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Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) poses massive economic losses in the global poultry industry. Here, we firstly report the construction and immunogenicity comparison of virus-like particles (VLPs) carrying the S, M and E proteins (SME-VLPs); VLPs carrying the S and M proteins (SM-VLPs); and VLPs carrying the M and E proteins (ME-VLPs) from the dominant serotype representative strain GX-YL5 in China. The neutralizing antibody response induced by the SME-VLPs was similar to that induced by the inactivated oil vaccine (OEV) of GX-YL5, and higher than those induced by the SM-VLPs, ME-VLPs and commercial live vaccine H120. More importantly, the SME-VLPs elicited higher percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes than the SM-VLPs, ME-VLPs and OEV of GX-YL5. Compared with the OEV of GX-YL5, higher levels of IL-4 and IFN-γ were also induced by the SME-VLPs. Moreover, the mucosal immune response (sIgA) induced by the SME-VLPs in the tear and oral swabs was comparable to that induced by the H120 vaccine and higher than that induced by the OEV of GX-YL5. In the challenge experiment, the SME-VLPs resulted in significantly lower viral RNA levels in the trachea and higher protection scores than the OEV of GX-YL5 and H120 vaccines, and induced comparable viral RNA levels in the kidneys, and tear and oral swabs to the OEV of GX-YL5. In summary, among the three VLPs, the SME-VLPs carrying the S, M and E proteins of IBV could stimulate the strongest humoral, cellular and mucosal immune responses and provide effective protection, indicating that it would be an attractive vaccine candidate for IB.

Abstract Background Acetobacter sp. CCTCC M209061 could catalyze carbonyl compounds to chiral alcohols following anti-Prelog rule with excellent enantioselectivity. Therefore, the enzymatic characterization of carbonyl reductase (CR) from Acetobacter sp. CCTCC M209061 needs to be investigated. Results A CR from Acetobacter sp. CCTCC M209061 (AcCR) was cloned and expressed in E. coli. AcCR was purified and characterized, finding that AcCR as a dual coenzyme-dependent short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) was more preferred to NADH for biocatalytic reactions. The AcCR was activated and stable when the temperature was under 35 °C and the pH range was from 6.0 to 8.0 for the reduction of 4′-chloroacetophenone with NADH as coenzyme, and the optimal temperature and pH were 45 °C and 8.5, respectively, for the oxidation reaction of isopropanol with NAD+. The enzyme showed moderate thermostability with half-lives of 25.75 h at 35 °C and 13.93 h at 45 °C, respectively. Moreover, the AcCR has broad substrate specificity to a range of ketones and ketoesters, and could catalyze to produce chiral alcohol with e.e. >99% for the majority of tested substrates following the anti-Prelog rule. Conclusions The recombinant AcCR exhibited excellent enantioselectivity, broad substrate spectrum, and highly stereoselective anti-Prelog reduction of prochiral ketones. These results suggest that AcCR is a powerful catalyst for the production of anti-Prelog alcohols. Graphical abstract The biocatalytic reactions conducted with the recombinant AcCR

Summary: The Foxp3 transcription factor is a crucial determinant of both regulatory T (TREG) cell development and their functional maintenance. Appropriate modulation of tolerogenic immune responses therefore requires the tight regulation of Foxp3 transcriptional output, and this involves both transcriptional and post-translational regulation. Here, we show that during T cell activation, phosphorylation of Foxp3 in TREG cells can be regulated by a TGF-β activated kinase 1 (TAK1)-Nemo-like kinase (NLK) signaling pathway. NLK interacts and phosphorylates Foxp3 in TREG cells, resulting in the stabilization of protein levels by preventing association with the STUB1 E3-ubiquitin protein ligase. Conditional TREG cell NLK-knockout (NLKΔTREG) results in decreased TREG cell-mediated immunosuppression in vivo, and NLK-deficient TREG cell animals develop more severe experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Our data suggest a molecular mechanism, in which stimulation of TCR-mediated signaling can induce a TAK1-NLK pathway to sustain Foxp3 transcriptional activity through the stabilization of protein levels, thereby maintaining TREG cell suppressive function. : The maintenance of Foxp3 expression is critical for correct TREG cell function. Fleskens et al. demonstrate a molecular mechanism in which TCR engagement can stabilize Foxp3 protein expression through TAK1-NLK-regulated phosphorylation, thereby maintaining TREG cell suppressive function. Keywords: Foxp3, phosphorylation, regulatory T cell, NLK, TCR, ubiquitination, immune tolerance

