Research Progress in Molecular Biology of Fish Immunoglobulin M (IgM)

Immunoglobulin (Ig) is a type of globulin produced by B lymphocytes during pathogenic infection of vertebrates. It has immune functions and can realize specific recognition and neutralization of corresponding antigens. As IgM is reported first in fish, IgM is the first antibody produced during immune responses and plays a vital role in systemic and mucosal immune tissues. IgM molecules have two forms: membrane-bound IgM (mIgM) and secreted IgM (sIgM). The latter is produced by plasmacytes and secreted into body fluid, existing as immunological effect molecules. The former embeds into B cytomembrane and exists as an antigen receptor. It binds with assistant molecules to form cell receptor compounds. This study reviews research progress on the structures and production processes of IgM genes in different fish species and the distribution characteristics of IgM on B cells, mediated signal pathways, and functions. It aims to enrich basic theoretical knowledge of fish immunology and provide some scientific references for disease control in fishes

Current practice of stakeholder engagement: researchers’ experiences in North America, DACH countries and China

Aim: To explore the current practice of stakeholder engagement in clinical trials and its evaluation in North America (USA and Canada), DACH countries (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and China. Participants & methods: We conducted a web-based, anonymous, international, cross-sectional online survey for clinical researchers. Data were analyzed using descriptive and explorative statistical analysis including analysis of variance and analysis of covariance. Results: Stakeholder engagement is more prominent and higher accepted among researchers in North America. Researchers in DACH countries have less knowledge of the stakeholder engagement method and are less likely to apply it. Conclusion: Stakeholder engagement is perceived very differently among participants from DACH countries, North America and China. For a broader acceptance and implementation institutional support and motivational conditions might be needed

Crystal structure of a host–guest complex of the tris-urea receptor, 3-(4-nitrophenyl)-1,1-bis{2-[3-(4-nitrophenyl)ureido]ethyl}urea, that encapsulates hydrogen-bonded chains of dihydrogen phosphate anions with separate tetra-n-butylammonium counter-ions

The title compound, C25H25N9O9·C16H36N+·H2PO4− (I) or (C25H25N9O9)·(n-Bu4N+)·(H2PO4−) (systematic name: 3-(4-nitrophenyl)-1,1-bis{2-[3-(4-nitrophenyl)ureido]ethyl}urea tetrabutylammonium dihydrogen phosphate), comprises a tris-urea receptor (R), a dihydrogen phosphate anion and a tetra-n-butylammonium cation. It crystallizes with two independent formula units in the asymmetric unit. The conformations of the two tris-urea receptors are stabilized by N—H...O and C—H...O intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Each dihydrogen phosphate anion has two O—H...O intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions with the other dihydrogen phosphate anion. Inversion-related di-anion units are linked by further O—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming a chain propagating along the a-axis direction. Each dihydrogen phosphate anion makes a total of four N—H...O(H2PO4−) hydrogen bonds with two ureido subunits from two different tris-urea receptors, hence each tris-urea receptor provides the two ureido subunits for the encapsulation of the H2PO4− hydrogen-bonded chain. There are numerous intermolecular C—H...O hydrogen bonds present involving both receptor molecules and the tetra-n-butylammonium cations, so forming a supramolecular three-dimensional structure. One of the butyl groups and one of the nitro groups are disordered over two positions of equal occupancy

Crystal structures of the 2:2 complex of 1,1′-(1,2-phenylene)bis(3-m-tolylurea) and tetrabutylammonium chloride or bromide

The title compounds, tetrabutylammonium chloride–1,1′-(1,2-phenylene)bis(3-m-tolylurea) (1/1), C16H36N+·Cl−·C22H22N4O2 or [(n-Bu4N+·Cl−)(C22H22N4O2)] (I) and tetrabutylammonium bromide–1,1′-(1,2-phenylene)bis(3-m-tolylurea) (1/1), C16H36N+·Br−·C22H22N4O2 or [(n-Bu4N+·Br−)(C22H22N4O2)] (II), both comprise a tetrabutylammonium cation, a halide anion and an ortho-phenylene bis-urea molecule. Each halide ion shows four N—H...X (X = Cl or Br) interactions with two urea receptor sites of different bis-urea moieties. A crystallographic inversion centre leads to the formation of a 2:2 arrangement of two halide anions and two bis-urea molecules. In the crystals, the dihedral angle between the two urea groups of the bis-urea molecule in (I) [defined by the four N atoms, 165.4 (2)°] is slightly smaller than that in (II) [167.4 (2)°], which is probably due to the smaller ionic radius of chloride compared to bromide

Comparison of drug safety data obtained from the monitoring system, literature, and social media : an empirical proof from a Chinese patent medicine

