The diploid genome sequence of an Asian individual

Here we present the first diploid genome sequence of an Asian individual. The genome was sequenced to 36-fold average coverage using massively parallel sequencing technology. We aligned the short reads onto the NCBI human reference genome to 99.97% coverage, and guided by the reference genome, we used uniquely mapped reads to assemble a high-quality consensus sequence for 92% of the Asian individual's genome. We identified approximately 3 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) inside this region, of which 13.6% were not in the dbSNP database. Genotyping analysis showed that SNP identification had high accuracy and consistency, indicating the high sequence quality of this assembly. We also carried out heterozygote phasing and haplotype prediction against HapMap CHB and JPT haplotypes (Chinese and Japanese, respectively), sequence comparison with the two available individual genomes (J. D. Watson and J. C. Venter), and structural variation identification. These variations were considered for their potential biological impact. Our sequence data and analyses demonstrate the potential usefulness of next-generation sequencing technologies for personal genomics

A study on the characteristics of diatoms and ecological environment pollution in the main water of Tianjin, China

Twenty lake bottom surface layers mud and water samples in the Qilihai Wetland and the Beidagang Reservoir in Tianjin were taken to do diatoms analysis. More than 6000 diatoms were identified and divided into 117 species and 28 genera. Based on the calculation of DAIpo(Diatom Assemblage to organic water pollution), the water pollution level of the Beidagang Reservoir can be divided into: Xenosaprobic, β -oligosaprobic, α -oligosaprobic, β -mesosaprobic, from clear to slightly cloudy water. The water pollution level of Qilihai wetland can be divided into: extremely oligarchy dirt belt, β oligarchy dirt belt, α oligarchy dirt belt, β Medium dirt belt, that is, the water quality is clear to slightly turbid. The water quality of the Beidagang Reservoir is clearer than that of the Qilihai Wetland. The physical and chemical indexes such as EC, pH, TN, TP and CODMn were determined for the water samples, and the correlation between DAIpo and these measured values was analyzed. The results showed that the degree of water pollution detected was consistent with the conclusion obtained by diatom analysis. The results show that the water quality of the Beidagang Reservoir and the Qilihai Wetland was mildly polluted in the spring and summer of 2019, but the eutrophication is more serious.</jats:p

A study on the characteristics of diatoms and ecological environment pollution in the main water of Tianjin, China

Twenty lake bottom surface layers mud and water samples in the Qilihai Wetland and the Beidagang Reservoir in Tianjin were taken to do diatoms analysis. More than 6000 diatoms were identified and divided into 117 species and 28 genera. Based on the calculation of DAIpo(Diatom Assemblage to organic water pollution), the water pollution level of the Beidagang Reservoir can be divided into: Xenosaprobic, β -oligosaprobic, α -oligosaprobic, β -mesosaprobic, from clear to slightly cloudy water. The water pollution level of Qilihai wetland can be divided into: extremely oligarchy dirt belt, β oligarchy dirt belt, α oligarchy dirt belt, β Medium dirt belt, that is, the water quality is clear to slightly turbid. The water quality of the Beidagang Reservoir is clearer than that of the Qilihai Wetland. The physical and chemical indexes such as EC, pH, TN, TP and CODMn were determined for the water samples, and the correlation between DAIpo and these measured values was analyzed. The results showed that the degree of water pollution detected was consistent with the conclusion obtained by diatom analysis. The results show that the water quality of the Beidagang Reservoir and the Qilihai Wetland was mildly polluted in the spring and summer of 2019, but the eutrophication is more serious

MiR-539-3p inhibited chondrogenic differentiation in human adipose stem cells by targeting Sox9

Abstract Background Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as the attractive candidates for cell therapy for cartilage repair in clinical therapy of osteoarthritis (OA). MiR-539-3p was reported to differentially express during chondrogenic differentiation of adipose stem cells (ASCs) by miRNA microarrays. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of miR-539-3p on chondrogenic differentiation of ASCs. Methods Human ASCs (hASCs) were obtained from liposuction and transfected with miR-539-3p mimic or inhibitor. Then, the cells were cultured in chondrogenic differentiation medium including transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Results Our results found that miR-539-3p was gradually down-regulated during chondrogenic differentiation of hASCs. MiR-539-3p overexpression inhibited TGF-β1-induced chondrogenic differentiation of hASCs, as supported by reducing the gene and protein expression of chondrogenic differentiation markers type II collagen alpha 1 (COL2A1), aggrecan (ACAN), and type II collagen. In contrast, miR-539-3p inhibitor significantly promoted the chondrogenic differentiation of hASCs. Dual luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that Sox9 was a direct target gene of miR-539-3p. The expression of SRY-box transcription factor 9 (Sox9) was up-regulated progressively over time during chondrogenic differentiation of hASCs. Additionally, Sox9 overexpression notably reversed chondrogenic differentiation of hASCs inhibited by miR-539-3p mimic, as demonstrated by the decreased expression of COL2A1, ACAN, and type II collagen. Conclusions Altogether, miR-539-3p inhibited chondrogenic differentiation of hASCs by targeting Sox9. MiR-539-3p may have significant clinical applications for use as a targeted therapy of OA. </jats:sec

Clinical features of COVID-19 patients in one designated medical institutions in Chengdu, China

