Involvement of NADH Oxidase in Biofilm Formation in Streptococcus sanguinis

Biofilms play important roles in microbial communities and are related to infectious diseases. Here, we report direct evidence that a bacterial nox gene encoding NADH oxidase is involved in biofilm formation. A dramatic reduction in biofilm formation was observed in a Streptococcus sanguinis nox mutant under anaerobic conditions without any decrease in growth. The membrane fluidity of the mutant bacterial cells was found to be decreased and the fatty acid composition altered, with increased palmitic acid and decreased stearic acid and vaccenic acid. Extracellular DNA of the mutant was reduced in abundance and bacterial competence was suppressed. Gene expression analysis in the mutant identified two genes with altered expression, gtfP and Idh, which were found to be related to biofilm formation through examination of their deletion mutants. NADH oxidase-related metabolic pathways were analyzed, further clarifying the function of this enzyme in biofilm formation

Repeat abortion in Chinese adolescents: a cross-sectional study in 30 provinces

Background: Premarital sex has become more acceptable in China nowadays. The Chinese Family Planning (FP) programme mainly focuses on married couples, and young unmarried women have little access to information or advice about contraception. Abortion is commonly used to end unintended pregnancies in China. This study aimed to determine risk factors related to repeat abortions in Chinese adolescents. Methods: This cross-sectional study was one component of an EU-funded project and was conducted between March 20, and Oct 5, 2013 in China. We collected data using a questionnaire filled by abortion service providers for all women seeking abortions within 12 weeks of pregnancy during a period of 2 months in selected hospitals. A total of 297 hospitals were randomly selected across 30 provinces using a stratified cluster sampling design according to the level and type of hospital. In this study, only the adolescents (younger than the minimum legal married age of 20 years for women, unintendedly pregnant) were included for analysis. All participants signed a written informed consent of which they received a copy. Ethics approvals were obtained from both ethics committees of the National Research Institution for Family Planning (NRIFP), China, and of the Ghent University, Belgium. Findings: Of the 2370 adolescents (median age 19 years, range 13–19), 927 (39%) were undergoing repeat abortions, 206 (9%) for a third time or more. The primary reason for their unintended pregnancies was non-use of contraception (1609, 68%), followed by ineffective contraception (761, 32%). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the adolescents who had an increased risk of repeat abortions were those who had children (OR 2·63, 95% CI 1·82–3·78), those who resided in a middle-developed region (1·79, 1·30–2·48), those who resided in a relatively poor region (2·37, 1·77–3·17), and those who had used contraception during the 6 months preceding the survey (1·34, 1·08–1·65 for condom use). Adolescents who were students had a lower risk of repeat abortions than did those who were not students (0·69, 0·54–0·88). Interpretation: Repeat abortions among adolescents are highly prevalent in China. Adolescents should be offered equal access to FP in China to that of married women to reduce unintended pregnancies and repeat abortions. Correct and consistent contraception practice among adolescents should be promoted. Funding: The European Commission under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7): INtegrating Post-Abortion Family Planning Services into China\u27s existing abortion services in hospital setting (INPAC), 282490

Is Repeat Abortion a Public Health Problem among Chinese Adolescents? A Cross-Sectional Survey in 30 Provinces

The Chinese Family Planning (FP) programme mainly focuses on married couples, and young unmarried women have limited access. This cross-sectional study aims to identify risk factors related to repeat abortions in Chinese adolescents receiving abortions. Data were collected using a questionnaire for all women seeking abortions within 12 weeks of pregnancy during a period of 2 months in 297 participating hospitals randomly selected across 30 provinces of China in 2013. Only the adolescents (younger than the minimum legal married age of 20 years) were included in this study. Of the 2370 adolescents who were receiving abortions, 927 (39%) were undergoing repeat abortions. The primary reason for the current unintended pregnancies was non-use of contraception (68%). Adolescents receiving abortions who had an increased risk of repeat abortions were those who had children (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.80–3.67), those who resided in a middle-developed region (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.30–2.50), those who resided in a relatively poor region (OR 2.40, 95% CI 1.78–3.23), and those who had used contraception during the 6 months preceding the survey (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.12–1.71 for condom use). The occupation as a student was a protective factor for adolescents (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.50–0.83). Adolescents should be offered equal access to FP to that of married women in China to reduce unintended pregnancies and repeat abortions. Correct and consistent contraception practice should be promoted

Re-evaluation of the carcinogenic significance of hepatitis B virus integration in hepatocarcinogenesis

