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Background: Extreme precipitation events often cause sudden drops in salinity, leading to disease outbreaks in shrimp aquaculture. Evidence suggests that environmental stress increases animal host susceptibility to pathogens. However, the mechanisms of how low salinity stress induces disease susceptibility remain poorly understood., Methods: We investigated the acute response of shrimp gut microbiota exposed to pathogens under low salinity stress. For comparison, shrimp were exposed to Vibrio infection under two salinity conditions: optimal salinity (Control group) and low salinity stress (Stress group). High throughput 16S rRNA sequencing and real-time PCR were employed to characterize the shrimp gut microbiota and quantify the severity level of Vibrio infection., Results: The results showed that low salinity stress increased Vibrio infection levels, reduced gut microbiota species richness, and perturbed microbial functions in the shrimp gut, leading to significant changes in lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis that promoted the growth of pathogens. Gut microbiota of the bacterial genera Candidatus Bacilliplasma, Cellvibrio, and Photobacterium were identified as biomarkers of the Stress group. The functions of the gut microbiota in the Stress group were primarily associated with cellular processes and the metabolism of lipid-related compounds., Conclusions: Our findings reveal how environmental stress, particularly low salinity, increases shrimp susceptibility to Vibrio infection by affecting the gut microbiota. This highlights the importance of avoiding low salinity stress and promoting gut microbiota resilience to maintain the health of shrimp., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: It is difficult for orthodontists to accurately predict the growth trend of the mandible in children with anterior crossbite. This study aims to develop a deep learning model to automatically predict the mandibular growth result into normal or overdeveloped using cephalometric radiographs., Methods: A deep convolutional neural network (CNN) model was constructed based on the algorithm ResNet50 and trained on the basis of 256 cephalometric radiographs. The prediction behavior of the model was tested on 40 cephalograms and visualized by equipped with Grad-CAM. The prediction performance of the CNN model was compared with that of three junior orthodontists., Results: The deep-learning model showed a good prediction accuracy about 85%, much higher when compared with the 54.2% of the junior orthodontists. The sensitivity and specificity of the model was 0.95 and 0.75 respectively, higher than that of the junior orthodontists (0.62 and 0.47 respectively). The area under the curve value of the deep-learning model was 0.9775. Visual inspection showed that the model mainly focused on the characteristics of special regions including chin, lower edge of the mandible, incisor teeth, airway and condyle to conduct the prediction., Conclusions: The deep-learning CNN model could predict the growth trend of the mandible in anterior crossbite children with relatively high accuracy using cephalometric images. The deep learning model made the prediction decision mainly by identifying the characteristics of the regions of chin, lower edge of the mandible, incisor teeth area, airway and condyle in cephalometric images., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: The molecular mechanism of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is not completely clear, which leads to poor prognosis and treatment difficulties for LSCC patients. To date, no study has reported the exact expression level of zinc finger protein 71 (ZNF71) and its molecular mechanism in LSCC., Methods: In-house immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining (33 LSCC samples and 29 non-LSCC samples) was utilized in analyzing the protein expression level of ZNF71 in LSCC. Gene chips and high-throughput sequencing data collected from multiple public resources (313 LSCC samples and 192 non-LSCC samples) were utilized in analyzing the exact mRNA expression level of ZNF71 in LSCC. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data was used to explore the expression status of ZNF71 in different LSCC subpopulations. Enrichment analysis of ZNF71, its positively and differentially co-expressed genes (PDCEGs), and its downstream target genes was employed to detect the potential molecular mechanism of ZNF71 in LSCC. Moreover, we conducted correlation analysis between ZNF71 expression and immune infiltration., Results: ZNF71 was downregulated at the protein level (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.93, p < 0.0001) and the mRNA level (AUC = 0.71, p = 0.023) in LSCC tissues. Patients with nodal metastasis had lower protein expression level of ZNF71 than patients without nodal metastasis (p < 0.05), and male LSCC patients had lower mRNA expression level of ZNF71 than female LSCC patients (p < 0.01). ZNF71 was absent in different LSCC subpopulations, including cancer cells, plasma cells, and tumor-infiltrated immune cells, based on scRNA-seq analysis. Enrichment analysis showed that ZNF71 and its PDCEGs may influence the progression of LSCC by regulating downstream target genes of ZNF71. These downstream target genes of ZNF71 were mainly enriched in tight junctions. Moreover, downregulation of ZNF71 may influence the development and even therapy of LSCC by reducing immune infiltration., Conclusion: Downregulation of ZNF71 may promote the progression of LSCC by reducing tight junctions and immune infiltration; this requires further study., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: The roles and clinical values of synaptojanin 2 (SYNJ2) in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) remain unclear., Methods: A total of 2824 samples from multi-center were collected to identify the expression of SYNJ2 in LUSC by using Wilcoxon rank-sum test, t-test, and standardized mean difference (SMD), and 194 in-house samples were also included to validate SYNJ2 expression in LUSC. The clinical roles of SYNJ2 were investigated via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, univariate Cox regression analysis, and Kaplan-Meier plots. The underlying mechanisms of SYNJ2 in LUSC were explored by gene set enrichment analysis and immune correlation analysis. Further, a pan-cancer analysis based on 10,238 sapiens was performed to promote the understating of the expression and clinical significance of SYNJ2 in multiple human cancers., Results: SYNJ2 was found to be significantly upregulated in LUSC at both mRNA and protein levels (p < 0.05, SMD = 0.89 [95% CI 0.34-1.45]) via public and in-house samples. Overexpressed SYNJ2 predicted poor prognosis for LUSC patients (hazard ratio = 2.38 [95% CI 1.42-3.98]). The cancer-promoting effect of SYNJ2 may be related to protein digestion and absorption and extracellular matrix-receptor interaction. SYNJ2 expression was closely related to immune cell infiltration, indicating its role in the immune response. Moreover, the distinct expression levels and essential clinical relevance of SYNJ2 in a series of cancers were initially revealed in this study., Conclusions: This study disclosed the clinical significance of SYNJ2 in LUSC and multiple cancers, demonstrating the novel and potential biomarker for predicting and treating cancers., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: This is a retrospective study that compares mandibular growth changes in skeletal Class II patients treated by rapid maxillary expansion (RME) and following fixed appliance with those patients treated by Twin-Block (TB) and following fixed appliance., Methods: Fourteen patients treated by RME and following fixed appliance were included into the RME group. Fifteen patients treated by Twin-Block and following fixed appliance were included into the TB group. Lateral cephalometric radiographs taken before treatment and immediately after fixed appliance treatment were used to evaluate mandibular growth effects., Results: The starting forms of the patients in the two groups were examined to be of good comparability. The mandibular length increased significantly in both groups as measured by Co-Gn, Go-Gn and Ar-Gn, but the TB group didn't show more mandibular growth than the RME group (P > 0.05). Skeletal changes of the mandible in vertical dimension were different in the two groups. The change in FMA was 0.35° in the RME group, while the change was 2.65° in the TB group (P < 0.001). The change in LAFH was 5.14 mm in the RME group, significantly smaller than the change of 10.19 mm in the TB group (P < 0.001)., Conclusion: The investigated Phase I treatment with RME followed by Phase II treatment of fixed appliance achieved the same increases in sagittal mandibular growth and facial profile improvements as the Twin-Block therapy. The treatment with RME followed by fixed appliance was better for vertical control, while the treatment with Twin-Block followed by fixed appliance significantly increased the mandibular plane angle.

