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Background and Aims: Aspiration thrombectomy is an effective method of recanalizing large vessel occlusion (LVO). However, the efficacy of a direct aspiration first-pass technique (ADAPT) for recanalization of LVO of different etiologies is not properly understood. Methods: The prospectively collected database on ADAPT was reviewed retrospectively. We defined two groups of enrolled patients: the embolism-related occlusions (EMB-O) group and the intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS)-related occlusion (ICAS-O) group. Baseline characteristics, procedural variables, and post-procedural variables were collected. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify first-pass recanalization predictors. Results: Of 114 registered patients, 94 were eligible for this study (51 patients in the EMB-O group and 43 patients in the ICAS-O group). Achieving successful reperfusion immediately after direct aspiration was more frequent in the EMB-O group than in the ICAS-O group (64.71 vs. 27.91%, respectively, p = 0.006), with fewer additional rescue treatments needed (35.29 vs. 70.09%, respectively, p = 0.001). The EMB-O group also showed a higher final successful reperfusion rate (96.8 vs. 74.41%, p = 0.006). However, the 90-day good functional outcomes were not affected by the groups. Independent predictors of first-pass success of aspiration included the isolated middle cerebral artery site of occlusion, embolic etiology, and use of larger bore catheters. Conclusions: The efficacy of ADAPT recanalization approach was better in EMB-O than in ICAS-O. In case of embolic etiology and the isolated MCA site of occlusion, using a larger aspiration catheter for direct aspiration thrombectomy may be reasonable., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Liao, Zhang, Zhang, Du, Li and Liang.)

Periostin, an extracellular matrix protein, is widely expressed in a variety of tissues and cells. It has many biological functions and is related to many diseases: for example, it promotes cell proliferation and differentiation in osteoblasts, which are closely related to osteoporosis, and mediates cell senescence and apoptosis in chondrocytes, which are involved in osteoarthritis. Furthermore, it also plays an important role in mediating inflammation and reconstruction during bronchial asthma, as well as in promoting bone development, reconstruction, repair, and strength. Therefore, periostin has been explored as a potential biomarker for various diseases. Recently, periostin has also been found to be expressed in intervertebral disc cells as a component of the intervertebral extracellular matrix, and to play a crucial role in the maintenance and degeneration of intervertebral discs. This article reviews the biological role of periostin in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, osteoblasts, osteoclasts, chondrocytes, and annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus cells, which are closely related to spinal degenerative diseases. The study of its pathophysiological effects is of great significance for the diagnosis and treatment of spinal degeneration, although additional studies are needed., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Zhu, Zhou, Wang, Wang, Liu, Zhang, Guo and Kang.)

Acid rain is considered one of the most serious plant abiotic stresses. Photosynthesis is the basis of crop growth and development. The effect of acid rain on barley photosynthesis remains unclear. A glasshouse experiment was conducted, and the photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence, and pigment content of barley were measured in simulated acid rain (SAR) under pH 6.5, 5.5, 4.5, and 3.5. The results showed that net photosynthetic rate, maximal photosynthetic rate, and light saturation point decreased and the light compensation point, and dark respiration rate increased with increasing acidity. The results suggested that photosynthesis in barley plants was inhibited by SAR stress. The Chl content and stomatal conductance declined in parallel with the reduced net photosynthetic rate when barley plants were under SAR stress conditions. This indicated that non-stomatal factors may contribute to reduced photosynthesis under acid rain stress. Acid rain had greater effects on the photosynthesis of the acid rain-sensitive plant Zhepi 33 than on non-sensitive Kunlun 12. A significant difference in parameters such as the maximal fluorescence, variable fluorescence, and active PSII reaction centers was found among the SAR treatments and may be used to evaluate the sensitivity of plants to acid rain stress. The visualization model showed that the photosynthetic reaction centers were inactivated in acid rain stressed barley plants. These findings are valuable for the evaluation of the plant sensitivity to acid rain stress and may be used for the detection and monitoring of acid rain effects on plants in the future., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

