Three new species of the genus Zaitzevia Champion, 1923 (Coleoptera, Elmidae) from China

Three new riffle beetles of the genus Zaitzevia Champion, 1923 are described from China, namely Zaitzevia sichuanensis sp. nov. and Zaitzevia fengtongzhaiensis sp. nov. from Sichuan Province, and Zaitzevia yingzuijieensis sp. nov. from Hunan Province. Habitus and diagnostic features of the new species are illustrated. A checklist of all known Chinese Zaitzevia species is given, and a key and distributional map of Zaitzevia species from the Chinese mainland are provided

Methological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on acupuncture for stroke: a review of review

Objective: To assess the methodological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses regarding acupuncture intervention for stroke and the primary studies within them. Methods: Two researchers searched PubMed, Cumulative index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, ISI Web of Knowledge, Cochrane, Allied and Complementary Medicine, Ovid Medline, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang and Traditional Chinese Medical Database to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses about acupuncture for stroke published from the inception to December 2016. Review characteristics and the criteria for assessing the primary studies within reviews were extracted. The methodological quality of the reviews was assessed using adapted Oxman and Guyatt Scale. The methodological quality of primary studies was also assessed. Results: Thirty-two eligible reviews were identified, 15 in English and 17 in Chinese. The English reviews were scored higher than the Chinese reviews (P=0.025), especially in criteria for avoiding bias and the scope of search. All reviews used the quality criteria to evaluate the methodological quality of primary studies, but some criteria were not comprehensive. The primary studies, in particular the Chinese reviews, had problems with randomization, allocation concealment, blinding, dropouts and withdrawals, intent-to-treat analysis and adverse events. Conclusions: Important methodological flaws were found in Chinese systematic reviews and primary studies. It was necessary to improve the methodological quality and reporting quality of both the systematic reviews published in China and primary studies on acupuncture for stroke

Critical quantum metrology robust against dissipation and non-adiabaticity

Critical systems near quantum phase transitions were predicted to be useful for improvement of metrological precision, thanks to their ultra-sensitive response to a tiny variation of the control Hamiltonian. Despite the promising perspective, realization of criticality-enhanced quantum metrology is an experimentally challenging task, mainly owing to the extremely long time needed to encode the signal to some physical quantity of a critical system. We here circumvent this problem by making use of the critical behaviors in the Jaynes-Cummings model, comprising a single qubit and a photonic resonator, to which the signal field is coupled. The information about the field amplitude is encoded in the qubit's excitation number in the dark state, which displays a divergent changing rate at the critical point. The most remarkable feature of this critical sensor is that the performance is insensitive to the leakage to bright eigenstates, caused by decoherence and non-adiabatic effects. We demonstrate such a metrological protocol in a superconducting circuit, where an Xmon qubit, interacting with a resonator, is used as a probe for estimating the amplitude of a microwave field coupled to the resonator. The measured quantum Fisher information exhibits a critical quantum enhancement, confirming the potential of this system for quantum metrology.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figure

Overexpression of xCT induces up-regulation of 14-3-3β in Kaposi's sarcoma

KSHV (Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus), or HHV-8 (human herpesvirus 8), is associated with the pathogenesis of KS, the most common AIDS-related malignancy. xCT (functional subunit of the cystine/glutamate transporter xc− system) is known as the HHV-8 fusion-entry receptor as well as an oncogenic protein. How the xCT triggers the signal transduction of HHV-8 infection and the cell proliferation remains incomplete. We found that xCT was overexpressed in KS tissues and HHV-8-positive BCBL-1 cells. When xCT cDNA plasmids were transfected into the HHV-8-negative BJAB cells, the expression of 14-3-3β and cell growth rate were increased. In contrast, the expression of 14-3-3β and the cell growth rate of HHV-8-positive BCBL-1 cells were suppressed by either xCT siRNA (short interfering RNA) or an xCT inhibitor, sulfsalazine. These results suggest that 14-3-3β is a downstream effector of xCT in KS to mediate the cell proliferation

Asymptomatic Atrial Fibrillation among Hospitalized Patients:clinical correlates and in-hospital outcomes in Improving Care for Cardiovascular Disease in China-Atrial Fibrillation

