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Steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (SONFH) is a serious bone disease commonly seen in patients on long-term glucocorticoid therapy. Although statins have shown some efficacy in improving lipid metabolism, their efficacy in the treatment of SONFH remains limited. PPARγ inhibitors may enhance the efficacy of statins through several mechanisms. This study aims to investigate how PPARγ inhibitors may enhance the effects of statins in the treatment of SONFH by directly inhibiting apoptosis and indirectly modulating lipoprotein subfractions. We first treated osteoblasts in vitro with high concentrations of hormones to simulate the SONFH environment. We then treated the cells with either the PPARγ inhibitor GW9662, the statin lovastatin, or a combination of both. We assessed cell proliferation and apoptosis using CCK-8, flow cytometry and Western blotting. We then established a SONFH rabbit model using high doses of methylprednisolone and lipopolysaccharide. The rabbits were randomly divided into four groups: control group, lovastatin group, GW9662 group and combination therapy group. We observed hip joint MRI before treatment, after 4 weeks of treatment, and 4 weeks after stopping treatment. We performed hematoxylin-eosin staining of the femoral head and analysed serum lipoprotein subfractions using VAP technology. In addition, we used quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to analyse the expression of genes related to lipid metabolism at week 3. In vitro experiments showed that both GW9662 and lovastatin effectively inhibited hormone-induced apoptosis. In the animal studies, imaging and pathological results showed that the progression of SONFH was slower in the combination therapy group than in the other groups. VAP analysis showed that the lovastatin group had disturbed lipoprotein subfractions at the fourth week after stopping treatment, while the combination therapy group had more stable lipoprotein subfractions. PPARγ inhibitors significantly enhance the efficacy of statins in the treatment of SONFH by directly inhibiting apoptosis and indirectly modulating lipoprotein subfractions. These findings provide new insights into the clinical management of SONFH and suggest that combination therapy may be an effective strategy.

Steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (SONFH) is a serious bone disease commonly seen in patients on long-term glucocorticoid therapy. Although statins have shown some efficacy in improving lipid metabolism, their efficacy in the treatment of SONFH remains limited. PPAR[gamma] inhibitors may enhance the efficacy of statins through several mechanisms. This study aims to investigate how PPAR[gamma] inhibitors may enhance the effects of statins in the treatment of SONFH by directly inhibiting apoptosis and indirectly modulating lipoprotein subfractions. We first treated osteoblasts in vitro with high concentrations of hormones to simulate the SONFH environment. We then treated the cells with either the PPAR[gamma] inhibitor GW9662, the statin lovastatin, or a combination of both. We assessed cell proliferation and apoptosis using CCK-8, flow cytometry and Western blotting. We then established a SONFH rabbit model using high doses of methylprednisolone and lipopolysaccharide. The rabbits were randomly divided into four groups: control group, lovastatin group, GW9662 group and combination therapy group. We observed hip joint MRI before treatment, after 4 weeks of treatment, and 4 weeks after stopping treatment. We performed hematoxylin-eosin staining of the femoral head and analysed serum lipoprotein subfractions using VAP technology. In addition, we used quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to analyse the expression of genes related to lipid metabolism at week 3. In vitro experiments showed that both GW9662 and lovastatin effectively inhibited hormone-induced apoptosis. In the animal studies, imaging and pathological results showed that the progression of SONFH was slower in the combination therapy group than in the other groups. VAP analysis showed that the lovastatin group had disturbed lipoprotein subfractions at the fourth week after stopping treatment, while the combination therapy group had more stable lipoprotein subfractions. PPAR[gamma] inhibitors significantly enhance the efficacy of statins in the treatment of SONFH by directly inhibiting apoptosis and indirectly modulating lipoprotein subfractions. These findings provide new insights into the clinical management of SONFH and suggest that combination therapy may be an effective strategy.

[...]SCA screening has been made available and is compared to routine serological and ultrasound screening. [...]some clinicians have suggested that SCA should not be reported for NIPT. Parental decision-making may be influenced by several confounding factors, including the type and severity of the disease, culture, the local policy, parental education, anxiety, family support, financial support, consideration of life quality and reproductive ability.

Longquan City, Zhejiang province, China, has been seriously affected by hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) since the first cases were registered in 1974. To understand the epidemiology and emergence of HFRS in Longquan, which may be indicative of large parts of rural China, we studied long-term incidence patterns and performed a molecular epidemiological investigation of the causative hantaviruses in human and rodent populations. During 1974-2011, 1866 cases of HFRS were recorded in Longquan, including 20 deaths. In 2011, the incidence of HFRS remained high, with 19.61 cases/100,000 population, despite the onset of vaccination in 1997. During 1974-1998, HFRS cases in Longquan occurred mainly in winter, while in the past decade the peak of HFRS has shifted to the spring. Notably, the concurrent prevalence of rodent-borne hantaviruses in the region was also high. Phylogenetic analyses of viral sequences recovered from rodents in Longquan revealed the presence of novel genetic variants of Gou virus (GOUV) in Rattus sp. rats and Hantaan virus (HTNV) in the stripe field mice, respectively. Strikingly, viral sequences sampled from infected humans were very closely related to those from rodents. HFRS represents an important public health problem in Longquan even after years of preventive measures. Our data suggest that continual spillover of the novel genetic variant of GOUV and the new genetic lineage of HTNV are responsible for the high prevalence of HFRS in humans. In addition, this is the first report of GOUV associated with human HFRS cases, and our data suggest that GOUV is now the major cause of HFRS in this region.