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical characteristics of patients infected with the 2019 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) responsible for coronavirus disease (COVID-2019).METHODS: Data were collected from 20 patients admitted to the Pidu District People’s Hospital in Chengdu from January 26, 2020 to March 1, 2020 with laboratory-confirmed SARS-Cov-2 infection. Clinical data were collected using the World Health Organization (WHO) nCoV CASE RECORDFORM Version 1.2 28JAN2020, which includes parameters such as: temperature, epidemiological characteristics, social network, history of exposure, and incubation period. If information was unclear, the team reviewed the original data and contacted patients directly if necessary.RESULTS: The median age of the 20 COVID-19 infected patients studied was 42.5 years. In this cohort, four patients became severely ill and one deteriorated rapidly during treatment. This patient was transferred to another medical center with an intensive care unit (ICU) for treatment. This patient died after admission to the ICU. Two of the twenty patients remained positive SARS-Cov-2 more than three weeks, and they were quarantined in a medical facility without medication. According to our analysis, all of the studied cases were infected by human-to-human transmission due to the lack of protective measures; transmission through contact within families requires confirmation. The most common symptoms at onset of illness were fever in 13 (65%) patients, cough in 9 (45%), headache in 3 (15%), fatigue in 6 (30%), diarrhea in 3 (15%), and abdominal pain in 2 (10%). Six patients (30%) developed shortness of breath upon admission. The median time from exposure to onset of illness was 6.5 days (interquartile range 3.25–9 days), and from the onset of symptoms to first hospital admission was 3.5 (1.25–7) days.CONCLUSION: Compared with patients infected with SARS-Cov-2 in Wuhan (up to the end of February 2020), the symptoms of patients in one hospital in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, were relatively mild and patients were discharged from the hospital after only a short stay. However, the fasting blood glucose of the infected individuals was found to be slightly elevated because of the state of emergency. The dynamic changes in lymphocyte levels can predict disease status of COVID-19. They are also suggestive of changes in mean platelet volume during disease progression. This suggests that the patients had mild cases of COVID-19. However, because there is no effective drug treatment for COVID-19, it is important to detect and identify severe cases from mild cases early.</jats:p

Clinical features of COVID-19 patients in one designated medical institutions in Chengdu, China

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical characteristics of patients infected with the 2019 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) responsible for coronavirus disease (COVID-2019).METHODS: Data were collected from 20 patients admitted to the Pidu District People’s Hospital in Chengdu from January 26, 2020 to March 1, 2020 with laboratory-confirmed SARS-Cov-2 infection. Clinical data were collected using the World Health Organization (WHO) nCoV CASE RECORDFORM Version 1.2 28JAN2020, which includes parameters such as: temperature, epidemiological characteristics, social network, history of exposure, and incubation period. If information was unclear, the team reviewed the original data and contacted patients directly if necessary.RESULTS: The median age of the 20 COVID-19 infected patients studied was 42.5 years. In this cohort, four patients became severely ill and one deteriorated rapidly during treatment. This patient was transferred to another medical center with an intensive care unit (ICU) for treatment. This patient died after admission to the ICU. Two of the twenty patients remained positive SARS-Cov-2 more than three weeks, and they were quarantined in a medical facility without medication. According to our analysis, all of the studied cases were infected by human-to-human transmission due to the lack of protective measures; transmission through contact within families requires confirmation. The most common symptoms at onset of illness were fever in 13 (65%) patients, cough in 9 (45%), headache in 3 (15%), fatigue in 6 (30%), diarrhea in 3 (15%), and abdominal pain in 2 (10%). Six patients (30%) developed shortness of breath upon admission. The median time from exposure to onset of illness was6.5 days (interquartile range 3.25–9 days), and from the onset of symptoms to first hospital admission was 3.5 (1.25–7) days.CONCLUSION: Compared with patients infected with SARS-Cov-2 in Wuhan (up to the end of February 2020), the symptoms of patients in one hospital in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, were relatively mild and patients were discharged from the hospital after only a short stay. However, the fasting blood glucose of the infected individuals was found to be slightly elevated because of the state of emergency. The dynamic changes in lymphocyte levels can predict disease status of COVID-19. They are also suggestive of changes in mean platelet volume during disease progression. This suggests that the patients had mild cases of COVID-19. However, because there is no effective drug treatment for COVID-19, it is important to detect and identify severe cases from mild cases early.</jats:p

Lipid Profile and Its Association with Risk Factors for Coronary Heart Disease in the Highlanders of Lhasa, Tibet

Sherpa, Lhamo Y., Deji, Hein Stigum, Virasakdi Chongsuvivatwong, Ouzhu Luobu, Dag S. Thelle, Per Nafstad, and Espen Bjertness. Lipid profile and its association with risk factors for coronary heart disease in highlanders of Lhasa, Tibet. High Alt. Med. Biol. 12:57–63, 2011.—The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of abnormal lipid levels and its association with selected coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors in the Tibetan population living at 3660 meters above sea level in Lhasa, Tibet. Three hundred seventy one randomly selected male and female, aged 30 to 70 yr took part in the study. Based on the National Cholesterol Education Programme (NCED) adult treatment panel ATP-III 2004 criteria, the age-adjusted prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia was 12.0%; high triglycerides (TG), 33.4%; high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), 4.8%; and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C); 24.3%. After adjusting for age, sex, smoking, alcohol, physical activity, diet, hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), an increase in waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) by 0.1 unit was associated with a statistically significant increase in TG, total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-C by 0.25 mmol/L, 0.24 mmol/L, and 0.18 mmol/L, respectively. Female gender increased HDL-C by 0.18 mmol/L when compared with males. Age-adjusted prevalences of Framingham CHD risk score for males and females were 16.3% and 0.6%, respectively. This study demonstrated a high prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia in males, a higher prevalence of low HDL-C in females, and a high hypercholesterolemia prevalence in both genders. However, further longitudinal studies assessing CHD risk factors in high altitude natives are required