AIMS: The clinical correlates and outcomes of asymptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF) in hospitalized patients are largely unknown. We aimed to investigate the clinical correlates and in-hospital outcomes of asymptomatic AF in hospitalized Chinese patients.METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a cross-sectional registry study of inpatients with AF enrolled in the Improving Care for Cardiovascular Disease in China-Atrial Fibrillation Project between February 2015 and December 2019. We investigated the clinical characteristics of asymptomatic AF and the association between the clinical correlates and the in-hospital outcomes of asymptomatic AF. Asymptomatic and symptomatic AF were defined according to the European Heart Rhythm Association score. Asymptomatic patients were more commonly males (56.3%) and had more comorbidities such as hypertension (57.4%), diabetes mellitus (18.6%), peripheral artery disease (PAD; 2.3%), coronary artery disease (55.5%), previous history of stroke/transient ischaemic attack (TIA; 17.9%), and myocardial infarction (MI; 5.4%); however, they had less prevalent heart failure (9.6%) or left ventricular ejection fractions ≤40% (7.3%). Asymptomatic patients were more often hospitalized with a non-AF diagnosis as the main diagnosis and were more commonly first diagnosed with AF (23.9%) and long-standing persistent/permanent AF (17.0%). The independent determinants of asymptomatic presentation were male sex, long-standing persistent AF/permanent AF, previous history of stroke/TIA, MI, PAD, and previous treatment with anti-platelet drugs. The incidence of in-hospital clinical events such as all-cause death, ischaemic stroke/TIA, and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) was higher in asymptomatic patients than in symptomatic patients, and asymptomatic clinical status was an independent risk factor for in-hospital all-cause death, ischaemic stroke/TIA, and ACS.CONCLUSION: Asymptomatic AF is common among hospitalized patients with AF. Asymptomatic clinical status is associated with male sex, comorbidities, and a higher risk of in-hospital outcomes. The adoption of effective management strategies for patients with AF should not be solely based on clinical symptoms.</p

WNT signaling regulates self-renewal and differentiation of prostate cancer cells with stem cell characteristics

Prostate cancer cells with stem cell characteristics were identified in human prostate cancer cell lines by their ability to form from single cells self-renewing prostaspheres in non-adherent cultures. Prostaspheres exhibited heterogeneous expression of proliferation, differentiation and stem cell-associated makers CD44, ABCG2 and CD133. Treatment with WNT inhibitors reduced both prostasphere size and self-renewal. In contrast, addition of Wnt3a caused increased prostasphere size and self-renewal, which was associated with a significant increase in nuclear Β-catenin, keratin 18, CD133 and CD44 expression. As a high proportion of LNCaP and C4-2B cancer cells express androgen receptor we determined the effect of the androgen receptor antagonist bicalutamide. Androgen receptor inhibition reduced prostasphere size and expression of PSA, but did not inhibit prostasphere formation. These effects are consistent with the androgen-independent self-renewal of cells with stem cell characteristics and the androgen-dependent proliferation of transit amplifying cells. As the canonical WNT signaling effector Β-catenin can also associate with the androgen receptor, we propose a model for tumour propagation involving a balance between WNT and androgen receptor activity. That would affect the self-renewal of a cancer cell with stem cell characteristics and drive transit amplifying cell proliferation and differentiation. In conclusion, we provide evidence that WNT activity regulates the self-renewal of prostate cancer cells with stem cell characteristics independently of androgen receptor activity. Inhibition of WNT signaling therefore has the potential to reduce the self-renewal of prostate cancer cells with stem cell characteristics and improve the therapeutic outcome.Peer reviewe

Mechanism and intervention of murine transfusion-related acute lung injury caused by anti-CD36 antibodies

Anti-CD36 Abs have been suggested to induce transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) upon blood transfusion, particularly in Asian populations. However, little is known about the pathological mechanism of anti-CD36 Ab–mediated TRALI, and potential therapies have not yet been identified. Here, we developed a murine model of anti-CD36 Ab–mediated TRALI to address these questions. Administration of mouse mAb against CD36 (mAb GZ1) or human anti-CD36 IgG, but not GZ1 F(ab′)2 fragments, induced severe TRALI in Cd36+/+ male mice. Predepletion of recipient monocytes or complement, but not neutrophils or platelets, prevented the development of murine TRALI. Moreover, plasma C5a levels after TRALI induction by anti-CD36 Abs increased more than 3-fold, implying a critical role of complement C5 activation in the mechanism of Fc-dependent anti-CD36–mediated TRALI. Administration of GZ1 F(ab′)2, antioxidant (N-acetyl cysteine, NAC), or C5 blocker (mAb BB5.1) before TRALI induction completely protected mice from anti-CD36–mediated TRALI. Although no significant amelioration in TRALI was observed when mice were injected with GZ1 F(ab′)2 after TRALI induction, significant improvement was achieved when mice were treated postinduction with NAC or anti-C5. Importantly, anti-C5 treatment completely rescued mice from TRALI, suggesting the potential role of existing anti-C5 drugs in the treatment of patients with TRALI caused by anti-CD36