We investigated the efficacy of a single bacterium strain, Bacillus subtilis ( B. subtilis ) YW1, on the performance, morphology, cecal microbiota, and intestinal barrier function of laying hens. A total of 216 28-week-old Hy-line Brown laying hens were divided into three dietary treatment groups, with six replicates of 12 birds each for 4 weeks. The control group (Ctr) was fed a basal diet and the treatment groups, T1 and T2, were fed a basal diet supplemented with B. subtilis at a dose rate of 5 × 10 8 CFU/kg and 2.5 × 10 9 CFU/kg, respectively. Dietary supplementation with B. subtilis did not significantly affect overall egg production in both groups, with no obvious changes in average egg weight and intestine morphology. B. subtilis administration also improved the physical barrier function of the intestine by inducing significantly greater expression levels of the tight junction protein occludin in T1 ( p = 0.07) and T2 ( p < 0.05). Further, supplementation with B. subtilis effectively modulated the cecal microbiota, increasing the relative level of beneficial bacteria at the genus level (e.g., Bifidobacterium &nbsp; p < 0.05, Lactobacillus p = 0.298, Bacillus &nbsp; p = 0.550) and decreasing the level of potential pathogens (e.g., Fusobacterium p < 0.05, Staphylococcus p < 0.05, Campylobacter p = 0.298). Overall, B. subtilis YW1 supplementation cannot significantly improve the egg production; however, it modulated the cecal microbiota towards a healthier pattern and promoted the mRNA expression of the tight junction protein occludin in laying hens, making B. subtilis YW1 a good probiotic candidate for application in the poultry industry, and further expanding the resources of strains of animal probiotics.

COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It has rapidly spread to 216 countries and territories since first outbreak in December of 2019, posing a substantial economic losses and extraordinary threats to the public health worldwide. Although bats have been suggested as the natural host of SARS-CoV-2, transmission chains of this virus, role of animals during cross-species transmission, and future concerns remain unclear. Diverse animal coronaviruses have extensively been studied since the discovery of avian coronavirus in 1930s. The current article comprehensively reviews and discusses the current understanding about animal coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2 for their emergence, transmission, zoonotic potential, alteration of tissue/host tropism, evolution, status of vaccines and surveillance. This study aims at providing guidance for control of COVID-19 and preventative strategies for possible future outbreaks of zoonotic coronavirus via cross-species transmission., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

In order to inhibit pathogenic complications and to enhance animal and poultry growth, antibiotics have been extensively used for many years. Antibiotics applications not only affect target pathogens but also intestinal beneficially microbes, inducing long-lasting changes in intestinal microbiota associated with diseases. The application of antibiotics also has many other side effects like, intestinal barrier dysfunction, antibiotics residues in foodstuffs, nephropathy, allergy, bone marrow toxicity, mutagenicity, reproductive disorders, hepatotoxicity carcinogenicity, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which greatly compromise the efficacy of antibiotics. Thus, the development of new antibiotics is necessary, while the search for antibiotic alternatives continues. Probiotics are considered the ideal antibiotic substitute; in recent years, probiotic research concerning their application during pathogenic infections in humans, aquaculture, poultry, and livestock industry, with emphasis on modulating the immune system of the host, has been attracting considerable interest. Hence, the adverse effects of antibiotics and remedial effects of probiotics during infectious diseases have become central points of focus among researchers. Probiotics are live microorganisms, and when given in adequate quantities, confer good health effects to the host through different mechanisms. Among them, the regulation of host immune response during pathogenic infections is one of the most important mechanisms. A number of studies have investigated different aspects of probiotics. In this review, we mainly summarize recent discoveries and discuss two important aspects: (1) the application of probiotics during pathogenic infections; and (2) their modulatory effects on the immune response of the host during infectious and non-infectious diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Raheem, Liang, Zhang and Cui.)

As a newly discovered mechanosensitive ion channel protein, the piezo1 protein participates in the transmission of mechanical signals on the cell membrane and plays a vital role in mammalian biomechanics. Piezo1 has attracted widespread attention since it was discovered in 2010. In recent years, studies on piezo1 have gradually increased and deepened. In addition to the discovery that piezo1 is expressed in the respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and urinary systems, it is also stably expressed in cells such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), osteoblasts, osteoclasts, chondrocytes, and nucleus pulposus cells that constitute vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs. They can all receive external mechanical stimulation through the piezo1 protein channel to affect cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and apoptosis to promote the occurrence and development of lumbar degenerative diseases. Through reviewing the relevant literature of piezo1 in the abovementioned cells, this paper discusses the effect of piezo1 protein expression under mechanical stress stimuli on spinal degenerative disease, providing the molecular basis for the pathological mechanism of spinal degenerative disease and also a new basis, ideas, and methods for the prevention and treatment of this degenerative disease., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Daxue Zhu et al.)