By employing phase change slurry (PCS) as working fluid for the heat pipe solar PV/T system, the study is designed to investigate the electrical and thermal energy performance of the system. Meanwhile, through examining the performance difference between water-based and PCS-based heat pipe solar PV/T systems, 30% alkyl hydrocarbon PCS is proved to be a suitable working fluid for optimized energy performance based on the combined consideration of the thermophysical and rheological properties. Both static and dynamic stability tests show that 30% alkyl hydrocarbon PCS has a good stability for low-temperature thermal energy storage. A testing rig is constructed consisting of two identical heat pipe solar PV/T cogeneration systems A and B, in which water and 30% alkyl hydrocarbon PCS are, respectively, employed as working fluids; the energy performance of those two PV/T systems are investigated and compared with each other under the same testing condition. The results indicate that the application of PCS to the heat pipe PV/T system leads to a significant improvement in thermal performance and a modest growth in electrical performance. The daily heat gains and overall average efficiency of system B are 4.2 MJ/m2 (per unit area of PV/T panel) and 59.3%, respectively, 27.3% and 9.3% higher than those of system A. Per unit area of the heat pipe PV/T panel could produce 55.2 L domestic hot water of about 45°C on a sunny day.

Wound healing is delayed frequently in patients with diabetes. Proper keratinocyte migration is an essential step during re-epithelialization. Impaired keratinocyte migration is a critical underlying factor responsible for the deficiency of diabetic wound healing, which is mainly attributed to the hyperglycemic state. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Previously, we demonstrated a marked activation of p38/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in the regenerated migrating epidermis, which in turn promoted keratinocyte migration. In the present study, we find that p38/MAPK pathway is downregulated and accompanied by inactivation of autophagy under high glucose (HG) environment. In addition, we demonstrate that inactivation of p38/MAPK and autophagy result in the inhibition of keratinocyte migration under HG environment, and the activating p38/MAPK by MKK6(Glu) overexpression rescues cell migration through an autophagy-dependent way. Moreover, diabetic wound epidermis shows a significant inhibition of p38/MAPK and autophagy. Targeting these dysfunctions may provide novel therapeutic approaches.

A facultative electroactive bacterium, designated strain H, was aerobically isolated from the biocathode of a hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI))-reducing microbial fuel cell (MFC). Strain H is Gram-positive and rod shaped (1–3 μm length). 16S rRNA gene analysis suggested that this strain (accession number MH782060) belongs to the genus Bacillus and shows maximum similarity to Bacillus cereus whose electrochemical activity has never previously been reported. Moreover, this strain showed efficient Cr(VI)-reducing ability in both heterotrophic (aerobic LB broth) and autotrophic (anaerobic MFC cathode) environments. Cr(VI) removal reached 50.6 ± 1.8% after 20 h in LB broth supplemented with Cr(VI) (40 mg/L). The strain H biocathode significantly improved the performance of the Cr(VI)-reducing MFC, achieving a maximum power density of 31.80 ± 1.06 mW/m2 and Cr(VI) removal rate of 2.56 ± 0.10 mg/L–h, which were 1.26 and 1.75 times higher than those of the MFC with the sterile control cathode, respectively. This study offers a novel Gram-positive Bacillus sp. strain for Cr(VI) removal in MFCs, and shows a facile aerobic isolation method could be used to screen facultative electroactive bacteria.

Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (IBDV) has haunted the poultry industry with severe, prolonged immunosuppression of chickens when infected at an early age and can easily lead to other secondary infections. Understanding the pathogenic mechanisms could lead to effective prevention and control of Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD). Evidence suggests that the N-terminal domain of polymerase in segment B plays an important role, but it is not clear which part or residual is crucial for the pathogenicity. Using a reverse genetics technique, a molecular clone (rNN1172) of the parental vvIBDV strain NN1172 was generated, and its pathogenicity was found to be the same as the parental virus. Then, three recombinant chimeric viruses were rescued based on the rNN1172 and substituted with the counterparts in the N-terminal domain of the attenuated vaccine strain B87: the rNN1172-B87VP1a (substituting the full region of the 1–167 aa residuals), the rNN1172-B87VP1a∆4 (substituting the region of the 5–167 aa residuals), and the rNN1172-VP1∆4 (one single aa residual substitution V4I), to better explore the role of the N-terminal domain of polymerase on the viral pathogenicity. Interestingly, all these substitutions played different roles in the viral pathogenicity: the mortality of the rNN1172-B87VP1a-challenged chickens was significantly reduced from 30% to 0%. No obvious lesion was found in the histopathological examination, and the lowest viral genome copy number was also detected in the bursa when compared to the parental and two other recombinant viruses. The mortalities caused by rNN1172-B87VP1a∆4 and rNN1172-B87VP1∆4, respectively, were all reduced to 10% and had a delayed onset of death. Our results also revealed that the pathogenicity of the IBDV was consistent with the viral replication efficiency in vivo (bursae). This study demonstrated that the full region of the N-terminal of polymerase plays an important role in viral replication and pathogenicity, but the substitutions of its partial region or a single residual do not completely lead to the virus attenuation to Three-Yellow chickens, although that significantly reduces its pathogenicity.

Marek’s disease (MD) is an infectious malignant T-cell lymphoma proliferative disease caused by Marek’s disease virus (MDV). In recent years, the emergence of very virulent (vv) and/or very virulent plus (vv +) strains of MDV in the field has been suggested as one of the causes of vaccination failure. The pathogenicity of the MDV strain GX18NNM4, isolated from a clinical outbreak in a broiler breeder flock that was vaccinated with CVI988/Rispens, was investigated. In the vaccination-challenge test, GX18NNM4 was able to break through the protections provided by the vaccines CVI988 and 814. It also significantly reduced body weight gain and caused marked gross lesions and a large area of infiltration of neoplastic lymphocyte cells in the heart, liver, pancreas, etc. of the infected birds. In addition, the expressions of programmed death 1 (PD-1) and its ligand, programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), in the spleens and cecal tonsils (CTs) of the unvaccinated challenged birds were significantly increased compared to those in the vaccinated challenged birds, indicating that the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is related to immune evasion mechanisms. The results showed that the GX18NNM4 strain could cause severe immunosuppression and significantly decrease the protections provided by the current commercial vaccines, thus showing GX18NNM4 to be a vv + MDV strain.

ω-Transaminase (ω-TA) as a kind of important biocatalyst is widely used in preparation of chiral intermediates. In this paper, a magnetic PVA-Fe3O4 nanoparticles was prepared and employed on immobilization of ω-TA to reduce the cost, increase reusability and enhance stability. The prepared magnetic PVA-Fe3O4 nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The average size of magnetic PVA-Fe3O4 nanoparticles was located between 30–40 nm ω-TA was immobilized onto magnetic PVA-Fe3O4 nanoparticles via glutaraldehyde cross-linking, achieving a wider pH range as 6–8 and also a better thermal stability at 60 °C. Meanwhile, the immobilized ω-TA could be successfully reused for 13 times in biotransformation. These results therefore indicated that the immobilized ω-TA with high stability might be readily utilized in industrial purposes.

