Antibody repertoire sequencing enables researchers to acquire millions of B cell receptors and investigate these molecules at the single-nucleotide level. This power and resolution in studying ...humoral responses have led to its wide applications. However, most of these studies were conducted with a limited number of samples. Given the extraordinary diversity, assessment of these key features with a large sample set is demanded. Thus, we collect and systematically analyze 2,152 high-quality heavy-chain antibody repertoires. Our study reveals that 52 core variable genes universally contribute to more than 99% of each individual’s repertoire; a distal interspersed preferences characterize V gene recombination; the number of public clones between two repertoires follows a linear model, and the positive selection dominates at RGYW motif in somatic hypermutations. Thus, this population-level analysis resolves some critical features of the antibody repertoire and may have significant value to the large cadre of scientists.
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•52 core V genes contribute to more than 99% of the antibody repertoire•V genes at both proximal and distal ends on the chromosome are preferably used•Shared clones between repertoires are underestimated because of undersampling•Motif RGYW-associated mutations tend to be positively selected
The antibody repertoire plays a pivotal role in humoral immunity and has immense potential in fundamental research and clinical applications. The essential quantitative features of antibody repertoire are revealed and demonstrated by Yang et al. through the analyses of huge data and could serve as a reference for further studies.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Patients with extremely severe oligozoospermia （ESO） and cryptozoospermia （CO） are suitable using intracytoplasmic sperm injection （ICSI） as an infertility treatment. However, some andrologists are ...confused to distinguish ESO and CO in clinic diagnose. This study was designed for the first time to evaluate and compare patients with ESO and CO to determine whether these are useful clinical distinctions. A total of 270 infertile men in our center were classified into four groups as Group nonobstruction azoospermia （NOA, n = 44）, Group ESO （n = 78）, Group CO （n = 40）, and Group obstruction azoospermia （OA, n = 108）. Comparisons of the volume of bilateral testes, the level of follicle stimulating hormone （FSH） and inhibin B were obtained in four groups. Then comparisons of fertilization rates, cleavage rate, and excellent embryos rate were obtained when couples performed ICSh All indexes （volume of bilateral testis, level of FSH and inhibin B） in Groups ESO and CO were no difference, while Groups OA versus NOA, OA versus ESO, and OA versus CO were significant differences （P 〈 0.05）. The rates of fertilization were no differences in Groups ESO and CO while Groups OA versus ESO, OA versus CO were significant differences （P 〈 0.05）. Therefore, the spermatogenic functions in patients with CO and ESO were similar, better than NOA but worse than OA. However, it would be helpful to evaluate their spermatogenesis using testicular biopsies, especially accompanied azoospermia in clinical practice.
Abstract
Objectives
Clinical data with respect to the impact of meconium on the prognosis of neonatal bacterial meningitis are scarce. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to determine whether ...meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF) represents a risk factor for poor prognosis of neonatal bacterial meningitis in a confirmed case population.
Methods
This was a retrospective cohort study of 256 neonates diagnosed with bacterial meningitis hospitalized at one of three hospitals in Shantou, China, between October 2013 and September 2018. Clinical manifestation, laboratory test results and treatment were compared between the two groups, with outcomes dichotomized into ‘good’ or ‘poor’ prognosis. Multivariate analysis and follow-up logistic regression analysis were used to identify predictive factors of a poor outcome.
Results
Of the 256 neonates with BM, 95 (37.1%) had a good prognosis at discharge and 161 (62.9%) had a poor prognosis. In the poor prognosis group, 131/161 (79.4%) neonates had a permanent neurological sequelae and 19 (11.8%) had ≥2 sequelae. Of note, 11 neonates died. The rate of poor prognosis of BM was significantly higher among neonates with than without MSAF (26.1% vs. 12.6%, respectively; p < 0.05). A logistic multivariate analysis to evaluate the prognostic effect of MSAF to BM showed that neonatal with MSAF is more likely to have a worse prognosis of BM unadjusted odds ratio (OR), 2.44, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.24–5.10; adjusted OR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.09–5.17.
Conclusion
MSAF is significantly associated with poor prognosis of neonatal bacterial meningitis. Therefore, in case of MSAF, more attention should be paid to neonatal bacterial meningitis.
