Influenza is a major human respiratory pathogen. Due to the high levels of influenza-like illness (ILI) in Zhejiang, China, the control and prevention of influenza was challenging during the ...2017–2018 season. To identify the clinical spectrum of illness related to influenza and characterise the circulating influenza virus strains during this period, the characteristics of ILI were studied. Viral sequencing and phylogenetic analyses were conducted to investigate the virus types, substitutions at the amino acid level and phylogenetic relationships between sequences. This study has shown that the 2017/18 influenza season was characterised by the co-circulation of influenza A (H1N1) pdm09, A (H3N2) and B viruses (both Yamagata and Victoria lineage). From week 36 of 2017 to week 12 of 2018, ILI cases accounted for 5.58% of the total number of outpatient and emergency patient visits at the surveillance sites. Several amino acid substitutions were detected. Vaccination mismatch may be a potential reason for the high percentage of ILI. Furthermore, it is likely that multiple viral introductions played a role in the endemic co-circulation of influenza in Zhejiang, China. More detailed information regarding the molecular epidemiology of influenza should be included in long-term influenza surveillance.
We developed a panel of multiplex quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (mqRT-PCR) assay consisting of seven internally controlled qRT-PCR assays to detect 16 ...different respiratory viruses. We compared the new mqRT-PCR with a previously reported two-tube mRT-PCR assay using 363 clinical sputum specimens. The mqRT-PCR assay performed comparably with the two-tube assay for most viruses, offering the advantages of quantitative analysis, easier performance, lower susceptibility to contamination, and shorter turnaround time in laboratories equipped with conventional real-time PCR instrumentation, and it could therefore be a valuable tool for routine surveillance of respiratory virus infections in China.
Highlights • A re-emerging case of H7N9 in Jiaxing rural area was identified in this winter. • Epidemiological and clinical were consistent with the patterns reported before. • Unknown mutations were ...newly discovered in amino acid level. • Phylogenetic results indicated that this H7N9 differed from stains obtained previously in Zhejiang area. • The living poultry market in rural area in Zhejiang needs enhanced management.
Highlights • We reported a family clustering case for two girls in Zhejiang Province, China. • The index patient with higher level of cytokines suffered more serious infection. • Significant amino ...acid mutations were found in both two isolates. • H7N9 isolations obtained in the study were differed from stains previously in Zhejiang. • Ambiguous to determining whether it was co-exposure or human-to-human transmission.
The heterogeneity in biofilms is a major challenge in biofilm therapies due to different susceptibility of bacteria and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) to antibacterial agents. Here, we ...describe a therapeutic strategy that overcame biofilm heterogeneity, where antibacterial agent (NO) and EPS dispersant (reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐inducing Fe3+) were separately loaded in the yolk and shell compartment of a yolk–shell nanoplatform. Compared with traditional combinational chemotherapies which suffer from inconsistent pharmacokinetics profiles, this strategy drew on the pharmacokinetic complementarity of ROS and NO, where ROS with a short diffusion distance and a high redox potential corrupted the EPS, facilitating NO, which has a long diffusion distance and a broad antimicrobial spectrum, to penetrate the biofilm and eliminate the resident bacteria. Additionally, the construction of a three‐dimensional spherical biofilm model is novel and clinically relevant.
A therapeutic strategy to overcome biofilm heterogeneity is presented, in which antibacterial agent (NO) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) dispersant (reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐inducing Fe3+) are separately loaded in the yolk and shell compartment of a yolk–shell nanoplatform. The spatiotemporally ordered release manner and pharmacokinetic complementarity of ROS and NO improve the anti‐biofilm outcome synergistically.
Waste oil collection is crucial for environmental protection. However, the preparation of magnet-responsive amphiphilic nanoparticles (NPs) for oil emulsification and collection generally involves ...multiple steps, greatly limiting their widespread applications. Here, magnet-responsive amphiphilic NPs are designed and prepared in a single step via co-precipitation and self-assembly. Upon rapid solvent exchange, shellac, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and PLA-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLA-PEG) co-precipitate around Fe3O4 NPs, which serve as nuclei for the nucleation and growth of the magnet-responsive amphiphilic NPs. Each Fe3O4@PLA-PEG/shellac NP is consisted of two distinct bulbs, one hydrophobic shellac bulb and the other hydrophilic PLA bulb with PLA-PEG on the surface. The NPs show excellent amphiphilicity and performances in stabilizing oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions. By tuning the NP shape, the control of the oil/water interfacial curvature and thus the emulsion type has also been demonstrated. Once the oil phase is emulsified and stabilized by Fe3O4@PLA-PEG/shellac NPs, waste oil could effectively be collected by applying a magnetic field, showing good performances in waste oil removal. The method using magnet-responsive amphiphilic NPs presents a simple and green way for rapid and efficient oil collection and removal. In addition, the developed one-step strategy also provides a facile platform to prepare functional amphiphilic NPs for diverse applications, such as oil collection, drug delivery and bioimaging.
