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Development of a high-sensitivity and short-duration fluorescence in situ hybridization method for viral mRNA detection in HEK 293T cells
Get PDFCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an extremely contagious illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Early disease recognition of COVID-19 is crucial not only for prompt diagnosis and treatment of the patients, but also for effective public health surveillance and response. The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the most common method for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 viral mRNA and is regarded as the gold standard test for COVID-19. However, this test and those for antibodies (IgM and IgG) and antigens have certain limitations (e.g., by yielding false-negative and false-positive results). We have developed an RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method for high-sensitivity detection of SARS-CoV-2 mRNAs in HEK 293T cell cultures as a model. After transfection of HEK 293T cells with plasmids, Spike (S)/envelope (E) proteins and their mRNAs were clearly detected inside the cells. In addition, hybridization time could be reduced to 2 hours for faster detection when probe concentration was increased. Our approach might thus significantly improve the sensitivity and specificity of SARS-CoV-2 detection and be widely applied for the high-sensitivity single-molecular detection of other RNA viruses (e.g., Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), Hepatitis A virus, all influenza viruses, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)) in various types of samples including tissue, body fluid, blood, and water. RNA FISH can also be utilized for the detection of DNA viruses (e.g., Monkeypox virus, human papillomavirus (HPV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV)) by detection of their mRNAs inside cells or body fluid
The effects of home-based exercise therapy for breast cancer-related fatigue induced by radical radiotherapy
Get PDFBackground
Radiotherapy (RT) can lead to cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and decreased health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in breast cancer patients. The purpose of this trial was to examine the feasibility and efficacy of a home-based resistance and aerobic exercise intervention for reducing CRF and improving HRQoL in breast cancer patients during RT.
Methods
Women with breast cancer (N = 106) commencing RT were randomized to 12 weeks of home-based resistance and aerobic exercise (EX) or usual care/control (CON). The primary endpoint was CRF, with secondary endpoints of HRQoL, sleep duration and quality, and physical activity. Measurements were undertaken prior to RT, at completion of RT (~ 6 weeks), at completion of the intervention (12 weeks), and 6 and 12 months after RT completion, while CRF was also measured weekly during RT.
Results
Eighty-nine women completed the study (EX = 43, CON = 46). Over the 12-week intervention, EX completed 1–2 resistance training sessions and accumulated 30–40 min of aerobic exercise weekly. For CRF, EX had a quicker recovery both during and post-RT compared to CON (p < 0.05). Moreover, there was a significant difference in HRQoL between groups at RT completion, with HRQoL unchanged in CON and higher in EX (p < 0.05). There was no change in sleep duration or quality for either group and there were no exercise-related adverse effects.
Conclusions
Home-based resistance and aerobic exercise during RT is safe, feasible, and effective in accelerating CRF recovery and improving HRQoL. Improvements in CRF and HRQoL for these patients can be achieved with smaller exercise dosages than stated in the generic recommendations for breast cancer
Impacts and trapping of ambrosia beetles Euwallacea fornicatus and E. similis in Acacia plantations in Vietnam
No full textThere are over two million hectares of Acacia plantations in Vietnam and loss from infestations of ambrosia beetles is of increasing concern. In this study, we first determined the key taxa and the extent of damage, and then identified effective trap and lure combinations for trapping adult beetles, and finally quantified the seasonality of flight of Euwallacea for informing pest management decisions. Based on analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene, the greatest threats were confirmed as Euwallacea fornicatus and E. similis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), which are native to Southeast Asia but known as invasive species in South Africa and elsewhere. The damage incidence of Euwallacea ranged from 16.7% to 34.9% in Acacia plantations throughout Vietnam. There were no significant differences in the numbers of beetles captured between the three trap types (plastic bottles, funnels and panels). Ethanol and quercivorol were more effective as lures than cubeb oil, α-pinene or a distilled water control. Trapping from June 2020 to May 2021 revealed a bimodal frequency of E. fornicatus and E. similis in A. mangium and Acacia hybrid plantations, with captures peaking in April (spring) and October (autumn). These findings can be applied to develop early detection and trapping control programmes for Euwallacea in Acacia plantations in Vietnam and elsewhere
Interactions between coarse and fine galena and quartz particles and their implications for flotation in NaCl solutions
No full textIn this study we have investigated the interactions between coarse and fine galena and quartz particles and their implications for flotation in NaCl solutions. Tested were four different particle systems: (CC) Coarse galena/Coarse quartz, (CF) Coarse galena/Fine quartz, (FC) Fine galena/Coarse quartz and (FF) Fine galena/Fine quartz. The flotation experiments were carried out on the four particle systems in NaCl concentrations of 10 mM and 100 mM, at pH 9. It was found that the recovery was the highest for the CC particle system, and the lowest for the FF particle system. The experiments also indicated that the recovery improved for the higher NaCl concentration.
