Profiles of HBcrAg and pgRNA in Pregnant Women With Chronic HBV Under Different Disease Phases and Antiviral Prophylaxis

Background

Pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) exhibit unique clinical features in terms of postpartum immune system reconstitution and recovery from pregnancy-related changes. However, current studies focus primarily on the outcomes of maternal-infant transmission and postpartum hepatitis flares. We aimed to evaluate the profiles of hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) and pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) in pregnant women with CHB.

Methods

This retrospective analysis included treatment-naïve pregnant women with CHB who were followed up regularly in an outpatient clinic from 2014 to 2021. Baseline HBcrAg and pgRNA levels were compared in patients with different disease phases. Changes in these parameters were examined in a subset of patients receiving antiviral prophylaxis. HBcrAg and pgRNA levels were measured before treatment, at 32 weeks of gestation, and postpartum.

Results

The final analysis included a total of 121 patients, 100 of whom were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive (96 and 4 in the immune-tolerant and -indeterminate phases, respectively) and 21 of whom were HBeAg-negative (6 and 15 in the immune-active and -inactive carrier phases, respectively). The HBeAg-negative group vs the HBeAg-positive group had lower levels of baseline HBcrAg (median [interquartile range {IQR}], 3.7 [3.0-5.9] vs 8.6 [8.4-8.7] log10 U/mL; P < .01) and pgRNA (median [IQR], 0.0 [0.0-2.5] vs 7.8 [7.6-8.1] log10 copies/mL; P < .01). The serum levels of HBcrAg and pgRNA were highest in immune-tolerant carriers and lowest in immune-inactive carriers. In HBeAg-positive patients, the correlation coefficients of HBcrAg and pgRNA with hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA were 0.40 and 0.43, respectively; in HBeAg-negative patients, they were 0.53 and 0.51, respectively (all P < .05). The correlation coefficients with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) were 0.55 and 0.52 (P < .05) in HBeAg-positive patients, respectively, while in HBeAg-negative patients they were 0.42 and 0.37, respectively (P > .05). Among 96 patients receiving antiviral prophylaxis, we detected a rapid decrease in HBV DNA to an undetectable level during treatment but relatively stable levels of pgRNA and HBcrAg.

Conclusions

HBcrAg and pgRNA levels are lower in HBeAg-negative patients than in HBeAg-positive patients. These 2 markers are significantly associated with HBV DNA irrespective of HBeAg status, while they are significantly associated with HBsAg only in HBeAg-positive patients.

Effect of Physical Exercise on Executive Functions Using the Emotional Stroop Task in Perimenopausal Women: A Pilot Study

Exercise has beneficial effects on emotional cognitive control for the majority of the population. However, the impact of exercise on cognitive processes in perimenopausal women remains unclear. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of aerobic exercise on the cognitive processes of perimenopausal women using an emotional Stroop task (EST).

METHOD

A quasi-experimental pilot study was conducted involving 14 perimenopausal women (Peri-MG) and 13 healthy young women (YG) who completed an EST before and after an aerobic cycling exercise. Mixed-effects models for repeated measures were used to analyze reaction times (RTs) and error rates (ERs) during emotional word processing (positive, negative, and neutral) for both groups.

RESULTS

Compared with the YG, the Peri-MG showed significantly shortened RTs for positive and negative emotions (p < 0.05) post-exercise, but not for neutral words. In addition, the Peri-MG exhibited significantly increased ERs for negative words at baseline compared with the YG (p < 0.05), but this difference was not observed during the post-exercise test.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that aerobic exercise can enhance executive control performance in perimenopausal women. The Peri-MG exhibited marked behavioral plasticity in the form of reduced bias to salient cues that were significantly more sensitive to alterations due to exercise. This new evidence enhances the understanding of emotional vulnerability and beneficial susceptibility to exercise in perimenopausal women.

Potential of PAQosome as a therapeutic target for hepatic fibrosis

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The condition of hepatic fibrosis is hazardous. Therefore, it is vital that we investigate the mechanism of hepatic fibrosis to provide new targets for treatment.

METHODS

Preliminary screening and research was carried out based on our prior results and our speculated role of the particle with quaternary structure arrangement (PAQosome) in hepatic fibrosis. The experiments were conducted using LX-2 or HepG2 cell lines by western blotting, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, luciferase assays, and co-immunoprecipitation and were further validated in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database.

RESULTS

We screened and proved that several subunits of the PAQosome regulate the development of liver fibrosis, including the asparagine synthetase domain-containing 1 upstream open reading frame (ASDURF), prefoldin subunit 4 (PFDN4), prefoldin subunit 5 (PFDN5), unconventional prefoldin RNA polymerase II subunit 5 interactor (URI1), and ubiquitously expressed prefoldin-like chaperone (UXT). ASDURF promotes hepatic fibrosis through the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1)/Sekelsky mothers against decapentaplegic homologue 3 (Smad3) and NF-κB signaling pathways. ASDURF regulates the expression of asparagine synthetase domain-containing 1 (ASNSD1). PFDN4, PFDN5, URI1, and UXT regulate cell proliferation through the PI3K/AKT pathway, and thus regulate liver fibrosis. A hepatic fibrosis score ≥ F2 was selected as the diagnostic criteria for hepatic fibrosis in the GSE96971 database. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of PFDN4, PFDN5, UXT, and ASNSD1 were 0.862 (confidence interval [CI]: 0.6588-1.000), 0.538 (CI: 0.224-0.853), 0.708 (CI: 0.449-0.966), and 0.831 (CI: 0.638-1.000), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings demonstrate that the PAQosome is a brand new target for hepatic fibrosis therapy.