Hantaviruses are among the most important zoonotic pathogens of humans and the subject of heightened global attention. Despite the importance of hantaviruses for public health, there is no consensus on their evolutionary history and especially the frequency of virus-host co-divergence versus cross-species virus transmission. Documenting the extent of hantavirus biodiversity, and particularly their range of mammalian hosts, is critical to resolving this issue. Here, we describe four novel hantaviruses (Huangpi virus, Lianghe virus, Longquan virus, and Yakeshi virus) sampled from bats and shrews in China, and which are distinct from other known hantaviruses. Huangpi virus was found in Pipistrellus abramus, Lianghe virus in Anourosorex squamipes, Longquan virus in Rhinolophus affinis, Rhinolophus sinicus, and Rhinolophus monoceros, and Yakeshi virus in Sorex isodon, respectively. A phylogenetic analysis of the available diversity of hantaviruses reveals the existence of four phylogroups that infect a range of mammalian hosts, as well as the occurrence of ancient reassortment events between the phylogroups. Notably, the phylogenetic histories of the viruses are not always congruent with those of their hosts, suggesting that cross-species transmission has played a major role during hantavirus evolution and at all taxonomic levels, although we also noted some evidence for virus-host co-divergence. Our phylogenetic analysis also suggests that hantaviruses might have first appeared in Chiroptera (bats) or Soricomorpha (moles and shrews), before emerging in rodent species. Overall, these data indicate that bats are likely to be important natural reservoir hosts of hantaviruses.

Key message Transcriptome analysis of barley embryogenic callus from isolated microspore culture under salt stress uncovered a role of translation inhibition and selective activation of stress-specific proteins in cellular defense. Soil salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses which constrains the plant growth and reduces the productivity of field crops. In this study, it was observed that the salt stress in barley isolated microspore culture impacted not only on the quantity of embryogenic callus but also on the quality for later differentiation. The barley microspore-derived embryogenic callus, a transient intermediate form linked cells and plants, was employed for a global transcriptome analysis by RNA sequencing to provide new insights into the cellular adaptation or acclimation to stress. A total of 596 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, in which 123 DEGs were up-regulated and 473 DEGs were down-regulated in the embryogenic callus produced from microspore culture under salt stress as compared to the control conditions. KEGG pathway analysis identified ‘translation’ (27 DEGs; 12.56 %) as the largest group and followed by ‘folding, sorting and degradation’ (25 DEGs; 11.63 %) in 215 mapped metabolic pathways. The results of RNA-Seq data and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction validation showed that the genes related to translation regulation (such as eIF1A, RPLP0, RPLP2, VARS ) were down-regulated to control general protein synthesis, and the genes related to endoplasmic reticulum stress response (such as small heat shock protein genes) were selectively up-regulated against protein denaturing during microspore embryogenesis under continuous salt stress. These transcriptional remodeling might affect the essential protein synthesis for the cell development to fulfill totipotency under salt stress.

Vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF)-C promotes tumorigenesis by allowing lymph node metastasis and lymphangiogenesis, among other actions. RNA interference (RNAi) is a novel technique for suppressing target gene expression and may increase the effectiveness of cancer treatments. The present study assessed the influence of VEGF-C RNAi on the apoptosis and proliferation of mouse breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. A total of three pairs of small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting mouse VEGF-C were designed and synthesized prior to transfection into 4T1 cells via a liposomal approach. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, western blot analysis, a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, Hoechst 33258 staining and flow cytometry were performed in vitro to analyze VEGF-C expression, cleaved caspase-3 protein expression and 4T1 cell proliferation and apoptosis. Experiments were also conducted in vivo on BALB/c mice with breast cancer. Tumor weight and volume were measured and the number of apoptotic cells in tumor tissues was assessed by a TUNEL assay. Immunohistochemical assays and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to measure the expression of VEGF-C in tumor tissues. The results demonstrated that the three pairs of siRNA, particularly siV2, significantly reduced VEGF-C mRNA and protein levels in 4T1 cells. siV2 was deemed to be the most efficient siRNA and therefore was selected to be used in subsequent experiments. Furthermore, in vitro studies indicated that VEGF-C RNAi significantly decreased cell growth, induced apoptosis and upregulated the expression of cleaved caspase-3 protein. Tumor weight and volume in breast cancer in vivo models was reduced by the intratumoral injection of siV2. Antitumor efficacy was associated with decreased VEGF-C expression and increased induction of apoptosis. The present study therefore indicated that VEGF-C RNAi inhibited mouse breast cancer growth in vitro and in vivo and that it may be a novel targeted therapy for breast cancer.

