Molecular epidemiology and clinical characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus in hospitalized children during winter 2021–2022 in Bengbu, China

ObjectiveThis study aimed to study the molecular epidemiology and clinical characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection from hospitalized children with ARTI in Bengbu.MethodsOne hundred twenty-four nasopharyngeal swab specimens and clinical data from children with ARTI cases were collected in Bengbu, China, during winter 2021–2022. The samples were detected by qPCR of 13 respiratory viruses. Phylogenetic analysis was constructed using MEGA 7.0. All analyses were performed using SAS software, version 9.4.ResultsIn winter 2021–2022, URTI, NSCAP, SCAP, and bronchiolitis accounted for 41.03%, 27.35%, 17.09%, and 14.53% of hospitalized children in Bengbu, China. The detection rates of the top three were RSV (41.94%), ADV (5.65%), and FluB (5.65%) in hospitalized children through 13 virus detection. RSV is the main pathogen of hospitalized children under 2 years old. Forty-eight sequences of G protein of RSV were obtained through PCR amplification, including RSV-A 37 strains and RSV-B 11 strains. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all RSV-A and RSV-B were ON1 and BA9 genotypes, respectively. ON1 genotypes were further divided into two clades. The majority of ON1 strains formed a unique genetic clade with T113I, V131D, N178 G, and H258Q mutations. Furthermore, RSV infection was an independent risk factor for ventilator use (OR = 9.55, 95% CI 1.87–48.64).ConclusionThere was a high incidence of RSV among hospitalized children during winter 2021–2022 in Bengbu with ON1 and BA9 being the dominant strains. This study demonstrated the molecular epidemiological characteristics of RSV in children with respiratory infections in Bengbu, China

Modification of dentin surface to enamel-like structure: A potential strategy for improving dentin bonding durability, desensitizing and self-repairing

Introduction: Current theories of dentin bonding are based on the concept of "hybrid layer". However, the histological complexity of dentin, as well as the vulnerability of the hybrid layer, goes against the long-term effect of dentin bonding. At the same time, post-operative sensitivity is more likely to occur after traditional adhesive restoration. The Hypothesis: Compared to dentin bonding, enamel bonding exhibits a more optimal immediate and long-term performance, owing to its higher degree of mineralization, well-arranged enamel crystals and the porous structure after etching. Moreover, "enamel hypersensitivity" is never going to happen due to the lack of tubules existing in dentin. In light of this phenomenon, we brought up the concept and the proposal method to form an "enamel-like" dentin, simulating enamel structure to achieve satisfying durability of dentin bonding and obtain good performance for preventing post-operative sensitivity. With the application of mesoporous silicon bi-directionally binding to hydroxyapatite of dentin itself and hydroxyapatite nanorods synthetized in vitro, we may be able to form an enamel-like "functional layer" via ion-regulating self-assembly. Evaluation of Hypothesis: This paper explains how to achieve dentin enamel-like modification by chemical methods, especially, details the strategies and possible mechanisms of the hypothesis. Validation of the hypothesis is more likely to eliminate the adverse effect of dentinal fluid, improve long-term performance of dentin bonding, offer strategies for desensitizing treatment and self-repairing carious-affected dentin, and furthermore, provide the possibility to introduce new theories of dentin bonding

Apatinib treatment efficiently delays biochemical-only recurrent ovarian cancer progression

Abstract Background Biochemical recurrence is defined as only rising CA-125 but no radiographic evidence of disease; noteworthily, it generally precedes the onset of clinical evidence. Now treatment strategies of biochemical recurrence ovarian cancer (OC) remain controversial. Apatinib as monotherapy or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents has shown its effect in the treatment of some advanced malignancies. In our study, we focused on the efficacy of apatinib in recurrent OC, especially its clinical activity in biochemical-only recurrent OC patients. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical material of 41 recurrent patients who had received apatinib monotherapy or apatinib plus chemotherapy between June 2016 and August 2018. Apatinib was administered at a 500mg daily dose. Response was determined according to measurable disease or serum carbohydrate antigen (CA)-125 levels. Progression-free survival (PFS) was estimated by Kaplan–Meier method. Results All patients were evaluable, 19 (46.34%) had biochemical relapse and 22 (53.66%) had clinical relapse. The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) in the overall population were 31.71% and 78.05%, respectively. The median PFS was 7 months (95% confidence interval 5.43–8.57). And in patients with biochemical-only relapse, the median PFS was 6 months, with ORR of 26.32% and DCR of 89.47%. Conclusions Apatinib is a well-tolerated and effective agent to delay clinical progression of patients with biochemical-only recurrent OC. More important, our study shows the promising prospect for treating OC patients with asymptomatic biochemical relapse

MicroRNA-320a Regulates the Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Targeting HOXA10

Background/Aims: Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are a promising cell source for bone engineering owing to their high potential to differentiate into osteoblasts. The bone morphogenetic protein-inducible gene homeobox a10 (HOXA10) is a critical regulator of osteogenesis. The objective of the present study was to identify microR-NAs (miRNAs) targeting HOXA10 and examine the effects on the osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs. Methods: Based on in silico analysis, HOXA10-targeting miRNAs were selected and their regulatory roles in osteoblast differentiation were investigated. Results: Six HOXA10-targeting miRNAs were identifIed by computational analysis, of which miR-320a was selected for further analysis because it was downregulated during osteogenic induction. Overexpression of miR-320a downregulated HOXA10 and significantly inhibited osteogenesis in hMSCs, as determined by the downregulation of the osteogenic markers Runx2, ALP, and OC and the inhibition of ALP activity and matrix mineralization, whereas miR-320a inhibition had the opposite effects. Furthermore, ectopic expression of HOXA10 (not including 3′-UTR) rescued the effects of miR-320a on osteogenic differentiation. Conclusion: These results suggest that miR-320a acts as a critical regulator of osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs by repressing its target HOXA10

Discovery of a Novel Hypervirulent Acinetobacter baumannii Strain in a Case of Community-Acquired Pneumonia.

PurposeAcinetobacter baumannii is associated with both hospital-acquired infections and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Here, we describe a novel strain of A. baumannii in a case of CAP in a previously healthy rural villager from Central Eastern China.Materials and methodsA. baumannii isolated from the patient (LS01) was compared to well-characterized pathogenic strain (AB5075), nosocomial circulating strain in China (ZJ06), and wild-type strain (ATCC17978). Growth rate studies were conducted under different environmental stressors, and virulence studies were performed using Galleria mellonella larvae. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed using MinIon and MiSeq. Center for Genomic Epidemiology, CLCbio, Geneious, and Virulence Factors of Pathogenic Bacteria database were used for genomic analysis.ResultsLS01 grew significantly faster at 37°C and 42°C and in the presence of zinc compared to other strains. LS01 was more virulent in G. mellonella, killing all larvae within 8 h. Although WGS revealed 44 virulence genes, these genes were also present in the other strains. While two chromosomally encoded β-lactamases were identified, there were no plasmids identified and LS01 was pan-susceptible to all antibiotics tested. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the closest related strains were only 72.552% identical, supporting a novel strain.ConclusionLS01 is a novel strain of hypervirulent yet pan-drug susceptible A. baumannii isolated from a patient with no prior hospitalizations, sick contacts, or any of the typical risk factors. This raises concerns for an emerging pathogen, and more epidemiological studies should be conducted to assess the prevalence of this A. baumannii strain