As part of this study, we calculated the total interaction free energy as a function of separation distance for each pairwise combination of particles and bubbles, for each test condition. It was found that for all particle systems, galena/quartz interactions are dominated by repulsion. The interactions between two galena particles indicated attraction as the dominating force, while the interactions between quartz particles showed repulsion in 10 mM NaCl, which changed to attraction with an increase in NaCl concentration. Galena/air bubble interactions were controlled by repulsive electrostatic interactions in 10 mM NaCl, but these interactions became attractive in 100 mM NaCl salt solutions. On the other hand, the quartz/air bubble interactions were always repulsive, irrespective of th
Global collision-risk hotspots of marine traffic and the world’s largest fish, the whale shark
Get PDFMarine traffic is increasing globally yet collisions with endangered megafauna such as whales, sea turtles, and planktivorous sharks go largely undetected or unreported. Collisions leading to mortality can have population-level consequences for endangered species. Hence, identifying simultaneous space use of megafauna and shipping throughout ranges may reveal as-yet-unknown spatial targets requiring conservation. However, global studies tracking megafauna and shipping occurrences are lacking. Here we combine satellite-tracked movements of the whale shark, Rhincodon typus, and vessel activity to show that 92% of sharks’ horizontal space use and nearly 50% of vertical space use overlap with persistent large vessel (>300 gross tons) traffic. Collision-risk estimates correlated with reported whale shark mortality from ship strikes, indicating higher mortality in areas with greatest overlap. Hotspots of potential collision risk were evident in all major oceans, predominantly from overlap with cargo and tanker vessels, and were concentrated in gulf regions, where dense traffic co-occurred with seasonal shark movements. Nearly a third of whale shark hotspots overlapped with the highest collision-risk areas, with the last known locations of tracked sharks coinciding with busier shipping routes more often than expected. Depth-recording tags provided evidence for sinking, likely dead, whale sharks, suggesting substantial “cryptic” lethal ship strikes are possible, which could explain why whale shark population declines continue despite international protection and low fishing-induced mortality. Mitigation measures to reduce ship-strike risk should be considered to conserve this species and other ocean giants that are likely experiencing similar impacts from growing global vessel traffic
HvbZIP21, a Novel Transcription Factor From Wild Barley Confers Drought Tolerance by Modulating ROS Scavenging
Get PDFDrought stress is a common environmental stress, which adversely affects the yield and quality of crops. Due to its excellent drought tolerance, wild barley from the Middle East region is considered a valuable source for barley improvement. Here, we compared the growth rate, stomatal regulation and capacity to metabolize reactive oxygen species (ROS) of two barley cultivars and one wild barley accession. The results indicated the wild barley EC_S1 showed a more significant decline in stomatal aperture and less ROS production. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that EC_S1 has slower transcriptional regulation (5,050 DEGs) in the early stage of drought stress (14 days) than Baudin (7,022 DEGs) and Tadmor (6,090 DEGs). In addition, 30 hub genes, including nine known drought-related genes were identified by WGCNA analysis. Then, we cloned a novel bZIP transcription factor, HvbZIP21, from EC_S1. HvbZIP21 was subcellularly targeted to the nucleus. Overexpression of HvbZIP21 in Arabidopsis enhanced drought tolerance due to increasing activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase activities as well as glutathione content. Silencing of HvbZIP21 in EC_S1 suppressed drought tolerance in BSMV:HvbZIP21-inoculated plants. Taken together, our findings suggest that HvbZIP21 play a critical role in drought tolerance by manipulating ROS scavenging
Shooting shadows: India’s struggle to reduce the burden of anaemia