Objectives: To investigate the consistency of adverse events (AEs) and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reported in the literature, monitoring and social media data. Methods: Using one Chinese patent medicine-Cordyceps sinensis extracts (CSE) as an example, we obtained safety data from the national monitoring system (July 2002 to February 2016), literature (up to November 2016) and social media (May 2019). For literature data, we searched the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), WanFang database, Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (SinoMed), PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library. Social media data was from the Baidu post bar and Sina micro-blog. Two authors independently screened the literature and extracted data by PRISMA Harms checklist was followed. AEs and ADRs were coded using the World Health Organization Adverse Reaction Terminology (WHO-ART). AEs and ADRs were grouped into thirty-one organ-system classes for comparisons. Frequencies, relative frequencies and rank were used as metrics. Radar chart was used to manifest the features of the distributions and proportions. Results: 610 AEs reported in CFDA monitoring data were associated with CSE, of which 537 (88.03%) were suspected ADRs (10.49% certain). 5568 AEs were identified from 172 papers (63% RCTs, 37% other types of studies including case series, case reports, ADR monitoring reports and reviews), in which 86 (1.54%) were ADRs (1.54% certain). 15 AEs (0 certain ADR) were identified from social media. AEs, ADRs and their affected system-organ classes, looked largely similar, but different in every aspect when looking at details. Data from RCTs demonstrated the most disparity. Conclusions: In our study, the most prevalent AEs and ADRs, mainly gastro-intestinal system disorders including nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, in monitoring system were largely similar with those in literature and social media. But data from different sources varied if looked at details. Multiple data sources (the monitoring system, literature and social media) should be integrated to collect safety information of interventions. The distributions of AEs and ADRs from RCTs were least similar with the data from other sources. Our empirical proof is consistent with other similar studies

BBPpred : sequence-based prediction of blood-brain barrier peptides with feature representation learning and logistic regression

Blood-brain barrier peptides (BBPs) have a large range of biomedical applications since they can cross the blood-brain barrier based on different mechanisms. As experimental methods for the identification of BBPs are laborious and expensive, computational approaches are necessary to be developed for predicting BBPs. In this work, we describe a computational method, BBPpred (blood-brain barrier peptides prediction), that can efficiently identify BBPs using logistic regression. We investigate a wide variety of features from amino acid sequence information, and then a feature learning method is adopted to represent the informative features. To improve the prediction performance, seven informative features are selected for classification by eliminating redundant and irrelevant features. In addition, we specifically create two benchmark data sets (training and independent test), which contain a total of 119 BBPs from public databases and the literature. On the training data set, BBPpred shows promising performances with an AUC score of 0.8764 and an AUPR score of 0.8757 using the 10-fold cross-validation. We also test our new method on the independent test data set and obtain a favorable performance. We envision that BBPpred will be a useful tool for identifying, annotating, and characterizing BBPs. BBPpred is freely available at http://BBPpred.xialab.info

Use of Chinese herbal medicines for acute cough in China: an online survey

Introduction: anti-microbial resistance is a complex and evolving global public health threat. Promoting effective alternative treatments is an important way to reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics. This study aimed to identify the use of treatments for acute cough in China, including Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) and their association with avoidance of antibiotics and participants’ reported clinical recovery. Methods: an online retrospective treatment outcome survey was conducted. Retrospective clinical information was collected on participants who either were experiencing acute cough, or had experienced acute cough in the last 3 months. Participants were recruited through WeChat (a QR code or a link to the online survey), using snowball sampling. We analysed the usage of different CHMs, changes in symptoms as measured by Likert scales and subsequent use of antibiotics. Results: a total of 25,583 participants completed the online questionnaire, covering all 34 province-level administrative units in China. Respondents had a median age of 25 years (73.5%, aged 18–39). Most respondents reported sputum (65.8%). Nearly half of the participants (45.3%) reported using antibiotics, 39.4% using CHMs, 27.1% and 20.9% using non-antibiotic Western medications and home remedies respectively. Fewer participants took antibiotics after taking CHMs (14.4%), compared to those who started with home remedies (17.6%), or non-antibiotic Western medications (24.5%). The recommendation of doctors (62.4%) and pharmacies (32.1%) were the most common reason for choosing CHMs. Participant-reported clinical recovery was similar (same median of 4 on a 1–5 Likert self-rating scale) regardless of type of CHM. The five CHMs associated with the lowest proportions of subsequent antibiotic use were individualised Chinese herbal formulae, Xiao Qing Long granule, Xian Zhu Li liquid, Chuan Bei Pi Pa Gao and Shi Wu Wei Long Dan Hua pill. The most commonly used herbs in the Chinese patent medicines were Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizome, Platycodonis radix, Pinelliae rhizome, Armeniacae semen amarum, Ephedrae herba, and Citri reticulatae pericarpium. Conclusion: almost 40% of participants with acute cough used CHMs. The proportion of participants who subsequently used antibiotics after CHMs was lower than other treatments. CHMs have a potential role for symptom relief thus reducing antibiotic use.</p