Previous studies have demonstrated that mindfulness practice can improve general cognitive control. However, little research has examined whether mindfulness practices affect different cognitive control strategies. According to the dual mechanisms of control (DMC) model, different cognitive control strategies may play distinct roles in individuals’ lives. Proactive control allows people to maintain and prepare for goals, whereas reactive control allows them to respond flexibly to a changing environment. Thus, this study investigates the influences of mindfulness training on proactive and reactive control measured by the AX version of the Continuous Performance Test (AX-CPT). Thirty participants completed AX-CPT and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) before and after random assignment to either an 8-week mindfulness training group or a control group. The results showed no interaction between group and test time for AY or BX trial type, but the training group had fewer post-test errors on the BX trial and a higher Behavior Shift Index (BSI) of reaction time (RT) compared with the control group. This finding indicates enhanced trend of proactive control with mindfulness training. A positive correlation between the BSI of RT and observing scores on the FFMQ confirmed the connection between attentional components in mindfulness and proactive control. Errors on the AY trial in the post-test decreased in both groups, reflecting reactive control that did not differ between groups. The 8-week mindfulness training demonstrates a potential improvement effect on proactive control and could be helpful in overcoming interference.

The high mutation rates of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) pose economic threats to the poultry industry. In order to track the genetic evolutionary of IBV isolates circulating in yellow chickens, we continued to conduct the genetic analyses of the structural genes S1, E, M, and N from 64 IBV isolates in southern China during 2009−2017. The results showed that the dominant genotypes based on the four genes had changed when compared with those during 1985−2008. Based on the S1 gene phylogenetic tree, LX4-type (GI-19) was the most dominant genotype, which was different from that during 1985−2008. The second most dominant genotype was LDT3-A-type, but this genotype disappeared after 2012. New-type 1 (GVI-1) isolates showed increasing tendency and there were four aa (QKEP) located in the hypervariable region (HVR) III and one aa (S) insertion in all the New-type 1 isolates. Both the analyses of amino acid entropy and molecular evolutionary rate revealed that the variations from large to small were S1, E, M, and N. Purifying selection was detected in the S1, E, M, and N gene proteins, which was different from the positive selection during 1985−2008. Six isolates were confirmed to be recombinants, possibly generated from a vaccine virus of the 4/91-type or LDT3-A-type and a circulating virus. The estimated times for the most recent common ancestors based on the S1, E, M, and N genes were the years of 1744, 1893, 1940, and 1945, respectively. Bayesian skyline analysis revealed a sharp decrease in genetic diversity of all the four structural genes after 2010 and since late 2015, the viral population rapidly rose. In conclusion, the IBVs circulating in southern China over the past decade have experienced a remarkable change in genetic diversity, dominant genotypes, and selection pressure, indicating the importance of permanent monitoring of circulating strains and the urgency for developing new vaccines to counteract the emerging LX4-type and New-type IBVs.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) affects a vast population and is closely associated with cognitive impairment. However, the mechanisms of cognitive impairment in T2DM patients have not been unraveled. Research on the basic units (nodes or hubs and edges) of the brain functional network on the basis of neuroimaging may advance our understanding of the network change pattern in T2DM patients. This study investigated the change patterns of brain functional hubs using degree centrality (DC) analysis and the connectivity among these hubs using functional connectivity and Granger causality analysis. Compared to healthy controls, the DC values were higher in the left anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG) and lower in the bilateral lateral occipital cortices (LOC) and right precentral gyrus (PreCG) in T2DM patients. The functional connectivity between the left ACG and the right PreCG was stronger in T2DM patients, whereas the functional connectivity among the right PreCG and bilateral LOC was weaker. A negative causal effect from the left ACG to left LOC and a positive effect from the left ACG to right LOC were observed in T2DM patients, while in healthy controls, the opposite occurred. Additionally, the reserve of normal brain function in T2DM patients was negatively associated with the elevated glycemic parameters. This study demonstrates that there are brain functional hubs and connectivity alterations that may reflect the aberrant information communication in the brain of T2DM patients. The findings may advance our understanding of the mechanisms of T2DM-related cognitive impairment.

