Causal relationships between gut microbiota, immune cell, and Henoch-Schönlein Purpura: a two-step, two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Regulating the immune system is a crucial measure of gut microbiota (GM) that influences the development of diseases. The causal role of GM on Henoch-Schönlein Purpura (HSP) and whether it can be mediated by immune cells is still unknown.

Methods: We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization study using an inverse variance weighted (IVW) method to examine the causal role of GM on HSP and the mediation effect of immune cells between the association of GM and HSP.

Intervention mechanism of marine-based chito-oligosaccharide on acute liver injury induced by AFB in rats.

Aflatoxin B (AFB) is extremely hepatotoxic, a causative agent of liver cancer, and can cause symptoms of acute or chronic liver damage. Chito-oligosaccharides (COS), obtained from the degradation of chitosan derived from shrimp and crab shells, is a natural antioxidant substance and its antitumor properties have been widely studied, but less research has been done on the prevention of AFB-induced acute liver injury. In this study, rats were acutely exposed to 1 mg/kg BW AFB and simultaneously gavaged with different doses of COS for 8 days.

Establishment and application of multiplex droplet digital polymerase chain reaction assay for bovine enterovirus, bovine coronavirus, and bovine rotavirus.

Bovine enterovirus (BEV), bovine coronavirus (BCoV), and bovine rotavirus (BRV) are still the major worldwide concerns in the health care of cattle, causing serious economic losses in the livestock industry. It is urgent to establish specific and sensitive methods to detect viruses for the early control of diseases. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) has been proposed to effectively detect viral particles, and it does not involve Ct values or standard curves.

Berbamine, a bioactive alkaloid, suppresses equine herpesvirus type 1 and .

Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) poses a global threat to equines. The anticancer agent berbamine (BBM), a bioactive alkaloid, has been shown to inhibit viral infection. However, whether BBM can inhibit EHV-1 infection remains unclear.

Bilateral endogenous fungal endophthalmitis: A case report.

Rationale: Endogenous fungal endophthalmitis is a challenging condition. There are no universally accepted diagnostic or management protocols. We share a case of endogenous fungal endophthalmitis who was successfully treated, focusing on the diagnostic and treatment procedures.

CRISPR Guide RNA Library Screens in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

High-throughput CRISPR guide RNA (gRNA) library screen, that is, CRISPR/Cas9 screen, enables the unbiased identification of gene functions in a variety of biological processes. Typical pooled CRISPR/Cas9 screen couples a gRNA library and a guided Cas9 or dCas9 endonuclease to target specific gene loci, and then systematically uncover the causal link between candidate genes and observed cellular phenotypes via gRNA depletion or enrichment in screens. Here, we describe a detailed method of puromycin (PURO) concentration titration and lentiviral CRISPR gRNA library titration in Cas9 expressing monoclonal human iPSC line (Cas9+MNhiPSC) prior to performing the screens, conducting pooled CRISPR gRNA library screens in Cas9+MNhiPSC, genomic DNA extraction from the selected cell subpopulation and sequencing library preparation as well as next generation sequencing (NGS) to generate gRNA read counts.

Clinical assessment and FGFR2 mutation analysis in a Chinese family with Crouzon syndrome: A case report.

Rationale: Crouzon syndrome is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder caused by mutations in fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) and one of the most common types of craniosynostosis. Here we report the detection of FGFR2 mutation and its related clinical findings in 2 patients with Crouzon syndrome from a Chinese family.

Patient Concerns: We report a case of a 28-year-old male patient presented with the chief complaint of gradually blurring of his eyes over the last 6 months before visiting our clinics.

Efficacy and Safety of Eye Drops Atomization Treatment for Meibomian Gland Dysfunction-Related Dry Eye Disease: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of eye drops (a Chinese traditional medicine) atomization treatment in meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD)-related dry eye disease (DED) patients.

Methods: A total of 240 eligible patients diagnosed with MGD-related DED were assigned either eye drops or placebo for atomization once daily for four weeks in a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. Primary outcome evaluations used included eye symptom score (using the Chinese Dry Eye Questionnaire), meibum quality, and tear break-up time (TBUT), while safety evaluations included adverse events (AEs), visual acuity, and intraocular pressure monitoring.

RNA-Seq-based transcriptomic profiling of primary interstitial cells of Cajal in response to bovine viral diarrhea virus infection.

Infections with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) contribute significantly to health-related economic losses in the beef and dairy industries and are widespread throughout the world. Severe acute BVDV infection is characterized by a gastrointestinal (GI) inflammatory response. The mechanism of inflammatory lesions caused by BVDV remains unknown.

Study on influencing factors of Pickering emulsions stabilized by hydroxyapatite nanoparticles with nonionic surfactants.

Emulsions were prepared using hydroxyapatite nanoparticles and nonionic surfactant sorbitan monooleate (Span 80) as emulsifier. Effects of Span 80 concentration, emulsification time, emulsification rate, poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) concentration and the surface chemical properties of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles on emulsion properties were systematically studied. The results showed that emulsion would undergo a phase inversion from oil-in-water (O/W) type to water-in-oil (W/O) type with an increase in Span 80 concentration.

Bta-miR-2411 attenuates bovine viral diarrhea virus replication via directly suppressing Pelota protein in Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous ∼22 nt noncoding RNAs that control the translation initiation and stability of target genes in a sequence-specific manner and, thus, play important regulatory roles in animals and plants. Homologs of Dom34, called Pelota or PELO, are broadly conserved in eukaryotes and archaea. Biochemical and genetic studies indicate that eukaryotic Dom34/Pelota plays an important role in cell division, differentiation of germline stem cells, and stem cell self-renewal by controlling the expression of specific genes at the translational level.

