[Clinical analysis of 7 children infected with Talaromyces marneffei]

Objective: To investigate the clinical manifestations, treatments, and prognosis of pediatric patients with Talaromyces marneffei infection. Methods: In this retrospective study, 7 children diagnosed with Talaromyces marneffei infection in Shenzhen Children's Hospital from July 2017 to October 2021 were recruited. The clinical features, radiology, pathogen detection, immunological evaluation, treatments, and prognosis were analyzed. Results: In 7 cases, 5 were male, 2 were females. The age was from 0.75 to 8.75 years. The main clinical manifestations were fever in 7 cases, cough in 6 cases, malnutrition in 4 cases, papules in 2 cases and medical history of recurrent infection in 3 cases. Physical examination showed that all 7 patients had hepatosplenomegaly, 4 had superficial lymphadenopathy. Laboratory examination showed that 6 cases had decreased hemoglobin and 3 cases had decreased platelet. Chest CT showed that 4 cases had patchy shadows, pleural effusion, mediastinal or axillary lymph node enlargement, 3 had nodular shadows and 2 had cavities. The positive ratio of Talaromyces marneffei culture was 2/2 with tissue samples, 4/5 with bone marrow. The positive ratio was 3/4 by metagenomic next generation sequencing. The fungus was detected in 3 cases by smear microscopy of bone marrow and (or) peripheral blood. All patients were negative for human immunodeficiency virus by the immune function assay. However, 5 cases were confirmed as primary immunodeficiency disease, including 2 cases with high IgM syndrome, 2 with STAT1 gene variation, and the last with severe combined immunodeficiency (IL2RG gene variation). Exclude 1 case which gave up treatment due to acute intracranial infection, and the other patients received effective treatments along with amphotericin B, voriconazole, and itraconazole alone or in combination. Two cases relapsed after medication withdrawal, but 1 case got complete rehabilitation after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Conclusions: The clinical manifestations involve multisystem, the common charateristics are fever and cough. The chest CT imaging manifestations are diverse, it should be considered in differentiating tuberculosis. The amphotericin B, voriconazole and itraconazole are effective, but it will easily relapse when withdrawing those antifungal agents.

[The research of sentinel lymph node biopsy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer patients]

With the extensive use of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), some breast cancer patients could avoid axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) and its complications. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy plays an important role in the multimodality therapies of breast cancer. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, some patients with breast cancer were down-staged from positive axillary lymph node (cN+ ) to clinically negative (cN0). For these patients, the feasibility and safety of sentinel lymph node biopsy remains controversial. However, with the application of new technologies, SLNB is expected to become the main treatment for breast cancer patients with stage cN0 after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

[Immunological damage effects of cytomegalovirus infection on bone marrow hematopoietic cells]

Objective: Toobserve the damage effects of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection on hematopoietic cells and to investigate the clinical significance. Methods: (1) ELISA assay wasused to detect IL-17 and IFN-γ levels in the peripheral blood serum of 36 patients on pretherapy and posttherapy. (2) Changes of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets were detected by FACS. (3) Cytological observation of cervical lymph nodes was executed by needle aspiration cytology. (4) Cellular immunochemistry and immunofluorescence staining were performed to observe the POX release, HLA-DR expression, IL-17A and IFN-γ secretion-like expression status of activated immune cells in the bone marrow hematopoietic microenvironment. Serum samples from healthy individuals were used as controls. Bone marrow smears from patients without iron deficiency anemia were compared as bone marrow immunostaining. Results: (1) Serum levels of IL-17 and IFN-γ were significantly increased in CMV-infected patients [IL-17 (48.23±3.86) ng/L vs (20.16±1.05) ng/L,respectively; IFN-γ (40.16±3.11) vs (8.17±1.92) ng/L,P<0.01]. (2) The proportion of CD16+/CD56+NK cells was significantly increased in patients [(43.54±6.01)% vs (14.01±3.25)%, P<0.01]. The proportion of CD3+CD4+T and CD3+CD8+T cells decreased,(20.91±53.15)% vs (35.10±4.88)%, and (15.41±5.13)% vs (25.11±3.92)%,respectively,P<0.05. (3) Large numbers of abnormal lymphocytes and macrophages (MΦ) that engulf large quantities of CMV inclusion bodies were observed in bone marrow and lymph nodes. CMV infected and destroied the hematopoietic cells of various lines in the bone marrow. The activated MΦ phagocytizedthe CMV inclusion bodies and also phagocytosed CMV-infected blood cells. (4) Activated MΦ in bone marrow hematopoietic microenvironment released POX strongly positive, highly expressed class Ⅱ HLA-DR, and highly expressed inflammatory factors IL-17A and IFN-γ. (5) Twenty-twopatients with elevated WBC were treated with ganciclovir combined with antibiotics for 2 weeks after the disappearance of the foci, WBC counts and CMV-IgM levels of 16 cases were reduced to normal.Six patients with CMV who were not turned negative were tprolonged,and the granulocyte and/or platelet counts fell below normal range. Fourteenpatients withreduced granulocyte or platelet count, CMV-IgM levels were slow descend,and the ganciclovir treated more than 4 weeks. Conclusions: CMV can infect hematopoietic bone marrow nucleated blood cells and destroy hematopoiesis. NK and MΦ cells are important effector cells against CMV infection. Activated macrophages are dual in nature, they can engulf CMV virus and virus-infected blood cells,and also aggravate bone marrow immune damage by releasing inflammatory factors such as POX and IL-17A and IFN-γ.