Background Although colonoscopy plays an important role in postoperative surveillance of patients with colorectal cancer, the optimum protocol for colonoscopic surveillance has not been established. ...Objective Our purpose was to compare the efficacy of 2 different colonoscopic surveillance strategies in terms of both survival and recurrence resectability. Design Prospective, randomized, controlled trial. Setting A teaching hospital in Sun Yat-sen University. Patients Three hundred twenty-six consecutive patients undergoing radical surgery for colorectal cancer. Intervention In the intensive colonoscopic surveillance group (ICS group, n = 165), colonoscopy was performed at 3-month intervals for 1 year, at 6-month intervals for the next 2 years, and once a year thereafter. In the routine colonoscopic surveillance group (RCS group, n = 161), colonoscopy was performed at 6 months, 30 months, and 60 months postoperatively. Main Outcome Measurements and Results The 5-year survival rate was 77% in the ICS group and 73% in the RCS group ( P > .05). Postoperative colorectal cancer was detected in 13 patients (8.1%) in the ICS group and in 18 patients (11.4%) in the RCS group. In the ICS group, there were more asymptomatic postoperative colorectal cancers ( P = .04), more patients had reoperation with curative intent ( P = .048), and the probability of survival after postoperative colorectal cancer was higher ( P = .03). Limitation Lack of detailed characterization of metachronous colorectal adenomas in these patients. Conclusions Although the patients in the ICS group had more curative operations for postoperative colorectal cancer and survived significantly longer, ICS itself did not improve overall survival.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Endometrial receptivity is an important factor that influences embryo implantation. Thus, it is important to identify an applicable approach to improve endometrial receptivity in women undergoing ...assisted reproductive technology. Recently, growing evidence has indicated that intrauterine platelet-rich plasma (PRP) infusion is an effective method to obtain a satisfactory reproductive outcome by increasing endometrial thickness and improving endometrial receptivity. Therefore, the present review aims to outline the possible mechanisms of PRP on endometrial receptivity and summarize the present literature on the effects of PRP therapy in improving endometrial receptivity.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Red fluorescent proteins are useful as morphological markers in neurons, often complementing green fluorescent protein-based probes of neuronal activity. However, commonly used red fluorescent ...proteins show aggregation and toxicity in neurons or are dim. We report the engineering of a bright red fluorescent protein, Crimson, that enables long-term morphological labeling of neurons without aggregation or toxicity. Crimson is similar to mCherry and mKate2 in fluorescence spectra but is 100 and 28% greater in molecular brightness, respectively. We used a membrane-localized Crimson-CAAX to label thin neurites, dendritic spines and filopodia, enhancing detection of these small structures compared to cytosolic markers.
Cu2ZnSnS4 and Cu2ZnGeS4 thin films made from the earth abundant and non-toxic materials are quaternary semiconducting compounds which have received increasing interest for solar cells applications. ...Cu2ZnSnS4 and Cu2ZnGeS4 thin films have been synthesized by sulfurization of radio frequency magnetron sputtered precursors. The structural and optical properties of the thin films have been investigated and discussed. The result of X-ray diffraction demonstrates that the Cu2ZnSnS4 and Cu2ZnGeS4 thin films have kesterite (KS; space group I) crystal structure. An obvious blue shift is observed in the Raman spectra as smaller Ge replaces Sn. It is due to the fact that the radius of Ge cation is smaller than that of Sn cation , which results in the shrink of the lattice. Further transmission spectra demonstrate that the values of band gap for CZTS and CZGS thin films are 1.54 eV and 1.98 eV, respectively.
Genetic mutations that give rise to active mutant forms of Ras are oncogenic and found in several types of tumor. However, such mutations are not clear biomarkers for disease, since they are ...frequently detected in healthy individuals. Instead, it has become clear that elevated levels of Ras activity are critical for Ras-induced tumorigenesis. However, the mechanisms underlying the production of pathological levels of Ras activity are unclear. Here, we show that in the presence of oncogenic Ras, inflammatory stimuli initiate a positive feedback loop involving NF-κB that further amplifies Ras activity to pathological levels. Stimulation of Ras signaling by typical inflammatory stimuli was transient and had no long-term sequelae in wild-type mice. In contrast, these stimuli generated prolonged Ras signaling and led to chronic inflammation and precancerous pancreatic lesions (PanINs) in mice expressing physiological levels of oncogenic K-Ras. These effects of inflammatory stimuli were disrupted by deletion of inhibitor of NF-κB kinase 2 (IKK2) or inhibition of Cox-2. Likewise, expression of active IKK2 or Cox-2 or treatment with LPS generated chronic inflammation and PanINs only in mice expressing oncogenic K-Ras. The data support the hypothesis that in the presence of oncogenic Ras, inflammatory stimuli trigger an NF-κB-mediated positive feedback mechanism involving Cox-2 that amplifies Ras activity to pathological levels. Because a large proportion of the adult human population possesses Ras mutations in tissues including colon, pancreas, and lung, disruption of this positive feedback loop may be an important strategy for cancer prevention.
The polycrystalline thin films of (Pb(1-x)La(x)) (Zr(0.52)Ti(0.48))(1-x/4)O(3) (PLZT) were fabricated on LNO/Si substrates by sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction showed that PLZT thin films in ...rhombohedral-tetragonal phase with a preferential (110) orientation can be obtained after a rapid thermal annealing process at 600 degree C. This is further confirmed by Raman spectrum. With the decrease of La content, hysteresis loops of the thin films gradually broaden. Measurement of the photovoltaic effect in the films shows that photovoltage increases gradually with the increase of the content of La from 1% to 6%. It reaches a maximum there and then decreases when the La content is increased furthermore.
Cu(In,Al)Se(2) (CIAS) thin films have been obtained by rapid thermal processing selenization of magnetron sputtering Cu-In-Al precursor thin films. The influence of selenization temperatures on the ...structural and optical properties of CIAS thin films has been investigated. The result reveals that the crystal structure of CIAS thin films depends on selenization temperature and the band gap energy has a red shift with the increase of selenization temperature. It is noted that the optimum selenization temperature of the CIAS thin films is 540 degree C, and it has a pure chalcopyrite structure with a band gap energy of 1.34 eV, which corresponding to the band gap energy of the theoretical maximum efficiency of solar cell absorber layer materials.
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