-time PCR assay. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The evaluated iiPCR system was found to be a rapid, reliable, and sample-flexible method for ASFV detection and may be useful for disease surveillance and quarantine in national strategies for early ASF control.

Metal-Organic Frameworks Reinforce the Carbon Nanotube Sponge-Derived Robust Three-Dimensional Sulfur Host for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Sulfur is a prospective material for next-generation batteries with high theoretical capacity, but its drawbacks hinder its commercialization. To overcome the low conductivity of natural sulfur and the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfide, the study proposes a novel sulfur film coated with three-dimensional nitrogen and cobalt-codoped polyhedral carbon wrapped on a multiwalled carbon nanotube sponge (3D-S@NCoCPC sponge) composite as a high-performance cathode material for rechargeable lithium-sulfur batteries. The interconnected conductive carbon network with abundant pores provides more room for the homogeneous distribution of sulfur within the composite and creates a favorable pathway for electrolyte permeability and lithium-ion diffusion. Moreover, the strong interaction between cobalt and lithium polysulfides leads to efficient suppression of the shuttle effect. In addition, the homogeneous distribution of sulfur and cobalt within the composite enhances electronic transfer for the conversion reaction of sulfur. As expected, the cathode with a high sulfur content of 77.5 wt % in the composite achieved a high initial discharge capacity of 1192 mA h g-1 and high Coulombic efficiency of 99.98% after 100 cycles at 100 mA g-1 current density. Stable performance was achieved with 92.9% capacity retention after 200 cycles at 1000 mA/g current density.

Novel Conjugated Quinazolinone-Based Hydroxamic Acids: Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation.

BACKGROUND: The target-based approach to drug discovery currently attracts a great deal of interest from medicinal chemists in anticancer drug discovery and development. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors represent an extensive class of targeted anti-cancer agents. Among the most explored structure moieties, hydroxybenzamides and hydroxypropenamides have been demonstrated to have potential HDAC inhibitory effects. Several compounds of these structural classes have been approved for clinical uses to treat different types of cancer, such as vorinostat and belinostat. AIMS: This study aims at developing novel HDAC inhibitors bearing conjugated quinazolinone scaffolds with potential cytotoxicity against different cancer cell lines. METHODS: A series of novel N-hydroxyheptanamides incorporating conjugated 6-hydroxy-2 methylquinazolin- 4(3H)-ones (15a-l) was designed, synthesized and evaluated for HDAC inhibitory potency as well as cytotoxicity against three human cancer cell lines, including HepG-2, MCF-7 and SKLu-1. Molecular simulations were finally performed to gain more insight into the structureactivity relationships. RESULTS: It was found that among novel conjugated quinazolinone-based hydroxamic acids synthesized, compounds 15a, 15c and 15f were the most potent, both in terms of HDAC inhibition and cytotoxicity. Especially, compound 15f displayed up to nearly 4-fold more potent than SAHA (vorinostat) in terms of cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cell line with IC50 value of 1.86 µM, and HDAC inhibition with IC50 value of 6.36 µM. Docking experiments on HDAC2 isozyme showed that these compounds bound to HDAC2 with binding affinities ranging from -10.08 to -14.93 kcal/mol compared to SAHA (-15.84 kcal/mol). It was also found in this research that most of the target compounds seemed to be more cytotoxic toward SKLu-1than MCF-7 and HepG-2. CONCLUSION: The resesrch results suggest that some hydroxamic acids could emerge for further evaluation and the results are well served as basics for further design of more potent HDAC inhibitors and antitumor agents.

Discovery of Roblitinib (FGF401) as a Reversible-Covalent Inhibitor of the Kinase Activity of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 4.

FGF19 signaling through the FGFR4/ß-klotho receptor complex has been shown to be a key driver of growth and survival in a subset of hepatocellular carcinomas, making selective FGFR4 inhibition an attractive treatment opportunity. A kinome-wide sequence alignment highlighted a poorly conserved cysteine residue within the FGFR4 ATP-binding site at position 552, two positions beyond the gate-keeper residue. Several strategies for targeting this cysteine to identify FGFR4 selective inhibitor starting points are summarized which made use of both rational and unbiased screening approaches. The optimization of a 2-formylquinoline amide hit series is described in which the aldehyde makes a hemithioacetal reversible-covalent interaction with cysteine 552. Key challenges addressed during the optimization are improving the FGFR4 potency, metabolic stability, and solubility leading ultimately to the highly selective first-in-class clinical candidate roblitinib.