BACKGROUND Trapezoidal changes of the vertebral body are more common in patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis than in others. However, we lack an understanding of factors predisposing to the development of a marked trapezoidal deformity. Also, no associations between a trapezoidal vertebrae (TV) and spine-pelvis sagittal parameters have been previously reported. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 73 subjects with lumbar spondylolisthesis were enrolled and we collected their clinical data. Vertebral body parameters and spine-pelvis sagittal alignment parameters were measured via lumbar spine X-ray. Using the lumbar index (LI), patients were divided into a TV group (LI >0.8, n=24) and a control group (LI >0.8, n=49). The clinical data and spine-pelvic sagittal parameters of the 2 groups were compared using the t test or chi-squared test. Pearson's correlation analysis and multiple linear regression were used to determine relationships among the parameters. RESULTS The TV and control groups differed significantly in terms of the slipped segment, extent of slippage, intervertebral disc height (IDH), and sagittal parameters (all P<0.05). Pearson's correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis showed that the slipped segment (r=-0.606), extent of slippage (r=-0.660), and IDH (r=0.698) were risk factors for the development of a TV body. Also, vertebral trapezoidal deformation was closely associated with sagittal parameters. CONCLUSIONS The vertebral body affected by lumbar spondylolisthesis exhibits a trapezoidal change closely associated with the slipped segment, the extent of slippage, and IDH. The TV group exhibited greater pelvic incidence values and lumbar lordosis, which may have caused wedging of the slipped vertebra.

Introduction: Priming of tumor-specific T cells is a key to antitumor immune response and inflammation, in turn, is crucial for proper T-cell activation. As antigen-presenting cells can activate T cells, dendritic cells (DCs) loaded with tumor antigens have been used as immunotherapeutics against certain cancer in humans but their efficacy is modest. Necroptosis is a form of programmed cell death that results in the release of inflammatory contents. We previously generated mice with DC deficiency in a negative regulator of necroptosis, Fas-associated death domain (FADD), and found that these mice suffer from systemic inflammation due to necroptotic DCs. We hypothesize that FADD-deficient DCs could serve as a better vaccine than wild-type (WT) DCs against tumors., Materials and Methods: FADD-deficient and WT mouse DCs loaded with the relevant tumor peptide were injected onto mice before or after the syngeneic tumor challenge. DC vaccinations were repeated two more times and anti-PD-1 antibodies were coinjected in some experiments. Tumor sizes were measured by caliper, and the percentages of tumor-free mice or mice survived were examined over time. The cytometric analysis was carried out to analyze various immune populations., Results: In two separate tumor models, we find that mice receiving FADD-deficient DCs as vaccine rejected tumors significantly better than those receiving a WT DC vaccine. Tumor growth was severely hampered, and survival extended in these mice. More activated CD8 T cells together with elevated cytokines were observed in mice receiving the FADD-deficient DC vaccine. Furthermore, we observed these effects were potent enough to protect against tumor challenge postinjection and can work in conjunction with anti-PD-1 antibodies to reduce the tumor growth., Conclusions: Necroptotic-susceptible DCs are better antitumor vaccines than WT DCs in mice. Our findings suggest that necroptosis-driven inflammation by DCs may be a novel avenue to generating a strong adaptive antitumor response in the clinical setting., (© 2020 The Authors. Immunity, Inflammation and Disease published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) is a betaretrovirus that plays a causal role in the development of breast cancer and lymphoma in mice. Closely related sequences that share 91-99% nucleotide identity with MMTV have been repeatedly found in humans with neoplastic and inflammatory diseases. Evidence for infection with a betaretrovirus has been found in patients with breast cancer and primary biliary cholangitis and referred to as the human mammary tumor virus and the human betaretrovirus (HBRV), respectively. Using the gold standard technique of demonstrating retroviral infection, HBRV proviral integrations have been detected in cholangiocytes, lymph nodes, and liver of patients with primary biliary cholangitis. However, the scientific biomedical community has not embraced the hypothesis that MMTV like betaretroviruses may infect humans because reports of viral detection have been inconsistent and robust diagnostic assays are lacking. Specifically, prior serological assays using MMTV proteins have produced divergent results in human disease. Accordingly, a partial HBRV surface (Su) construct was transfected into HEK293 to create an ELISA. The secreted HBRV gp52 Su protein was then used to screen for serological responses in patients with breast cancer and liver disease. A greater proportion of breast cancer patients ( n  = 98) were found to have serological reactivity to HBRV Su as compared to age- and sex-matched control subjects (10.2% versus 2.0%, P =0.017, OR = 5.6 [1.25-26.3]). Similarly, the frequency of HBRV Su reactivity was higher in patients with primary biliary cholangitis ( n   =  156) as compared to blood donors (11.5% vs. 3.1%, P =0.0024, OR = 4.09 [1.66-10.1]). While the sensitivity of the HBRV Su ELISA was limited, the assay was highly specific for serologic detection in patients with breast cancer or primary biliary cholangitis, respectively (98.0% [93.1%-99.7%] and 97.0% [93.4%-98.6%]). Additional assays will be required to link immune response to betaretrovirus infection and either breast cancer or primary biliary cholangitis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Guangzhi Zhang et al.)