Prediction model and demonstration of regional agricultural carbon emissions based on Isomap-ACO-ET: a case study of Guangdong Province, China

Scientific analysis of regional agricultural carbon emission prediction models and empirical studies are of great practical significance to the realization of low-carbon agriculture, which can help revitalize and build up ecological and beautiful countryside in China. This paper takes agriculture in Guangdong Province, China, as the research object, and uses the extended STIPAT model to construct an indicator system for the factors influencing agricultural carbon emissions in Guangdong. Based on this system, a combined Isomap-ACO-ET prediction model combing the isometric mapping algorithm (Isomap), ant colony algorithm (ACO) and extreme random tree algorithm (ET) was used to predict agriculture carbon emissions in Guangdong Province under five scenarios. Effective predictions can be made for agricultural carbon emissions in Guangdong Province, which are expected to fluctuate between 11,142,200 tons and 11,386,000 tons in 2030. And compared with other machine learning and neural network models, the Isomap-ACO-ET model has a better prediction performance with an MSE of 0.00018 and an accuracy of 98.7%. To develop low-carbon agriculture in Guangdong Province, we should improve farming methods, reduce the intensity of agrochemical application, strengthen the development and promotion of agricultural energy-saving and emission reduction technologies and low-carbon energy sources, reduce the intensity of carbon emissions from agricultural energy consumption, optimize the agricultural planting structure, and develop green agricultural products and agro-ecological tourism according to local conditions. This will promote the development of agriculture in Guangdong Province in a green and sustainable direction.

Systemic juvenile xanthogranuloma: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To perform a systematic review to investigate the available literature regarding systemic juvenile xanthogranuloma (SJXG) and report the population characteristics, clinical manifestation, therapy, and outcome.

REVIEW METHODS

A search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library for all articles published between 1981 and 2022 was performed with variations and combinations of the following search terms: extracutaneous, visceral, systemic, and juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG). Data extracted included demographics, organ involvement, treatment, outcome, and permanent sequelae.

RESULTS

A total of 103 articles encompassing 159 patients met the inclusion criteria. The median onset age was 9 months, with a male predominance (61%). The distribution of major involved organs varied by age, and younger onset age was associated with more organ involvement. The most commonly involved site was the central nervous system (CNS) (40.9%), followed by the liver (31.4%), the lung (18.9%), and the eye (18.2%). At the termination of follow-up, 93 patients (58.5%) were alive with no disease, 56 (35.2%) were alive with disease, and 10 (6.3%) were dead of disease. There was a significant difference in outcome between patients with and without spleen involvement (p = .0003), and patients with spleen involvement suffered a higher risk of death. Permanent sequelae mainly comprised CNS symptoms and ocular manifestations.

CONCLUSIONS

SJXG can involve varying numbers and combinations of extracutaneous sites. There is no standard therapy for SJXG and clinicians should choose individualized therapy modalities.

The Jujube Genome Provides Insights into Genome Evolution and the Domestication of Sweetness/Acidity Taste in Fruit Trees

Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) belongs to the Rhamnaceae family and is a popular fruit tree species with immense economic and nutritional value. Here, we report a draft genome of the dry jujube cultivar 'Junzao' and the genome resequencing of 31 geographically diverse accessions of cultivated and wild jujubes (Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa). Comparative analysis revealed that the genome of 'Dongzao', a fresh jujube, was ~86.5 Mb larger than that of the 'Junzao', partially due to the recent insertions of transposable elements in the 'Dongzao' genome. We constructed eight proto-chromosomes of the common ancestor of Rhamnaceae and Rosaceae, two sister families in the order Rosales, and elucidated the evolutionary processes that have shaped the genome structures of modern jujubes. Population structure analysis revealed the complex genetic background of jujubes resulting from extensive hybridizations between jujube and its wild relatives. Notably, several key genes that control fruit organic acid metabolism and sugar content were identified in the selective sweep regions. We also identified S-locus genes controlling gametophytic self-incompatibility and investigated haplotype patterns of the S locus in the jujube genomes, which would provide a guideline for parent selection for jujube crossbreeding. This study provides valuable genomic resources for jujube improvement, and offers insights into jujube genome evolution and its population structure and domestication.

An Adenovirus Vaccine Expressing Ebola Virus Variant Makona Glycoprotein Is Efficacious in Guinea Pigs and Nonhuman Primates

A licensed vaccine against Ebola virus (EBOV) remains unavailable, despite >11 000 deaths from the 2014-2016 outbreak of EBOV disease in West Africa. Past studies have shown that recombinant vaccine viruses expressing EBOV glycoprotein (GP) are able to protect nonhuman primates (NHPs) from a lethal EBOV challenge. However, these vaccines express the viral GP-based EBOV variants found in Central Africa, which has 97.3% amino acid homology to the Makona variant found in West Africa. Our previous study showed that a recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5)-vectored vaccine expressing the Makona EBOV GP (MakGP) was safe and immunogenic during clinical trials in China, but it is unknown whether the vaccine protects against EBOV infection. Here, we demonstrate that guinea pigs immunized with Ad5-MakGP developed robust humoral responses and were protected against exposure to guinea pig-adapted EBOV. Ad5-MakGP also elicited specific B- and T-cell immunity in NHPs and conferred 100% protection when animals were challenged 4 weeks after immunization. These results support further clinical development of this candidate and highlight the utility of Ad5-MakGP as a prophylactic measure in future outbreaks of EBOV disease.