Background: At the end of March 2018, a clustered outbreak of measles associated with health care workers occurred in northern Taiwan. Prior to this study, the policy for measles vaccination for physicians and nurses in MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taiwan was encouragement of vaccination in medical personnel working in the emergency room or other high risk divisions without prior testing for measles antibody, and vaccination coverage was only 85.3%. It was important to urgently formulate a new strategy to achieve zero tolerance for intra-hospital transmission and epidemic prevention. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of a new strategy for the prevention of an outbreak of measles., Methods: This study was conducted from April 23, 2018 to May 22, 2018 in the MacKay Memorial Hospital, a medical center and tertiary teaching hospital with 2200 beds in northern Taiwan. First-line medical personnel in the hospital underwent a free screening for measles antibody as a new strategy for measles outbreak prevention. Susceptible medical personnel were advised to receive measles vaccination., Results: A total of 719 first-line medical personnel were enrolled for the general survey. Measles seropositivity was 76.1% (287/377) in the generation born after 1978 (vaccinated), and 96.5% (330/342) in the generation born before 1978 (p < 0.001), while the overall seropositivity was 85.8% (617/719). Vaccination coverage of susceptible personnel under the new strategy reached 86.3% in the first month (88/102) following the survey. At the end of the first month after implementation of the new strategy, 98.1% of the medical personnel were seropositive or revaccinated, and reached 99.4% at the end of the second month., Conclusions: In this study, rapid, free antibody screening during a measles outbreak and subsequent vaccination of those susceptible resulted in most of the first-line medical personnel being seropositive or revaccinated. The new strategy was effective, time saving, used little manpower, and of low cost. Screening for measles antibody free of charge followed by vaccination of seronegative medical personnel can be regarded as an effective health management strategy to reduce and prevent the spread of measles infection.

Background: Invasive S. pyogenes diseases are uncommon, serious infections with high case fatality rates (CFR). There are few publications on this subject in the field of pediatrics. This study aimed at characterizing clinical and laboratory aspects of this disease in Chinese children., Patients and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted and pediatric in-patients with S. pyogenes infection identified by cultures from normally sterile sites were included, who were diagnosed and treated in 9 tertiary hospitals during 2010-2017., Results: A total of 66 cases were identified, in which 37 (56.1%) were male. The median age of these patients, including 11 neonates, was 3.0 y. Fifty-nine (89.4%) isolates were determined from blood. Fever was the major symptom (60/66, 90.9%) and sepsis was the most frequent presentation (64/66, 97.0%, including 42.4% with skin or soft tissue infections and 25.8% with pneumonia. The mean duration of the chief complaint was (3.8 ± 3.2) d. Only 18 (27.3%) patients had been given antibiotics prior to the hospitalization. Among all patients, 15 (22.7%) developed streptococcal toxin shock syndrome (STSS). No S. pyogenes strain was resistant to penicillin, ceftriaxone, or vancomycin, while 88.9% (56/63) and 81.4% (48/59) of the tested isolates were resistant to clindamycin and erythromycin respectively. Most of the patients were treated with β-lactams antibiotics and 36.4% had been treated with meropenem or imipenem. Thirteen (19.7%) cases died from infection, in which 9 (13.6%) had complication with STSS., Conclusions: Invasive S. pyogenes infections often developed from skin or soft tissue infection and STSS was the main cause of death in Chinese children. Ongoing surveillance is required to gain a greater understanding of this disease.

Background: Divergent genetic responses to the same environmental pressures may lead sympatric ecological speciation possible. Such speciation process possibly explains rapid sympatric speciation of island species. Two island endemic ginger species Zingiber kawagoii and Z. shuanglongensis was suggested to be independently originated from inland ancestors, but their island endemism and similar morphologies and habitats lead another hypothesis of in situ ecological speciation. For understanding when and how these two species diverged, intraspecific variation was estimated from three chloroplast DNA fragments (cpDNA) and interspecific genome-wide SNPs and expression differences after saline treatment were examined by transcriptomic analyses., Results: Extremely low intraspecific genetic variation was estimated by cpDNA sequences in both species: nucleotide diversity π = 0.00002 in Z. kawagoii and no nucleotide substitution but only indels found in Z. shuanglongensis. Nonsignificant inter-population genetic differentiation suggests homogenized genetic variation within species. Based on 53,683 SNPs from 13,842 polymorphic transcripts, in which 10,693 SNPs are fixed between species, Z. kawagoii and Z. shuanglongensis were estimated to be diverged since 218~ 238 thousand generations ago (complete divergence since 41.5~ 43.5 thousand generations ago). This time is more recent than the time of Taiwan Island formation. In addition, high proportion of differential expression genes (DEGs) is non-polymorphic or non-positively selected, suggesting key roles of plastic genetic divergence in broaden the selectability in incipient speciation. While some positive selected DEGs were mainly the biotic and abiotic stress-resistance genes, emphasizing the importance of adaptive divergence of stress-related genes in sympatric ecological speciation. Furthermore, the higher proportional expression of functional classes in Z. kawagoii than in Z. shuanglongensis explains the more widespread distribution of Z. kawagoii in Taiwan., Conclusions: Our results contradict the previous hypothesis of independent origination of these two island endemic ginger species from SE China and SW China. Adaptive divergent responses to the stress explain how these gingers maintain genetic differentiation in sympatry. However, the recent speciation and rapid expansion make extremely low intraspecific genetic variation in these two species. This study arise a more probable speciation hypothesis of sympatric speciation within an island via the mutation-order mechanism underlying the same environmental pressure.

