Research on concentration and distribution of cadmium in crabs sold in Wenzhou

Objective To investigate the contamination and distribution of cadmium (Cd) in crabs sold in Wenzhou, and instruct consumers to eat healthily. Methods Three crab species were collected from 51 markets in 6 counties and districts of Wenzhou. The content of Cd was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry based on GB 5009.268-2016. Results The detection rate of Cd was 100% in 235 samples. The Cd pollution in Portunus crab increase during 2013, 2015 to 2017. The Cd content of muscle and hepatopancreas in Portunus crab and Scylla serrata was higher than that in Eriocheir sinensis Milne-Edwards (P0.05). The distribution of Cd in Portunus crab was hepatopancreas and gonad> pectoral muscle > leg muscle, there was no significant difference of cadmium content in different parts between female and male crabs (P>0.05). Conclusion Cd was mainly concentrated in hepatopancreas, which was irrelevant to crab species, sex and individual difference. Cd content of Portunus crab and Scylla serrata exceeded the standard seriously, especially in hepatopancreas. People should pay more attention to the Cd pollution of crabs, and reduce the intake of hepatopancreas if necessary

Development and application of an antigen capture ELISA assay for diagnosis of Japanese encephalitis virus in swine, human and mosquito

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a serious zoonosis caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) which is a mosquito-borne pathogen of the family <it>Flavivirus</it>. However, the application of several developed laboratory methods for the detection of JEV antigens or antibodies are limited by their requirements of laboratory operations, skilled technicians and special facilities.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To develop a method for detecting JEV antigen in swine, human, mosquito and other clinical specimens specifically, conveniently and effectively, an antigen capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was established in this study. Sensitivity, specificity, repeatability and stability of the developed method were evaluated, and 60 clinical samples were tested in this study. The results demonstrated that the antigen capture ELISA was capable in detecting JEV antigen with high sensitivity and specificity compared with conventional methods. 14 samples showed the positive result with coincidence rate of 70%, and 46 displayed negative result with coincidence rate of 100% as compared to that of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The developed ELISA assay provides a convenient and specific method for the large-scale determination of JEV antigen in infected swine, human and mosquito samples with high sensitivity and specificity.</p

Teaching Research and Reform of Higher Vocational Medical Education in Guizhou Province of China

With the development of Guizhou’s economy and society, higher vocational medical education in Guizhou has developed rapidly, making it its mission to cultivate practical and skilled talents oriented to the grassroots and serving for frontline. However, due to the social environment, policy environment and insufficient funding, many difficulties and problems are faced. It is necessary to have a unied management throughout the province, rationally lay out higher vocational colleges and specialties, and promote the healthy and rapid development of medical higher vocational education in Guizhou with advanced concepts, proper policies, and sufcient funds in place, making higher vocational medical education in Guizhou enter a benign development period

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals cell subpopulations in the tumor microenvironment contributing to hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the deadliest cancers worldwide, and advanced HCC is difficult to treat. Identifying specific cell subpopulations in the tumor microenvironment and exploring interactions between the cells and their environment are crucial for understanding the development, prognosis, and treatment of tumors.Methods: In this study, we constructed a tumor ecological landscape of 14 patients with HCC from 43 tumor tissue samples and 14 adjacent control samples. We used bioinformatics analysis to reveal cell subpopulations with potentially specific functions in the tumor microenvironment and to explore the interactions between tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment.Results: Immune cell infiltration was evident in the tumor tissues, and BTG1+RGS1+ central memory T cells (Tcms) interact with tumor cells through CCL5-SDC4/1 axis. HSPA1B may be associated with remodeling of the tumor ecological niche in HCC. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and macrophages (TAMs) were closely associated with tumor cells. APOC1+SPP1+ TAM secretes SPP1, which binds to ITGF1 secreted by CAFs to remodel the tumor microenvironment. More interestingly, FAP+ CAF interacts with naïve T cells via the CXCL12–CXCR4 axis, which may lead to resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.Conclusion: Our study suggests the presence of tumor cells with drug-resistant potential in the HCC microenvironment. Among non-tumor cells, high NDUFA4L2 expression in fibroblasts may promote tumor progression, while high HSPA1B expression in central memory T cells may exert anti-tumor effects. In addition, the CCL5–SDC4/1 interaction between BTG1+RGS1+ Tcms and tumor cells may promote tumor progression. Focusing on the roles of CAFs and TAMs, which are closely related to tumor cells, in tumors would be beneficial to the progress of systemic therapy research