[In vitro fertilization-embryo transfer affects focal adhension kinase signaling pathway in early placenta]

OBJECTIVE

To study the effects of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) technique on gene expression of focal adhension kinase (FAK) signaling pathway in early placental trophoblast cells, and to explore the effects of IVF-ET technology on the development and function of early placenta.

METHODS

We collected 7-8 weeks of gestation placenta tissue as a study group by ultrasound guided reduction of fetal from double embryo transfer under IVF-ET technology. In the control group, placenta tissues were obtained from the spontaneous abortion of natural pregnancy twin 7-8 weeks. Microarray hybridization analysis was performed on the placenta tissue of the two groups using the Affymetrix HG-U133 Plus 2.0 gene chip. Eight differentially expressed genes were identified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and unsupervised clustering analysis and functional bioinformatics analysis were performed for the differentially expressed genes.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight cases of IVF-ET reduced fetal villi and 8 cases of spontaneous abortion villi were collected. A total of 8 placental villi were detected by the gene chip. Compared with the natural pregnancy control group, 32 differentially expressed genes in the placental FAK signaling pathway were expressed in IVF-ET. The differential expression was greater than or equal to 2 times, of which 12 genes were up-regulated and 20 were down-regulated. The qRT-PCR showed that the expression of the 8 genes in FAK signaling pathways of IVF-ET was significantly different from that in the placenta of natural pregnancy, which was consistent with the result of the gene chip detection. The FAK signal pathway gene localization showed that the FAK gene was mainly located in the upstream of the signal pathway in the placenta of IVF-ET. The placental trophoblast cells maintained the FAK signaling pathway function through gene expression compensation.

CONCLUSION

There are gene expression differences in the FAK signaling pathway between the IVF-ET derived early placenta and the natural pregnancy placenta. The differentially expressed genes are involved in many key functions of the FAK signaling pathway and affect the early development and function of the IVF-ET placenta, while the placental trophoblast cells change gene expression for interference to compensate for IVF-ET technology itself, maintain normal function of the FAK signaling pathway, and satisfy the need for placental and fetal development.

[Study on the spatial expression of trophectoderm cells in human embryonic prenatal blastocysts]

OBJECTIVE

To study the spatial expression of trophectoderm cells in human embryonic preantral blastocysts.

METHODS

The study used Gardner score 5AA blastocysts harvested on day 6 after fertilization from assisted reproductive technology. Microcapsules were used to separate trophectoderm cells from the epidermal cells. Single-cell sequencing was performed. P<0.05 was calculated by unpaired t test, and the difference was 2 times. Here we determined, for the first time, global gene expression patterns in the polar/mural trophectoderm isolated from human blastocysts. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis and gene ontology (GO) functional classification were performed using bioinformatics software. Differentially expressed genes were annotated by the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery. Functions of differentially expressed genes were further annotated using encyclopedia of genes and genomes.

