Individualized conservative therapeutic strategies for adenomyosis with the aim of preserving fertility

Adenomyosis is a diffuse or localized organic disease caused by benign invasion of endometrial glands and stroma into the myometrium. It is a common disease that seriously affects reproductive health of women in childbearing age. Due to the unknown etiology and pathophysiological mechanism, and the lack of unified diagnostic criteria and effective treatment methods, total or subtotal hysterectomy has become a radical treatment for adenomyosis, which will lead to the complete loss of fertility. With the continuous exploration of the treatment to adenomyotic patients who have infertility or fertility intentions, new drugs, surgical methods and treating concepts appears. Adopt individualized conservative therapeutic strategies for patients with different conditions, preserve the uterus as much as possible and protect the patient’s fertility, which will play an important role on the follow-up assisted reproductive treatment and long-term management of adenomyosis

Molecular Characterization, Tissue Distribution, Subcellular Localization and Actin-Sequestering Function of a Thymosin Protein from Silkworm

We identified a novel gene encoding a Bombyx mori thymosin (BmTHY) protein from a cDNA library of silkworm pupae, which has an open reading frame (ORF) of 399 bp encoding 132 amino acids. It was found by bioinformatics that BmTHY gene consisted of three exons and two introns and BmTHY was highly homologous to thymosin betas (Tβ). BmTHY has a conserved motif LKHTET with only one amino acid difference from LKKTET, which is involved in Tβ binding to actin. A His-tagged BmTHY fusion protein (rBmTHY) with a molecular weight of approximately 18.4 kDa was expressed and purified to homogeneity. The purified fusion protein was used to produce anti-rBmTHY polyclonal antibodies in a New Zealand rabbit. Subcellular localization revealed that BmTHY can be found in both Bm5 cell (a silkworm ovary cell line) nucleus and cytoplasm but is primarily located in the nucleus. Western blotting and real-time RT-PCR showed that during silkworm developmental stages, BmTHY expression levels are highest in moth, followed by instar larvae, and are lowest in pupa and egg. BmTHY mRNA was universally distributed in most of fifth-instar larvae tissues (except testis). However, BmTHY was expressed in the head, ovary and epidermis during the larvae stage. BmTHY formed complexes with actin monomer, inhibited actin polymerization and cross-linked to actin. All the results indicated BmTHY might be an actin-sequestering protein and participate in silkworm development

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

The complete mitogenome sequence of the hawk moth, Theretra latreillii subsp. lucasii (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) from Zhejiang Province, China

The sphingid, Theretra latreillii subsp. lucasii is a common hawk moth distributed in southeast Asia and Australian regions. Although barcode analyses have been published, its complete mitogenome sequence has not been deciphered. In this study, the complete mitogenome of T. latreillii lucasii (GeneBank accession no. MW539688) was sequenced using Illumina HiSeq X Ten system for mitogenome-based phylogenetic analysis. The mitogenome was 15,354 bp in length and comprises 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs) with the typical gene order and orientation of Sphingidae mitogenomes. The nucleotide composition of majority strand is 41.2% for A, 7.4% for G, 12.0% for C, and 39.4% for T, with an A + T content of 80.6%. Phylogenetic analysis using the 13 PCGs fully resolved T. latreillii lucasii in a clade with T. japonica, Macroglossum stellatarum, and Ampelophaga rubiginosa, with high nodal support both by Bayesian inference and maximum-likelihood methods, forming the Macroglossini monophyletic group

An ATPase promotes autophosphorylation of the pattern recognition receptor XA21 and inhibits XA21-mediated immunity.

