Application of genefishing discovery system on differential gene expression study for prokaryotic system

GeneFishing Discovery is a system applied on disease and gene related research for eukaryotes and the starting material for the study could be either total RNA or mRNA. In this study we demonstrate the use of this discovery system for a prokaryotic system by modifying the eukaryotic protocol using the poly (A)-tailing approach. As an example we compared the gene expression pattern of two closely related species of bacteria under the same family (Burkholderia thailandensis and Burkholderia cepacia) with satisfactory results.Keywords: Genefishing, differential expression, prokaryotic systemAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 9(35), pp. 5629-5631, 30 August, 201

III-nitride Light-emitting Diode with Embedded Photonic Crystals

A photonic crystal has been embedded within an InGaN/GaN light-emitting diode structure via epitaxial lateral overgrowth of a p-type GaN capping layer. The photonic crystal is a hexagonal-closed-packed array of nano-pillars patterned by nanosphere lithography; the capping layer planarizes the disconnected pillars to form a current-injection device. Optical properties of the nanostructures and devices are extensively studied through a range of spectroscopy techniques and simulations. Most significantly, the emission wavelengths of embedded photonic crystal light-emitting diodes are nearly invariant of injection currents, attributed to partial suppression of the built-in piezoelectric in the quantum wells. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.published_or_final_versio

Validation of a prognostic scoring system for locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated by stereotactic radiosurgery

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Selection of patients with local failure of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) for appropriate type of salvage treatment can be difficult due to the lack of data on comparative efficacy of different salvage treatments. The purpose of the present study was to validate a previously published prognostic scoring system for local failures of NPC treated by radiosurgery based on reported results in the literature.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A literature search yielded 3 published reports on the use of radiosurgery as salvage treatment of NPC that contained sufficient clinical information for validation of the scoring system. Prognostic scores of 18 patients from these reports were calculated and actuarial survival rates were estimated and compared to the original cohort used to design the prognostic scoring system. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was also determined and compared between the current and original patient groups.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The calculated prognostic scores ranged from 0.32 to 1.21, with 15 patients assigned to the poor prognostic group and 3 to the intermediate prognostic group. The actuarial 3-year survival rates in the intermediate and poor prognostic groups were 67% and 0%, respectively. These results were comparable to the observed 3-year survival rates of 74% and 23% in the intermediate and poor prognostic group in the original reports. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the current patient group was 0.846 which was similar to 0.841 in the original group.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The previously published prognostic scoring system demonstrated good prediction of treatment outcome after radiosurgery in a small group of NPC patients with poor prognosis. Prospective study to validate the scoring system is currently being carried out in our institution.</p

Supplementation of TGF-Beta3 in low serum media promotes chondrogenesis of BMSCs

Tissue engineering has emerged as a new promising field that allow in vitro construction of whole transplantable tissue. Recently, bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) fulfil the requirements as appropriate cell source that is renewable for cartilage tissue engineering since they were able to form hyaline-like cartilage in vitro and in vivo when cultured in media supplemented with specific growth factors. This study aimed to examine the potential of BMSCs chondrogenesis in vitro and in vivo. BMSCs were isolated from sheep and divided into a test group and control group. Control group was cultured in medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). Test group was cultured in medium supplemented with 1% FBS, 1% ITS, 5ng/mL TGF-ß3, 50ng/mL IGF-1, 40 ng/mL L-proline, 100 nM dexamethasone and 50 μg/mL ascorbic acid-2 phosphate. The experiment was carried out on athymic nude mice. Cell aggregates were formed in test group and indicated the early chondrogenesis in cell culture. Later, cells-fibrin constructs were made and implanted subcutaneously into nude mice for 5 wks, then explanted for histological examination and glycosaminoglycans (GAG) quantification. Test group constructs showed higher cartilage matrix synthesis as confirmed by Safranin O staining and GAG production. These results demonstrated the effectiveness of low serum media supplemented with TGF-ß3 in promoting chondrogenesis in BMSCs

Options-based negotiation management of PPP–BOT infrastructure projects

10.1080/01446193.2017.1325962Construction Management and Economics3511-12676-69

Water wave scattering by impermeable and perforated plates

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Omicron variant susceptibility to neutralizing antibodies induced in children by natural SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccine

The novel SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant may increase the risk of re-infection and vaccine breakthrough infections as it possesses key mutations in the spike protein that affect neutralizing antibody response. Most studies on neutralization susceptibility were conducted using specimens from adult COVID-19 patients or vaccine recipients. However, since the paediatric population has an antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 infection that is distinct from the adult population, it is critical to assess the neutralization susceptibility of pediatric serum specimens. This study compared the neutralization susceptibility of serum specimens collected from 49 individuals of <18 years old, including 34 adolescent BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine recipients, and 15 recovered COVID-19 patients aged between 2 and 17. We demonstrated that only 38.2% of BNT162b2 vaccine recipients and 26.7% of recovered COVID-19 patients had their serum neutralization titre at or above the detection threshold in our live virus microneutralization assay. Furthermore, the neutralizing antibody titer against the Omicron variant was substantially lower than those against the ancestral virus or the Beta variant. Our results suggest that vaccine recipients and COVID-19 patients in the pediatric age group will likely be more susceptible to vaccine breakthrough infections or reinfections due to the Omicron variant than previous variants

Association Between Biofilm Formation and Structure and Antibiotic Resistance in H. pylori

Xiaojuan Wu,1,2,&ast; Daoyan Wu,1,2,&ast; Guzhen Cui,1 Khui Hung Lee,3 Tingxiu Yang,1,2 Zhengrong Zhang,1,2 Qi Liu,4 Jinbao Zhang,1 Eng Guan Chua,3 Zhenghong Chen1,2 1Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology of Education Department of Guizhou & Joint Laboratory of Helicobacter Pylori and Intestinal Microecology of Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, People’s Republic of China; 2Key Laboratory of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, People’s Republic of China; 3Helicobacter Research Laboratory, the Marshall Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Training, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; 4Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zhenghong Chen, Department of Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, People’s Republic of China, Tel + 86-13985006815, Email [email protected]: Persistent infections caused by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), which are resistant to antibiotic treatment, pose a growing global public health concern. Biofilm formation is known to be associated with persistent infections due to its role in enhancing antimicrobial resistance and the tolerance of many pathogenic bacteria.Objective: This study aims to evaluate the biofilm formation of clinical isolates of H. pylori and its impact on antibiotic eradication.Methods: The thickness, morphology, and structure of biofilms derived from nine H. pylori strains were examined using confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Subsequently, the susceptibility of both planktonic and biofilm bacteria was assessed through the determination of minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum biofilm eradication concentration for amoxicillin, clarithromycin, levofloxacin, and tetracycline.Results: The results revealed varying biofilm thicknesses and densities among the strains, characterised by the presence of numerous filaments intertwining and connecting bacterial cells. Additionally, several cases exhibited susceptibility based on MIC measurements but resistance according to MBEC measurements, with MBEC indicating a higher resistance rate. Pearson Correlation analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between biofilm thickness and MBEC results (0 < r < 1), notably significant for amoxicillin (r = 0.801, P = 0.009) and tetracycline (r = 0.696, P = 0.037).Conclusion: Different strains of H. pylori exhibit variations in their capacity to release outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) and form biofilms. Biofilm formation can influence the effectiveness of amoxicillin and tetracycline in eradicating susceptible bacterial strains.Keywords: Helicobacter pylori, antibiotic resistance, biofilm formation, biofilm-specific resistanc

Current treatment options for recurrent nasopharyngeal cancer

Loco-regional control rate of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has improved significantly in the past decade. However, local recurrence still represents a major cause of mortality and morbidity in advanced stages, and management of local failure remains a challenging issue in NPC. The best salvage treatment for local recurrent NPC remains to be determined. The options include brachytherapy, external radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, and nasopharyngectomy, either alone or in different combinations. In this article we will discuss the different options for salvage of locally recurrent NPC. Retreatment of locally recurrent NPC using radiotherapy, alone or in combination with other treatment modalities, as well as surgery, can result in long-term local control and survival in a substantial proportion of patients. For small-volume recurrent tumors (T1–T2) treated with external radiotherapy, brachytherapy or stereotactic radiosurgery, comparable results to those obtained with surgery have been reported. In contrast, treatment results of advanced-stage locally recurrent NPC are generally more satisfactory with surgery (with or without postoperative radiotherapy) than with reirradiation