A comparative study of prenatal development in Miniopterus schreibersii fuliginosus, Hipposideros armiger and H. pratti

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bats comprise the second largest order of mammals. However, there are far fewer morphological studies of post-implantation embryonic development than early embryonic development in bats.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We studied three species of bats (<it>Miniopterus schreibersii fuliginosus, Hipposideros armiger </it>and <it>H. pratti</it>), representing the two suborders Yangochiroptera and Yinpterochiroptera. Using an established embryonic staging system, we identified the embryonic stages for <it>M. schreibersii fuliginosus, H. armiger </it>and <it>H. pratti </it>and described the morphological changes in each species, including the development of the complex and distinctive nose-leaves in <it>H. armiger </it>and <it>H. pratti</it>. Finally, we compared embryonic and fetal morphology of the three species in the present study with five other species for which information is available.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>As a whole, the organogenetic sequence of bat embryos is uniform and the embryos appear homoplastic before Stage 16. Morphological differentiation between species occurs mainly after embryonic Stage 16. Our study provides three new bat species for interspecific comparison of post-implantation embryonic development within the order Chiroptera and detailed data on the development of nose-leaves for bats in the superfamily Rhinolophoidea.</p

Chlorobenzoxime inhibits respiratory syncytial virus infection in neonatal rats via up-regulation of IFN-γ in dendritic cells

Purpose: To investigate the effect of chlorobenzoxime on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in vitro in lung alveolar cells and in vivo in neonatal rats, as well as the mechanism of action involved. Methods: RSV infection in neonatal rats was induced via intranasal administration of 2 x 106PFU viral particles. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blotting were used for determination of changes in interleukin expression. Results: RSV infection in BEAS-2B cells caused significant reduction in viability and marked alteration in morphological appearance (p &lt; 0.05). Exposure of RSV-infected BEAS-2B cells to chlorobenzoxime prevented viability reduction and changes in morphology, and led to reductions in RSV-mediated increases in levels of interleukin-6 and interleukin-8. Moreover, RSV infection significantly enhanced ROS levels in BEAS-2B cells, when compared to control cells (p &lt; 0.05). Chlorobenzoxime at a concentration of 30 μM completely suppressed RSV-mediated generation of ROS in BEAS-2B cells. In neonatal rats, RSV-induced upregulation of interleukin-4, interleukin-13 and TNF-α, were suppressed in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissues by chlorobenzoxime. Moreover, the RSVmediated reduction in IFN-γ was maximally blocked by chlorobenzoxime at a dose of 10 mg/mL. Chlorobenzoxime enhanced the proportion of IFN-γ -producing cells in neonatal rat BALF. Conclusion: Chlorobenzoxime exhibits antiviral against RSV infection in neonatal rats via increase in dendritic cell population, leading to inhibition of cytokine production. Therefore, chlorobenzoxime is a potential therapeutic agent for RSV infection. Keywords: Respiratory syncytial virus, Cytokines, Dendritic cells, Lung aveolar cells, Morphology, Interleukin

A tricarboxylic acid cycle-based machine learning model to select effective drug targets for the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background: The tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) is an important metabolic pathway and closely related to tumor development. However, its role in the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has not been fully investigated.Methods: The RNA expression profiles of ESCC samples were retrieved from the TCGA database, and the GSE53624 dataset was additionally downloaded from the GEO database as the validation cohort. Furthermore, the single cell sequencing dataset GSE160269 was downloaded. TCA cycle-related genes were obtained from the MSigDB database. A risk score model for ESCC based on the key genes of the TCA cycle was built, and its predictive performance was evaluated. The association of the model with immune infiltration and chemoresistance were analyzed using the TIMER database, the R package “oncoPredict” score, TIDE score and so on. Finally, the role of the key gene CTTN was validated through gene knockdown and functional assays.Results: A total of 38 clusters of 8 cell types were identified using the single-cell sequencing data. The cells were divided into two groups according to the TCA cycle score, and 617 genes were identified that were most likely to influence the TCA cycle. By intersecting 976 key genes of the TCA cycle with the results of WGCNA, 57 genes significantly associated with the TCA cycle were further identified, of which 8 were screened through Cox regression and Lasso regression to construct the risk score model. The risk score was a good predictor of prognosis across subgroups of age, N, M classification and TNM stage. Furthermore, BI-2536, camptothecin and NU7441 were identified as possible drug candidates in the high-risk group. The high-risk score was associated with decreased immune infiltration in ESCC, and the low-risk group had better immunogenicity. In addition, we also evaluated the relationship between risk scores and immunotherapy response rates. Functional assays showed that CTTN may affect the proliferation and invasion of ESCC cells through the EMT pathway.Conclusion: We constructed a predictive model for ESCC based on TCA cycle-associated genes, which achieved good prognostic stratification. The model are likely associated with the regulation of tumor immunity in ESCC