Cell-surface pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are key components of the innate immune response in animals and plants. These receptors typically carry or associate with non-RD kinases to control early events of innate immunity signaling. Despite their importance, the mode of regulation of PRRs is largely unknown. Here we show that the rice PRR, XA21, interacts with XA21 binding protein 24 (XB24), a previously undescribed ATPase. XB24 promotes autophosphorylation of XA21 through its ATPase activity. Rice lines silenced for Xb24 display enhanced XA21-mediated immunity, whereas rice lines overexpressing XB24 are compromised for immunity. XB24 ATPase enzyme activity is required for XB24 function. XA21 is degraded in the presence of the pathogen-associated molecular pattern Ax21 when XB24 is overexpressed. These results demonstrate a function for this large class of broadly conserved ATPases in PRR-mediated immunity

Effect of the pollen of transgenic rice line, TT9-3 with a fused cry1Ab/cry1Ac gene from Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner on non-target domestic silkworm, Bombyx mori Linnaeus (Lepidoptera: Bombyxidae)

Some cry genes from Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) have been transferred into rice plants for resistance to lepidopterans. The ecological risks of Bt rice, especially the non-target effects of Bt rice pollen on the domestic silkworm, Bombyx mori Linnaeus in mulberry-rice mixed cropping area should be clarified cautiously. In light of B. mori fully domesticated and not surviving independently in the field, a series of laboratory bioassays were conducted to evaluate the effect of the pollen from an indica transgenic rice line, TT9-3 with a fused cry1Ab/cry1Ac gene on B. mori based on the investigation of rice pollen deposition under normal field conditions and the quantitation of the fused insecticidal protein expression in the pollen. No significant adverse effects were observed on the survival, growth and development of B. mori young larvae, even after the neonates had been exposed to Bt pollen at the highest density of 3,395.0 grains/cm2 for 48 h which the pollen density is far higher than the highest pollen density on mulberry leaf, 1,635.9 grains/cm2, naturally occurred in the field. According to these results and considering the extensive biotic and non-biotic factors such as the type of Bt genes used and expressed in Bt rice line TT9-3 which are safe to B. mori, the relatively low exposure amount of insecticidal protein in the Bt pollen, and other conditions which influence the silkworm's exposure to Bt pollens, it suggests that the pollen from Bt rice line, TT9-3 poses little effect on silkworm rearing in natural settings

An ATPase promotes autophosphorylation of the pattern recognition receptor XA21 and inhibits XA21-mediated immunity

Cell-surface pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are key components of the innate immune response in animals and plants. These receptors typically carry or associate with non-RD kinases to control early events of innate immunity signaling. Despite their importance, the mode of regulation of PRRs is largely unknown. Here we show that the rice PRR, XA21, interacts with XA21 binding protein 24 (XB24), a previously undescribed ATPase. XB24 promotes autophosphorylation of XA21 through its ATPase activity. Rice lines silenced for Xb24 display enhanced XA21-mediated immunity, whereas rice lines overexpressing XB24 are compromised for immunity. XB24 ATPase enzyme activity is required for XB24 function. XA21 is degraded in the presence of the pathogen-associated molecular pattern Ax21 when XB24 is overexpressed. These results demonstrate a function for this large class of broadly conserved ATPases in PRR-mediated immunity

Thermal, mechanical and magnetic properties of functionalized magnetite/vinyl ester nanocomposites

Magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles grafted with thiol groups through silanization of (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxy-silane (Fe3O4-SH) were used for preparing vinyl ester resin (VER) nanocomposites with different Fe3O4 nanoparticle loading levels. The calculated thiol group graft percentage of only ∼2.25% did show a significant effect on the physicochemical properties of VER nanosuspensions and nanocomposites. The exothermal curing peak temperature was shifted from 80 °C for pure VER to 75 °C for liquid VER with 10 wt% Fe3O4-SH. The tensile strength (72.6 MPa) of 5 wt% Fe3O4-SH reinforced nanocomposites was increased by 26.3% as compared with that (57.5 MPa) of pure VER composites. However, the tensile strength (62.7 MPa) of 5 wt% Fe3O4 was just increased by 9.0%. The polymer matrix and surface coating were observed to have negligible effects on the magnetic properties of nanoparticles, exhibiting superparamagnetic behaviors