Efficient Agrobacterium-mediated Transformation of The Elite-Indica Rice Variety Komboka.

Genetic transformation is crucial for both investigating gene functions and for engineering of crops to introduce new traits. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an important model in plant research, since it is the staple food for more than half of the world's population. As a result, numerous transformation methods have been developed for both indica and japonica rice. Since breeders continuously develop new rice varieties, transformation protocols have to be adapted for each new variety. Here we provide an optimized transformation protocol with detailed tips and tricks for a new African variety Komboka using immature embryos. In Komboka, we obtained an apparent transformation rate of up to 48% for GUS/GFP reporter gene constructs using this optimized protocol. This protocol is also applicable for use with other elite indica rice varieties.

Li7La3Zr2O12 Garnet Solid Polymer Electrolyte for Highly Stable All-Solid-State Batteries.

All-solid-state batteries have gained significant attention as promising candidates to replace liquid electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries for high safety, energy storage performance, and stability under elevated temperature conditions. However, the low ionic conductivity and unsuitability of lithium metal in solid polymer electrolytes is a critical problem. To resolve this, we used a cubic garnet oxide electrolyte (Li7La3Zr2O12 - LLZO) and ionic liquid in combination with a polymer electrolyte to produce a composite electrolyte membrane. By applying a solid polymer electrolyte on symmetric stainless steel, the composite electrolyte membrane shows high ionic conductivity at elevated temperatures. The effect of LLZO in suppressing lithium dendrite growth within the composite electrolyte was confirmed through symmetric lithium stripping/plating tests under various current densities showing small polarization voltages. The full cell with lithium iron phosphate as the cathode active material achieved a highest specific capacity of 137.4 mAh g-1 and a high capacity retention of 98.47% after 100 cycles at a current density of 50 mA g-1 and a temperature of 60°C. Moreover, the specific discharge capacities were 137 and 100.8 mAh g-1 at current densities of 100 and 200 mA g-1, respectively. This research highlights the capability of solid polymer electrolytes to suppress the evolution of lithium dendrites and enhance the performance of all-solid-state batteries.

Isolation of Penicillium citrinum from Roots of Clerodendron cyrtophyllum and Application in Biosynthesis of Aglycone Isoflavones from Soybean Waste Fermentation.

Soybeans offer an abundant source of isoflavones, which confer useful bioactivities when existing in aglycone forms. The conversion of isoflavones into aglycones via fermentation of soybean products is often realized by ß-glucosidase, an enzyme produced by fungi. In this study, a filamentous fungus, Clerodendron cyrtophyllum, was isolated from root of Clerodendron cyrtophyllum Turcz, which was able to produce the highest activity of ß-glucosidase up to 33.72 U/mL at 144 h during fermentation on Potato Dextrose Broth (PDB). The obtained fungus was grown on isoflavones-rich soybean extract to produce genistein and daidzein, achieving the conversion rate of 98.7%. Genistein and daidzein were isolated and purified by column chromatography using hexane/acetone (29:1/1:1), reaching purities of over 90% of total isoflavones, as identified and determined by TLC, LC-MS/MS, and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. These results imply that the isolated P. citrinum is a potential fungal strain for industrial-scale production of genistein and daidzein from isoflavones-containing soybean extracts. These products may serve as potential raw materials for manufacture of functional foods that are based on aglycones.

Broad-spectrum resistance to bacterial blight in rice using genome editing.

Bacterial blight of rice is an important disease in Asia and Africa. The pathogen, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), secretes one or more of six known transcription-activator-like effectors (TALes) that bind specific promoter sequences and induce, at minimum, one of the three host sucrose transporter genes SWEET11, SWEET13 and SWEET14, the expression of which is required for disease susceptibility. We used CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing to introduce mutations in all three SWEET gene promoters. Editing was further informed by sequence analyses of TALe genes in 63 Xoo strains, which revealed multiple TALe variants for SWEET13 alleles. Mutations were also created in SWEET14, which is also targeted by two TALes from an African Xoo lineage. A total of five promoter mutations were simultaneously introduced into the rice line Kitaake and the elite mega varieties IR64 and Ciherang-Sub1. Paddy trials showed that genome-edited SWEET promoters endow rice lines with robust, broad-spectrum resistance.

Diagnostic kit for rice blight resistance.