RESULTS

The results showed that there were up to 306 genes in the trophoblast cells and up to 75 genes in the trophoblast cells. Unsupervised cluster analysis of polar trophoblast cells and mural trophoblast cells were divided into two groups, belonging to different types and biological functions. Differences in gene function indicated that the biological functions of GO gene uptake genes were mainly transcription, energy metabolism, protein synthesis, transport, oxidative stress, ion transport, protein synthesis and transport, cell cycle regulation, actin growth, etc. They were mainly involved in ubiquitin-mediated protein hydrolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, Wnt signaling pathway, estrogen androgen metabolism and other signal pathways; wall trophoblast cells up-regulated gene GO biological function, which was mainly proteolytic metabolism, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, activation of MAPK, carbohydrate transport, synaptic regulation, cell growth, calcium channel activation, positive B cell differentiation, T cell apoptosis and other biological functions, which were mainly involved in B cell receptor, T cell receptor, white blood cells cross-endothelial transplantation, VEGF expression, gap connection, GnRH secretion, apoptosis and other signaling pathways.

CONCLUSION

The gene expression of blastocysts trophectoderm is revealed from the spatial dimension, indicating that differentiation of polar and mural trophectoderm of blastocysts is accompanied by differences between the two cell lineages, and the polar and mural trophectoderms are coordinated with each other and the blastocyst hatching and embryo implantation processes are finely adjusted. Further data analysis is expected to find the endogenous molecular specificity of the regulation of embryo implantation.

Tanshinone IIA ameliorates lead (Pb)-induced cognitive deficits and oxidative stress in a rat pup model

OBJECTIVE

Chronic lead (Pb) exposure affects the developing central nervous system, whereas Tanshinone IIA (TSA) improves cognitive deficits.

METHODS

In this study, we investigated the effects of TSA against lead-induced neurotoxicity in a rat pup model. A total of thirty two healthy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: lead-treated group, lead plus TSA-treated 1 group, lead plus TSA-treated 2 group, and controls. After a 4-week lead exposure, memory function was determined using Morris water maze and the concentration of lead was measured in blood. Total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), glutathione (GSH), malonaldehyde (MDA) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) activities were determined in hippocampus samples.

RESULTS

Lead exposure causes decrease of body weight; increase of the blood lead concentration; decrease of antioxidant activities and BDNF content. However, co-administration of TSA with lead ameliorated the weight loss. Furthermore, TSA inhibited neurotoxicity as evidenced by decreased latency period and increase in percentage of time spent in the target quadrant. Administration of TSA also improved antioxidant activities by increased T-SOD, GSH, and decreased MDA activities compared to lead-treated group.

CONCLUSION

This study provides evidence of that TSA has a neuroprotective effect against lead-induced cognitive deficit by enhancing antioxidant activities in the brain (Tab. 2, Fig. 3, Ref. 27).

Resistin expression in adipose tissues and its effect on glucose metabolism in rats with brain injury

Resistin (RSTN) expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue, and its effect on glucose metabolism in rats with traumatic brain injury, was investigated using real-time PCR, western blots, and enzyme linked immunoassays. Our results show that the expression of RSTN mRNA (3.192 ± 0.046, 4.016 ± 0.010, 6.004 ± 0.020, 8.213 ± 0.013, 11.199 ± 0.174, 15.094 ± 0.030), protein levels (1.79 ± 0.05, 1.98 ± 0.07, 2.75 ± 0.08, 3.19 ± 0.08, 4.25 ± 0.11, 4.48 ± 0.07), levels of serum insulin (512.96 ± 1.21, 580.57 ± 1.52, 769.71 ± 2.22, 826.08 ± 2.03, 1262.25 ± 3.40, 1512.80 ± 3.93), and fasting blood glucose levels (10.277 ± 0.040, 12.776 ± 0.038, 13.403 ± 0.263, 14.698 ± 0.100, 16.637 ± 0.110, 19.416 ± 0.025) were significantly higher in the traumatic rat group compared to the control group (P < 0. 05). Quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) was significantly lower in the traumatic group (-8.570 ± 0.005, -8.912 ± 0.004, -9.241 ± 0.022, -9.404 ± 0.007, -9.952 ± 0.007, -10.288 ± 0.002) than in the control group (-7.633 ± 0.003, -7.639 ± 0.004, -7.637 ± 0.006, -7.643 ± 0.003, -7.636 ± 0.006, -7.634 ± 0.004) (P < 0.05). Single factor linear correlation analysis showed that there was a significant negative correlation between RSTN expression and QUICKI (-0.983, P < 0.05) in the traumatic group. The increase in RSTN expression in the subcutaneous adipose tissue of rats with traumatic brain injury is likely related to the indexes of glycometabolism, including serum insulin, fasting blood glucose, and QUICKI. Our results lead us to conclude that RSTN may play an important role in the process of insulin resistance in rats with traumatic brain injury.