Ewing's sarcoma (ES) is a common malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents. Although great efforts have been made to understand the pathogenesis and development of ES, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. The present study aimed to identify new key genes as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis, targeted therapy or prognosis of ES. mRNA expression profile chip data sets GSE17674, GSE17679 and GSE45544 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened using the R software limma package, and functional and pathway enrichment analyses were performed using the enrichplot package and GSEA software. The NetworkAnalyst online tool, as well as Cytoscape and its plug-ins cytoHubba and NetworkAnalyzer, were used to construct a protein-protein interaction network (PPI) and conduct module analysis to screen key (hub) genes. LABSO COX regression and overall survival (OS) analysis of the Hub genes were performed. A total of 211 DEGs were obtained by integrating and analyzing the three data sets. The functions and pathways of the DEGs were mainly associated with the regulation of small-molecule metabolic processes, cofactor-binding, amino acid, proteasome and ribosome biosynthesis in eukaryotes, as well as the Rac1, cell cycle and P53 signaling pathways. A total of one important module and 20 hub genes were screened from the PPI network using the Maximum Correlation Criteria algorithm of cytoHubba. LASSO COX regression results revealed that titin ( TTN ), fast skeletal muscle troponin T, skeletal muscle actin α-actin, nebulin, troponin C type 2 (fast), myosin light-chain 3 ( MYL3 ), slow skeletal muscle troponin T ( TNNT1 ), myosin-binding protein C1 slow-type, tropomyosin 3 and myosin heavy-chain 7 were associated with prognosis in patients with ES. The Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated that high mRNA expression levels of TNNT1 (P<0.001), TTN (P=0.049), titin-cap (P=0.04), tropomodulin 1 (P=0.011), troponin I2 fast skeletal type (P=0.021) and MYL3 (P=0.017) were associated with poor OS in patients with ES. In conclusion, the DEGs identified in the present study may be key genes in the pathogenesis of ES, three of which, namely TNNT1, TTN and MYL3 , may be potential prognostic biomarkers for ES., (Copyright: © Deng et al.)

The effect of intercostal muscle contraction on generating rib motion has been investigated for a long time and is still controversial in physiology. This may be because of the complicated structure of the rib cage, making direct prediction of the relationship between intercostal muscle force and rib movement impossible. Finite element analysis is a useful tool that is good at solving complex structural mechanic problems. In this study, we individually activated the intercostal muscle groups from the dorsal to ventral portions and obtained five different rib motions classified based on rib moving directions. We found that the ribs cannot only rigidly rotate around the spinal joint but also be deformed, particularly around the relatively soft costal cartilages, where the moment of muscle force for the rigid rotation is small. Although the intercostal muscles near the costal cartilages cannot generate a large moment to rotate the ribs, the muscles may still have a potential to deform the costal cartilages and contribute to the expansion and contraction of the rib cage based on the force-length relationship. Our results also indicated that this potential is matched well with the special shape of the costal cartilages, which become progressively oblique in the caudal direction. Compared with the traditional explanation of rib motion, by additionally considering the effect from the tissue deformation, we found that the special structure of the ventral portion of the human rib cage could be of mechanical benefit to the intercostal muscles, generating inspiratory and expiratory rib motions. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Compared with the traditional explanation of rib motion, additionally considering the effect from tissue deformation helps us understand the special structure of the ventral portion of the human rib cage, such that the costal cartilages progressively become oblique and the costochondral junction angles gradually change into nearly right angles from the upper to lower ribs, which could be of mechanical benefit to the intercostal muscles in the ventral portion, generating inspiratory and expiratory rib motions.

