Short- and long-term effects of antiretroviral therapy on peripheral regulatory CD4+/CD25hi/CD127low T lymphocytes in people living with HIV/AIDS

The effect of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on CD4+/CD25hi/CD127low T lymphocyte changes in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) is still a matter of debate. From October 2015 to December 2019, peripheral blood from 70 cases of PLWHA were collected for the detection of CD4+/CD25hi/CD127low T lymphocytes by flow cytometry. Statistical analysis was performed to detect changes of CD4+/CD25hi/CD127low T lymphocytes in patients with different duration of ART and different treatment effects. We found that the number of CD4+/CD25hi/CD127low T lymphocytes in ART-naive PLWHA were lower than those in healthy volunteers (10.3±٦.٠ cells/uL vs 31.7±8.0 cells/uL, P < 0.05). CD4+/CD25hi/CD127low T lymphocyte counts increased to 17.8±٤.٠ cells/uL 6 months post-ART and 25.0±١١.٩ cells/uL 9 months post-ART, respectively (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in CD4+/CD25hi/CD127low T lymphocyte counts between PLWHA who reached a complete immune reconstruction after ART and healthy volunteers. The growth of CD4+/CD25hi/CD127low T lymphocyte counts in patients who had baseline CD4 > 200 cells/uL was greater than those who had baseline CD4 ≤ 200 cells/uL (12.6±٤.٦ cells/uL vs 5.6±٥.٠ cells/uL, P = 0.027). CD4+/CD25hi/CD127low T lymphocyte counts were positively correlated with CD4+ T lymphocyte counts (r = 0.923, P < 0.001) and CD4+/CD8+ ratio (r = 0.741, P < 0.001), but were negatively correlated with HIV-VL (r = −0.648, P = 0.000). In conclusion, the results of the present study showed that changes in CD4+/CD25hi/CD127low T lymphocyte counts can be used to assess the effect of ART in PLWHA

Association between added sugars and kidney stones in U.S. adults: data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2018

PurposeAdded sugar is associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes, but its association with kidney stones is unclear. This study was to determine whether added sugar is associated with kidney stones.Materials and methodsThis nationally representative study used National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) datasets from 2007 to 2018 for analysis. People aged ≥20 years who reported a history of kidney stones and provided dietary recall data on added sugars were included. Weighted proportions, multivariable logistic regression analysis and stratified logistic regression were used to evaluate the associations between added sugars and kidney stones by adjusting potential confounders.ResultsTotally 28,303 adults were included, with weighted mean age [95% confidence interval (CI)] of 48.03 (47.56, 48.51) years, 47.74% (47.09, 48.40%) males and 52.26% (51.60, 52.91%) females. The overall mean (95% CI) energy intake from added sugars was 272.10 (266.59, 277.60) kilocalories. In the fully-adjusted multivariable model, the percentage of energy intake from added sugars was positively correlated with kidney stones. Compared to the first quartile of added sugar energy intake percentage, the population in the fourth quartile had a higher prevalence of kidney stones (OR = 1.39; 95% CI 1.17 to 1.65). Compared with the less than 5% calories from added sugar population, the more than or equal to 25% calories from added sugar had a higher kidney stone prevalence (OR = 1.88; 95% CI 1.52 to 2.32).ConclusionA higher percentage of energy intake from added sugars is significantly associated with a higher prevalence of kidney stones. This study provides cross-sectional evidence for the relationship between added sugars and health outcomes

