Structural analysis and insertion study reveal the ideal sites for surface displaying foreign peptides on a betanodavirus-like particle

Additional file 3: The averaged density distribution of the 3D reconstructions. The mass densities of the RBS are spherically averaged and plotted as a function of the particle radius. Below a radius of 115 Å is the density of enclosed RNA fragments (The RNA fragments do not belong to the virus genome, they are arbitrarily enclosed bacterial RNA). The density distribution between 115–150 Å and 150–190 Å are the capsid and the protrusion respectively. In the capsid shell, each subunit arranged in a “jerry-roll” structure results in that the capsid shell looks like two layers (two density peaks)

Understanding Local Bonding Structures of Ni-Doped Chromium Nitride Coatings through Synchrotron Radiation NEXAFS Spectroscopy

CrN has widespread applications as protective coatings, for example, in aircraft jet engines whereby their high hardness and good oxidation resistance render metal components resistant to harsh operating conditions. Alloying elements are commonly incorporated (doped) into the coatings to further enhance their thermomechanical properties. However, the effect of dopants on the electronic properties and their roles in modifying the grain boundary configurations remain unclear. Lack of such critical knowledge has hindered the development of design strategies for high performance CrN-based coatings. To address this challenging issue, in the present study near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) investigations of Cr1-yNiyN coatings at the Cr L3,2-edge (570-610 eV), Ni L3,2-edge (840-890 eV), and N K-edge (380-450 eV) regions were conducted using synchrotron radiation soft X-ray (SXR) spectroscopy in both Auger electron yield (AEY) and total fluorescence yield (TFY) modes. The chemical states in CrNiN were found to change with the increase of Ni content, manifested as a small chemical shift and moderate change of shapes of various absorption edges. The CrN grain size also became smaller with increasing Ni concentration. These findings help improve our understanding of local bonding structures, which could potentially lead to improved coating designs for highly demanding applications

Gender and Racial Disparity Among Liver Transplantation Professionals: Report of a Global Survey.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are fundamental principles. Little is known about the pattern of practice and perceptions of EDI among liver transplant (LT) providers. International Liver Transplant Society (ILTS) EDI Committee survey around topics related to discrimination, mentorship, and gender. Answers were collected and analyzed anonymously. Worldwide female leadership was also queried via publicly available data. The survey was e-mailed to 1312 ILTS members, 199 responses (40.7% female) were collected from 38 countries (15.2% response rate). Almost half were surgeons (45.7%), 27.6% hepatologists and 26.6% anesthetists. Among 856 LT programs worldwide, 8.2% of leadership positions were held by females, and 22% of division chiefs were female across all specialties. Sixty-eight of respondents (34.7%) reported some form of discrimination during training or at their current position, presumably related to gender/sexual orientation (20.6%), race/country of origin (25.2%) and others (7.1%). Less than half (43.7%) received mentorship when discrimination occurred. An association between female responses and discrimination, differences in compensation, and job promotion was observed. This survey reveals alarmingly high rate of experience with racial and gender disparity, lack of mentorship, and very low rates of female leadership in the LT field and calls to action to equity and inclusion

The Identification of Lymphocyte-Like Cells and Lymphoid-Related Genes in Amphioxus Indicates the Twilight for the Emergency of Adaptive Immune System

To seek evidence of a primitive adaptive immune system (AIS) before vertebrate, we examined whether lymphocytes or lymphocyte-like cells and the related molecules participating in the lymphocyte function existed in amphioxus. Anatomical analysis by electron microscopy revealed the presence of lymphocyte-like cells in gills, and these cells underwent morphological changes in response to microbial pathogens that are reminiscent of those of mammalian lymphocytes executing immune response to microbial challenge. In addition, a systematic comparative analysis of our cDNA database of amphioxus identified a large number of genes whose vertebrate counterparts are involved in lymphocyte function. Among these genes, several genes were found to be expressed in the vicinity of the lymphocyte-like cells by in situ hybridization and up-regulated after exposure to microbial pathogens. Our findings in the amphioxus indicate the twilight for the emergency of AIS before the invertebrate-vertebrate transition during evolution

Prognostic and Clinicopathological Significance of PD-L1 in Patients with Cholangiocarcinoma: A Meta-Analysis

Background. In recent years, there is growing literature on the prognostic significance of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA); however, data have been conflicting. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the correlation between PD-L1 and prognosis in CCA through meta-analysis. Methods. Published studies were retrieved from the Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library up to April 17, 2020. The relationships between PD-L1 expression and survival outcomes were assessed using hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results. Eighteen studies consisting of 2012 patients were included. Overexpression of PD-L1 was significantly associated with worse overall survival (OS) (HR=1.58, 95%CI=1.30−1.92, p<0.001) but not with poor disease-free survival (DFS) (HR=1.03, 95%CI=0.68−1.55, p=0.895) in CCA. Moreover, PD-L1 was associated with low differentiation (OR=1.43, 95%CI=1.09−1.87, p=0.010) and higher pN stage (OR=1.45, 95%CI=1.10−1.92, p=0.009) but not with sex, TNM stage, vascular invasion, perineural invasion, age, or tumor size. Conclusion. High PD-L1 expression was associated with worse OS, poor differentiation, and higher pN stage in patients with CCA. PD-L1 could be a potential prognostic marker in CCA

Hepatitis B virus infection in hilly/mountainous regions of southeastern China: a locality-dependent epidemiology

Abstract Background The overall prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in China is declining. The purpose of this study was to use a community-based epidemiological study to update the infection status of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in mountainous regions of China, and to evaluate the impact of the Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI) on HBV transmission. Methods In total, 10,383 participants were selected by multi-stage stratified random cluster sampling in two mountainous regions, Xianju and Anji, in Zhejiang province, China. Results The positive rates of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-HBV core antigen (anti-HBc), and anti-HBV surface antigen (anti-HBs) were 9.5%, 33.9%, and 51.0%, respectively. Positive HBV markers were more frequently detected in males than in females (P 38 IU/L) in 15.3% of the HBsAg-positive and 6.3% of the HBsAg-negative subjects. The α-fetoprotein (AFP) level was elevated in 0.8% of the HBsAg-positive participants who were older than 30 years old. Conclusions The epidemiology of HBV infection is location dependent. The prevalence of HBV infection in the mountainous regions is higher than the national levels. Moreover, HBV infection in women of childbearing age is up to 10%, which represents a main factor for continuous HBV transmission