Understanding the heterogeneity of dysregulated pathways associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may provide prognostic and therapeutic avenues for disease management. As HCC involves a complex process of genetic and epigenetic modifications, we evaluated expression of both polyadenylated transcripts and microRNAs from HCC and liver samples derived from two cohorts of patients undergoing either partial hepatic resection or liver transplantation. Copy number variants were inferred from whole genome low-pass sequencing data, and a set of 56 cancer-related genes were screened using an oncology panel assay. HCC was associated with marked transcriptional deregulation of hundreds of protein-coding genes. In the partially resected livers, diminished transcriptional activity was observed in genes associated with drug catabolism and increased expression in genes related to inflammatory responses and cell proliferation. Moreover, several long noncoding RNAs and microRNAs not previously linked with HCC were found to be deregulated. In liver transplant recipients, down-regulation of genes involved in energy production and up-regulation of genes associated with glycolysis were detected. Numerous copy number variants events were observed, with hotspots on chromosomes 1 and 17. Amplifications were more common than deletions and spanned regions containing genes potentially involved in tumorigenesis. Colony stimulating factor 1 receptor ( CSF1R ), fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 ( FGFR3 ), fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ( FLT3 ), nucleolar phosphoprotein B23 ( NPM1 ), platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha polypeptide ( PDGFRA ), phosphatase and tensin homolog ( PTEN ), G-protein-coupled receptors-like receptor Smoothened ( SMO ), and tumor protein P53 ( TP53 ) were mutated in all tumors; another 26 cancer-related genes were mutated with variable penetrance. Conclusion : Our results underscore the marked molecular heterogeneity between HCC tumors and reinforce the notion that precision medicine approaches are needed for management of individual HCC. These data will serve as a resource to generate hypotheses for further research to improve our understanding of HCC biology. ( Hepatology Communications 2018; 00:000-000).

One of the remarkable challenges about Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) is how to transfer the collected data efficiently due to energy limitation of sensor nodes. Network coding will increase network throughput of WSN dramatically due to the broadcast nature of WSN. However, the network coding usually propagates a single original error over the whole network. Due to the special property of error propagation in network coding, most of error correction methods cannot correct more than C /2 corrupted errors where C is the max flow min cut of the network. To maximize the effectiveness of network coding applied in WSN, a new error-correcting mechanism to confront the propagated error is urgently needed. Based on the social network characteristic inherent in WSN and L1 optimization, we propose a novel scheme which successfully corrects more than C /2 corrupted errors. What is more, even if the error occurs on all the links of the network, our scheme also can correct errors successfully. With introducing a secret channel and a specially designed matrix which can trap some errors, we improve John and Yi's model so that it can correct the propagated errors in network coding which usually pollute exactly 100% of the received messages. Taking advantage of the social characteristic inherent in WSN, we propose a new distributed approach that establishes reputation-based trust among sensor nodes in order to identify the informative upstream sensor nodes. With referred theory of social networks, the informative relay nodes are selected and marked with high trust value. The two methods of L1 optimization and utilizing social characteristic coordinate with each other, and can correct the propagated error whose fraction is even exactly 100% in WSN where network coding is performed. The effectiveness of the error correction scheme is validated through simulation experiments., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Helicobacter suis is the second most prevalent Helicobacter species in the stomach of humans suffering from gastric disease. This bacterium mainly inhabits the stomach of domesticated pigs, in which it causes gastric disease, but it appears to be absent in wild boars. Interestingly, it also colonizes the stomach of asymptomatic rhesus and cynomolgus monkeys. The origin of modern human-, pig- or non-human primate-associated H. suis strains in these respective host populations was hitherto unknown. Here we show that H. suis in pigs possibly originates from non-human primates. Our data suggest that a host jump from macaques to pigs happened between 100 000 and 15 000 years ago and that pig domestication has had a significant impact on the spread of H. suis in the pig population, from where this pathogen occasionally infects humans. Thus, in contrast to our expectations, H. suis appears to have evolved in its main host in a completely different way than its close relative Helicobacter pylori in humans.