Structure and Molecular Evolution of CDGSH Iron-Sulfur Domains

The recently discovered CDGSH iron-sulfur domains (CISDs) are classified into seven major types with a wide distribution throughout the three domains of life. The type 1 protein mitoNEET has been shown to fold into a dimer with the signature CDGSH motif binding to a [2Fe-2S] cluster. However, the structures of all other types of CISDs were unknown. Here we report the crystal structures of type 3, 4, and 6 CISDs determined at 1.5 Å, 1.8 Å and 1.15 Å resolution, respectively. The type 3 and 4 CISD each contain one CDGSH motif and adopt a dimeric structure. Although similar to each other, the two structures have permutated topologies, and both are distinct from the type 1 structure. The type 6 CISD contains tandem CDGSH motifs and adopts a monomeric structure with an internal pseudo dyad symmetry. All currently known CISD structures share dual iron-sulfur binding modules and a β-sandwich for either intermolecular or intramolecular dimerization. The iron-sulfur binding module, the β-strand N-terminal to the module and a proline motif are conserved among different type structures, but the dimerization module and the interface and orientation between the two iron-sulfur binding modules are divergent. Sequence analysis further shows resemblance between CISD types 4 and 7 and between 1 and 2. Our findings suggest that all CISDs share common ancestry and diverged into three primary folds with a characteristic phylogenetic distribution: a eukaryote-specific fold adopted by types 1 and 2 proteins, a prokaryote-specific fold adopted by types 3, 4 and 7 proteins, and a tandem-motif fold adopted by types 5 and 6 proteins. Our comprehensive structural, sequential and phylogenetic analysis provides significant insight into the assembly principles and evolutionary relationship of CISDs

Protection of Visual Functions by Human Neural Progenitors in a Rat Model of Retinal Disease

BACKGROUND: A promising clinical application for stem and progenitor cell transplantation is in rescue therapy for degenerative diseases. This strategy seeks to preserve rather than restore host tissue function by taking advantage of unique properties often displayed by these versatile cells. In studies using different neurodegenerative disease models, transplanted human neural progenitor cells (hNPC) protected dying host neurons within both the brain and spinal cord. Based on these reports, we explored the potential of hNPC transplantation to rescue visual function in an animal model of retinal degeneration, the Royal College of Surgeons rat. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Animals received unilateral subretinal injections of hNPC or medium alone at an age preceding major photoreceptor loss. Principal outcomes were quantified using electroretinography, visual acuity measurements and luminance threshold recordings from the superior colliculus. At 90–100 days postnatal, a time point when untreated rats exhibit little or no retinal or visual function, hNPC-treated eyes retained substantial retinal electrical activity and visual field with near-normal visual acuity. Functional efficacy was further enhanced when hNPC were genetically engineered to secrete glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor. Histological examination at 150 days postnatal showed hNPC had formed a nearly continuous pigmented layer between the neural retina and retinal pigment epithelium, as well as distributed within the inner retina. A concomitant preservation of host cone photoreceptors was also observed. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Wild type and genetically modified human neural progenitor cells survive for prolonged periods, migrate extensively, secrete growth factors and rescue visual functions following subretinal transplantation in the Royal College of Surgeons rat. These results underscore the potential therapeutic utility of hNPC in the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases and suggest potential mechanisms underlying their effect in vivo

Triboelectric micro-flexure-sensitive fiber electronics

The document includes data on the electrical, mechanical, and fatigue properties of a triboelectric micro-flexure-sensitive fiber. It also covers sensor signals for monitoring physiological activities, such as pulse, respiration, and muscle force detection. Additionally, the document discusses the fiber's application in biomechanical feedback systems

Mapping language literacy at scale: a case study on Facebook

Abstract Literacy is one of the most fundamental skills for people to access and navigate today’s digital environment. This work systematically studies the language literacy skills of online populations for more than 160 countries and regions across the world, including many low-resourced countries where official literacy data are particularly sparse. Leveraging public data on Facebook, we develop a population-level literacy estimate for the online population that is based on aggregated and de-identified public posts written by adult Facebook users globally, significantly improving both the coverage and resolution of existing literacy tracking data. We found that, on Facebook, women collectively show higher language literacy than men in many countries, but substantial gaps remain in Africa and Asia. Further, our analysis reveals a considerable regional gap within a country that is associated with multiple socio-technical inequalities, suggesting an “inequality paradox” – where the online language skill disparity interacts with offline socioeconomic inequalities in complex ways. These findings have implications for global women’s empowerment and socioeconomic inequalities