Development of an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay based on a recombinant truncated VP2 (tVP2) protein for the detection of canine parvovirus antibodies

By removing the N-terminal hydrophobic sequence, truncated VP2 (tVP2) genes were cloned into the pET-32a (+) plasmid and subsequently expressed as His fusion proteins. The purified recombinant tVP2 proteins were specific to canine parvovirus (CPV), and one of them was used in an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of CPV antibodies. The minimum detection limit of this method was 1:1280. There was good agreement between tVP2-based indirect ELISA and the commercially available diagnostic kit. The results suggest that the recombinant tVP2 protein-based ELISA could be used to detect CPV antibodies.Key words: Canine parvovirus, recombinant truncated VP2 (tVP2), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), antibody detection

Person re-identification in the real scene based on the deep learning

Person re-identification aims at automatically retrieving a person of interest across multiple non-overlapping camera views. Because of increasing demand for real-world applications in intelligent video surveillance, person re-identification has become an important computer vision task and achieved high performance in recent years. However, the traditional person re-identification research mainly focus on matching cropped pedestrian images between queries and candidates on commonly used datasets and divided into two steps: pedestrian detection and person re-identification, there is still a big gap with practical applications. Under the premise of model optimization, based on the existing object detection and person re-identification, this paper achieves a one-step search of the specific pedestrians in the whole images or video sequences in the real scene. The experimental results show that our method is effective in commonly used datasets and has achieved good results in real-world applications, such as finding criminals, cross-camera person tracking, and activity analysis.26th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, AROB 26th 2021, January 21–23, 2021, Beppu, Japan and Onlin

Screening of an individualized treatment strategy for an advanced gallbladder cancer using patient-derived tumor xenograft and organoid models

Gallbladder cancer is a highly aggressive malignancy with poor sensitivity to postoperative radiotherapy or chemotherapy; therefore, the development of individualized treatment strategies is paramount to improve patient outcomes. Both patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) and patient-derived tumor organoid (PDO) models derived from surgical specimens can better preserve the biological characteristics and heterogeneity of individual original tumors, display a unique advantage for individualized therapy and predicting clinical outcomes. In this study, PDX and PDO models of advanced gallbladder cancer were established, and the consistency of biological characteristics between them and primary patient samples was confirmed using pathological analysis and RNA-sequencing. Additionally, we tested the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs, targeted drugs, and immune checkpoint inhibitors using these two models. The results demonstrated that gemcitabine combined with cisplatin induced significant therapeutic effects. Furthermore, treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors elicited promising responses in both the humanized mice and PDO immune models. Based on these results, gemcitabine combined with cisplatin was used for basic treatment, and immune checkpoint inhibitors were applied as a complementary intervention for gallbladder cancer. The patient responded well to treatment and exhibited a clearance of tumor foci. Our findings indicate that the combined use of PDO and PDX models can guide the clinical treatment course for gallbladder cancer patients to achieve individualized and effective treatment

Gab2 Ablation Reverses the Stemness of HER2-Overexpressing Breast Cancer Cells

Background/Aims: HER2 has been implicated in mammary tumorigenesis as well as aggressive tumor growth and metastasis. Its overexpression is related to a poor prognosis and chemoresistance in breast cancer patients. Although Grb2-associated binding protein 2 (Gab2) is important in the development and progression of human cancer, its effects and mechanisms in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer are unclear. Methods: Clone formation and MTT assays were used to examine cell proliferation. To detect the effect of Gab2 on the stemness of breast cancer cells, we used flow cytometry, a sphere formation assay, real-time PCR, and western blot. An animal model was created to validate the effect of Gab2 on tumor growth in vivo. Tissue slides were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Results: Knockdown of Gab2 suppressed PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK pathway activity. Gab2 ablation also reduced the stemness of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells. In vivo, knockdown of Gab2 inhibited tumor growth. Conclusion: This study unveils a potential function of Gab2 in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells. Gab2 might be a potential target in the clinical therapy of HER2-overexpressing breast carcinoma

Ancient Genomes Reveal the Evolutionary History and Origin of Cashmere-Producing Goats in China

Goats are one of the most widespread farmed animals across the world; however, their migration route to East Asia and local evolutionary history remain poorly understood. Here, we sequenced 27 ancient Chinese goat genomes dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Iron Age. We found close genetic affinities between ancient and modern Chinese goats, demonstrating their genetic continuity. We found that Chinese goats originated from the eastern regions around the Fertile Crescent, and we estimated that the ancestors of Chinese goats diverged from this population in the Chalcolithic period. Modern Chinese goats were divided into a northern and a southern group, coinciding with the most prominent climatic division in China, and two genes related to hair follicle development, FGF5 and EDA2R, were highly divergent between these populations. We identified a likely causal de novo deletion near FGF5 in northern Chinese goats that increased to high frequency over time, whereas EDA2R harbored standing variation dating to the Neolithic. Our findings add to our understanding of the genetic composition and local evolutionary process of Chinese goats

Near-real-time monitoring of global CO₂ emissions reveals the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting human activities, and in turn energy use and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Here we present daily estimates of country-level CO2 emissions for different sectors based on near-real-time activity data. The key result is an abrupt 8.8% decrease in global CO₂ emissions (−1551 Mt CO₂) in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. The magnitude of this decrease is larger than during previous economic downturns or World War II. The timing of emissions decreases corresponds to lockdown measures in each country. By July 1st, the pandemic’s effects on global emissions diminished as lockdown restrictions relaxed and some economic activities restarted, especially in China and several European countries, but substantial differences persist between countries, with continuing emission declines in the U.S. where coronavirus cases are still increasing substantially

Near-real-time monitoring of global CO2 emissions reveals the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting human activities, and in turn energy use and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Here we present daily estimates of country-level CO2 emissions for different sectors based on near-real-time activity data. The key result is an abrupt 8.8% decrease in global CO2 emissions (−1551 Mt CO2) in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. The magnitude of this decrease is larger than during previous economic downturns or World War II. The timing of emissions decreases corresponds to lockdown measures in each country. By July 1st, the pandemic’s effects on global emissions diminished as lockdown restrictions relaxed and some economic activities restarted, especially in China and several European countries, but substantial differences persist between countries, with continuing emission declines in the U.S. where coronavirus cases are still increasing substantially