Who are the preferential targets for intervention programs related to the female condom among sex workers in Southern China?

The authors used a cluster analysis approach to investigate which female sex workers (FSW) are preferential targets for female condom (FC) intervention programs in southern China. Cross-sectional 6-month (N = 316) and 12-month (N = 217) postintervention surveys of FSW were analyzed. Based on FC attitudes and beliefs, initially suggesting FC use to a partner, practicing insertion, total times ever used, and willingness to use in the future, cluster analysis apportioned women into two clusters, with 50.6% and 58.1% of participants in the likely future FC users group at 6 months and 12 months, respectively. Likely future FC users tended to be from boarding houses, older, currently or previously married, experienced with childbirth, with current multiple sex partners, longer history of sex work, and more unprotected sexual encounters. Focusing FC programs on sectors of the community with more FSW who are likely to use FC may be more costeffective for enhancing FC acceptability and usage. © 2013 The Guilford Press

RSAD2 Is an Effective Target for High-Yield Vaccine Production in MDCK Cells

Increasingly, attention has focused on improving vaccine production in cells using gene editing technology to specifically modify key virus regulation-related genes to promote virus replication. In this study, we used DIA proteomics analysis technology to compare protein expression differences between two groups of MDCK cells: uninfected and influenza A virus (IAV) H1N1-infected cells 16 h post infection (MOI = 0.01). Initially, 266 differentially expressed proteins were detected after infection, 157 of which were upregulated and 109 were downregulated. We screened these proteins to 23 genes related to antiviral innate immunity regulation based on functional annotation database analysis and verified the mRNA expression of these genes using qPCR. Combining our results with published literature, we focused on the proteins RSAD2, KCNN4, IDO1, and ISG20; we verified their expression using western blot, which was consistent with our proteomics results. Finally, we knocked down RSAD2 using lentiviral shRNA expression vectors and found that RSAD2 inhibition significantly increased IAV NP gene expression, effectively promoting influenza virus replication with no significant effect on cell proliferation. These results indicate that RSAD2 is potentially an effective target for establishing high-yield vaccine MDCK cell lines and will help to fully understand the interaction mechanism between host cells and influenza viruses

Host Non-Coding RNA Regulates Influenza A Virus Replication

Outbreaks of influenza, caused by the influenza A virus (IAV), occur almost every year in various regions worldwide, seriously endangering human health. Studies have shown that host non-coding RNA is an important regulator of host–virus interactions in the process of IAV infection. In this paper, we comprehensively analyzed the research progress on host non-coding RNAs with regard to the regulation of IAV replication. According to the regulation mode of host non-coding RNAs, the signal pathways involved, and the specific target genes, we found that a large number of host non-coding RNAs directly targeted the PB1 and PB2 proteins of IAV. Nonstructural protein 1 and other key genes regulate the replication of IAV and indirectly participate in the regulation of the retinoic acid-induced gene I-like receptor signaling pathway, toll-like receptor signaling pathway, Janus kinase signal transducer and activator of transcription signaling pathway, and other major intracellular viral response signaling pathways to regulate the replication of IAV. Based on the above findings, we mapped the regulatory network of host non-coding RNAs in the innate immune response to the influenza virus. These findings will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the function and mechanism of host non-coding RNAs in the cellular anti-virus response as well as clues to the mechanism of cell–virus interactions and the discovery of antiviral drug targets

Leaf area index retrieval in Shanxi province of China using Sentinel-1 data

The green area index (GAI), i.e., half of the green leaf and stem area per unit of horizontal ground surface area, is a key variable for assessing the development, health, and productivity of crops. Currently, most large-scale and cost-effective methods for its estimation exploit optical remote sensing data. Frequent cloud cover can, however, hinder their reliability by blocking the view of the sensors on which they rest. As a result in many parts of the world, its timely monitoring cannot be ensured using optical systems alone. Synthetic aperture radars (SARs), however, thanks to their cloud-penetrating ability, are capable of producing dense time series that can be used to improve the spatial and temporal coverage of their optical counterparts. In this study, SAR-to-optical GAI regression has been performed using a transformer encoder with past and current values of SAR backscatter and interferometric coherence, as well as past values of LAI when available. Sentinel-1 and -2 images acquired from 2018 to 2021 over the Hesbaye region of Belgium have been used for cross-validation. The model has been trained on three growing seasons and tested on the fourth for each fold. The results show that the model can successfully predict Sentinel-2-derived GAI with a cross-validation average R2=0.88 and RMSE=0.74, outperforming methods relying on radiative transfer model (e.g., the Water Cloud model) inversion. The model is also particularly effective compared to non-recurrent regression models, such as Random Forest and Multi-layer Perceptron, over long temporal gaps in the GAI time series, i.e., 30 to 60 days (15 to 30% of the growing season), a common occurrence in Belgium and many other parts of the world. These promising results pave the way for the generation of accurate, dense GAI time series throughout the growing season, allowing for timely crop monitoring in cloud-prone regions