Blight-resistant rice lines are the most effective solution for bacterial blight, caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). Key resistance mechanisms involve SWEET genes as susceptibility factors. Bacterial transcription activator-like (TAL) effectors bind to effector-binding elements (EBEs) in SWEET gene promoters and induce SWEET genes. EBE variants that cannot be recognized by TAL effectors abrogate induction, causing resistance. Here we describe a diagnostic kit to enable analysis of bacterial blight in the field and identification of suitable resistant lines. Specifically, we include a SWEET promoter database, RT-PCR primers for detecting SWEET induction, engineered reporter rice lines to visualize SWEET protein accumulation and knock-out rice lines to identify virulence mechanisms in bacterial isolates. We also developed CRISPR-Cas9 genome-edited Kitaake rice to evaluate the efficacy of EBE mutations in resistance, software to predict the optimal resistance gene set for a specific geographic region, and two resistant 'mega' rice lines that will empower farmers to plant lines that are most likely to resist rice blight.

High Lithium Ion Transport Through rGO-Wrapped LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 Cathode Material for High-Rate Capable Lithium Ion Batteries.

In this work, we show an effective ultrasonication-assisted self-assembly method under surfactant solution for a high-rate capable rGO-wrapped LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 (Ni-rich cathode material) composite. Ultrasonication indicates the pulverization of the aggregated bulk material into primary nanoparticles, which is effectively beneficial for synthesizing a homogeneous wrapped composite with rGO. The cathode composite demonstrates a high initial capacity of 196.5 mAh/g and a stable capacity retention of 83% after 100 cycles at a current density of 20 mA/g. The high-rate capability shows 195 and 140 mAh/g at a current density of 50 and 500 mA/g, respectively. The high-rate capable performance is attributed to the rapid lithium ion diffusivity, which is confirmed by calculating the transformation kinetics of the lithium ion by galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) measurement. The lithium ion diffusion rate (D Li) of the rGO-wrapped LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 composite is ca. 20 times higher than that of lithium metal plating on anode during the charge procedure, and this is demonstrated by the high interconnection of LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 and conductive rGO sheets in the composite. The unique transformation kinetics of the cathode composite presented in this study is an unprecedented verification example of a high-rate capable Ni-rich cathode material wrapped by highly conductive rGO sheets.

Development of conditional cell lysis mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as production hosts by modulating OCH1 and CHS3 expression.

The traditional yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been widely used as a host for the production of recombinant proteins and metabolites with industrial potential. However, its thick and rigid cell wall presents problems for the effective recovery of products. In this study, we modulated the expression of ScOCH1, encoding the α-1,6-mannosyltransferase responsible for outer chain biosynthesis of N-glycans, and ScCHS3, encoding the chitin synthase III required for synthesis of the majority of cell wall chitin, by exploiting the repressible ScMET3 promoter. The conditional single mutants PMET3-OCH1 and PMET3-CHS3 and the double mutant PMET3-OCH1/PMET3-CHS3 showed comparable growth to the wild-type strain under normal conditions but exhibited increased sensitivity to temperature and cell wall-disturbing agents in the presence of methionine. Such conditional growth defects were fully recovered by supplementation with 1 M sorbitol. The osmotic lysis of the conditional mutants cultivated with methionine was sufficient to release the intracellularly expressed recombinant protein, nodavirus capsid protein, with up to 60% efficiency, compared to lysis by glass bead breakage. These mutant strains also showed approximately three-fold-enhanced secretion of a recombinant extracellular glycoprotein, Saccharomycopsis fibuligera ß-glucosidase, with markedly reduced hypermannosylation, particularly in the PMET3-OCH1 mutants. Furthermore, a substantial increase of extracellular glutathione production, up to four-fold, was achieved with the conditional mutant yeast cells. Together, our data support that the conditional cell wall lysis mutants constructed based on the modulation of ScOCH1 and ScCHS3 expression would likely be useful hosts for the improved recovery of proteins and metabolites with industrial application.

A Novel Non-invasive Approach for Measuring Upper Airway Collapsibility in Mice.

