A Bivalent Vaccine Based on a PB2-Knockout Influenza Virus Protects Mice From Secondary Pneumococcal Pneumonia.

Background: Secondary bacterial infections after influenza can be a serious problem, especially in young children and the elderly, yet the efficacy of current vaccines is limited. Earlier work demonstrated that a replication-incompetent PB2-knockout (PB2-KO) influenza virus possessing a foreign gene in the coding region of its PB2 segment can serve as a platform for a bivalent vaccine.

Methods: In the current study, we generated the PB2-KO virus expressing pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA), PB2-KO-PspA virus, the replication of which is restricted to PB2-expressing cells.

Construction of chromosome segment substitution lines enables QTL mapping for flowering and morphological traits in Brassica rapa.

Chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) represent a powerful method for precise quantitative trait loci (QTL) detection of complex agronomical traits in plants. In this study, we used a marker-assisted backcrossing strategy to develop a population consisting of 63 CSSLs, derived from backcrossing of the F1 generated from a cross between two Brassica rapa subspecies: "Chiifu" (ssp. pekinensis), the Brassica "A" genome-represented line used as the donor, and "49caixin" (ssp.

Variation in NRT1.1B contributes to nitrate-use divergence between rice subspecies.

Asian cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.) consists of two main subspecies, indica and japonica. Indica has higher nitrate-absorption activity than japonica, but the molecular mechanisms underlying that activity remain elusive.

Coronary artery fistula with giant aneurysm and coronary stenosis treated by transcatheter embolization and stent.

Coronary artery fistula (CAF) with giant aneurysm and accompanied by coronary artery stenosis is a very rare disease. Herein, we report a case of a 76-year-old woman having a complex coronary-to-pulmonary artery fistula associated with a giant aneurysm and accompanied by coronary artery stenosis. The patient was successfully treated using transcatheter coil embolization and coronary stent implantation.

[Comparison of two different flap designs in removal of impacted wisdom tooth].

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of two different flap designs on surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars.

Methods: Four hundred patients who required removal of impacted mandibular third molars were included in the study. They were divided into group A and group B randomly.

Edaravone combined with Schwann cell transplantation may repair spinal cord injury in rats.

Edaravone has been shown to delay neuronal apoptosis, thereby improving nerve function and the microenvironment after spinal cord injury. Edaravone can provide a favorable environment for the treatment of spinal cord injury using Schwann cell transplantation. This study used rat models of complete spinal cord transection at T9.

Cutaneous ulcer as leading symptom of systemic cytomegalovirus infection.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection rarely manifests with skin ulcerations. We describe a case report of a 64-year-old woman with chronic immunosuppression for treatment of mixed connective tissue disease, presenting with new onset leg ulcerations after a recent change in immunosuppressive regimen. She subsequently developed fulminant hepatitis, encephalopathy, and pancytopenia and was found to have severe systemic CMV viremia.

[Comparison of component from different species of Inonotus obliquus].

In this paper, water content, mineral element and active ingredient concentration on fifteen Inonotus obliquus which comes from all over the world were studied. In the aspect of water content, the free water content of Finnish birch was the highest, reaching 77.21%, significantly better than that of other strains.

[Oxidative stress promotes hepatocyte apoptosis mediated by glycogen synthase kinase 3β].

Objective: To analyze the role of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) in hepatocyte apoptosis induced by oxidative stress.

Methods: Human HL-7702 hepatoma cells were induced by H₂O₂/antimycin A to establish oxidative stress-induced cell apoptosis models. SB216763, a specific inhibitor of GSK3β, was given to the cells two hours before H₂O₂/antimycin A induction.

Riboflavin-shuttled extracellular electron transfer from Enterococcus faecalis to electrodes in microbial fuel cells.

Great attention has been focused on Gram-negative bacteria in the application of microbial fuel cells. In this study, the Gram-positive bacterium Enterococcus faecalis was employed in microbial fuel cells. Bacterial biofilms formed by E.

Deficiency of Trim27 protects dopaminergic neurons from apoptosis in the neurotoxin model of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-related neurodegenerative movement disorder, characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). The MPTP/MPP+ model is often used to investigate the signaling mechanisms of dopamine (DA) degeneration, both in vivo and in vitro. The identification of specific genetic and environmental factors responsible for PD has bolstered evidence for a shared pathway of neuronal death -apoptosis.

Thymosin β4 induces invasion and migration of human colorectal cancer cells through the ILK/AKT/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Thymosin β4 (Tβ4) is a 43-amino-acid peptide involved in many biological processes. However, the precise molecular signaling mechanism(s) of Tβ4 in cell invasion and migration remain unclear. In this study, we show that Tβ4 was significantly overexpressed in colorectal cancer tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues and high levels of Tβ4 were correlated with stage of colorectal cancer, and that Tβ4 expression was associated with morphogenesis and EMT.

A bivalent vaccine based on a replication-incompetent influenza virus protects against Streptococcus pneumoniae and influenza virus infection.

