Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) accounts for approximately 10,000 annual cases of severe encephalitis in Europe and Asia and causes encephalitis in humans. In this study, we demonstrate TBEV appears to activate the interferon (IFN)-β dependent on RIG-I/MDA5. Both the IFN-β accumulation and the IFN stimulated genes (ISGs) transcription greatly delay. Further studies reveal that TBEV NS4A could block the phosphorylation and dimerization of STAT1/STAT2 to affect type I and II IFN-mediated STAT signalling. Additional data...

Tigecycline is one of the last-resort antibiotics to treat severe infections. Recently, tigecycline resistance has sporadically emerged with an increasing trend, and Tet(X) family represents a new resistance mechanism of tigecycline. In this study, a novel chromosome-encoded tigecycline resistance gene, tet(X14), was identified in a tigecycline-resistant and colistin-resistant Empedobacter stercoris strain ES183 recovered from a pig fecal sample in China. Tet(X14) shows 67.14-96.39% sequence identity to the other variants [Tet(X) to Tet(X13)]. Overexpression of Tet(X14)...

Mycobacterial persistence mechanisms remain to be fully characterized. Screening a transposon insertion library of Mycobacterium marinum identified kdpA, whose inactivation reduced the fraction of persisters after exposure to rifampicin. kdpA encodes a transmembrane protein that is part of the Kdp-ATPase, an ATP-dependent high-affinity potassium (K+) transport system. We found that kdpA is induced under low K+ conditions and is required for pH homeostasis and growth in media with low concentrations of K+. The inactivation of...

We studied plasma antibody responses of 35 patients about 1 month after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Titers of antibodies binding to the viral nucleocapsid and spike proteins were significantly higher in patients with severe disease. Likewise, mean antibody neutralization titers against SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus and live virus were higher in the sicker patients, by ∼5-fold and ∼7-fold, respectively. These findings have important implications for those pursuing plasma therapy, isolation of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, and determinants of immunity.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common RCC subtype with high metastasis, poor prognosis and conventional chemotherapy resistance. Prostate cancer associated transcript 1 (PCAT1) is an important lncRNA that was reported to be involved in cell proliferation, migration and invasion of several types of cancer cells. However, its role in ccRCC is still undetermined. This study found that PCAT1 levels were elevated in ccRCC tumors as well as several ccRCC cells, and...

Sichuan Province is located at the transitional junction regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the low-altitude plains. It also serves as the corridor of Sino-Tibetan-speaking population migration and expansion since neolithic expansion of Proto-Tibeto-Burman populations from Middle/Upper Yellow River during Majiayao period (3300–2000 BC). However, the population structure and the corresponding genetic diversity of forensic-related markers in this region remain unclear. Thus, we genotyped 30 insertion-deletion (InDel) markers in 444 samples from four ethnic groups...

Lentiviruses harbour high genetic variability for efficient evasion from host immunity. An attenuated equine infectious anaemia (EIA) vaccine was developed decades ago in China and presented remarkably robust protection against EIA. The vaccine was recently proven to have high genomic diversity, particular in env. However, how and to what extent the high env diversity relates to immune protection remains unclear. In this study, we compared immune protections and responses of three groups of horses stimulated...

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

The present study aimed to assess the role of miR-1275 in cardiac ischemia reperfusion injury. H9 human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived cardiomyocytes stimulated by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) were used to simulate myocardial injury in vitro. miR-1275 expression levels in cells were measured by RT-qPCR. The release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) was examined through LDH and CK ELISA kits. Cell apoptosis was detected through flow cytometry. A Fura-2 Calcium Flux Assay Kit...

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive type of breast cancer and still lacks available targeted therapy options. Thioridazine hydrochloride (Thi-hyd), a common phenothiazine antipsychotic drug, has shown great tumor-suppressive potential in several types of cancer cells. In this study, we explored the anti-tumor effects of Thi-hyd on TNBC. Thi-hyd significantly inhibited the viability and migration of TNBC cells in vitro. PI3K/AKT signaling pathway was verified to be related to Thi-hyd-induced tumor inhibition. G0/G1...