Introduction: Invasive procedures were previously developed for measuring pharyngeal collapsibility in rodents during expiration, when declining neuromuscular activity makes the airway unstable. We developed a non-invasive approach for streamlining collapsibility measurements by characterizing responses in physiologic markers of dynamic expiratory airflow obstruction to negative nasal pressure challenges. Methods: Anesthetized mice were instrumented to monitor upper airway pressure-flow relationships with head-out plethysmography while nasal pressure was ramped down from ~ +5 to -20 cm H2O over several breaths. Inspiratory and expiratory flow, volume, and timing characteristics were assessed breath-wise. Pcrit was estimated at transitions in expiratory amplitude and timing parameters, and compared to gold standard PCRIT measurements when nasal and tracheal pressures diverged during expiration. Predictions equations were constructed in a development data set (n = 8) and applied prospectively to a validation data set (n = 16) to estimate gold standard PCRIT. Results: The development data demonstrated that abrupt reversals in expiratory duration and tidal volume during nasal pressure ramps predicted gold standard PCRIT measurements. After applying regression equations from the development to a validation dataset, we found that a combination of expiratory amplitude and timing parameters proved to be robust predictors of gold standard PCRIT with minimal bias and narrow confidence intervals. Conclusions: Markers of expiratory airflow obstruction can be used to model upper airway collapsibility, and can provide sensitive measures of changes in airway collapsibility in rodents. This approach streamlines repeated non-invasive PCRIT measurements, and facilitates studies examining the impact of genetic, environmental, and pharmacologic factors on upper airway control.

Postoperative outcomes of frequent exacerbator patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease after resection of Non-Small Cells Lung Cancer.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a risk factor of post-operative complications after lung cancer resection. The influence of the "frequent exacerbator (FE)" phenotype (at least three exacerbations per year) is unknown. Postoperative outcomes of frequent exacerbators (POFE) was a prospective observational study of patients with COPD undergoing lung resection for cancer. The inclusion criteria were: age >40 years, FEV1/FVC <70%, non-urgent surgery for lung cancer, filled out self-questionnaires. The primary outcome was assessment of postoperative pulmonary complications (purulent tracheobronchitis, atelectasis, pneumonia, acute respiratory failure, need of mechanical ventilation). Secondary outcomes encompassed the prevalence of the FE phenotype and its impact on postoperative complications. A total of 682 patients were screened from June 2014 to October 2015. 93 patients with COPD were included, 21 (23%) were FE. Postoperative tracheobronchitis, atelectasis pneumonia or respiratory failure (isolated or associated) occurred in 47%, 48%, 26%, and 38% of patients, respectively. Non-invasive and invasive mechanical ventilation were necessary in 4 (4%) and 22 (23%) patients. Purulent tracheobronchitis, pneumonia and hypercapnia (this last requiring noninvasive mechanical ventilation) were more frequent in FE (p = 0.043, 0.042, 0.015); however the number of patients wth at least one respiratory complication was not different (76% vs. 52%, p = 0.056). In all patients, multivariate logistic regression identified two independent factors of postoperative respiratory complications: male sex (OR 10.6 [95% CI 1.97-57.6], p = 0.006) and the FE phenotype (OR 6.33 [1.04-38.39], p = 0.045). Occurrence of postoperative complications in patients with COPD is high. FE phenotype is an independent risk factor.

Identification of IL-40, a Novel B Cell-Associated Cytokine.

We describe a novel B cell-associated cytokine, encoded by an uncharacterized gene (C17orf99; chromosome 17 open reading frame 99), that is expressed in bone marrow and fetal liver and whose expression is also induced in peripheral B cells upon activation. C17orf99 is only present in mammalian genomes, and it encodes a small (∼27-kDa) secreted protein unrelated to other cytokine families, suggesting a function in mammalian immune responses. Accordingly, C17orf99 expression is induced in the mammary gland upon the onset of lactation, and a C17orf99-/- mouse exhibits reduced levels of IgA in the serum, gut, feces, and lactating mammary gland. C17orf99-/- mice have smaller and fewer Peyer's patches and lower numbers of IgA-secreting cells. The microbiome of C17orf99-/- mice exhibits altered composition, likely a consequence of the reduced levels of IgA in the gut. Although naive B cells can express C17orf99 upon activation, their production increases following culture with various cytokines, including IL-4 and TGF-ß1, suggesting that differentiation can result in the expansion of C17orf99-producing B cells during some immune responses. Taken together, these observations indicate that C17orf99 encodes a novel B cell-associated cytokine, which we have called IL-40, that plays an important role in humoral immune responses and may also play a role in B cell development. Importantly, IL-40 is also expressed by human activated B cells and by several human B cell lymphomas. The latter observations suggest that it may play a role in the pathogenesis of certain human diseases.