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•A one-step method is developed to prepare magnet-responsive amphiphilic nanoparticles with tunable morphology and property.•The magnet-responsive amphiphilic nanoparticles show excellent performances in emulsion stabilization and oil collection.•The developed strategy provides a versatile platform to design functional amphiphilic nanoparticles for diverse applications.
Although polarized light can assist many animals in performing special visual tasks, current polarized light pollution (PLP) caused by urban construction has been shown to induce maladaptive ...behaviors of PL-sensitive animals and change ecological interactions. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Our previous work hypothesized that linearly polarized light (LPL) is an ecological trap for Oratosquilla oratoria, a common Stomatopoda species in the China Sea. Here we explored the underlying negative effects of artificially LPL on O. oratoria based on comparative transcriptomics. We identified 3616 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in O. oratoria compound eyes continuous exposed to natural light (NL) and LPL scenarios. In comparison with the NL scenario, a total of 1972 up- and 1644 down- regulated genes were obtained from the O. oratoria compound eyes under LPL scenario, respectively. Furthermore, we performed functional annotation of those DEGs described above and identified 65 DEGs related to phototransduction, reproduction, immunity, and synapse. Based on the functional information, we suspected that continuous LPL exposure could block the light transmission, disrupt the reproductive process, and lead to the progressive failure of the immune response of O. oratoria. In conclusion, this study is the first to systematically describe the negative effects of artificial LPL exposure on O. oratoria at the genetic level, and it can improve the biological conservation theory behind PLP.
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•Linearly polarized light (LPL) may be an ecological trap for Oratosquilla oratoria.•There were 3616 differentially expressed genes in O. oratoria compound eyes under natural light and LPL.•Phototransduction, reproduction, immunity, and synapse-related genes determines the response of O. oratoria to LPL.
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusions have been recognized as a therapeutic target in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, molecular signatures and clinical characteristics of the Chinese ...population with ALK‐rearranged NSCLC are not well elucidated. In the present study, we carried out targeted next‐generation sequencing on tissue and plasma ctDNA samples in 1688 patients with NSCLC. Overall, ALK fusions were detected in 70 patients (4.1%), and the frequencies of ALK fusions detected in tissue and plasma samples were 5.1% and 3.3%, respectively. Additionally, the prevalence of breakpoint locations for EML4‐ALK fusions in ctDNA was significantly correlated with that in tumor tissues (R2 = .91, P = .045). According to age, the incidence rates of ALK fusions among young (age <45 years), middle‐aged (between 45 and 70 years) and elderly (>70 years) patients were significantly different (P < .001). In 70 ALK‐rearranged cases, coexistence of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) alterations and ALK fusions was detected in 12 cases (17.1%) and EGFR mutations tended to coexist with non‐EML4‐ALK rearrangements. Notably, novel ALK fusion partners, including TRIM66, SWAP70, WNK3, ERC1, TCF12 and FBN1 were identified in the present study. Among EML4‐ALK fusion variants, patients with variant V1 were younger than patients with variant V3 (P = .023), and TP53 mutations were more frequently concurrent with variant V3 compared with variant V1 (P = .009). In conclusion, these findings provide new insights into the molecular‐clinical profiles of patients with ALK‐rearranged NSCLC that may improve the treatment strategy of this population.
This study simultaneously investigated the prevalence of ALK rearrangements in tissue and plasma samples from a large cohort of patients with NSCLC, showing the significance of detection of ALK fusions by ctDNA‐based NGS. Identification of novel ALK fusion partners, coexistence between ALK fusions and variants of other oncogenic drivers, and characterization of EML4‐ALK‐positive patients support the critical use of molecular profiling by NGS in NSCLC.
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