Recombinant hemagglutinin protein and DNA-RNA-combined nucleic acid vaccines harbored by yeast elicit protective immunity against H9N2 avian influenza infection

ABSTRACT: A safe, convenience, and effective vaccine for controlling avian influenza virus infection is crucial in scale poultry production. Yeasts are considered useful vaccine vehicles for the delivery of antigens, which has been used to protect human and animal health. We report here the development of H9N2 strain hemagglutinin (HA)-based recombinant protein vaccines (rH9HA) and DNA-RNA-combined vaccine (rH9-DNA-RNA) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the first time. The immunogenicity assay indicated that both rH9HA and rH9-DNA-RNA could induce robust production of serum IgG, mucosal sIgA, and cellular immune responses. The reshape and diversification of gut microbiota and an enriched Lactobacillus, Debaryomyces were observed after oral immunization with rH9HA or rH9-DNA-RNA yeast vaccine, which might contribute to modulate the intestinal mucosal immunity and antiviral process. Oral immunized birds with either rH9HA or rH9-DNA-RNA were effectively protected from H9N2 virus challenge. Our findings suggested that yeast-derived H9N2 HA-based recombinant protein vaccines and DNA-RNA-combined nucleic acid vaccines are feasible and efficacious, opening up a new avenue for rapid and cost-effective production of avian influenza vaccines to achieve good protection effect

Endometrial Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Their Role in the Origin and Treatment of Endometriosis

Background: To identify endometrial mesenchymal stem cells (eMSCs) in retrograde menstruation, in various endometriosis lesions, in normal control tissues, and to investigate the association between eMSCs and endometriosis. We also plan to evaluate the effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRH-a) on eMSCs. Methods: Patients diagnosed with endometriosis were included if they had experienced surgery during the time frame 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2019 in West China Second Hospital, Sichuan University. Immunofluorescence was performed to identify eMSCs in those tissues with cell surface markers PDGFR-β/CD146. The percents of eMSCs in various tissues were calculated, and compared using analysis of variance. A two-sided pvalue less than 0.05 showed significant difference. Results: This study included 508 patients. eMSCs were identified in retrograde menstruation and numerous pathologic specimen but were not detected in normal control tissues. There was no significant difference in the percent of eMSCs between the GnRH-a treatment group and the control group (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that eMSCs played a critical role in the development and recurrence of endometriosis and that GnRH-a did not affect eMSCs. Gynecologists should regard endometriosis as a chronic disease requiring lifetime management, especially for patients with chronic pelvic pain

How far do we still need to go? A survey on knowledge, attitudes, practice related to antimicrobial stewardship regulations among Chinese doctors in 2012 and 2016

Objectives: to explore doctors’ knowledge, willingness, concerns and the countermeasures to the most stringent antimicrobial stewardship regulations of China which implemented in August 2012.Design: cross-sectional survey. A pretested 32-point structured questionnaire was distributed to doctors by sending a web link via the mobile phone application WeChat through snowball sampling methods and email groups of medical academic societies.Setting: China.Participants: doctors.Primary and secondary outcome measures: the questionnaire inquired about the doctors’ experiences, knowledge, willingness, concerns and the countermeasures to the stewardship policies.Results Total of persons in the groups was 19 791, among them 1194 submitted the answers, within them, 807 were doctors. Doctors had a mean age of 39.0 years. The majority (78.9% in 2012, 89.1% in 2016) reported that they were willing or very willing to accept the regulations. Almost all respondents (93.2%) felt the stewardship regulations had the potential to adversely affect the prognosis of patients who would have been prescribed antimicrobials before they were implemented, and &amp;gt;65% (65.7% in 2012, 66.9% in 2016) of doctors were often or always concerned about the prognosis of these patients. In 2012, 32% of doctors prescribed restricted antimicrobials or suggested patient self-medication with restricted antimicrobials to address doctors’ concerns, and this number decreased to 22.6% in 2016. Although compulsory antimicrobial stewardship training was frequent, less than half of respondents (46.8%) responded correctly to all three knowledge questions.Conclusion: antimicrobial stewardship regulations had some positive effect on rational antimicrobial use. Willingness and practice of doctors towards the regulations improved from 2012 to 2016. Knowledge about rational antimicrobial use was still lacking. Doctors found ways of accessing restricted antibiotics to address their concerns about the prognosis of patients, which undermined the implementation of the stewardship regulations