Folic acid alleviates the negative effects of dexamethasone induced stress on production performance in Hyline Brown laying hens.

Multiple stressors are believed to deteriorate production performance and cause substantial economic losses in commercial poultry farming. Folic acid (FA) is an antioxidant compound that can improve oocyte function and regulate gut microbiota composition. The current study was conducted to investigate the role of FA in alleviating stress and improving production performance.

Development and validation of a novel mortality risk stratification simplified scoring scale for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome.

Objectives: The global incidence of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) has markedly increased over the past decade. There is an urgent need to establish a reliable scoring system for predicting the mortality of patients with SFTS.

Methods: In this ambispective study, 714 patients with SFTS were recruited from 11 sites in China.

Recent updates of centromere proteins in hepatocellular carcinoma: a review.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with approximately 800,000 deaths worldwide each year. Owing to the atypical early symptoms and characteristics of HCC, over 80% of HCC patients cannot receive curative treatment. The treatment of HCC is facing a bottleneck, and new treatment methods are urgently needed.

Evaluation of Plasma Neurodegenerative Biomarkers for Diagnosing Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy and Predicting Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy in Chinese Patients with Hepatic Cirrhosis.

Background And Aims: The performance of neurodegenerative biomarkers-neurofilament light chain (NfL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), tau, and ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1)-in diagnosing minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) has not been systematically evaluated, simultaneously, nor have their associations with the development of overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE). This study aimed to evaluate the performance of plasma NfL, GFAP, tau, and UCHL1 in diagnosing MHE and predicting the development of OHE in Chinese patients with hepatic cirrhosis.

Methods: In this prospective study, 124 patients with hepatic cirrhosis were recruited.

Differential diagnosis of benign and lung adenocarcinoma presenting as larger solid nodules and masses based on multiscale CT radiomics.

Purpose: To develop a better radiomic model for the differential diagnosis of benign and lung adenocarcinoma lesions presenting as larger solid nodules and masses based on multiscale computed tomography (CT) radiomics.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 205 patients with solid nodules and masses from Center 1 between January 2010 and February 2022 and Center 2 between January 2019 and February 2022. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, we retrospectively enrolled 165 patients from two centers and assigned them to the training dataset (n = 115) or the test dataset (n = 50).

Integrated respiratory toxicity of municipal wastewater to human bronchial epithelial cells and 3D bronchospheres.

Respiratory symptoms have been reported in wastewater treatment workers and residents living close to sewage treatment plant. However, toxicological research about the respiratory hazards of municipal wastewater is scarce. The present study aims to gain insight into the comprehensive respiratory hazards induced by the contaminant mixtures in municipal wastewater.

Integrated toxicity of secondary, tertiary, wetland effluents on human stem cells triggered by ERα and PPARγ agonists.

Residual pollutants in discharged and reused water pose both direct and indirect human exposure. However, health effects caused by whole effluent remain largely unknown due to the lack of human relevant model for toxicity test. Effluents from four secondary wastewater treatment plants (SWTPs), a tertiary wastewater treatment plant (TWTP) and a constructed wetland (CW) were evaluated for the integrated toxicity of the organic extractions.

Antiviral immunity of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome: current understanding and implications for clinical treatment.

Dabie Banda virus (DBV), a tick-borne pathogen, was first identified in China in 2009 and causes profound symptoms including fever, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia and multi-organ dysfunction, which is known as severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS). In the last decade, global incidence and mortality of SFTS increased significantly, especially in East Asia. Though previous studies provide understandings of clinical and immunological characteristics of SFTS development, comprehensive insight of antiviral immunity response is still lacking.

Adipogenic and osteogenic effects of OBS and synergistic action with PFOS via PPARγ-RXRα heterodimers.

Sodium p-perfluorous nonenoxybenzenesulfonate (OBS) is a novel alternative to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), with environmental health risks largely unknown. The present study aims to unravel the adipogenesis effects and underlying molecular initiating events of OBS, which are crucial for understanding and predicting its adverse outcome. In undifferentiated human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), exposure to 1-100 nM of OBS for 7 days stimulated reactive oxygen species production.

C-C chemokine receptor 5 is essential for conventional NK cell trafficking and liver injury in a murine hepatitis virus-induced fulminant hepatic failure model.

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated that natural killer (NK) cells migrated into the liver from peripheral organs and exerted cytotoxic effects on hepatocytes in virus-induced liver failure.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the potential therapeutic role of chemokine receptors in the migration of NK cells in a murine hepatitis  virus strain 3 (MHV-3)-induced fulminant hepatic failure (MHV-3-FHF) model and its mechanism.

Results: By gene array analysis, chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 5 (CCR5) was found to have remarkably elevated expression levels in hepatic NK cells after MHV-3 infection.

Long-term SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody level prediction using multimodal deep learning: A prospective cohort study on longitudinal data in Wuhan, China.

The ongoing epidemic of SARS-CoV-2 is taking a substantial financial and health toll on people worldwide. Assessing the level and duration of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody (Nab) would provide key information for government to make sound healthcare policies. Assessed at 3-, 6-, 12-, and 18-month postdischarge, we described the temporal change of IgG levels in 450 individuals with moderate to critical COVID-19 infection.

Effects of legacy and emerging per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on PPARα/β/γ regulation and osteogenic/adipogenic differentiation.

As the primary molecular target, there is still a gap between the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) regulation and the adverse health effects caused by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). The effects of PFASs on cellular differentiation regulated by PPARs is likely significant given the association of PFASs exposure with obesity and decreased bone density. Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) were used as an in vitro model to assess the roles of PPAR subtypes in the multipotent differentiation of hMSCs affected by perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and their replacement compounds.