Forty-five KPC-producing Enterobacteriaceae strains were isolated from multiple departments in a Chinese public hospital from 2014 to 2015. Genome sequencing of four representative strains, namely Proteus mirabilis GN2, Serratia marcescens GN26, Morganella morganii GN28, and Klebsiella aerogenes E20, indicated the presence of blaKPC-2-carrying IncX6 plasmids pGN2-KPC, pGN26-KPC, pGN28-KPC, and pE20-KPC in the four strains, respectively. These plasmids were genetically closely related to one another and to the only previously sequenced IncX6 plasmid, pKPC3_SZ. Each of the plasmids carried a single accessory module containing the blaKPC-2/3-carrying ΔTn6296 derivatives. The ΔTn6292 element from pGN26-KPC also contained qnrS, which was absent from all other plasmids. Overall, pKPC3_SZ-like blaKPC-carrying IncX6 plasmids were detected by PCR in 44.4% of the KPC-producing isolates, which included K. aerogenes, P. mirabilis, S. marcescens, M. morganii, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, and were obtained from six different departments of the hospital. Data presented herein provided insights into the genomic diversity and evolution of IncX6 plasmids, as well as the dissemination and epidemiology of blaKPC-carrying IncX6 plasmids among Enterobacteriaceae in a hospital setting.

The effects of propolis on blood glucose regulation and the alleviation of various complications caused by diabetes have been widely studied. The main source of propolis in the northern temperate zone is poplar buds. However, there is limited research on the antidiabetic activity of poplar buds. In order to evaluate the effect of poplar buds on type-2 diabetes, crude extract and 50% fraction of poplar buds were used to feed streptozotocin-induced type-2 diabetic mice. The results showed that 50% fraction could increase insulin sensitivity and reduce insulin resistance, as well as decrease the levels of fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and glycosylated serum proteins in diabetic mice. Compared with the model control group, the 50% fraction-treated group showed significant decreases of malondialdehyde (MDA) and increases of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in serum and liver homogenate. Moreover, 50% fraction could significantly decrease total cholesterol (TC), alleviate abnormal lipid metabolism, and enhance antioxidant capacity in the serum. For inflammatory factors, feeding of 50% fraction could also reduce the levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in liver homogenate. Taken together, our results suggest that crude extract and 50% fraction of poplar buds, particularly the latter, can decrease blood glucose levels and insulin resistance, and 50% fraction can significantly relieve dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, and inflammation caused by type-2 diabetes.

Background: Little attention has been paid to the role of subcortical deep gray matter (SDGM) structures in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)-induced cognitive impairment, especially hippocampal subfields. Our aims were to assess the in vivo volumes of SDGM structures and hippocampal subfields using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to test their associations with cognitive performance in T2DM. Methods: A total of 80 T2DM patients and 80 neurologically unimpaired healthy controls matched by age, sex and education level was enrolled in this study. We assessed the volumes of the SDGM structures and seven hippocampal subfields on MRI using a novel technique that enabled automated volumetry. We used Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores as measures of cognitive performance. The association of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) with SDGM structures and neuropsychological tests and correlations between hippocampal subfields and neuropsychological tests were assessed by partial correlation analysis in T2DM. Results: Bilaterally, the hippocampal volumes were smaller in T2DM patients, mainly in the CA1 and subiculum subfields. Partial correlation analysis showed that the MoCA scores, particularly those regarding delayed memory, were significantly positively correlated with reduced hippocampal CA1 and subiculum volumes in T2DM patients. Additionally, higher HbA1c levels were significantly associated with poor memory performance and hippocampal atrophy among T2DM patients. Conclusions: These data indicate that the hippocampus might be the main affected region among the SDGM structures in T2DM. These structural changes in the hippocampal CA1 and subiculum areas might be at the core of underlying neurobiological mechanisms of hippocampal dysfunction, suggesting that degeneration in these regions could be responsible for memory impairments in T2DM patients.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been associated with cognitive impairment. However, its neurological mechanism remains elusive. Combining regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional connectivity (FC) analyses, the present study aimed to investigate brain functional alterations in middle-aged T2DM patients, which could provide complementary information for the neural substrates underlying T2DM-associated brain dysfunction. Twenty-five T2DM patients and 25 healthy controls were involved in neuropsychological testing and structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data acquisition. ReHo analysis was conducted to determine the peak coordinates of brain regions with abnormal local brain activity synchronization. Then, the identified brain regions were considered as seeds, and FC between these brain regions and global voxels was computed. Finally, the potential correlations between the imaging indices and neuropsychological data were also explored. Compared with healthy controls, T2DM patients exhibited higher ReHo values in the anterior cingulate gyrus and lower ReHo in right fusiform gyrus, right precentral gyrus and right medial orbit of the superior frontal gyrus. Considering these areas as seed regions, T2DM patients displayed aberrant FC, mainly in the frontal and parietal lobes. The pattern of FC alterations in T2DM patients was characterized by decreased connectivity and positive to negative or negative to positive converted connectivity. Digital Span Test forward scores revealed significant correlations with the ReHo values of the right precentral gyrus (ρ = 0.527, p = 0.014) and FC between the right fusiform gyrus and middle temporal gyrus (ρ = -0.437, p = 0.048). Our findings suggest that T2DM patients suffer from cognitive dysfunction related to spatially local and remote brain activity synchronization impairment. The patterns of ReHo and FC alterations shed light on the mechanisms underlying T2DM-associated brain dysfunction and might serve as imaging biomarkers for diagnosis and evaluation.