A Preliminary Study of the Microbial Resources and Their Biological Activities of the East China Sea

East China Sea is one of the four sea areas in China, which possesses peculiar ecological environment and many kinds of living creatures, especially the microorganisms. We established the East China Sea microorganism library (during 2006–2010) for the first time, which stored about 30000 strains that covered most kinds of the species. In this paper, 395 pure strains of East China Sea microorganism library which belong to 33 different genera were mainly introduced. Sulfitobacter, Halomonas, Bacillus, Pseudoalteromonas, and Idiomarina were the most dominant species. On the large-scale biological activity screening of the 395 strains, 100 strains possess different biological activities based on different screening models, of which 11.4% strains have antibacterial activities, 15.9% have cytotoxicity activities, and 6.1% have antioxidation activities. Besides, the secondary metabolites of 6 strains with strong biological activities were studied systematically; diketopiperazines and macrocyclic lactones are the active secondary metabolites. The species and the biological activity of microorganisms diversity, the abundant structure type of the secondary metabolites, and their bioactivities all indicate that East China Sea is a potent marine microorganisms-derived developing resource for drug discovery

Natron glass beads reveal Proto-Silk Road between the Mediterranean and China in the 1st millennium BCE

Natron-based glass was a vital part of material culture in the Mediterranean and Europe for nearly two millennia, but natron glass found elsewhere on the Eurasian Continent has not received adequate discussion, despite its influence on ancient Asian glass. Here we present a new interpretation of natron glass finds from both the West and the East. After establishing the compositional types and technological sequence of Mediterranean natron glass (eighth-second century BCE) using trace elements, we report the analysis of a mid-1st millennium BCE glass bead from Xinjiang, China, which was likely made with Levantine raw glass, and identify common types of stratified eye beads in Eurasia based on a compositional and typological comparison. Combining these findings, we propose that a considerable number of Mediterranean natron glass products had arrived in East Asia at least by the fifth century BCE, which may have been a contributing factor in the development of native Chinese glass-making. The swift diffusion of natron glass across Eurasia in the 1st millennium BCE was likely facilitated by a three-stage process involving maritime and overland networks and multiple forms of trade and exchange, indicating a highly adaptable and increasingly efficient transcontinental connection along the ‘Proto-Silk Road’

TRAIL and proteasome inhibitors combination induces a robust apoptosis in human malignant pleural mesothelioma cells through Mcl-1 and Akt protein cleavages

Background Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive malignancy closely associated with asbestos exposure and extremely resistant to current treatments. It exhibits a steady increase in incidence, thus necessitating an urgent development of effective new treatments. Methods Proteasome inhibitors (PIs) and TNFα-Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand (TRAIL), have emerged as promising new anti-MPM agents. To develop effective new treatments, the proapoptotic effects of PIs, MG132 or Bortezomib, and TRAIL were investigated in MPM cell lines NCI-H2052, NCI-H2452 and NCI-H28, which represent three major histological types of human MPM. Results Treatment with 0.5-1 μM MG132 alone or 30 ng/mL Bortezomib alone induced a limited apoptosis in MPM cells associated with the elevated Mcl-1 protein level and hyperactive PI3K/Akt signaling. However, whereas 10–20 ng/ml TRAIL alone induced a limited apoptosis as well, TRAIL and PI combination triggered a robust apoptosis in all three MPM cell lines. The robust proapoptotic activity was found to be the consequence of a positive feedback mechanism-governed amplification of caspase activation and cleavage of both Mcl-1 and Akt proteins, and exhibited a relative selectivity in MPM cells than in non-tumorigenic Met-5A mesothelial cells. Conclusion The combinatorial treatment using TRAIL and PI may represent an effective new treatment for MPMs