Reticuluma Cheng & Li 2005

Key to males of Reticuluma 1. Pygofer side with process at apex on lateral margin................................................... R. citrana - Pygofer side without process at apex on lateral margin........................................................ 2 2. Aedeagus with pair of processes......................................................................... 3 - Aedeagus without process.............................................................................. 7 3. Aedeagal shaft with a pair of tuberculate basal processes extended dorsolaterally (Fig. 3K)................ R. lageniformia - Aedeagal shaft without tuberculate basal process............................................................ 4 4. Aedeagal shaft with pair of wing-shaped basal processes in lateral margin (Figs. 2E, 3O)............ R. bipennata sp. nov. - Aedeagal shaft with a pair of processes inserted preapically on shaft or at the end of shaft............................ 5 5. Aedeagal shaft with pair of apical processes (Fig. 3B)................................................. R. spinata - Aedeagal shaft with pair of preapical processes............................................................. 6 6. Lateral flange of aedeagus processes with jagged margin (Fig. 3I)....................................... R. testacea - Processes near aedeagus apex smooth and hook-like (Fig. 3D).............................................. R. lini 7. Apex of aedeagus broad with two small teeth on each side at apex (Fig. 3G)................................. R. eurya - Apex of aedeagus finger-like............................................................................ 8 8. Aedeagus dorsal apodeme short, preatrium small (Fig. 3F).............................................. R. dactyla - Aedeagus preatrium and dorsal apodeme developed and plate-like (Fig. 3N)................................ R. hamataPublished as part of Xu, Tielong, Yu, Zhou, Dai, Renhuai & Yang, Maofa, 2020, Description of a new species of the leafhopper genus Reticuluma Cheng & Li, 2005 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Penthimiini) from China with a key to species, pp. 177-186 in Zootaxa 4809 (1) on page 179, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4809.1.11, http://zenodo.org/record/393384

Description of a new species of the leafhopper genus Reticuluma Cheng & Li, 2005 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Penthimiini) from China with a key to species

Xu, Tielong, Yu, Zhou, Dai, Renhuai, Yang, Maofa (2020): Description of a new species of the leafhopper genus Reticuluma Cheng & Li, 2005 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Penthimiini) from China with a key to species. Zootaxa 4809 (1): 177-186, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4809.1.1

Reticuluma bipennata Xu & Yu & Dai & Yang 2020, sp. nov.

Reticuluma bipennata Xu & Dai sp. nov. (Figs. 1 A–D, 2A–F, 3O–P, 5D, H, L) Measurement. Body length (including tegmen): male 3.6–3.8 mm. Description. Pronotum, scutellum and forewings with reticulate color pattern (Fig. 1A). Anterior margin of crown arcuate forward, vertex of crown sloped, longer than half of width to eyes, with three black patches arranged in arc. Face black, coronal suture about 3/5 length of vertex (Figs. 1B, D). Ocelli yellow-gray, eyes black with gray stripes. Two yellow spots between eyes, equidistant between eye and coronal suture. Pronotum pale yellowish with dark brown patches on posterior margin. Pronotum approximately 2 times length of crown. Scutellum pale yellowish, with grayish brown patch close to apical area and each basal angle, suture distinct. Forewing subhyaline, with five apical cells (Fig. 1A). Male genitalia. Male pygofer quadrate in lateral view with short macrosetae near posterior margin (Fig. 2A). Subgenital plate similar to triangular with several short setae near the lateral margin (Fig. 2B). Connective Y-shaped, stem slightly shorter than arms (Fig. 2C). Style slender, broad subapically, acute at apex (Fig. 2D). Aedeagal shaft triangle-like in dorsal and ventral view (Figs. 2E, 3O), arcuate in lateral view (Figs. 2F, 3P). Aedeagus shaft with a pair of wing-shaped processes in lateral margin in dorsal view, the processes with several setae near inner margin centrally; gonopore apical (Figs. 2E, 3O). Type material. Holotype: ♂ (GUGC), CHINA, Yunnan Prov., Mt. Gaoligong, Baihua Ridge, 22 May 2019, coll. Xu Tielong; Paratypes: 1♂ (GUGC), CHINA, Yunnan Prov., Mt. Gaoligong, Baihua Ridge, 05 August 2013, coll. Yang Weicheng; 1♂ (GUGC), CHINA, Yunnan Prov., Xinping County, Mt. Wenbi, 22 July 2018, coll. Wang Xianyi; 1♂ (GUGC), CHINA, Yunnan Prov., Mengla County, Menglun Town, 13 June 2019, coll. Xu Tielong. Etymology. The new species name is an adjective that combines the Latin prefix “ bi- ” (two) with “ penna ” (feather), referring to the two wing-like processes of the aedeagus. Remarks. The new species is similar to R. lageniformia, but can be distinguished from the later by the shape of the aedeagus with wing-like processes and the aedeagal shaft situated lower than the wing-like processes (Figs. 2E, F, 3O, P), the basally broad connective (Fig. 2C), and the style preapical lobe without setae near the inner margin (Fig. 2D).Published as part of Xu, Tielong, Yu, Zhou, Dai, Renhuai & Yang, Maofa, 2020, Description of a new species of the leafhopper genus Reticuluma Cheng & Li, 2005 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Penthimiini) from China with a key to species, pp. 177-186 in Zootaxa 4809 (1) on pages 179-180, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4809.1.11, http://zenodo.org/record/393384