Microsatellite DNA markers and their correlation with growth traits in mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi)

The mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi) is a traditionally cultured freshwater fish with high commercial value in China. To facilitate marker-assisted selection in genetic improvement of this species, 120 microsatellite markers from the literature were characterized in the 25 largest and 25 smallest individuals. Eighteen polymorphic loci were then used to genotype 200 individuals, and the associations between their genotypes and growth traits were examined. We found that eight genotypes of six loci (AP 37-06, AP 37-11, AP 37-16, AP 37-48, AP 38-32, and AP 39-05) were positively correlated with growth traits (body weight, length, and height) in the mandarin fish population. The average observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.68 and 0.59, respectively, and the average PIC value was 0.50, indicating a population with high genetic diversity. Therefore, these markers could be useful for assisted selection in genetic breeding of this species and its related species.

Analysis of DNA methylation patterns and levels in maize hybrids and their parents

Heterosis is the superior performance of heterozygous individuals and has been widely exploited in plant breeding, although the underlying regulatory mechanisms still remain largely elusive. To understand the molecular basis of heterosis in maize, in this study, roots and leaves at the seedling stage and embryos and endosperm tissues 15 days after fertilization of 2 elite hybrids and their parental lines were used to estimate the levels and patterns of cytosine methylation by the methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism method. The relative total methylation levels were lower in all the tissues of all hybrids than their corresponding mid-parent values, and the number of demethylation events was higher in the hybrids. These results implied that the decreasing trend and demethylation in hybrids relative to their parents may enable the derepression and possibly expression of many genes that were associated with the phenotypic variation in hybrids. To further analyze the observed methylation pattern changes, a total of 63 differentially displayed DNA fragments were successfully sequenced. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool analysis showed that 11 fragments shared similarity with known functional proteins in maize or other plant species, including metabolism, transposon/retrotransposon, development, stress response, and signal transduction, which indicated that these genes might play a significant role in maize hybrid vigor.

Analysis of DNA methylation patterns and levels in maize hybrids and their parents

Heterosis is the superior performance of heterozygous individuals and has been widely exploited in plant breeding, although the underlying regulatory mechanisms still remain largely elusive. To understand the molecular basis of heterosis in maize, in this study, roots and leaves at the seedling stage and embryos and endosperm tissues 15 days after fertilization of 2 elite hybrids and their parental lines were used to estimate the levels and patterns of cytosine methylation by the methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism method. The relative total methylation levels were lower in all the tissues of all hybrids than their corresponding mid-parent values, and the number of demethylation events was higher in the hybrids. These results implied that the decreasing trend and demethylation in hybrids relative to their parents may enable the derepression and possibly expression of many genes that were associated with the phenotypic variation in hybrids. To further analyze the observed methylation pattern changes, a total of 63 differentially displayed DNA fragments were successfully sequenced. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool analysis showed that 11 fragments shared similarity with known functional proteins in maize or other plant species, including metabolism, transposon/retrotransposon, development, stress response, and signal transduction, which indicated that these genes might play a significant role in maize hybrid vigor.

Formation, structure and electrochemical performance of nano-sized Li2FeSiO4/C synthesized with the co-incorporation of citric acid and glucose followed by a two-step annealing

Nano-sized Li₂FeSiO₄/C composites are synthesized using a simple recipeviathe co-incorporation of citric acid and glucose with various molar ratios followed by a two-step annealing.

Measurements of the cross section for e(+)e(-) --> hadrons at center-of-mass energies from 2 to 5 GeV

We report values of R = sigma(e(+)e(-)-->hadrons)/sigma(e(+)e(-)-->mu(+)mu(-)) for 85 center-of-mass energies between 2 and 5 GeV measured with the upgraded Beijing Spectrometer at the Beijing Electron-Positron Collider.