Mn-Ce-Zr-O catalysts doped with varying Mn content were prepared and assessed for the catalytic combustion of chlorobenzene (CB). Nanosized MCZ-0.67 catalyst with amorphous phase exhibited a high and stable catalytic activity among the studied catalysts, achieving 90% CB conversion at 226 °C and withstanding stability tests, including time-based stability and the successive influence of various operating conditions. Meanwhile, the MCZ-0.67 catalyst used showed good recyclability by calcination in air. Characterization results suggested that Mn doping played a dominant role in improving the catalytic performance, resulting in larger surface area, better redox properties and greater amounts of surface active oxygen. In addition, the introduction of Zr was also indispensable for maintaining the good catalytic performance of catalysts. Finally, trace amounts of polychlorinated by-products during CB oxidation were monitored and the oxidation process was discussed.

To gain comprehensive genetic information of circulating avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) isolates in China, analysis of the phylogenetic tree, entropy of the amino acid sequences, and the positive selection as well as computational recombinations of S1, M and N genes of 23 IBV isolates was conducted in the present study. The phylogenetic trees based on the S1, M and N genes exhibited considerably different topology and the CK/CH/LSC/99I-type isolates were the predominant IBVs based on the phylogenetic analysis of S1 gene. Results of entropy of amino acid sequences revealed that the S1 gene had the largest variation; the M gene had less variation than the N gene. Positive selections were detected in not only S1 but also M and N gene proteins. In addition, five S1 gene recombinants between vaccine strain 4/91 and CK/CH/LSC/99I-type field isolate were confirmed. In conclusion, multiple IBV genotypes co-circulated; genetic diversity and positive selections existed in S1, M and N genes; 4/91 vaccine recombinants emerged in China. Our results show that field IBVs in China are continuing to evolve and vaccine strains may have an important role in the appearance of new IBV strains via recombination. In addition, the present study indicates that IBV evolution is driven by both generations of genetic diversity and selection.

Three compounds derived from 4-aminoantipyrine (AA) were synthesized and their structures confirmed by melting point, elemental analysis, FT-IR, and 1H-NMR. The molecular structures of the four compounds were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and calculated by using the density functional theory (DFT) method with 6-31G (d) basis set. The calculated molecular geometries and the vibration frequencies of the AA derivatives in the ground state have been compared with the experimental data. The results show that the optimized geometries can reproduce well the crystal structural parameters, and the theoretical vibration frequencies show good agreement with the experimental data, although the experimental data are different from the theoretical ones due to the intermolecular forces. Besides, the molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) and the frontier molecular orbital (FMO) analysis of the compounds were investigated by theoretical calculations.