Unlabelled: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major causative pathogen in community-acquired pneumonia; together with influenza virus, it represents an important public health burden. Although vaccination is the most effective prophylaxis against these infectious agents, no single vaccine simultaneously provides protective immunity against both S. pneumoniae and influenza virus.

[Role of endoplasmic reticulum stress in D-GalN/LPS-induced acute liver failure].

Objective: To study the role of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) in acute liver failure (ALF) using a mouse model of D-Galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide (D-GalN/LPS)-induced ALF.

Methods: The ALF model was established by administering intraperitoneal (i.p.

Protective properties of a fusion pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) vaccine against pneumococcal challenge by five different PspA clades in mice.

An increase in the appearance of nonvaccine serotypes in both children and adults with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) after introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine represents a limitation of this vaccine. In this study, we generated three recombinant pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) proteins comprising PspA families 1 and 2, and we examined the reactivity of antisera raised in mice immunized with a PspA fusion protein in combination with CpG oligonucleotides plus aluminum hydroxide gel. The protective effects of immunization with PspA fusion proteins against pneumococcal challenge by strains with five different PspA clades were also examined in mice.

Osteogenic evaluation of collagen membrane containing drug-loaded polymeric microparticles in a rat calvarial defect model.

The aim of this study was to develop a functional collagen membrane that is treated with poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles loaded with dexamethasone (DEX) as a bioactive molecule for guided bone regeneration (GBR). The DEX-loaded PLGA microparticles prepared using water-in-oil standard emulsion method were precoated with positively charged polyethylenimine molecules and later immobilized onto the surface of the collagen membrane; the microparticles were physically immobilized using counter charges of positively charged PLGA microparticles and the negatively charged collagen membrane surface. The release profile of DEX over a 4-week immersion study indicated an initial burst release followed by a sustained release.

[Effects of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers on the yield, quality and nutrient uptake of Pulsatilla cernua].

Objective: To study the effects of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P2O5) and potassium (K2O) fertilizers on the growth, yield total saponins content and nutrient absorption of Pulsatilla cernua and provide a theoretical basis for good agriculture practice.

Methods: Field plot experiments was conducted, based on the D-saturation optimal design with three factors of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Samples collected periodically were used for determination the contents of nutrient and total saponins, and for measurement of yield and agronomic characters.

Spirulina-templated metal microcoils with controlled helical structures for THz electromagnetic responses.

Microstructures in nature are ultrafine and ordered in biological roles, which have attracted material scientists. Spirulina forms three-dimensional helical microstructure, one of remarkable features in nature beyond our current processing technology such as lithography in terms of mass-productivity and structural multiplicity. Spirulina varies its diameter, helical pitch, and/or length against growing environment.

Three-dimensional architectural and structural analysis--a transition in concept and design from Delaire's cephalometric analysis.

The aim of this study was to present a systematic sequence for three-dimensional (3D) measurement and cephalometry, provide the norm data for computed tomography-based 3D architectural and structural cephalometric analysis, and validate the 3D data through comparison with Delaire's two-dimensional (2D) lateral cephalometric data for the same Korean adults. 2D and 3D cephalometric analyses were performed for 27 healthy subjects and the measurements of both analyses were then individually and comparatively analyzed. Essential diagnostic tools for 3D cephalometry with modified definitions of the points, planes, and measurements were set up based on a review of the conceptual differences between two and three dimensions.

Intraepidermal nerve fiber density of healthy human.

Objectives: To analyze intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IEFND) by skin biopsy, evaluate the effect of age, anatomical sites, and ethnic origin on IEFND and develop a reference range of IENFD at the distal leg of healthy human.

Methods: Seventy skin biopsy specimens from surgical procedures involving 70 patients were analyzed. Specimens were fixed routinely in formalin and thereafter embedded in paraffin.

Risk factors and learning curve associated with postoperative morbidity of laparoscopic total gastrectomy for gastric carcinoma.

Background: Laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) is a challenging surgical procedure that has substantial technical difficulties and complications. In this study, we investigated risk factors for morbidity and mortality after LTG, and the learning curve associated with postoperative morbidity.

Methods: Prospectively constructed data of 203 patients undergoing LTG between 2004 and 2013 were retrospectively reviewed.

Quantitative analysis of six lignans in fruits with different colours of Schisandra chinensis by HPLC.

A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography method was utilised for the simultaneous determination of six major lignans in Schisandra chinensis with different colours continuously for the next 2 years. Six lignans were successfully separated on a C18 column at 254 nm using a gradient of acetonitrile and water. The assay was applied for analysing six lignans in the different colours of fruits of S.

Identification of novel QTLs for isolate-specific partial resistance to Plasmodiophora brassicae in Brassica rapa.

Plasmodiophora brassicae, the causal agent of clubroot disease of the Brassica crops, is widespread in the world. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for partial resistance to 4 different isolates of P. brassicae (Pb2, Pb4, Pb7, and Pb10) were investigated using a BC1F1 population from a cross between two subspecies of Brassica rapa, i.