a-bacterial-oral-feeding-assay-with-antibiotic-treated-mosquitoes

A Bacterial Oral Feeding Assay with Antibiotic-Treated Mosquitoes

The mosquito midgut harbors a highly dynamic microbiome that affects the host metabolism, reproduction, fitness, and vector competence. Studies have been ...

Central South University

Bioartificial livers may act as a promising therapy for fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) with better accessibility and less injury compared to orthotopic liver transplantation. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a fluidized bed bioartificial liver (FBBAL) and to explore its therapeutic mechanisms based on metabolomics. FHF was induced by D-galactosamine. Eighteen hours later, pigs were treated with an FBBAL containing encapsulated primary porcine hepatocytes (B group), with a sham FBBAL (containing cell-free capsules, S group) or with only intensive care (C group) for 6 h. Serum samples were assayed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The difference in survival time (51.6 ± 7.9 h vs. 49.3 ± 6.6 h) and serum metabolome was negligible between the S and C groups, whereas FBBAL treatment significantly prolonged survival time (70.4 ± 11.5h, P < 0.01) and perturbed the serum metabolome, resulting in a marked decrease in phosphatidylcholines, lysophosphatidylcholines, sphingomyelinase, and fatty acids and an increase in conjugated bile acids. The FBBAL exhibits some liver functions and may exert its therapeutic effect by altering the serum metabolome of FHF pigs. Moreover, alginate-chitosan capsules have less influence on serum metabolites. Nevertheless, the alterations were not universally beneficial, revealing that much should be done to improve the FBBAL.

Efficacy of Fluidized Bed Bioartificial Liver in Treating Fulminant Hepatic Failure in Pigs: A Metabolomics Study.

To study microRNA (miR)-20a expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its effects on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HepG2.

Restoration of miR-20a expression suppresses cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in HepG2 cells.

An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that the dysregulation of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) may serve an important role in tumor progression. Previous studies have reported that the lncRNA, colon cancer associated transcript 2 (CCAT2), was highly expressed in various tumors. However, the function of CCAT2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not yet been elucidated. The aim of the present study was to identify novel oncogene lncRNAs and investigate their physiological function and mechanism in HCC. Using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, it was observed that CCAT2 was upregulated in HCC tissues and human HCC cell lines. Furthermore, the impacts of CCAT2 on cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis were analyzed using cell migration, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis respectively. The overexpression of CCAT2 using a synthesized vector significantly promoted cell migration and proliferation, and inhibited apoptosis of HCC cells . The suppression of CCAT2 expression resulted in opposing effects. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the ﬁrst to demonstrate that CCAT2 functions as a oncogene in HCC. Further investigation is required to clarify the molecular mechanisms of this lncRNA in HCC development.

Long non-coding RNA CCAT2 functions as an oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma, regulating cellular proliferation, migration and apoptosis.

Synaptojanin 2 Binding Protein (SYNJ2BP) is essential to cell proliferation. Previous studies show that SYNJ2BP participates in sprouting angiogenesis, which plays an important part in several abnormal conditions including cancer. However, the activity of SYNJ2BP in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been elucidated yet.

SYNJ2BP inhibits tumor growth and metastasis by activating DLL4 pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Matrine, an alkaloid component derived from the Sophora root, can inhibit cancer cell proliferation and induce autophagy via p53 associated pathways. However, numerous tumor cells lack functional p53 and little is known about the effect of matrine on the p53‑deficient/mutant cancer cells. The present study aimed to assess anticancer effects of matrine in p53‑deficient human Hep3B hepatoma cells. The present results demonstrated that matrine caused Hep3B cell apoptosis by suppressing gene expression of minute double‑mutant (MDM)2. Notably, it was revealed that matrine inhibited MDM2 at the transcriptional level in a time‑ and dose‑dependent manner. This MDM2 inhibition resulted in induction of the p53 family member, p73; however, the functions of p73 were not induced since matrine‑induced p73 failed to activate its target genes, p21 and p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis. The matrine‑induced downregulation of MDM2 led to an inhibition of inhibitor of apoptosis protein 3, which might serve a critical role in matrine‑induced apoptosis in MDM2‑overexpressing Hep3B cells. Finally, combination therapy of matrine with 100 µM epotoside successfully killed more Hep3B cells, suggesting that matrine can sensitize p53‑deficient Hep3B cells to epotoside‑induced apoptosis.