Elongation factor (EF) is a key regulation factor for translation in many organisms, including plants, bacteria, fungi, animals and insects. To investigate the nature and function of elongation factor 1β' from Spodoptera exigua (SeEF-1β'), its cDNA was cloned. This contained an open reading frame of 672 nucleotides encoding a protein of 223 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 24.04 kDa and pI of 4.53. Northern blotting revealed that SeEF-1β' mRNA is expressed in brain, epidermis, fat body, midgut, Malpighian tubules, ovary and tracheae. RT-PCR revealed that SeEF-1β' mRNA is expressed at different levels in fat body and whole body during different developmental stages. In RNAi experiments, the survival rate of insects injected with SeEF-1β' dsRNA was 58.7% at 36 h after injection, which was significantly lower than three control groups. Other elongation factors and transcription factors were also influenced when EF-1β' was suppressed. The results demonstrate that SeEF-1β' is a key gene in transcription in S. exigua.

Anti-fatigue properties of tartary buckwheat extracts (TBE) was investigated in male Kunming mice. The animals were divided into four groups. The first group, designated as the control group (control), was administered with distilled water by gavage every day for 28 days. The other three groups, designated as TBE treatment groups, were administered with TBE of 60, 120 and 240 mg/kg body weight, respectively, by gavage every day for 28 days. Exhaustive swimming time, blood lactic acid (BLA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), tissue glycogen, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) of mice after swimming were determined. The results showed that tartary buckwheat extracts had anti-fatigue properties, which extended the exhaustive swimming time of mice, effectively inhibiting the increase of BLA, decreasing the level of BUN, increasing the tissue glycogen content and the activities of SOD and GPx of mice. However, further study is needed to elucidate the exact mechanism of the effect of TBE on fatigue.

Avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is the causative agent of infectious bronchitis, which results in considerable economic losses. It is imperative to develop safe and efficient candidate vaccines to control IBV infection. In the current study, recombinant baculoviruses co-expressing the S1 and N proteins and mono-expressing S1 or N proteins of the GX-YL5 strain of IBV were constructed and prepared into subunit vaccines rHBM-S1-N, rHBM-S1 and rHBM-N. The levels of immune protection of these subunit vaccines were evaluated by inoculating specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens at 14 days of age, giving them a booster with the same dose 14 days later and challenging them with a virulent GX-YL5 strain of IBV 14 days post-booster (dpb). The commercial vaccine strain H120 was used as a control. The IBV-specific antibody levels, as well as the percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, were detected within 28 days post-vaccination (dpv). The morbidity, mortality and re-isolation of the virus from the tracheas and kidneys of challenged birds were evaluated at five days post-challenge (dpc). The results showed that the IBV-specific antibody levels and the percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes were higher in the rHBM-S1-N vaccinated birds compared to birds vaccinated with the rHBM-S1 and rHBM-N vaccines. At 5 dpc, the mortality, morbidity and virus re-isolation rate of the birds vaccinated with the rHBM-S1-N vaccine were slightly higher than those vaccinated with the H120 control vaccine but were lower than those vaccinated with the rHBM-S1 and rHBM-N vaccines. The present study demonstrated that the protection of the recombinant baculovirus co-expressing S1 and N proteins was better than that of recombinant baculoviruses mono-expressing the S1 or N protein. Thus, the recombinant baculovirus co-expressing S1 and N proteins could serve as a potential IBV vaccine and this demonstrates that the bivalent subunit vaccine including the S1 and N proteins might be a strategy for the development of an IBV subunit vaccine.

Topological insulators have been considered as promising thermoelectric materials because of their high electrical transport properties and low thermal conductivity. In this work, the crystal structure, chemical composition, and thermoelectric transport properties of a weak topological insulator, Bi2TeI, were studied. Bi2TeI possesses the lowest lattice thermal conductivity compared with the analogously layered compounds Bi2Te3 and BiTeI. Cu and Zn were used as dopants with the aim of optimizing the thermoelectric performance. It was found that doping Bi2TeI with Cu led to decreased carrier concentration and power factor while doping with Zn resulted in increased carrier concentration and improved power factor. Accompanied with reduced lattice thermal conductivity, Zn-doped samples showed a largely improved dimensionless figure of merit, ZT. The largest ZT was 0.077 for Zn0.01Bi2TeI, increased by 70% as compared with the undoped Bi2TeI.

