Phylogenomic analysis and gene organization of mitogenome from Mong Cai pig in Vietnam

Mong Cai pig (Sus scrofa) is the Vietnamese indigenous pig breed. The complete mitogenome of this breed has been sequenced and characterized. It is deposited in GenBank with accession number KX147100. There were 37 genes (13 protein-coding, 2 rRNA, 22 tRNA genes and a control (D loop) region) located in 16,711 bp of complete mitogenome. The phylogenetic relationships of both mitogenome and D loop region revealed the shortest genetic distance with Lantang pig breeds and close relationship to some other pig breeds in China regions. Taken together, the valuable data provide essential information for genetic and phylogenetic studies in Vietnamese indigenous animal.Full Tex

Tissue and matrix influences on airway smooth muscle function

Asthma is characterized by structural changes in the airways - airway remodelling. These changes include an increase in the bulk of the airway smooth muscle (ASM) and alterations in the profile of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in the airway wall. The mechanisms leading to airway remodelling are not well understood. ASM cells have the potential to play a key role in these processes through the production and release of ECM proteins. The ASM cells and ECM proteins are each able to influence the behaviour and characteristics of the other. The modified ECM profile in the asthmatic airway may contribute to the altered behaviour of the ASM cells, such responses to ECM proteins are modulated through the cell surface expression of integrin receptors. ASM cells from asthmatic individuals express different levels of some integrin subunits compared to nonasthmatic ASM cells, which have the potential to further influence their responses to the ECM proteins in the airways. ECM homeostasis requires the presence and activation of matrix metalloproteinases and their tissue inhibitors, which in turn modulate the interaction of the ASM cells and the ECM proteins. Furthermore, the complex interactions of the ASM cells and the ECM in the asthmatic airways and the role played by external stimuli, such as viral infections, to modulate airway remodelling are currently unknown. This review summarises our current understanding of the influence of the ECM on ASM function. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Influence of stress and antibiotic resistance on cell-length distribution in Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates.

Mycobacterial cellular variations in growth and division increase heterogeneity in cell length, possibly contributing to cell-to-cell variation in host and antibiotic stress tolerance. This may be one of the factors influencing Mycobacterium tuberculosis persistence to antibiotics. Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem in developing countries, antibiotic persistence, and emergence of antibiotic resistance further complicates this problem. We wanted to investigate the factors influencing cell-length distribution in clinical M. tuberculosis strains. In parallel we examined M. tuberculosis cell-length distribution in a large set of clinical strains (n = 158) from ex vivo sputum samples, in vitro macrophage models, and in vitro cultures. Our aim was to understand the influence of clinically relevant factors such as host stresses, M. tuberculosis lineages, antibiotic resistance, antibiotic concentrations, and disease severity on the cell size distribution in clinical M. tuberculosis strains. Increased cell size and cell-to-cell variation in cell length were associated with bacteria in sputum and infected macrophages rather than liquid culture. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains displayed increased cell length heterogeneity compared to sensitive strains in infected macrophages and also during growth under rifampicin (RIF) treatment. Importantly, increased cell length was also associated with pulmonary TB disease severity. Supporting these findings, individual host stresses, such as oxidative stress and iron deficiency, increased cell-length heterogeneity of M. tuberculosis strains. In addition we also observed synergism between host stress and RIF treatment in increasing cell length in MDR-TB strains. This study has identified some clinical factors contributing to cell-length heterogeneity in clinical M. tuberculosis strains. The role of these cellular adaptations to host and antibiotic tolerance needs further investigation

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods: AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings: Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation: Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke. Funding: National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia

Multifunctional Virus Manipulation with Large-Scale Arrays of All-Dielectric Resonant Nanocavities

Spatial manipulation of a precise number of viruses for host cell infection is essential for the extensive studies of virus pathogenesis and evolution. Albeit optical tweezers have been advanced to the atomic level via optical cooling, it is still challenging to efficiently trap and manipulate arbitrary number of viruses in an aqueous environment, being restricted by insufficient strength of optical forces and a lack of multifunctional spatial manipulation techniques. Here, by employing the virus hopping and flexibility of moving the laser position, multifunctional virus manipulation with a large trapping area is demonstrated, enabling single or massive (a large quantity of) virus transporting, positioning, patterning, sorting, and concentrating. The enhanced optical forces are produced by the confinement of light in engineered arrays of nanocavities by fine tuning of the interference resonances, and this approach allows trapping and moving viruses down to 40 nm in size. The work paves the way to efficient and precise manipulation of either single or massive groups of viruses, opening a wide range of novel opportunities for virus pathogenesis and inhibitor development at the single-virus level

Functionalization of nanodiamond for specific biorecognition

10.1007/978-1-4419-0531-4_5Nanodiamonds: Applications in Biology and Nanoscale Medicine117-12