The stomach of pigs at slaughter age is often colonized by Helicobacter (H.) suis, which is also the most prevalent gastric non-H. pylori Helicobacter (NHPH) species in humans. It is associated with chronic gastritis, gastric ulceration and other gastric pathological changes in both hosts. Parietal cells are highly specialized, terminally differentiated epithelial cells responsible for gastric acid secretion and regulation. Dysfunction of these cells is closely associated with gastric pathology and disease. Here we describe a method for isolation and culture of viable and responsive parietal cells from slaughterhouse pigs. In addition, we investigated the interactions between H. suis and gastric parietal cells both in H. suis-infected six-month-old slaughter pigs, as well as in our in vitro parietal cell model. A close interaction of H. suis and parietal cells was observed in the fundic region of stomachs from H. suis positive pigs. The bacterium was shown to be able to directly interfere with cultured porcine parietal cells, causing a significant impairment of cell viability. Transcriptional levels of Atp4a, essential for gastric acid secretion, showed a trend towards an up-regulation in H. suis positive pigs compared to H. suis-negative pigs. In addition, sonic hedgehog, an important factor involved in gastric epithelial differentiation, gastric mucosal repair, and stomach homeostasis, was also significantly up-regulated in H. suis positive pigs. In conclusion, this study describes a successful approach for the isolation and culture of porcine gastric parietal cells. The results indicate that H. suis affects the viability and function of this cell type.

Due to the high mortality associated with heart disease, there is an urgent demand for advanced detection of abnormal heart beats. The use of dynamic electrocardiogram (DCG) provides a useful indicator of heart condition from long-term monitoring techniques commonly used in the clinic. However, accurately distinguishing sparse abnormal heart beats from large DCG data sets remains difficult. Herein, we propose an efficient fine solution based on 11 geometrical features of the DCG PQRST(P-T) waves and an improved hierarchical clustering method for arrhythmia detection. Data sets selected from MIT-BIH are used to validate the effectiveness of this approach. Experimental results show that the detection procedure of arrhythmia is fast and with accurate clustering.

Arthrobacter species are found ecologically diverse and can survive in various environments. Many strains of these species have metabolic versatility and can degrade many environmental pollutants. Arthrobacter species are thought to play important roles in catabolism of environmental pollutants in nature. In recent years, the genomes of many Arthrobacter strains have been sequenced, which provides comprehensive information to clarify the molecular mechanisms related to environmental adaptability of Arthrobacter species. These genomics findings revealed several features that are commonly observed in Arthrobacter strains allowing for survival under stressful conditions. These include an array of genes associated with sigma factors and responses to oxidative, osmotic, starvation and temperature stresses. The genomics basis of their environmental adaptability are reviewed, which is expected to provide useful information for applying Arthrobacter strains in pollution remediation and shed some light on other bacterial environmental adaptability researches.

Background: The biomechanical simulation of the human respiratory system is expected to be a useful tool for the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases. Because the deformation of the thorax significantly influences airflow in the lungs, we focused on simulating the thorax deformation by introducing contraction of the intercostal muscles and diaphragm, which are the main muscles responsible for the thorax deformation during breathing., Methods: We constructed a finite element model of the thorax, including the rib cage, intercostal muscles, and diaphragm. To reproduce the muscle contractions, we introduced the Hill-type transversely isotropic hyperelastic continuum skeletal muscle model, which allows the intercostal muscles and diaphragm to contract along the direction of the fibres with clinically measurable muscle activation and active force-length relationship. The anatomical fibre orientations of the intercostal muscles and diaphragm were introduced., Results: Thorax deformation consists of movements of the ribs and diaphragm. By activating muscles, we were able to reproduce the pump-handle and bucket-handle motions for the ribs and the clinically observed motion for the diaphragm. In order to confirm the effectiveness of this approach, we simulated the thorax deformation during normal quiet breathing and compared the results with four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) images for verification., Conclusions: Thorax deformation can be simulated by modelling the respiratory muscles according to continuum mechanics and by introducing muscle contractions. The reproduction of representative motions of the ribs and diaphragm and the comparison of the thorax deformations during normal quiet breathing with 4D-CT images demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed approach. This work may provide a platform for establishing a computational mechanics model of the human respiratory system.

