Prevalence of human herpesvirus 8 infection in systemic lupus erythematosus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>For decades, scientists have tried to understand the environmental factors involved in the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), in which viral infections was included. Previous studies have identified Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) to incite SLE. Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), another member of the gammaherpesvirus family, shares a lot in common with EBV. The characteristics of HHV-8 make it a well-suited candidate to trigger SLE.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the present study, serum samples from patients (n = 108) with diagnosed SLE and matched controls (n = 122) were collected, and the prevalence of HHV-8 was compared by a virus-specific nested PCR and a whole virus enzyme-linked immunoassay (EIA). There was significant difference in the prevalence of HHV-8 DNA between SLE patients and healthy controls (11 of 107 vs 1 of 122, <it>p </it>= 0.001); significant difference was also found in the detection of HHV-8 antibodies (19 of 107 vs 2 of 122, <it>p </it>< 0.001).</p> <p>We also detected the antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus viral capsid antigen (EBV-VCA) and Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA-1). Both patients and controls showed high seroprevalence with no significant difference (106 of 107 vs 119 of 122, <it>p </it>= 0.625).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our finding indicated that there might be an association between HHV-8 and the development of SLE.</p

Knowledge-Assisted Dual-Stage Evolutionary Optimization of Large-Scale Crude Oil Scheduling

With the scaling up of crude oil scheduling in modern refineries, large-scale crude oil scheduling problems (LSCOSPs) emerge with thousands of binary variables and non-linear constraints, which are challenging to be optimized by traditional optimization methods. To solve LSCOSPs, we take the practical crude oil scheduling from a marine-access refinery as an example and start with modeling LSCOSPs from crude unloading, transportation, crude distillation unit processing, and inventory management of intermediate products. On the basis of the proposed model, a dual-stage evolutionary algorithm driven by heuristic rules (denoted by DSEA/HR) is developed, where the dual-stage search mechanism consists of global search and local refinement. In the global search stage, we devise several heuristic rules based on the empirical operating knowledge to generate a well-performing initial population and accelerate convergence in the mixed variables space. In the local refinement stage, a repair strategy is proposed to move the infeasible solutions towards feasible regions by further optimizing the local continuous variables. During the whole evolutionary process, the proposed dual-stage framework plays a crucial role in balancing exploration and exploitation. Experimental results have shown that DSEA/HR outperforms the state-of-the-art and widely-used mathematical programming methods and metaheuristic algorithms on LSCOSP instances within a reasonable time

Structural Basis for a Switch in Receptor Binding Specificity of Two H5N1 Hemagglutinin Mutants

SummaryAvian H5N1 influenza viruses continue to spread in wild birds and domestic poultry with sporadic infection in humans. Receptor binding specificity changes are a prerequisite for H5N1 viruses and other zoonotic viruses to be transmitted among humans. Previous reported hemagglutinin (HA) mutants from ferret-transmissible H5N1 viruses of A/Vietnam/1203/2004 and A/Indonesia/5/2005 showed slightly increased, but still very weak, binding to human receptors. From mutagenesis and glycan array studies, we previously identified two H5N1 HA mutants that could more effectively switch receptor specificity to human-like α2-6-linked sialosides with avidity comparable to wild-type H5 HA binding to avian-like α2-3-linked sialosides. Here, crystal structures of these two H5 HA mutants free and in complex with human and avian glycan receptor analogs reveal the structural basis for their preferential binding to human receptors. These findings suggest continuous surveillance should be maintained to monitor and assess human-to-human transmission potential of H5N1 viruses

Suppression of the magnetic order in CeFeAsO: non-equivalence of hydrostatic and chemical pressure

We present a detailed investigation of the electronic properties of CeFeAsO under chemical (As by P substitution) and hydrostatic pressure by means of in-house and synchrotron M\"ossbauer spectroscopy. The Fe magnetism is suppressed due to both pressures and no magnetic order was observed above a P-substitution level of 40% or 5.2 GPa hydrostatic pressure. We compared both pressures and found that the isovalent As by P substitution change the crystallographic and electronic properties differently than hydrostatic pressure.Comment: supplement is included in the pdf fil

Individual and family factors correlated with children’s fruit consumption

BackgroundFruits are essential for health, yet their consumption in children is inadequate, with unclear influencing factors.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among students in grades 3–12 in Beijing, China, from September 2020 to June 2021. Fruit consumption in children was surveyed using a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Additionally, children’s food and nutrition literacy and family food environments were assessed using the “Food and Nutrition Literacy Questionnaire for Chinese School-age Children” and the “Family Food Environment Questionnaire for Chinese School-age Children,” respectively.ResultsOut of 10,000 participating children, 62.5% consumed fruit daily, with a lower frequency among boys (59.3%) compared to girls (65.8%), and among senior students (48.6%) compared to junior (63.6%) and primary students (71.2%). Fruit consumption was positively associated with other healthy foods (vegetables, whole grains, etc.) and negatively with unhealthy foods (sugared soft drinks). Children with higher food and nutrition literacy consumed fruits daily more frequently (82.4% vs. 59.9%, ORs = 2.438, 95%CI: 2.072–2.868). A significant positive correlation was found between children’s fruit consumption and a healthy family food environment (66.4% vs. 50.2%, OR = 1.507, 95%CI: 1.363–1.667).ConclusionThe results indicate that individual food and nutrition literacy and family food environment are key positive predictors of children’s fruit consumption. Future interventions should focus on educating children and encouraging parents to foster supportive family environments