Roles of bta-miR-29b promoter regions DNA methylation in regulating miR-29b expression and bovine viral diarrhea virus NADL replication in MDBK cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an important class of small, non-coding RNAs that control target genes expression by degradation of target mRNAs or by inhibiting protein translation in many biological processes and cellular pathways. In a previous study, we found that miR-29b interfered with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) replication. However, the mechanisms of regulation of miR-29b expression are not well known.

Roles of p53 and ASF1A in the Reprogramming of Sheep Kidney Cells to Pluripotent Cells.

Since the first report of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by Takahashi and Yamanaka, numerous attempts have been made to derive iPSCs from other species via the ectopic expression of defined factors. Sheep iPSCs (siPSCs) have significant potential for biotechnology and agriculture. Although several groups have described siPSCs, the reprogramming efficiency was extremely low.

Roles of bovine viral diarrhea virus envelope glycoproteins in inducing autophagy in MDBK cells.

Macroautophagy (autophagy) is an evolutionarily conserved control process that maintains cellular homeostasis in eukaryotic cells. Autophagy principally serves an adaptive role to degrade dysfunctional proteins and to clean damaged organelles in response to pathogenic, viral, or microbial infection, nutrient deprivation and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. In previous study, we showed bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) NADL infection induced autophagy and significantly elevated the expression levels of autophagy-related genes, Beclin1 and ATG14, at 12 h post-infection in MDBK cells.

Lentivirus-mediated Bos taurus bta-miR-29b overexpression interferes with bovine viral diarrhoea virus replication and viral infection-related autophagy by directly targeting ATG14 and ATG9A in Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of short endogenous RNA molecules with the ability to control development, autophagy, apoptosis and the stress response in eukaryotes by pairing with partially complementary sites in the 3' UTRs of targeted genes. Recent studies have demonstrated that miRNAs serve as critical effectors in intricate networks of host-pathogen interactions. Notably, we found that Bos taurus bta-miR-29b (referred to as miR-29b herein) was significantly upregulated >2.

Both foot-and-mouth disease virus and bovine viral diarrhea virus replication are inhibited by Mx1 protein originated from porcine.

Mx1 protein is I type interferons (IFNs)-induced 76-kDa guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) that belong to the dynamin superfamily of large GTPases. Mx1 proteins have attracted attention because some display antiviral activity against pathogenic RNA and DNA viruses. Meanwhile, Mx1 gene generally exists in organisms or cells of mammalian, fish and chicken.

A potent Brucella abortus 2308 Δery live vaccine allows for the differentiation between natural and vaccinated infection.

Brucellosis is a globally distributed zoonotic disease that causes animal and human diseases. However, the current Brucella abortus vaccines (S19 and RB51) are deficient; they can cause abortion in pregnant animals. Moreover, when the vaccine S19 is used, tests cannot differentiate natural from vaccinated infection.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus infection induces autophagy in MDBK cells.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus that belongs to the genus Pestivirus (Flaviviridae). The signaling pathways and levels of signaling molecules are altered in Madin-Darby Bovine Kidney (MDBK) cells infected with BVDV. Autophagy is a conservative biological degradation pathway that mainly eliminates and degrades damaged or superfluous organelles and macromolecular complexes for intracellular recycling in eukaryotic cells.

bta-miR-29b attenuates apoptosis by directly targeting caspase-7 and NAIF1 and suppresses bovine viral diarrhea virus replication in MDBK cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, endogenous, noncoding RNA molecules that serve as powerful regulators of multiple cellular processes, including apoptosis, differentiation, growth, and proliferation. Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) contributes significantly to health-related economic losses in the beef and dairy industries. Although BVDV-induced apoptosis correlates with increased intracellular viral RNA accumulation and with bta-miR-29b (miR-29b) expression upregulation in Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells infected with BVDV strain NADL, the role of miR-29b in regulating BVDV-infection-related apoptosis remains unexplored.

Responses of reactive oxygen scavenging enzymes, proline and malondialdehyde to water deficits among six secondary successional seral species in Loess Plateau.

Drought can impact local vegetation dynamics in a long term. In order to predict the possible successional pathway of local community under drought, the responses of some drought resistance indices of six successional seral species in the semi-arid Loss Hilly Region of China were illustrated and compared on three levels of soil water deficits along three growing months (7, 8 and 9). The results showed that: 1) the six species had significant differences in SOD, POD activities and MDA content.

Autophagy during early stages contributes to bovine viral diarrhea virus replication in MDBK cells.

Autophagy (or autophagocytosis) is an essential and precise control process by which cells degrade unnecessary or dysfunctional cellular components or organelles in the cytoplasm in response to nutrient depletion, exogenous pathogens, or other stimuli. This process results in the removal of damaged or surplus organelles and macromolecular complexes via a lysosome-dependent mechanism. Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a ssRNA virus of the Flaviviridae family (genus Pestivirus).

ΦC31 integrase mediates efficient site-specific integration in sheep fibroblasts.

ΦC31 integrase, a site-specific recombinase, can effectively mediate the integration of foreign genes bearing an attB sequence into pseudo attP sites of genomes in human, mouse, and Drosophila cells. In this study, we measured ΦC31 integrase-mediated homologous recombination between attB and pseudo attP sites in sheep cells. The integration efficiency of the EGFP expression cassette with the attB sequence increased at least 2-fold in sheep fibroblasts.