An infectious clone of enterovirus 71(EV71) that is capable of infecting neonatal immune competent mice without adaptive mutations

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is a major pathogen that causes hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), which is a life threatening disease in certain children. The pathogenesis of EV71-caused HFMD is poorly defined due to the lack of simple and robust animal models with severe phenotypes that recapitulate symptoms observed in humans. Here, we generated the infectious clone of a clinical isolate from a severe HFMD patient. Virus rescued from the cDNA clone was infectious in cell lines. When administrated intraperitoneally to neonatal ICR, BALB/c and C57 immune competent mice at a dosage of1.4 × 104 pfu per mouse, the virus caused weight loss, paralysis and death in the infected mice after 4-5 days of infection. In the infected mice, detectable viral replication was detected in various tissues such as heart, liver, brain, lung, kidney, small intestine, leg skeletal muscle and medulla oblongata. The histology of the infected mice included massive myolysis, glomerular atrophy, villous blunting in small intestine, widened alveolar septum, diminished alveolar spaces and lymphocytes infiltration into the lung. By using the UV-inactivated virus as a control, we elucidated that the virus first amplified in the leg skeletal muscle tissue and the muscle tissue served as a primary viral replication site. In summary, we generated a stable EV71 infectious clone that is capable of infecting neonatal immune competent mice without adaptive mutations and provide a simple, valuable animal model for the studies of EV71pathogenesis and therapy.</p

The Precambrian Khondalite Belt in the Daqingshan area, North China Craton: evidence for multiple metamorphic events in the Palaeoproterozoic era

High-grade pelitic metasedimentary rocks (khondalites) are widely distributed in the northwestern part of the North China Craton and were named the ‘Khondalite Belt’. Prior to the application of zircon geochronology, a stratigraphic division of the supracrustal rocks into several groups was established using interpretative field geology. We report here SHRIMP U–Pb zircon ages and Hf-isotope data on metamorphosed sedimentary and magmatic rocks at Daqingshan, a typical area of the Khondalite Belt. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The early Precambrian supracrustal rocks belong to three sequences: a 2.56–2.51 Ga supracrustal unit (the previous Sanggan ‘group’), a 2.51–2.45 Ga supracrustal unit (a portion of the previous upper Wulashan ‘group’) and a 2.0–1.95 Ga supracrustal unit (including the previous lower Wulashan ‘group’, a portion of original upper Wulashan ‘group’ and the original Meidaizhao ‘group’) the units thus do not represent a true stratigraphy; (2) Strong tectono-thermal events occurred during the late Neoarchaean to late Palaeoproterozoic, with four episodes recognized: 2.6–2.5, 2.45–2.37, 2.3–2.0 and 1.95–1.85 Ga, with the latest event being consistent with the assembly of the Palaeoproterozoic supercontinent Columbia; (3) During the late Neoarchaean to late Palaeoproterozoic (2.55–2.5, 2.37 and 2.06 Ga) juvenile, mantle-derived material was added to the crust

Long-term functional maintenance of primary human hepatocytes in vitro

The maintenance of terminally differentiated cells, especially hepatocytes, in vitro has proven challenging. Here we demonstrated the long-term in vitro maintenance of primary human hepatocytes (PHHs) by modulating cell signaling pathways with a combination of five chemicals (5C). 5C-cultured PHHs showed global gene expression profiles and hepatocyte-specific functions resembling those of freshly isolated counterparts. Furthermore, these cells efficiently recapitulated the entire course of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection over 4 weeks with the production of infectious viral particles and formation of HBV covalently closed circular DNA. Our study demonstrates that, with a chemical approach, functional maintenance of PHHs supports long-term HBV infection in vitro, providing an efficient platform for investigating HBV cell biology and antiviral drug screening.</p

An analysis of women's and children's health professional requirements in China in 2010 based on workload

Background: To make health services more equitable and accessible for women and children and to achieve a universal coverage, human resources for women and children&apos;s health (WCH) should be evaluated. However, since there is still no consensus on the real situation of Chinese WCH professionals, we aim with this study to compare the actual and required amount of WCH professionals for China. Methods: The data of the actual number of WCH professionals and workload of each service type was obtained by a national institution-based sampling survey. We then estimated the time that a WCH professional spends at work (annually), the time norm of each service schedule and the required number of WCH professionals based on workload. We evaluated the situation of Chinese WCH professionals in 2010 by comparing the actual and required WCH professionals and by calculating the ratios of the actual-to-required number of staff. Results: There were 515,778 health professionals providing WCH services in the investigated 5,168 medical/health institutions in 2010. Workloads of most WCH services in east areas were larger than that in the central and the west. For women&apos;s health, the numbers of required WCH professionals were 48510, 43992, 40571 and 133073 for the east, the central, the west areas and the whole nation respectively. For children&apos;s health professionals, the corresponding numbers were 56241, 36818, 40618 and 133677 for the east, the central, the west and the whole nation. Conclusions: The WCH professionals in China were sufficient for workload in 2010, there were still lots of potential capacities to provide better services, especially for women. Strategies should be taken to improve the quality of WCH professionals or their working motivation.http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000347346200001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=8e1609b174ce4e31116a60747a720701Health Care Sciences &amp; ServicesSCI(E)[email protected]