Supplemental Material, CONSORT_a 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

Co-occurrence of hypervirulence and KPC-2 carbapenem resistant phenotypes in a highly-transmissible ST11 clone ofKlebsiella pneumoniae has elicited deep concerns from public health stand point. To address this puzzle, we conducted a large-scale epidemiological, clinical and genomic study of K. pneumonia ST11 clones with both hypervirulence and carbapenem resistance in two tertiary hospitals in Zhejiang province. Most of the patients (15/23) were diagnosed with exclusively carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP) infections. Ten death cases were reported, some...

Amentoflavone (AMF) is a kind of biflavonoids existing in Ginkgo biloba leaves. It has many biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, antiviral, hypoglycemic, anti-tumor and inducing apoptosis. However, its solubility and bioavailability are poor and there are a few studies on it in vivo. In this study, to improve its solubility and bioavailability, the nanomicelles were prepared with TPGS and soluplus as carriers for the first time. The particle size, Zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency,...

The accumulation and penetration of antitumor drugs in tumor tissues are directly related to their antitumor effects. The particle size of the nanodrug delivery system is one of the most important factors for the accumulation and penetration of antitumor drugs within tumor tissues. Generally, nanodelivery systems of intermediate size (100–120 nm) are capable of efficient accumulation owing to prolonged circulation and enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect; however, smaller ones (20–40 nm) are effective for...

A meta-analysis and systematic review was conducted on kidney-related outcomes of three recent pandemics: SARS, MERS, and COVID-19, which were associated with potentially fatal acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). A search of all published studies until 16 June 2020 was performed. The incidence/prevalence and mortality risk of acute and chronic renal events were evaluated, virus prevalence, and mortality in preexisting hemodialysis patients was investigated. A total of 58 eligible studies involving 13452 hospitalized patients with...

A meta-analysis and systematic review was conducted on kidney-related outcomes of three recent pandemics: SARS, MERS, and COVID-19, which were associated with potentially fatal acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). A search of all published studies until 16 June 2020 was performed. The incidence/prevalence and mortality risk of acute and chronic renal events were evaluated, virus prevalence, and mortality in preexisting hemodialysis patients was investigated. A total of 58 eligible studies involving 13452 hospitalized patients with...

Macrophage differentiation is associated with tumorigenesis, including the tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Herein, we explored the value of macrophage differentiation-associated genes (MDGs) in the prognosis of HCC using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) databases. We performed multivariate Cox regression analyses to identify the hub genes affecting HCC patient prognoses. The correlations between hub genes and macrophage differentiation and immune checkpoint inhibitors (PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA4)...

Globally, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-associated mortalities. It has a high rate of metastasis and recurrence, which predict a poor prognosis. G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-kinase interacting protein-1 (GIT1) is a multifunctional scaffold protein that mediates the progression of various tumors. Studies have correlated GIT1 with HCC, however, these correlations have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, we aimed at evaluating the expression of GIT1 in HCC tissues and cells, and...

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...

Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) transcription drives cell growth and cell proliferation via the product ribosomal RNA (rRNA), the essential component of ribosome. Given the fundamental role of rRNA in ribosome biogenesis, rDNA transcription has emerged as one of the effective targets for a number of human diseases including various types of cancers. In this study, we identify curcumin, an ancient drug, as a novel natural inhibitor of rDNA transcription. Curcumin treatment impairs the assembly of the...

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...

A simple, eco-friendly and convenient procedure has been developed for the synthesis of diphenyl diselinides from readily available aryl boronic acids by reaction with SeO2 in the presence of iodine under simple conditions. The methodology is reported about 19 examples and applicable to a broad scope of aryl boronic acids containing electron-rich and electron-poor substituents. Apart from being milder and environmentally benign conditions, this synthetic protocol comprises a novel, reliable methodology to give good to...

The emerging COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection poses severe challenges to global public health. Serum antibody testing is becoming one of the critical methods for the diagnosis of COVID-19 patients. We investigated IgM and IgG responses against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) and spike (S) protein after symptom onset in the intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU patients. 130 blood samples from 38 COVID-19 patients were collected. The levels of IgM and IgG specific to N and...

The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disaster for human society. A convenient and reliable neutralization assay is very important for the development of vaccines and novel drugs. In this study, a G protein-deficient vesicular stomatitis virus (VSVdG) bearing a truncated spike protein (S with C-terminal 18 amino acid truncation) was compared to that bearing the full-length spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and showed much higher efficiency. A neutralization assay was established based...

Supplemental Material, CONSORT_a 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