The Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that causes neonatal abnormalities and other disorders. Antibodies to the ZIKV envelope (E) protein can block infection. In this study, next-generation sequencing (NGS) of immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) mRNA transcripts was combined with single-cell PCR cloning of E-binding monoclonal antibodies for analysing antibody response in a patient from the early stages of infection to more than one year after the clearance of the virus. The patient's IgH...

This study aims to investigate the potential mechanisms and identify core biomarkers of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The profile GSE113850 was downloaded to analyze the differentially expressed genes. Gene ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and protein–protein interaction network analysis were used to reveal the main signal pathways of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and hub genes. The correlation between core gene expression and pathological stages, the disease-free survival analysis, the overall survival...

Social distance is an important tool for evaluating the degree of intimacy between individuals that has been applied in various disciplines. However, while increasing attention has been paid to this topic, little effort has been invested in understanding the construct of social distance between tourism community residents. The purpose of this study was to develop a scale that would assist in understanding and evaluating the social distance between tourism community residents. First, focus group interviews,...

The dysfunction of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been observed in coronavirus infection disease (COVID-19) patients, but whether RAS inhibitors, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARBs), are associated with clinical outcomes remains unknown. COVID-19 patients with hypertension were enrolled to evaluate the effect of RAS inhibitors. We observed that patients receiving ACEI or ARB therapy had a lower rate of severe diseases and a trend toward a...

In order to devise more effective penetration enhancers, 4-O-acylterpineol derivatives which were expected to be hydrolyzed into nontoxic metabolites by esterase in the living epidermis, were synthesized from 4-terpineol (4-TER) enantiomers and straight chain fatty acids. Their promoting activities on the SR-flurbiprofen and its enantiomers were tested across full-thickness rabbit skin, as well as to correlate under in vitro and in vivo conditions. The permeation studies indicated that both d-4-O-acylterpineol and l-4-O-acylterpineol had significant enhancing...

Additional file 1. SPIRIT 2013 checklist.

Abstract Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common chronic liver disease characterized by excessive fat accumulation in the liver. One of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms is insulin resistance (IR). Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has showed potential benefits in the management of NAFLD. Lingguizhugan decoction (LGZG) is a representative Chinese herbal formula; however, there is still no rigorous clinical trial supporting its application. Methods/design This study will be a three-arm, dose-optimization, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled...

In the present study, a total of 7793 samples from 5 different types of hosts were collected and tested, with a seroprevalence of 2.4% (184/7793). Although the seroprevalence of human and animal brucellosis is relatively low, numbers of human brucellosis cases reported have increased continuously from 2004 to 2018. A total of 118 Brucella strains containing 4 biotypes were obtained, including Brucella melitensis bv.1 (n = 8) and bv.3 (n = 106), Brucella abortus bv.3...

Circulating in China and 158 other countries and areas, the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has caused devastating mortality and posed a great threat to public health. However, efforts to identify effectively supportive therapeutic drugs and treatments has been hampered by our limited understanding of host immune response for this fatal disease. To characterize the transcriptional signatures of host inflammatory response to SARS-CoV-2 (HCoV-19) infection, we carried out transcriptome sequencing of the RNAs isolated from the bronchoalveolar...

Produced from root exudation activities and the decomposition of organic matter, gallic acid (GA) has been shown to be widely involved in the electron transfer reactions in soils as well as the transformation of redox-sensitive pollutants, while which was subject to the mediation of solid surfaces with the unknown mechanisms. This study aimed to investigate the catalytic effect of goethite on the Cr(VI) reduction by GA and explore the implication for the transformation of Cr(VI)...

Aims: Soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a primary form of labile carbon in terrestrial ecosystems and therefore plays a vital role in soil carbon cycling. This study aims to quantify the budgets of soil DOC at biome- and global levels and to examine the variations in soil DOC and their environmental controls. Location: Global Time period: 1981 - 2019 Method: We compiled a global dataset and analyzed the concentration and distribution of DOC across...

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) correlate with cancer cell phenotypes. Particularly, circRNAs mediate the cancer process as microRNAs (miRNAs) sponges. This study was to ascertain the roles of hsa_circ_0009910 in phenotypic aspects of ovarian cancer cells. Mantel-Cox test was performed to analyze the correlation between hsa_circ_0009910 and survival outcomes of ovarian cancer. Minigene reporter was constructed and small interfering-RNA was designed for constructing hsa_circ_0009910-dysregulated and miR-145-upregulated cells identified by qRT-PCR. Proliferative and motile activities were monitored by...

In males, aging is accompanied by decline in serum testosterone levels due to impairment of testicular Leydig cells. The polycomb protein BMI1 has recently been identified as an anti-aging factor. In our previous study, BMI1 null mice showed decreased serum testosterone and Leydig cell population, excessive oxidative stress and p16/p19 signaling activation. However, a cause-and-effect relationship between phenotypes and pathways was not investigated. Here, we used the rescue approach to study the role of oxidative...

Stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems (DDSs) are expected to realize site-specific drug release and kill cancer cells selectively. In this study, a pH-responsive micelle was designed utilizing the pH-sensitivity of borate bonds formed between dopamine and boronic acid. First, methyl (polyethylene glycol)-block-polycaprolactone (mPEG-PCL) was conjugated with 4-cyano-4-(thiobenzoylthio)pentanoic acid (CTP) to obtain a macroinitiator. Two different segments poly(dopamine methacrylamide) (PDMA) and poly(vinylphenylboronic acid) (PVBA) were then grafted to the end of mPEG-PCL. Two triblock copolymers, mPEG-PCL-PDMA and...

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is a major cause of pneumonia, resulting in severe morbidity and mortality in adults and children. Sortase A (SrtA), which mediates the anchoring of cell surface proteins in the cell wall, is an important virulence factor of S. aureus. Here, we found that salvianolic acid A (Sal A), which is a natural product that does not affect the growth of S. aureus, could inhibit SrtA activity...

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is a major cause of pneumonia, resulting in severe morbidity and mortality in adults and children. Sortase A (SrtA), which mediates the anchoring of cell surface proteins in the cell wall, is an important virulence factor of S. aureus. Here, we found that salvianolic acid A (Sal A), which is a natural product that does not affect the growth of S. aureus, could inhibit SrtA activity...

Supplemental Material, CONSORT_b for Effectiveness of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Versus Mandibular Advancement Device in Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients With Mandibular Retrognathia: A Prospective Clinical Trial by Haichun Lai, Wei Huang, Wei Chen and Desheng Wang in Ear, Nose & Throat Journal

Supplemental Material, original_data for Effectiveness of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Versus Mandibular Advancement Device in Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients With Mandibular Retrognathia: A Prospective Clinical Trial by Haichun Lai, Wei Huang, Wei Chen and Desheng Wang in Ear, Nose & Throat Journal

Aim:Some obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients may have mandibular retrognathia (ANB > 4.7° and SNB < 76.2°). Currently, there are no studies that have compared the effectiveness of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) versus mandibular advancement device (MAD) in severe OSA patients with mandibular retrognathia. We explored the efficacy of CPAP versus MAD for the treatment of severe OSA patients with mandibular retrognathia.Methods:A total of 105 patients were enrolled. Outcomes were assessed by using polysomnography,...

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is the causative agent of bovine viral diarrhea-mucosal disease, which significantly affects the production performance of cattle, causing serious economic losses to the cattle industries worldwide. Up to now, some mechanisms involved in host–BVDV interaction are still not fully understood. The discovery of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) has provided a new perspective on gene regulation in diverse biological contexts, particularly in viral infection and host immune responses. However, little is...

Human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) is primarily associated with common cold in children, elderly and immunocompromised individuals. Outbreaks caused by HCoV-NL63 are rare. Here we report a cluster of HCoV-NL63 cases with severe lower respiratory tract infection that arose in Guangzhou, China, in 2018. Twenty-three hospitalized children were confirmed to be HCoV-NL63 positive, and most of whom were hospitalized with severe pneumonia or acute bronchitis. Whole genomes of HCoV-NL63 were obtained using next-generation sequencing. Phylogenetic and...

In order to devise more effective penetration enhancers, 4-O-acylterpineol derivatives which were expected to be hydrolyzed into nontoxic metabolites by esterase in the living epidermis, were synthesized from 4-terpineol (4-TER) enantiomers and straight chain fatty acids. Their promoting activities on the SR-flurbiprofen and its enantiomers were tested across full-thickness rabbit skin, as well as to correlate under in vitro and in vivo conditions. The permeation studies indicated that both d-4-O-acylterpineol and l-4-O-acylterpineol had significant enhancing...

Abstract Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common chronic liver disease characterized by excessive fat accumulation in the liver. One of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms is insulin resistance (IR). Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has showed potential benefits in the management of NAFLD. Lingguizhugan decoction (LGZG) is a representative Chinese herbal formula; however, there is still no rigorous clinical trial supporting its application. Methods/design This study will be a three-arm, dose-optimization, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled...

Previous studies have shown that livestock (LA)-MRSA ST398 evolved from a human-adapted methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) clone. However, detailed information regarding ST9 is still unclear. Here, we characterized a community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) ST9-SCCmec XII isolate that has not been previously reported to cause serious disease in China. We obtained whole-genome sequences of one ST9-t899-XII isolate—ZY462471—from a patient with bloodstream infection without livestock contact. The antibiotic susceptibilities of ZY462471 were determined and the clinical...

Breast cancer remains a general-threat event in the health of women. Currently, increasing records indicate that long non-coding RNA maternally expressed 3 (MEG3) plays a central role in breast cancer. The current research focused on the function of MEG3 in paclitaxel (PTX)-resistance and human breast cancer growth. Levels of MEG3, microRNA (miR)-4513, and phenazine biosynthesis-like domain-containing protein (PBLD) were evaluated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) or western blot assays. 3-(4.5-dimethylghiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT) assay...