Connective Tissue Disorders and Fragile X Molecular Status in Females: A Case Series and Review.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disabilities and the second most common cause after Down syndrome. FXS is an X-linked disorder due to a full mutation of the CGG triplet repeat of the FMR1 gene which codes for a protein that is crucial in synaptogenesis and maintaining functions of extracellular matrix-related proteins, key for the development of normal neuronal and connective tissue including collagen. In addition to neuropsychiatric and behavioral problems, individuals with FXS show physical features suggestive of a connective tissue disorder including loose skin and joint laxity, flat feet, hernias and mitral valve prolapse.

Investigating the inotropic effect of pyruvic acid on the isolated rat heart and its underlying mechanism.

Pyruvic acid is important organic chemical intermediates that plays a role in cardiomyocyte pathophysiology and therapy. This study sought to explore the inotropic effects of pyruvic acid on the function of the isolated rat hearts and investigate its underlying mechanism. Pyruvic acid produced a greater negative inotropic effect compared to HCl and sodium pyruvate in a concentration-dependent pattern in the hearts.

Formic acid up-regulates vascular tension through nitric oxide-cGMP signaling pathway.

Formic acid is a common organic acid used in many industrial processes. There is a paucity of research on the direct toxicity of formic acid and how it might affect the cardiovascular system. This study aimed to understand the effect of formic acid on vascular tension in an animal model and the underlying mechanism.

The PBX1 lupus susceptibility gene regulates CD44 expression.

PBX1-d is novel splice isoform of pre-B-cell leukemia homeobox 1 (PBX1) that lacks its DNA-binding and Hox-binding domains, and functions as a dominant negative. We have shown that PBX1-d expression in CD4 T cells is associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a mouse model as well as in human subjects. More specifically, PBX1-d expression leads to the production of autoreactive activated CD4+ T cells, a reduced frequency and function of Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells and an expansion of follicular helper T (Tfh) cells.

[Association between CACNB2 gene polymorphisms and essential hypertension].

Objective: To assess the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of calcium channel β 2 subunit (CACNB2) gene and essential hypertension (EH) in ethnic Han Chinese in Wenzhou area, and to study the influence of rs7069292 alleles on gene expression with luciferase reporter technique.

Methods: Sixty hundred and thirty seven Han Chinese with EH and 600 normal controls were enrolled. Genotypes of 6 SNP within CACNB2 gene including rs2228645, rs2357928, rs7069292, rs7099380, rs10764319 and rs11014166 were determined with matrix assisted laser desorption ionization/time of flight mass spectrometer (MALDI-TOF MS).

[Impact of CACNA1C polymorphisms on antihypertensive efficacy of calcium channel blocker].

Objective: To explore the relationship between genetic polymorphisms of CACNA1C that encoded the a1c subunit of the L-type calcium channel and the efficacy of calcium channel blocker (CCB, Nifedipine extended release tablet/20 mg/d) in essential hypertension (EH) patients of Han Chinese in Wenzhou.

Methods: For the enrolled 103 EH patients, Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (Multi-PCR) and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight MS (MLDI-TOF MS) were performed to detect their genotypes (rs216008, rs1051375, rs2299661, rs10848683, rs215976), blood pressure (BP) after CCB monotherapy was compared among patients with different genotypes.

Results: (1) Blood pressure was significantly reduced in all patients post CCB (P < 0.

Association of KLK3 (PSA) genetic variants with prostate cancer risk and PSA levels.

Genome-wide association studies have identified genetic markers in kallikrein-related peptidase 3 (KLK3) associated with prostate cancer. However, some of these markers are also associated with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, so it is unclear whether the polymorphisms are causal or if the association with risk is solely due to detection bias through PSA screening. PSA is a biologically active serine protease, cleaving insulin-like growth factor-binding protein.

Genetic variation in the beta2 subunit of the voltage-gated calcium channel and pharmacogenetic association with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in the INternational VErapamil SR-Trandolapril STudy GENEtic Substudy (INVEST-GENES).

Background: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the regulatory β2 subunit of the voltage-gated calcium channel (CACNB2) may contribute to variable treatment response to antihypertensive drugs and adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

Methods And Results: SNPs in CACNB2 from 60 ethnically diverse individuals were identified and characterized. Three common SNPs (rs2357928, rs7069292, and rs61839258) and a genome-wide association study-identified intronic SNP (rs11014166) were genotyped for a clinical association study in 5598 hypertensive patients with coronary artery disease randomized to a β-blocker (BB) or a calcium channel blocker (CCB) treatment strategy in the INternational VErapamil SR-Trandolapril STudy GENEtic Substudy (INVEST-GENES).

Sequencing and genetic variation of multidrug resistance plasmids in Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Background: The development of multidrug resistance is a major problem in the treatment of pathogenic microorganisms by distinct antimicrobial agents. Characterizing the genetic variation among plasmids from different bacterial species or strains is a key step towards understanding the mechanism of virulence and their evolution.

Results: We applied a deep sequencing approach to 206 clinical strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae collected from 2002 to 2008 to understand the genetic variation of multidrug resistance plasmids, and to reveal the dynamic change of drug resistance over time.

ArchaeaTF: an integrated database of putative transcription factors in Archaea.

Identification of all the transcription factors (TFs) encoded in a given genome is a prerequisite for understanding transcriptional regulatory networks. Archaea are prokaryotes that constitute one of the three main branches of organisms with an astounding diversity of habitats. In this report, we establish the ArchaeaTF database to provide an integrated information resource about TFs in Archaea, such as basic characteristics, domain architectures, and sequence similarities against the linked databases.