Circulating Heat Shock Protein 70 Is a Novel Biomarker for Early Diagnosis of Lung Cancer

Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) was a highly conserved protein which was significantly induced in response to cellular stresses. HSP70 played an important role in the pathogenesis of cancer which stabilized the production of large amount of oncogenic proteins and finally supported growth and survival of tumor. However, there was no report about the diagnosis of circulating HSP70 in lung cancer patients. In this study, a total of 297 participants (lung cancer: 197, healthy control: 100) were enrolled in the detection of circulating HSP70 level in plasma by ELISA assay. The results indicated that circulating HSP70 significantly decreased in lung cancer patients compared to healthy controls (P<0.0001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that HSP70 (AUC: 82.2%, SN: 74.1%, SP: 80.0%) had higher diagnosis value than clinical existing biomarkers CEA (AUC: 80.1%, SN: 76.8%, SP: 67.3%) and CA 19-9 (AUC: 63.7%, SN: 64.2%, SP: 54.0%). In the analysis of early lung cancer patients, ROC results also revealed that HSP70 (AUC: 83.8%, SN: 71.2%, SP: 84.0%) have higher sensitivity, specificity, and AUC than CEA (AUC: 73.7%, SN: 73.2%, SP: 69.1%) and CA 19-9 (AUC: 61.5%, SN: 69.4%, SP: 53.4%). In analysis of specific histological classifications, HSP70 showed more valuable in the diagnosis of SCC (AUC: 85.9%, SN: 86.1.9%, SP: 81.0%) than ADC (AUC: 81.0%, SN: 69.1%, SP: 81.0%). Combined analysis of HSP70 and existing biomarker: CEA and CA 19-9 exhibited that HSP70 combined CEA and CA 19-9 showed the highest AUC (0.945, 95% CI, 0.855–1.000). The importance of our results was that we found decreased circulating HSP70, in combination with elevated CEA and CA 19-9, could be utilized in the diagnosis of early (stage I and II) lung cancer

The Full-Length Transcriptome Sequencing and Identification of Na+/H+ Antiporter Genes in Halophyte Nitraria tangutorum Bobrov

Nitraria tangutorum Bobrov is a halophyte that is resistant to salt and alkali and is widely distributed in northwestern China. However, its genome has not been sequenced, thereby limiting studies on this particular species. For species without a reference genome, the full-length transcriptome is a convenient and rapid way to obtain reference gene information. To better study N. tangutorum, we used PacBio single-molecule real-time technology to perform full-length transcriptome analysis of this halophyte. In this study, a total of 21.83 Gb of data were obtained, and 198,300 transcripts, 51,875 SSRs (simple sequence repeats), 55,574 CDS (coding sequence), and 74,913 lncRNAs (long non-coding RNA) were identified. In addition, using this full-length transcriptome, we identified the key Na+/H+ antiporter (NHX) genes that maintain ion balance in plants and found that these are induced to express under salt stress. The results indicate that the full-length transcriptome of N. tangutorum can be used as a database and be utilized in elucidating the salt tolerance mechanism of N. tangutorum