China's human resources for maternal and child health:a national sampling survey

Background: In order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 4 and 5, the Chinese Government has invested greatly in improving maternal and child health (MCH) with impressive results. However, one of the most important barriers for further improvement is the uneven distribution of MCH human resources. There is little information about the distribution, quantity and capacity of the Chinese MCH human resources and we sought to investigate this. Methods: Cities at prefectural level were selected by random cluster sampling. All medical and health institutions providing MCH-related services in the sampled areas were investigated using a structured questionnaire. The data were weighted based on the proportion of the sampled districts/cities. Amount, proportions and numbers per 10,000 population of MCH human resources were estimated in order to reveal the quantity of the Chinese MCH human resources. The capacity of MCH human resources was evaluated by analyzing data on the education level and professional skills of the staff. Results: There were 77,248 MCH workers in China in 2010. In general, 67.6 % and 71.9 % of the women&apos;s and children&apos;s health care professionals had an associate degree or higher, whereas around 30 % had only high-school or lower degrees. More than 40 % of the women&apos;s health workers were capable of providing skilled birth attendance, but these proportions varied between different institutions and locations. Conclusions: Evidence from this study highlights that Chinese MCH human resources are not in shortage in the national level. However, the quantity and capacity of MCH human resources are not evenly distributed among different institutions and locations. Finally there is a need in the improvement of the MCH services by improving the quality of MCH human resources.UNICEFSCI(E)[email protected]

Mapping the path towards novel treatment strategies: a bibliometric analysis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis research from 1990 to 2023

BackgroundHashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT), a common form of thyroid autoimmunity, is strongly associated with deteriorating clinical status and impaired quality of life. The escalating global prevalence, coupled with the complexity of disease mechanisms, necessitates a comprehensive, bibliometric analysis to elucidate the trajectory, hotspots, and future trends in HT research.ObjectiveThis study aims to illuminate the development, hotspots, and future directions in HT research through systematic analysis of publications, institutions, authors, journals, references, and keywords. Particular emphasis is placed on novel treatment strategies for HT and its complications, highlighting the potential role of genetic profiling and immunomodulatory therapies.MethodsWe retrieved 8,726 relevant documents from the Web of Science Core Collection database spanning from 1 January 1990 to 7 March 2023. Following the selection of document type, 7,624 articles were included for bibliometric analysis using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and R software.ResultsThe temporal evolution of HT research is categorized into three distinct phases: exploration (1990-1999), rapid development (1999-2000), and steady growth (2000-present). Notably, the United States, China, Italy, and Japan collectively contributed over half (54.77%) of global publications. Among the top 10 research institutions, four were from Italy (4/10), followed by China (2/10) and the United States (2/10). Recent hotspots, such as the roles of gut microbiota, genetic profiling, and nutritional factors in HT management, the diagnostic dilemmas between HT and Grave’s disease, as well as the challenges in managing HT complicated by papillary thyroid carcinoma and type 1 diabetes mellitus, are discussed.ConclusionAlthough North America and Europe have a considerable academic impact, institutions from emerging countries like China are demonstrating promising potential in HT research. Future studies are anticipated to delve deeper into the differential diagnosis of HT and Grave’s disease, the intricate relationship between gut microbiota and HT pathogenesis, clinical management of HT with papillary thyroid carcinoma or type 1 diabetes, and the beneficial effects of dietary modifications and micronutrients supplementation in HT. Furthermore, the advent of genetic profiling and advanced immunotherapies for managing HT offers promising avenues for future research

Intrinsically Tuning the Electromechanical Properties of Elastomeric Dielectrics:A Chemistry Perspective

Dielectric elastomers have the capability to be used as transducers for actuation and energy harvesting applications due to their excellent combination of large strain capability (100–400%), rapid response (10−3 s), high energy density (10–150 kJ m−3), low noise, and lightweight nature. However, the dielectric properties of non‐polar elastomers such as dielectric permittivity ε r , breakdown strength E b , and dielectric loss ε ″, need to be enhanced for real world applications. The introduction of polar groups or structures into dielectric elastomers through covalently bonding is an attractive approach to ‘intrinsically’ induce a permanent polarity to the elastomers, and can eliminate the poor post‐processing issues and breakdown strength of extrinsically modified materials, which have often been prepared by incorporation of fillers. This review discusses the chemical methods for modification of dielectric elastomers, such as hydrosilylation, thiol‐ene click chemistry, azide click chemistry, and atom transfer radical polymerization. The effects of the type and concentration of polar groups on the dielectric and mechanical properties of the elastomers and their performance in actuation and harvesting systems are discussed. State‐of‐the‐art developments and perspectives of modified dielectric elastomers for deformable energy generators and transducers are provided

Thermal degradation and flame retardancy of polypropylene/C60 nanocomposites

Nanocomposites based on polypropylene (PP) and fullerene C60 (in the range of 0.5-2 wt%) were prepared by melt compounding. It was observed that C60 could not only significantly enhance the thermal stability in nitrogen but also considerably delay the oxidation decomposition in air of polypropylene. Unexpectedly, the incorporation of C60 greatly reduced the heat release rate of PP and resulted in a longer time to ignition. And the free radicals-trapping mechanism of C60 was proposed for explaining the enhanced thermal properties and improved flame retardancy of PP. Therefore, C60 will be an effective flame retardant like carbon nanotubes and clay for PP