TGM2 inhibits the proliferation, migration and tumorigenesis of MDCK cells.

Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells are one of the main cell lines used for influenza vaccine production due to their high virus yield and low mutation resistance. Due to their high tumorigenicity, the safety of vaccines produced from these cells is controversial. TGM2 is a multifunctional protein that plays an important role in the adhesion and migration of cells and is associated with tumor formation. We found that the expression level of TGM2 was significantly up-regulated in low tumorigenic MDCK cells. We first analyzed TGM2-overexpressed and knockout MDCK cells in vitro. Scratch-wound assay and Transwell chamber experiments showed that TGM2 overexpression significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of MDCK cells and significantly reduced their proliferation. TGM2 knockout significantly enhanced cell migration, invasion, and proliferation. The tumorigenesis results in nude mice were consistent with those in vitro. TGM2 knockout significantly enhanced the tumorigenesis rate of MDCK cells in nude mice. We also investigated the effects of TGM2 gene expression on the replication of the H1N1 influenza A virus in MDCK cells. The results showed that TGM2 induced the negative regulation of H1N1 replication. These findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the tumor regulation mechanism and biological functions of TGM2

Expression of TGM2 in high and low tumor-forming MDCK cells detected by real-time PCR and Western blotting.

(A). TGM2 mRNA levels in high and low tumorigenesis MDCK cells determined by real-time PCR. (B). TGM2 protein levels in high and low tumor-forming MDCK cells were determined by Western blotting and densitometrically quantified and normalized to β‐actin (C).</p

Effect of TGM2 on MDCK tumorigenicity.

(A). Subcutaneous tumor display in nude mice. (B) Statistical results of subcutaneous tumor number in nude mice. (C). Effect of TGM2 overexpression on tumor volume. (D). Effect of TGM2 knockout on tumor volume. (E). Histological observation of liver, lung and subcutaneous tumors in nude mice 30 days after Con, TGM2-OE, WT, and TGM2-KO cells were injected subcutaneously (H&E staining). A large number of hepatic cells were seen in the tissues with mild watery degeneration, cell swelling, loose cytoplasm, and light staining (black arrow). Focal necrosis of the liver cells was observed with nuclear fragmentation or dissolution (yellow arrows), with a small amount of connective tissue hyperplasia (red arrows), and a small amount of lymphocyte and neutrophil infiltration (blue arrows). Positive control (HeLa cells), Negative control (MRC-5 cells), TGM2 overexpression (TGM2-OE), Carrier control (Con), TGM2 knockout (TGM2-KO), Wild type (WT).</p

Animal ethics.

Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells are one of the main cell lines used for influenza vaccine production due to their high virus yield and low mutation resistance. Due to their high tumorigenicity, the safety of vaccines produced from these cells is controversial. TGM2 is a multifunctional protein that plays an important role in the adhesion and migration of cells and is associated with tumor formation. We found that the expression level of TGM2 was significantly up-regulated in low tumorigenic MDCK cells. We first analyzed TGM2-overexpressed and knockout MDCK cells in vitro. Scratch-wound assay and Transwell chamber experiments showed that TGM2 overexpression significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of MDCK cells and significantly reduced their proliferation. TGM2 knockout significantly enhanced cell migration, invasion, and proliferation. The tumorigenesis results in nude mice were consistent with those in vitro. TGM2 knockout significantly enhanced the tumorigenesis rate of MDCK cells in nude mice. We also investigated the effects of TGM2 gene expression on the replication of the H1N1 influenza A virus in MDCK cells. The results showed that TGM2 induced the negative regulation of H1N1 replication. These findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the tumor regulation mechanism and biological functions of TGM2.</div