To examine the role of hepatitis B virus (HBV) integration in hepatocarcinogenesis, a systematic comparative study of both tumor and their corresponding non-tumor derived tissue has been conducted in a cohort of 60 HBV associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. By using Alu-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and ligation-mediated PCR, 233 viral-host junctions mapped across all human chromosomes at random, no difference between tumor and non-tumor tissue was observed, with the exception of fragile sites (P = 0.0070). HBV insertions in close proximity to cancer related genes such as hTERT were found in this study, however overall they were rare events. No direct correlation between chromosome aberrations and the number of HBV integration events was found using a sensitive array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) assay. However, a positive correlation was observed between the status of several tumor suppressor genes (TP53, RB1, CDNK2A and TP73) and the number of chromosome aberrations (r = 0.6625, P = 0.0003). Examination of the viral genome revealed that 43% of inserts were in the preC/C region and 57% were in the HBV X gene. Strikingly, approximately 24% of the integrations examined had a breakpoint in a short 15 nt viral genome region (1820-1834 nt). As a consequence, all of the confirmed X gene insertions were C-terminal truncated, losing their growth-suppressive domain. However, the same pattern of X gene C-terminal truncation was found in both tumor and non-tumor derived samples. Furthermore, the integrated viral sequences in both groups had a similar low frequency of C1653T, T1753V and A1762T/G1764A mutations. The frequency and patterns of HBV insertions were similar between tumor and their adjacent non-tumor samples indicating that the majority of HBV DNA integration events are not associated with hepatocarcinogenesis

Dysregulation of circulating T follicular helper cell subsets and their potential role in the pathogenesis of syphilis

IntroductionThe role of the host immune response could be critical in the development of Treponema pallidum (Tp) infection in individuals with latent syphilis. This study aims to investigate the alterations in T follicular helper T (Tfh) cell balance among patients with secondary syphilis and latent syphilis.Methods30 healthy controls (HCs), 24 secondary syphilis patients and 41 latent syphilis patients were enrolled. The percentages of total Tfh, ICOS+ Tfh, PD-1+ Tfh, resting Tfh, effector Tfh, naïve Tfh, effector memory Tfh, central memory Tfh,Tfh1, Tfh2, and Tfh17 cells in the peripheral blood were all determined by flow cytometry.ResultsThe percentage of total Tfh cells was significantly higher in secondary syphilis patients compared to HCs across various subsets, including ICOS+ Tfh, PD-1+ Tfh, resting Tfh, effector Tfh, naïve Tfh, effector memory Tfh, central memory Tfh, Tfh1, Tfh2, and Tfh17 cells. However, only the percentages of ICOS+ Tfh and effector memory Tfh cells showed significant increases in secondary syphilis patients and decreases in latent syphilis patients. Furthermore, the PD-1+ Tfh cells, central memory Tfh cells, and Tfh2 cells showed significant increases in latent syphilis patients, whereas naïve Tfh cells and Tfh1 cells exhibited significant decreases in secondary syphilis patients when compared to the HCs. However, no significant change was found in resting Tfh and effector Tfh in HCs and secondary syphilis patients or latent syphilis patients.DiscussionDysregulated ICOS+ Tfh or effector memory Tfh cells may play an important role in immune evasion in latent syphilis patients

Effects of TGF- β

Introduction. This study aimed to explore the effects of TGF-β1 on regulating activities of cementoblasts and osteoblasts with or without stress. Material and Methods. Human recombinant TGF-β1 was added with different doses. Immunohistochemical test of osteoprotegerin (OPG)/receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL) and Alizarin Red-S staining were conducted. Mechanical compressive stress was obtained by increasing the pressure of gaseous phase. OPG/RANKL expression was detected in both cells through quantitative real-time PCR. Results. Similar significant differences (P<0.05) existed in OPG/RANKL change with increasing concentration of TGF-β1 without mechanical stress for cementoblasts and osteoblasts. However, under 3 h stress, OPG increased and RANKL decreased significantly (P<0.01) but with similar OPG/RANKL change. Moreover, under 24 h stress, OPG change exhibited no difference (P>0.05), but RANKL decreased significantly (P<0.01) at 10 and 100 ng/mL TGF-β1 in cementoblasts. In osteoblasts, OPG increased significantly (P<0.01) at 10 and 100 ng/mL, whereas RANKL decreased with statistical difference (P<0.05) at 1 and 10 ng/mL. Conclusions. The effects of TGF-β1 on OPG/RANKL expression of cementoblasts and osteoblasts are similar even without mechanical stress. However, these effects are different under mechanical compressive stress

Exploration of the hypoglycemic mechanism of Fuzhuan brick tea based on integrating global metabolomics and network pharmacology analysis

Introduction: Fuzhuan brick tea (FBT) is a worldwide popular beverage which has the appreciable potential in regulating glycometabolism. However, the reports on the hypoglycemic mechanism of FBT remain limited.Methods: In this study, the hypoglycemic effect of FBT was evaluated in a pharmacological experiment based on Kunming mice. Global metabolomics and network pharmacology were combined to discover the potential target metabolites and genes. In addition, the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis was performed for verification.Results: Seven potential target metabolites and six potential target genes were screened using the integrated approach. After RT-qPCR analysis, it was found that the mRNA expression of VEGFA, KDR, MAPK14, and PPARA showed significant differences between normal and diabetes mellitus mice, with a retracement after FBT treatment.Conclusion: These results indicated that the hypoglycemic effect of FBT was associated with its anti-inflammatory activities and regulation of lipid metabolism disorders. The exploration of the hypoglycemic mechanism of FBT would be meaningful for its further application and development