Matrine‑induced apoptosis in Hep3B cells via the inhibition of MDM2.

The fecal metabolome of Clostridium difficile (CD) infection is far from being understood, particularly its non-volatile organic compounds. The drawbacks of current tests used to diagnose CD infection hinder their application.

Diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection using an UPLC-MS based metabolomics method.

Two-dimensional (2D) lead halide perovskite has recently been recognized as a promising candidate to stabilize perovskite solar cells due to its extraordinary moisture resistance. These 2D perovskite films often consist of multiple phases with layered () lead halide (from  = 1, 2, 3 to ≈∞). However, a convincing evidence is still lacking to clarify the phase distribution with respect to different , thus causes the misleading for device design. Herein, confocal photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy was applied to probe the inhomogeneity of 2D perovskite films along the vertical direction to construct a clear-phase distribution mapping consequently. It reveals that the 2D perovskite phases ( = 2, 3, 4) locate preferentially near the substrate, while large  phases are predominantly near the top surface. Moreover, we successfully developed a simple method to manipulate the phase distribution in 2D perovskite thin films, which results in a dramatic increase of device efficiency from 4.95 to 11.6%. Our findings thus provide insights to the understanding of 2D perovskite film growth. The utilization of visualized phase distribution data could also guide the further development of 2D perovskite materials for optoelectronic devices.

Probing Phase Distribution in 2D Perovskites for Efficient Device Design.

Gram-negative bloodstream infections (GNBSIs), especially those caused by antibiotic-resistant species, have become a public health challenge. Procalcitonin (PCT) showed promising potential in early diagnosis of GNBSI; however, little was known about its performance under different clinical settings. We here systematically assessed the diagnostic accuracy of PCT in recognizing GNBSI and made direct comparisons with C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin 6 (IL-6).

Diagnostic Accuracy of Procalcitonin Compared to C-Reactive Protein and Interleukin 6 in Recognizing Gram-Negative Bloodstream Infection: A Meta-Analytic Study.

To compare how OCT4A proteins interact with and regulate multiple OCT4A-octamer motifs (OMs) in different regions of the FOS gene expressed in somatic cancer cells versus pluripotent stem cells.

Cellular context- and protein level-dependent interaction of pluripotency factor OCT4A with multiple octamer motifs of the same target gene.

BACKGROUNDHBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) is hallmarked by high short-term mortality rates, calling for accurate prognostic biomarkers for initial risk stratification.METHODSThree tandem mass tag-labeled (TMT-labeled) quantitative proteomic studies were performed on 10 patients with HBV-related acute hepatic decompensation and on 20 patients with HBV-ACLF. Candidate biomarkers were preliminarily verified in a cross-sectional cohort (n = 144) and further confirmed in 2 prospective cohorts (n = 207 and n = 148).RESULTSPlasminogen, a potential prognostic biomarker for HBV-ACLF, was identified by TMT quantitative proteomics and preliminarily verified in the cross-sectional cohort. Further validation with a prospective cohort (n = 207) showed that plasminogen levels at admission were significantly lower (P < 0.001) in HBV-ACLF nonsurvivors than in survivors. The cumulative survival duration of patients with high plasminogen levels was significantly longer (P < 0.001) than that of patients with low plasminogen levels. During hospitalization, plasminogen levels significantly decreased (P = 0.008) in the deterioration group but significantly increased (P < 0.001) in the improvement group. Additionally, plasminogen levels gradually increased in survivors but gradually decreased in nonsurvivors. The P5 score, a prognostic panel incorporating plasminogen levels, hepatic encephalopathy occurrence, age, international normalized ratio (INR), and total bilirubin, was significantly superior to the Child-Pugh, Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD), Chronic Liver Failure Consortium ACLF (CLIF-C ACLF), Chinese Group on the Study of Severe Hepatitis B (COSSH), and HINT (a prognostic score based on hepatic encephalopathy occurrence, INR, neutrophil count, and thyroid-stimulating hormone) scores (all P < 0.05). The performances of the plasminogen level and P5 score were validated in a second multicenter, prospective cohort (n = 148).CONCLUSIONSPlasminogen is a promising prognostic biomarker for HBV-ACLF, and sequential plasminogen measurements could profile the clinical course of HBV-ACLF. P5 is a high-performance prognostic score for HBV-ACLF.FUNDINGThe National Key Research and Development Program (2017YFC1200204); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81400589, 81600497); the Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81121002); the Chinese High-Tech Research and Development Programs (2012AA020204); the National S&T Major Project (2012ZX10002004); and the Zhejiang Provincial Medicine and Health Science and Technology Project (2016147735).