The Gag protein of the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) is the chief determinant of subcellular targeting. Electron microscopy studies show that MMTV Gag forms capsids within the cytoplasm and assembles as immature particles with MMTV RNA and the Y box binding protein-1, required for centrosome maturation. Other betaretroviruses, such as Mason-Pfizer monkey retrovirus (M-PMV), assemble adjacent to the pericentriolar region because of a cytoplasmic targeting and retention signal in the Matrix protein. Previous studies suggest that the MMTV Matrix protein may also harbor a similar cytoplasmic targeting and retention signal. Herein, we show that a substantial fraction of MMTV Gag localizes to the pericentriolar region. This was observed in HEK293T, HeLa human cell lines and the mouse derived NMuMG mammary gland cells. Moreover, MMTV capsids were observed adjacent to centrioles when expressed from plasmids encoding either MMTV Gag alone, Gag-Pro-Pol or full-length virus. We found that the cytoplasmic targeting and retention signal in the MMTV Matrix protein was sufficient for pericentriolar targeting, whereas mutation of the glutamine to alanine at position 56 (D56/A) resulted in plasma membrane localization, similar to previous observations from mutational studies of M-PMV Gag. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy studies showed that MMTV capsids accumulate around centrioles suggesting that, similar to M-PMV, the pericentriolar region may be a site for MMTV assembly. Together, the data imply that MMTV Gag targets the pericentriolar region as a result of the MMTV cytoplasmic targeting and retention signal, possibly aided by the Y box protein-1 required for the assembly of centrosomal microtubules.

Background & Aims: The NOD.c3c4 mouse model develops autoimmune biliary disease characterized by spontaneous granulomatous cholangitis, antimitochondrial antibodies and liver failure. This model for primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) has evidence of biliary infection with mouse mammary tumour virus (MMTV), suggesting that the virus may have a role in cholangitis development and progression of liver disease in this mouse model. We tested the hypothesis that MMTV infection is associated with cholangitis in the NOD.c3c4 mouse model by investigating whether antiretroviral therapy impacts on viral levels and liver disease., Methods: NOD.c3c4 mice were treated with combination antiretroviral therapy. Response to treatment was studied by measuring MMTV RNA in the liver, liver enzyme levels in serum and liver histology using a modified Ishak score., Results: Combination therapy with the reverse transcriptase inhibitors, tenofovir and emtricitabine, resulted in a significant reduction in serum liver enzyme levels, attenuation of cholangitis and decreased MMTV levels in the livers of NOD.c3c4 mice. Furthermore, treatment with the retroviral protease inhibitors, lopinavir and ritonavir, in addition to the reverse transcriptase inhibitors, resulted in further decrease in MMTV levels and attenuation of liver disease in this model., Conclusions: The attenuation of cholangitis with regimens containing the reverse transcriptase inhibitors, tenofovir and emtricitabine, and the protease inhibitors, lopinavir and ritonavir, suggests that retroviral infection may play a role in the development of cholangitis in this model., (© 2014 The Authors. Liver International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

An inexpensive and biodegradable thermoplastic was developed through acetylation of rice straw (RS) with acetic anhydride. Acetylation conditions were optimized. The structure and properties of acetylated RS were characterized by fourier transform infrared (FTIR), solid-state (13)C NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed that acetylation of RS has successfully taken place, and comparing with raw RS, the degree of crystallinity decreased and the decomposition rate was slow. The acetylated RS has got thermoplasticity when weight ratio of RS and acetic anhydride was 1:3, using sulphuric acid (9% to RS) as catalyst in glacial acetic acid 35°C for 12h, and the dosage of solvent was 9 times RS, in which weight percent gain (WPG) of the modified RS powder was 35.5% and its percent acetyl content was 36.1%. The acetylated RS could be formed into transparent thin films with different amount of plasticizer diethyl phthalate (DEP) using tape casting technology., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Burkholderia vietnamiensis P418 is a plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. A chitinase gene from Bacillus subtilis was cloned and stably integrated into the chromosome of using the transposon delivery vector, pUTkm1. Chitinase activity was detected in recombinant P418-37 but not in wild type P418. Recombinant P418-37 retained the in vitro growth rate, N(2)-fixation and phosphate and potassium-solubilizing characteristics of the wild type. P418-37 significantly (P < 0.05) increased in vitro inhibition of the plant pathogenic fungi Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. vasinfectum, Rhizoctonia cerealis, Bipolaris sorokiniana, Verticillium dahliae and Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici compared with P418. In planta disease suppression assays indicated that P418-37 significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced suppression of wheat sheath blight (R. cerealis), cotton Fusarium wilt (F. oxysporium f.sp. vasinfectum) and tomato gray mould (Botrytis cinerea), relative to the wild type.