Background: Animals co-evolve with their gut microbiota; the latter can perform complex metabolic reactions that cannot be done independently by the host. Although the importance of gut microbiota has been well demonstrated, there is a paucity of research regarding its role in foliage-foraging mammals with a specialized digestive system., Results: In this study, a 16S rRNA gene survey and metagenomic sequencing were used to characterize genetic diversity and functional capability of cecal microbiota of the folivorous flying squirrel (Petaurista alborufus lena). Phylogenetic compositions of the cecal microbiota derived from 3 flying squirrels were dominated by Firmicutes. Based on end-sequences of fosmid clones from 1 flying squirrel, we inferred that microbial metabolism greatly contributed to intestinal functions, including degradation of carbohydrates, metabolism of proteins, and synthesis of vitamins. Moreover, 33 polysaccharide-degrading enzymes and 2 large genomic fragments containing a series of carbohydrate-associated genes were identified., Conclusions: Cecal microbiota of the leaf-eating flying squirrel have great metabolic potential for converting diverse plant materials into absorbable nutrients. The present study should serve as the basis for future investigations, using metagenomic approaches to elucidate the intricate mechanisms and interactions between host and gut microbiota of the flying squirrel digestive system, as well as other mammals with similar adaptations.

Recognition and incision of UV-DNA adducts play key roles in the efficacy of nucleotide excision repair. Damaged-DNA recognition activity has been identified from primate cells as a complex of DDB1 (127-kD) and DDB2 (48-kD) subunits. However, the function of damaged-DNA binding proteins (DDBs) in damaged-DNA recognition is not well understood. To assess the functional correlation between DDBs and UV-damaged-DNA recognition activity, we identified UV-damaged-DNA recognition activities in rodent cell lines. There is a cell type-dependent expression of DDB1 and DDB2. Rodent cells had less abundant DDBs and lower UV-damaged-DNA recognition activity than did human tumor cells. Interestingly, the profusion of DDBs is associated with UV-damaged-DNA recognition activity in these cell lines. We also discovered tissue-dependent expression of DDBs and its functional correlation with UV-damaged-DNA recognition activity. cDNA (3850 nucleotides) from rat ddb1 was isolated. It contained the complete length of the open reading frame that encodes an 1140-amino-acid polypeptide with a predicted molecular weight of 126.8 kD. The predicted protein size from the rat ddb1 gene resembles that from human DDB1 (127 kD). Rat DDB1 shares highly conserved sequencing (greater than 98% similarity) with those of mouse, human, and monkey. Rat and fruit fly DDB1 exhibit 62.23% identity and 57.66% homology. The evolutionary conservation of the DDB1 sequence suggests that DDB1 may play a pivotal role in mammals as well as in other eukaryotes. However, overexpression of DDB1 did not augment UV-damaged-DNA recognition activity in human HeLa, hamster V79, or rat PC12 cells. In contrast, restricting DDB2 expression by antisense ddb2 partially inhibited UV-damaged-DNA recognition activity in cells, whereas overexpressing DDB2 through a recombinant ddb2 adenovirus partly restored the recognition activity of these cells. These findings support the notion that DDB abundance is functionally correlated with UV-damaged-DNA recognition activity. These results also suggest that the profusion of DDB2, but not DDB1, may moderate UV-damaged-DNA recognition activity., (Copyright 2002 National Science Council, ROC and S. Karger AG, Basel)