Draft genome sequence of the Tibetan antelope

The Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) is endemic to the extremely inhospitable high-altitude environment of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, a region that has a low partial pressure of oxygen and high ultraviolet radiation. Here we generate a draft genome of this artiodactyl and use it to detect the potential genetic bases of highland adaptation. Compared with other plain-dwelling mammals, the genome of the Tibetan antelope shows signals of adaptive evolution and gene-family expansion in genes associated with energy metabolism and oxygen transmission. Both the highland American pika, and the Tibetan antelope have signals of positive selection for genes involved in DNA repair and the production of ATPase. Genes associated with hypoxia seem to have experienced convergent evolution. Thus, our study suggests that common genetic mechanisms might have been utilized to enable high-altitude adaptation

Dramatic Co-Activation of WWOX/WOX1 with CREB and NF-κB in Delayed Loss of Small Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons upon Sciatic Nerve Transection in Rats

BACKGROUND:Tumor suppressor WOX1 (also named WWOX or FOR) is known to participate in neuronal apoptosis in vivo. Here, we investigated the functional role of WOX1 and transcription factors in the delayed loss of axotomized neurons in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in rats. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Sciatic nerve transection in rats rapidly induced JNK1 activation and upregulation of mRNA and protein expression of WOX1 in the injured DRG neurons in 30 min. Accumulation of p-WOX1, p-JNK1, p-CREB, p-c-Jun, NF-kappaB and ATF3 in the nuclei of injured neurons took place within hours or the first week of injury. At the second month, dramatic nuclear accumulation of WOX1 with CREB (>65% neurons) and NF-kappaB (40-65%) occurred essentially in small DRG neurons, followed by apoptosis at later months. WOX1 physically interacted with CREB most strongly in the nuclei as determined by FRET analysis. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed the complex formation of p-WOX1 with p-CREB and p-c-Jun in vivo. WOX1 blocked the prosurvival CREB-, CRE-, and AP-1-mediated promoter activation in vitro. In contrast, WOX1 enhanced promoter activation governed by c-Jun, Elk-1 and NF-kappaB. WOX1 directly activated NF-kappaB-regulated promoter via its WW domains. Smad4 and p53 were not involved in the delayed loss of small DRG neurons. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:Rapid activation of JNK1 and WOX1 during the acute phase of injury is critical in determining neuronal survival or death, as both proteins functionally antagonize. In the chronic phase, concurrent activation of WOX1, CREB, and NF-kappaB occurs in small neurons just prior to apoptosis. Likely in vivo interactions are: 1) WOX1 inhibits the neuroprotective CREB, which leads to eventual neuronal death, and 2) WOX1 enhances NF-kappaB promoter activation (which turns to be proapoptotic). Evidently, WOX1 is the potential target for drug intervention in mitigating symptoms associated with neuronal injury

A High Throughput Screen Identifies Nefopam as Targeting Cell Proliferation in β-Catenin Driven Neoplastic and Reactive Fibroproliferative Disorders

Fibroproliferative disorders include neoplastic and reactive processes (e.g. desmoid tumor and hypertrophic scars). They are characterized by activation of β-catenin signaling, and effective pharmacologic approaches are lacking. Here we undertook a high throughput screen using human desmoid tumor cell cultures to identify agents that would inhibit cell viability in tumor cells but not normal fibroblasts. Agents were then tested in additional cell cultures for an effect on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and β-catenin protein level. Ultimately they were tested in Apc1638N mice, which develop desmoid tumors, as well as in wild type mice subjected to full thickness skin wounds. The screen identified Neofopam, as an agent that inhibited cell numbers to 42% of baseline in cell cultures from β-catenin driven fibroproliferative disorders. Nefopam decreased cell proliferation and β-catenin protein level to 50% of baseline in these same cell cultures. The half maximal effective concentration in-vitro was 0.5 uM and there was a plateau in the effect after 48 hours of treatment. Nefopam caused a 45% decline in tumor number, 33% decline in tumor volume, and a 40% decline in scar size when tested in mice. There was also a 50% decline in β-catenin level in-vivo. Nefopam targets β-catenin protein level in mesenchymal cells in-vitro and in-vivo, and may be an effective therapy for neoplastic and reactive processes driven by β-catenin mediated signaling