We describe a safe and highly effective non-viral vector system based on β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)-modified dendrimer-entrapped gold nanoparticles (Au DENPs) for improved delivery small interfering RNA (siRNA) to glioblastoma cells. In our approach, we utilized amine-terminated generation 5 poly(amidoamine) dendrimers partially grafted with β-CD as a nanoreactor to entrap Au NPs. The acquired β-CD-modified Au DENPs (Au DENPs-β-CD) were complexed with two different types of therapeutic siRNA (B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2) siRNA and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) siRNA). The siRNA compression ability of the Au DENPs-β-CD was evaluated by various methods. The cytocompatibility of the vector/siRNA polyplexes was assessed by viability assay of cells. The siRNA transfection capability of the formed Au DENPs-β-CD vector was evaluated by flow cytometric assay of the cellular uptake of the polyplexes and Western blot assays of the Bcl-2 and VEGF protein expression. Our data reveals that the formed Au DENPs-β-CD carrier enables efficiently delivery of siRNA to glioma cells, has good cytocompatibility once complexed with the siRNA, and enables enhanced gene silencing to inhibit the expression of Bcl-2 and VEGF proteins. The developed Au DENPs-β-CD vector may be used for efficient siRNA delivery to different biosystems for therapeutic purposes.

Methods: A 63-year-old woman with atrial fibrillation presented clinical symptoms and signs of acute ischemia in the right lower extremity on the 17th postoperative day after revision total hip arthroplasty of the left hip for aseptic loosening of femoral component. Aspirin was discontinued 7 days before surgery. Both computed tomography angiography and digital subtraction angiography demonstrated complete occlusion of the right common iliac artery. An emergency catheter-directed thrombolysis with urokinase combined with balloon angioplasty was performed to obtain complete patency of the right common iliac artery. Results: The patient received anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy postoperatively and was fine at the 2-year follow-up. Conclusions: This case demonstrated that catheter-directed thrombolysis combined with balloon angioplasty could be an efficacious, minimally invasive approach for the treatment of acute embolic occlusion of the common iliac artery. Preoperative anticoagulation for patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty with long-term use of aspirin for atrial fibrillation needs further investigation.

A novel carbonyl reductase (AcCR) catalyzing the asymmetric reduction of ketones to enantiopure alcohols with anti-Prelog stereoselectivity was found in Acetobacter sp. CCTCC M209061 and enriched 27.5-fold with an overall yield of 0.4% by purification. The enzyme showed a homotetrameric structure with an apparent molecular mass of 104 kDa and each subunit of 27 kDa. The gene sequence of AcCR was cloned and sequenced, and a 762 bp gene fragment was obtained. Either NAD(H) or NADP(H) can be used as coenzyme. For the reduction of 4'-chloroacetophenone, the Km value for NADH was around 25-fold greater than that for NADPH (0.66 mM vs 0.026 mM), showing that AcCR preferred NADPH over NADH. However, when NADH was used as cofactor, the response of AcCR activity to increasing concentration of 4'-chloroacetophenone was clearly sigmoidal with a Hill coefficient of 3.1, suggesting that the enzyme might possess four substrate-binding sites cooperating with each other The Vmax value for NADH-linked reduction was higher than that for NADPH-linked reduction (0.21 mM/min vs 0.17 mM/min). For the oxidation of isopropanol, the similar enzymological properties of AcCR were found using NAD+ or NADP+ as cofactor. Furthermore, a broad range of ketones such as aryl ketones, α-ketoesters and aliphatic ketones could be enantioselectively reduced into the corresponding chiral alcohols by this enzyme with high activity.

In this work we study the well-known problem put forward by S. N. Bernstein in 1930. We construct an operator that converges and give a bound for the best convergence order.