Marked Variation Between Winter and Spring Gut Microbiota in Freeranging Tibetan Macaques (Macaca thibetana)

Variation in the availability and distribution of food resources is a strong selective pressure on wild primates. We explored variation in Tibetan macaque gut microbiota composition during winter and spring seasons. Our results showed that gut microbial composition and diversity varied by season. In winter, the genus Succinivibrio, which promotes the digestion of cellulose and hemicellulose, was significantly increased. In spring, the abundance of the genus Prevotella, which is associated with digestion of carbohydrates and simple sugars, was significantly increased. PICRUSt analysis revealed that the predicted metagenomes related to the glycan biosynthesis and metabolic pathway was significantly increased in winter samples, which would aid in the digestion of glycan extracted from cellulose and hemicellulose. The predicted metagenomes related to carbohydrate and energy metabolic pathways were significantly increased in spring samples, which could facilitate a monkey’s recovery from acute energy loss experienced during winter. We propose that shifts in the composition and function of the gut microbiota provide a buffer against seasonal fluctuations in energy and nutrient intake, thus enabling these primates to adapt to variations in food supply and quality

Case Report: Metagenomic next-generation sequencing applied in diagnosing psittacosis caused by Chlamydia psittaci infection

BackgroundChlamydia psittaci is the causative agent of psittacosis in humans, while its rapid identification is hampered due to the lack of specificity of laboratory testing methods.Case presentationThis study reports four cases of C. psittaci infection after contact with a domestic parrot, all belonging to the same family. Common manifestations like fever, cough, headache, nausea, and hypodynamia appeared in the patients. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) aided the etiological diagnosis of psittacosis, revealing 58318 and 7 sequence reads corresponding to C. psittaci in two cases. The detected C. psittaci was typed as ST100001 in the Multilocus-sequence typing (MLST) system, a novel strain initially reported. Based on the results of pathogenic identification by mNGS, the four patients were individually, treated with different antibiotics, and discharged with favorable outcomes.ConclusionIn diagnosing psittacosis caused by a rare C. psittaci agent, mNGS provides rapid etiological identification, contributing to targeted antibiotic therapy and favorable outcomes. This study also reminds clinicians to raise awareness of psittacosis when encountering family members with a fever of unknown origin

The comparison of manual and mechanical anastomosis after total pharyngolaryngoesophagectomy

BackgroundTotal pharyngolaryngoesophagectomy (TPLE) is considered as a curative treatment for hypopharynx cancer and cervical esophageal carcinomas (HPCECs). Traditional pharyngo-gastric anastomosis is usually performed manually, and postoperative complications are common. The aim of this study was to introduce a new technique for mechanical anastomosis and to evaluate perioperative outcomes and prognosis.MethodsFrom May 1995 to Nov 2021, a series of 75 consecutive patients who received TPLE for a pathological diagnosis of HPCECs at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital were evaluated. Mechanical anastomosis was performed in 28 cases and manual anastomosis was performed in 47 cases. The data from these patients were retrospectively analyzed.ResultsThe mean age was 57.6 years, and 20% of the patients were female. The rate of anastomotic fistula and wound infection in the mechanical group were significantly lower than that in the manual group. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss and postoperative hospital stays were significantly higher in the manual group than that in the mechanical group. The R0 resection rate and the tumor characteristics were not significantly different between groups. There was no significant difference in overall survival and disease-free survival between the two groups.ConclusionThe mechanical anastomosis technology adopted by this study was shown to be a safer and more effective procedure with similar survival comparable to that of manual anastomosis for the HPCECs patients