Background & Aims: A human betaretrovirus resembling the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) has been characterized in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and associated with aberrant pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC)-E2-like expression. As MMTV is prevalent in mice as either an exogenous or endogenous infection, we tested the hypothesis that MMTV is linked with anti-mitochondrial antibody (AMA) production in models with severe immune dysfunction., Methods: Evidence for MMTV was assessed in the liver and spleen of mice by PCR and immunochemistry and PDC-E2-like protein by immunochemistry. ELISA and Western blot were used to investigate AMA and anti-MMTV antibody production., Results: Increased MMTV gag or env expression was detected in the livers of AMA producing mice including NOD.c3c4, CD4 directed dominant negative TGF-β receptor II and IL-2 receptor α knockout mice as well as the NOD parental strain when compared to healthy strains and biliary disease control mice. The NOD.c3c4 mice expressed MMTV surface and capsid proteins and aberrant PDC-E2-like protein in the bile ducts, whereas IL-2 receptor α knockout mice, NOD.c3c4 and the NOD mice expressed MMTV proteins and aberrant PDC-E2-like protein in the spleen. A significant correlation between anti-MMTV antibody production and AMA production was observed in the sera of NOD and NOD.c3c4 mice (p<0.0001)., Conclusions: The association of betaretroviral protein production and aberrant PDC-E2-like protein expression in the NOD.c3c4, NOD, and the IL-2 receptor α knockout mice is comparable to observations in patients with PBC. The correlation of AMA and anti-MMTV suggests the hypothesis that MMTV infection may trigger the production of AMA., (Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Kinetics and isotherms of Triton X-100 sorption on soil, base-extracted soil (BE), humic acid (HA) and humin (HM) were investigated respectively to get better understanding on characteristics of the surfactant sorption onto different soil organic matters (SOMs). It was demonstrated that the kinetics results could be satisfactorily described by the pseudo-second order model. The half of the time to reach equilibrium (t1/2) for different sorbents followed the sequence of soil > HA > BE > HM. Furthermore, the calculated equilibrium sorption capacity (C(eq)) was found in the sequence of HA > BE > HM > soil, which agreed well with the experimental results. The isotherms of Triton X-100 sorption on soil and HA could be well described by the S-type isotherm, but BE and HM by the L-type. The isotherms of all the four sorbents were found reasonably fitted to the Langmuir equation. The K(d) value, defined as the ratio of Triton X-100 in sorbent and in the equilibrium solution for given concentrations, generally followed the order of HM > HA > soil > BE. Separated HM and HA showed high affinity for Triton X-100, but the HA and HM in soil and BE were tightly bounded by the minerals. Thus, the HA on the soil surface might dominate the sorption, whereas the bounded HM would play a key role upon the surfactants being penetrated inside the soil.

Replication of the genome of positive-strand RNA plant viruses takes place in membrane-bound complexes that contain viral replicase proteins, viral RNA, and host proteins. Many viral replicase proteins play a crucial role in the assembly of replication complexes at intracellular membranes. They are integral membrane proteins that interact directly with the membranes and bring other proteins and the viral RNA to the complex via protein-protein or protein-RNA interactions. In this chapter, we describe subcellular fractionation methods that determine whether viral proteins are integral membrane proteins in planta. Differential centrifugation techniques are used to produce membrane-enriched fractions, which can then be analyzed for the presence of viral replicase proteins by immunoblotting. Confirmation of the membrane-association is obtained by membrane flotation assays and treatment of membrane-enriched fractions with high salt or high pH followed by detection of the viral proteins. Because many plant viruses replicate in association with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), we also discuss two techniques to specifically analyze the interaction of viral proteins with these membranes. These techniques are continuous sucrose-gradient fractionation in the presence or absence of 3 mM Mg2+ and glycosylation assays.

Replication of Tomato ringspot virus (ToRSV) occurs in association with endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-derived membranes. We have previously shown that the putative nucleotide triphosphate-binding protein (NTB) of ToRSV is an ER-targeted protein and that an intermediate polyprotein containing the domains for NTB and for the genome-linked viral protein (VPg) is associated with the replication complex. We now report the detection of a 95-kDa polyprotein that contains the domains for the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (Pol), the proteinase (Pro) and the VPg. This polyprotein appears to be a truncated version of the full-length 111-kDa VPg-Pro-Pol polyprotein and was termed VPg-Pro-Pol'. A subpopulation of VPg-Pro-Pol' was peripherally associated with ER-derived membranes active in viral replication. However, the VPg, Pro and Pol domains did not target to membranes in the absence of viral infection. We propose a model in which VPg-Pro-Pol' is brought to the site of replication through interaction with a viral membrane protein.