Background Longquan City, Zhejiang province, China, has been seriously affected by hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) since the first cases were registered in 1974. To understand the epidemiology and emergence of HFRS in Longquan, which may be indicative of large parts of rural China, we studied long-term incidence patterns and performed a molecular epidemiological investigation of the causative hantaviruses in human and rodent populations. Method/Principal Findings During 1974-2011, 1866 cases of HFRS were recorded in Longquan, including 20 deaths. In 2011, the incidence of HFRS remained high, with 19.61 cases/100,000 population, despite the onset of vaccination in 1997. During 1974-1998, HFRS cases in Longquan occurred mainly in winter, while in the past decade the peak of HFRS has shifted to the spring. Notably, the concurrent prevalence of rodent-borne hantaviruses in the region was also high. Phylogenetic analyses of viral sequences recovered from rodents in Longquan revealed the presence of novel genetic variants of Gou virus (GOUV) in Rattus sp. rats and Hantaan virus (HTNV) in the stripe field mice, respectively. Strikingly, viral sequences sampled from infected humans were very closely related to those from rodents. Conclusions/Significance HFRS represents an important public health problem in Longquan even after years of preventive measures. Our data suggest that continual spillover of the novel genetic variant of GOUV and the new genetic lineage of HTNV are responsible for the high prevalence of HFRS in humans. In addition, this is the first report of GOUV associated with human HFRS cases, and our data suggest that GOUV is now the major cause of HFRS in this region.

Hantaviruses are among the most important zoonotic pathogens of humans and the subject of heightened global attention. Despite the importance of hantaviruses for public health, there is no consensus on their evolutionary history and especially the frequency of virus-host co-divergence versus cross-species virus transmission. Documenting the extent of hantavirus biodiversity, and particularly their range of mammalian hosts, is critical to resolving this issue. Here, we describe four novel hantaviruses (Huangpi virus, Lianghe virus, Longquan virus, and Yakeshi virus) sampled from bats and shrews in China, and which are distinct from other known hantaviruses. Huangpi virus was found in Pipistrellus abramus, Lianghe virus in Anourosorex squamipes, Longquan virus in Rhinolophus affinis, Rhinolophus sinicus, and Rhinolophus monoceros, and Yakeshi virus in Sorex isodon, respectively. A phylogenetic analysis of the available diversity of hantaviruses reveals the existence of four phylogroups that infect a range of mammalian hosts, as well as the occurrence of ancient reassortment events between the phylogroups. Notably, the phylogenetic histories of the viruses are not always congruent with those of their hosts, suggesting that cross-species transmission has played a major role during hantavirus evolution and at all taxonomic levels, although we also noted some evidence for virus-host co-divergence. Our phylogenetic analysis also suggests that hantaviruses might have first appeared in Chiroptera (bats) or Soricomorpha (moles and shrews), before emerging in rodent species. Overall, these data indicate that bats are likely to be important natural reservoir hosts of hantaviruses.

Erdos salina wetland borders on Kubuqi Desert and Maowusu Desert. It is a wetland of internationalimportance to p rotect Larus relictus and its habitat. Hydrophily biology has sensitivity on circumstance change. Thestudy is on Tao-A Haizi and Hongjian Nur in 2006. The survey measured according to Investigation Handbook ofFisheries Natural Resources in Inland Waters. Hydrophily biology diversity index was calculated by Shannon Wiener. After checking, it was found that there were 14 kinds of phytop lankton in Hongjian Nur and 4 kindsphytop lankton in Tao-A Haizi. There were 8 kinds of zoop lankton in Hongjian Nur and 9 kinds in Tao-A Haizi.There were 9 kinds of zoobenthos in Hongjian Nur and none in Tao-A Haizi. Hongjian Nur ismiddling pollution andTao-A Haizi is severely polluted according to diversity index. 2006年以桃- 阿海子和红碱淖尔湖泊为主要研究监测对象,利用镜检分析方法,对2个湖泊的浮游植物、浮游动物及底栖动物的种群特征进行了调查;水生生物多样性指数采用Shannon2Wiener指数计算。结果表明:红碱淖尔检出浮游植物14种,桃- 阿海子4种。根据生物多样性指数水质评价标准,红碱淖尔湖水达到中等污染程度,桃- 阿海子湖水是重污染。红碱淖尔检出浮游动物8种,轮虫密度最大,轮虫和枝角类的生物量占绝对