Plasminogen as a prognostic biomarker for HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 Test Results After Clinical Recovery and Hospital Discharge Among Patients in China.

Asymptomatic individuals with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been identified via nucleic acid testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); however, the epidemiologic characteristics and viral shedding pattern of asymptomatic patients remain largely unknown. In this study, serological testing was applied when identifying nine asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 who showed persistent negative RT-PCR test results for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid and no symptoms of COVID-19. Two asymptomatic cases were presumed to be index patients who had cleared the virus when their close contacts developed symptoms of COVID-19. Three of the asymptomatic cases were local individuals who spontaneously recovered before their presumed index patients developed symptoms of COVID-19. This report presents the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of asymptomatic individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection that were undetected on RT-PCR tests in previous epidemiologic investigations probably due to the transient viral shedding duration.

Identification of RT-PCR-Negative Asymptomatic COVID-19 Patients via Serological Testing.

The antiviral effects of Novaferon, a potent antiviral protein drug, on COVID-19 was evaluated in the laboratory, and in a randomized, open-label, parallel-group trial.

Article	Year
Efficacy of Fluidized Bed Bioartificial Liver in Treating Fulminant Hepatic Failure in Pigs: A Metabolomics Study. Scientific reports\| PubMed ID: 27194381	2016
Restoration of miR-20a expression suppresses cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in HepG2 cells. OncoTargets and therapy\| PubMed ID: 27313460	2016
Long non-coding RNA CCAT2 functions as an oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma, regulating cellular proliferation, migration and apoptosis. Oncology letters\| PubMed ID: 27347113	2016
SYNJ2BP inhibits tumor growth and metastasis by activating DLL4 pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma. Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR\| PubMed ID: 27440153	2016
Matrine‑induced apoptosis in Hep3B cells via the inhibition of MDM2. Molecular medicine reports\| PubMed ID: 27959389	2017
Diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection using an UPLC-MS based metabolomics method. Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society\| PubMed ID: 30830376	2018
Probing Phase Distribution in 2D Perovskites for Efficient Device Design. ACS applied materials & interfaces\| PubMed ID: 31833753	2020
Diagnostic Accuracy of Procalcitonin Compared to C-Reactive Protein and Interleukin 6 in Recognizing Gram-Negative Bloodstream Infection: A Meta-Analytic Study. Disease markers\| PubMed ID: 32076461	2020
Cellular context- and protein level-dependent interaction of pluripotency factor OCT4A with multiple octamer motifs of the same target gene. Life sciences\| PubMed ID: 32097665	2020
Plasminogen as a prognostic biomarker for HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure. The Journal of clinical investigation\| PubMed ID: 32175919	2020
Coronavirus Disease 2019 Test Results After Clinical Recovery and Hospital Discharge Among Patients in China. JAMA network open\| PubMed ID: 32442288	2020
Identification of RT-PCR-Negative Asymptomatic COVID-19 Patients via Serological Testing. Frontiers in public health\| PubMed ID: 32582617	2020
SARS-CoV-2 clearance in COVID-19 patients with Novaferon treatment: A randomized, open-label, parallel-group trial. International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases\| PubMed ID: 32758689	2020

Ning Zhou

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