Autoantibodies against the Catalytic Domain of BRAF Are Not Specific Serum Markers for Rheumatoid Arthritis

BACKGROUND: Autoantibodies to the catalytic domain of v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homologue B1 (BRAF) have been recently identified as a new family of autoantibodies involved in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The objective of this study was to determine antibody responses to the catalytic domain of BRAF in RA and other autoimmune diseases. The association between RA-related clinical indices and these antibodies was also assessed. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The presence of autoantibodies to the catalytic domain of BRAF (anti-BRAF) or to peptide P25 (amino acids 656-675 of the catalytic domain of BRAF; anti-P25) was determined in serum samples from patients with RA, primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and healthy controls by using indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) based on the recombinant catalytic domain of BRAF or a synthesized peptide, respectively. Associations of anti-BRAF or anti-P25 with disease variables of RA patients were also evaluated. Our results show that the BRAF-specific antibodies anti-BRAF and anti-P25 are equally present in RA, pSS, and SLE patients. However, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) used to detect inflammation was significantly different between patients with and without BRAF-specific antibodies. The anti-BRAF-positive patients were found to have prolonged disease, and active disease occurred more frequently in anti-P25-positive patients than in anti-P25-negative patients. A weak but significant correlation between anti-P25 levels and ESRs was observed (r = 0.319, p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The antibody response against the catalytic domain of BRAF is not specific for RA, but the higher titers of BRAF-specific antibodies may be associated with increased inflammation in RA

Petrogenesis of granitoids in the eastern section of the Central Qilian Block: Evidence from geochemistry and zircon U-Pb geochronology

The Caledonian-age Qilian Orogenic Belt at the northern margin of the Greater Tibetan Plateau comprises abundant granitoids that record the histories of the orogenesis. We report here our study of these granitoids from two localities. The Qingchengshan (QCS) pluton, which is situated in the eastern section of the Central Qilian Block, is dated at ~430–420 Ma. It has high-K calc-alkaline composition with high SiO2 (> 70 wt%), enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs), depletion in high field strength elements (HFSEs), and varying degrees of negative Sr and Eu anomalies. The granitoids in the Tongwei (TW) area, 150 km east of the QCS, are complex, the majority of which are dated at ~440 Ma, but there also exist younger, ~230 Ma intrusions genetically associated with the Qinling Orogeny. The Paleozoic TW intrusions also have high SiO2, fractionated REE (rare earth element) patterns, but a negligible Eu anomaly. The whole rock Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions suggest that all these Paleozoic granitoids are consistent with melting-induced mixing of a two-component source, which is best interpreted as the combination of last fragments of subducted/subducting ocean crust with terrigenous sediments. The mantle isotopic signature of these granitoids (87Sr/86Sri: 0.7038 to 0.7100, εNd(t): −4.8 to −1.3, εHf(t): −0.7 to +4.0) reflects significant (~70 %) contribution of the ocean crust derived in no distant past from the mantle at ocean ridges with an inherited mantle isotopic signature. Partial melting of such ocean crust plus terrigenous sediments in response to the ocean closing and continental collision (between the Qilian and Alashan Blocks) under amphibolite facies conditions is responsible for the magmatism. Varying extents of fractional crystallization (±plagioclase, ±amphibole, ±garnet, ±zircon) of the parental magmas produced the observed QCS and TW granitoids. We note that sample HTC12–01 in the TW area shows an A-type or highly fractionated granite signature characterized by elevated abundances and a flat pattern of REEs, weak Nb-Ta anomaly, conspicuous negative Sr and Eu anomalies (Sr/Sr* = 0.09, Eu/Eu* = 0.22), and thus the high 87Sr/86Sr ratio (0.7851), and moderate εNd(t) (−4.9) and εHf(t) (−2.0), pointing to the significant mantle contribution. Compared with the Paleozoic granitoids, the ~230 Ma granitoids in the TW area represented by sample JPC12–02 have higher initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.7073) and lower εNd(t) (−6.2) and εHf(t) (−4.5) values, offering an ideal opportunity for future studies on tectonic effects of juxtaposition of younger orogenesis on an older orogen

Analysis of Snail1 function and regulation by Twist1 in palatal fusion

Palatal fusion is a tightly controlled process which comprises multiple cellular events, including cell movement and differentiation. Midline epithelial seam (MES) degradation is essential to palatal fusion. In this study, we analyzed the function of Snail1 during the degradation of the MES. We also analyzed the mechanism regulating the expression of the Snail1 gene in palatal shelves. Palatal explants treated with Snail1 siRNA did not degrade the MES and E-cadherin was not repressed leading to failure of palatal fusion. Transforming growth factor beta 3 (Tgfβ3) regulated Snail1 mRNA, as Snail1 expression decreased in response to Tgfβ3 neutralizing antibody and a PI-3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitor. Twist1, in collaboration with E2A factors, regulated the expression of Snail1. Twist1/E47 dimers bond to the Snail1 promoter to activate expression. Without E47, Twist1 repressed Snail1 expression. These results support the hypothesis that Tgfβ3 may signal through Twist1 and then Snail1 to downregulate E-cadherin expression during palatal fusion