Get PDFDespite several efforts by the Government of India, the national burden of anaemia remains high and its growing prevalence (between 2015–2016 and 2019–2021) is concerning to India’s public health system. This article reviews existing food-based and clinical strategies to mitigate the anaemia burden and why they are premature and insufficient. In a context where multiple anaemia control programmes are in play, this article proposes a threefold strategy for consideration. First, except the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey, 2016–2018, which measured Hb concentration among children and adolescents aged 1–19 years using venous blood samples, all national surveys use capillary blood samples to determine Hb levels, which could be erroneous. The Indian government should prioritise conducting a nationwide survey for estimating the burden of anaemia and its clinical determinants for all age groups using venous blood samples. Second, without deciding the appropriate dose of Fe needed for an individual, food fortification programmes that are often compounded with layering of other micronutrients could be harmful and further research on this issue is needed. Same is true for the pharmacological intervention of Fe tablet or syrup supplementation programmes, which is given to individuals without assessing its need. In addition, there is a dire need for robust research to understand both the long-term benefit and side effects of Fe supplementation programmes. Third and final, the WHO is in process of reviewing the Hb threshold for defining anaemia, therefore the introduction of new anaemia control programmes should be restrained
Cognitive aging and the promise of physical activity
No full textIs the field of cognitive aging irretrievably concerned with decline and deficits, or is it shifting to emphasize the hope of preservation and enhancement of cognitive function in late life? A fragment of an answer comes from research attempting to understand the reasons for individual variability in the extent and rate of cognitive decline. This body of work has created a sense of optimism based on evidence that there are some health behaviors that amplify cognitive performance or mitigate the rate of age-related cognitive decline. In this context, we discuss the role of physical activity on neurocognitive function in late adulthood and summarize how it can be conceptualized as a constructive approach both for the maintenance of cognitive function and as a therapeutic for enhancing or optimizing cognitive function in late life. In this way, physical activity research can be used to shape perceptions of cognitive aging
Structured encryption for knowledge graphs
No full textWe investigate the problem of structured encryption (STE) for knowledge graphs (KGs) where the knowledge of data can be efficiently and privately queried. Presently, the application of natural language processing (NLP) for knowledge-based search is gradually emerging. Compared with the traditional search based only on keywords of documents—symmetric searchable encryption (SSE), the knowledge-based search system transforms the latent knowledge contained in documents into a semantic network as a knowledge base, which greatly improves the accuracy and relevance of search results. In order to develop a knowledge-based search, the contents of documents are analyzed and extracted using KG techniques (e.g. multi-relational graph (MG) and property graph (PG)), and then all encrypted nodes and edges in a KG constitute the entire index table and database. This paper proposes the first STE for KGs with CQA2-security to search on protected knowledge, where KGs include MGs and PGs. In general, the latter is more complex than the former, but it can represent more abundant knowledge. Experimental results show that the index construction time of our schemes is about 1.9s and the query time is about 190 ms. Our sensitivity analysis shows that the performance of our proposed schemes is greatly influenced by the number of edges and nodes, but less by the number of properties
Perinatal care for the extremely preterm infant
No full textBeing born preterm (prior to 37 weeks of completed gestation) is a leading cause of childhood death up to five years of age, and is responsible for the demise of around one million preterm infants each year. Rates of prematurity, which range from approximately 5 to 18% of births, are increasing in most countries. Babies born extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks' gestation) and in particular, in the periviable (200/7–256/7 weeks) period, are at the highest risk of death, or the development of long-term disabilities. The perinatal care of extremely preterm infants and their mothers raises a number of clinical, technical, and ethical challenges. Focusing on ‘micropremmies’, or those born in the periviable period, this paper provides an update regarding the aetiology and impacts of periviable preterm birth, advances in the antenatal, intrapartum, and acute post-natal management of these infants, and a review of counselling/support approaches for engaging with the infant's family. It concludes with an overview of emerging technology that may assist in improving outcomes for this at-risk population