Miscanthus sinensis Anderss is a perennial C4-grass. It is a promising bioenergy plant, which has been proposed as general feedstock for biomass and lignocellulosic biofuel production. In this study, the flower and leaf buds transcriptomes of Miscanthus sinensis Anderss were sequenced by the platform of Illumina HiSeq 2000. In total 98 326 Unigenes were generated by de novo assembly with an average length of 822 bp and N50 of 1 023 bp. Based on the NR, NT, Swiss-Prot, KEGG, GO and COG databases (Evalue < le-5), 74 134 (75.40%) Unigenes were annotated. A total of 45 507 Unigenes were mapped into different GO terms. In KEGG pathways identification, 36 710 sequences were assigned to 128 KEGG pathways. Sorghum bicolor (37 731, 60.86%), Zea mays (16 258, 26.22%), and Oryza sativa (3 065, 4.94%) showed high similarity to Miscanthus sinensis Anderss. And 24 photosynthesis-related enzyme genes were identified. The result provides a foundation for further characterizing the functional genes in Miscanthus sinensis Anderss.
Biofuels ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Genes, Plant ; Poaceae ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Plant ; genetics ; Sequence Analysis, RNA ; Transcriptome

OBJECTIVETo observe the therapeutic effect of Qilin Pills combined with clomiphene on idiopathic oligoasthenospermia.

METHODSWe randomly assigned 300 patients with idiopathic oligoasthenospermia to a trial (n = 156) and a control group (n = 144) to be treated with Qilin Pills (6 g, tid) combined with clomiphene (50 mg, qd) and clomiphene alone (50 mg, qd), respectively, both for a course of 12 weeks. Before and after 4, 8, and 12 weeks of medication, we determined sperm concentration, the percentages of grade a and grade a + b sperm, sperm motility, and the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and testosterone (T), followed by evaluation of the clinical efficacy of Qilin Pills with the pregnancy rate in the patients' spouses as the secondaty therapeutic indexes.

RESULTSCompared with the baseline, both groups of patients showed remarkably improved semen parameters and hormone levels after treatment (all P < 0.01). After 4, 8, and 12 weeks of medication, statistically significant differences were observed between the trial and control groups in sperm concentration ([17.06 ± 2.24] vs [15.07 ± 2.48], [22.10 ± 2.65] vs [18.11 ± 2.97], and [28.13 ± 3.59] vs [21.21 ± 3.60] x 10(6)/mL, P < 0.01), the percentage of grade a sperm ([15.03 ± 2.39] vs [13.08 ± 2.51], [21.08 ± 3.16] vs [16.04 ± 3.05], and [28.08 ± 4.70] vs [20.14 ± 4.74]%, P < 0.01), the percentage of grade a + b sperm ([30.10 ± 5.07] vs [26.21 ± 3.96], [38.08 ± 5.64] vs [30.07 ± 4.80], and [48.04 ± 6.49] vs [35.28 ± 4.77]%, P < 0.01), sperm motility ([42.04 ± 4.86] vs [40.29 ± 4.19], [52.05 ± 5.58] vs [48.03 ± 4.40], and [65.03 ± 5.13] vs [56.67 ± 4.99]%), the FSH level ([7.75 ± 1.38] vs [7.20 ± 1.17], [10.83 ± 1.23] vs [9.10 ± 1.32], and [14.22 ± 0.84] vs [12.06 ± 1.45] IU/L, P < 0.01), the LH level ([10.05 ± 1.68] vs [9.18 ± 1.54], [13.96 ± 1.68] vs [11.99 ± 1.71], and [19.01 ± 2.42] vs [15.86 ± 2.08] IU/L, P < 0.01) and the T level ([19.19 ± 192] vs [18.34 ± 1.79] [21.06 ± 1.63] vs [20.06 ± 1.56], and [24.63 ± 1.06] vs [22.03 ± 1.49] nmol/L, P < 0.01). The pregnancy rate in the patients' spouses was significantly higher in the trial than in the control group at 4, 8, and 12 weeks (1.92 vs 0.69, 4.81 vs 3.47, and 11.54 vs 8.33%, P < 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences in drug tolerance between the two groups (P > 0.05). No obvious adverse reactions were observed.

CONCLUSIONQilin Pills combined with clomiphene can evidently improve the seminal quality and hormone level of oligoasthenospermia patients with no obvious adverse events. However, its long-term efficacy and tolerance deserve further clinical investigation.

Asthenozoospermia ; blood ; drug therapy ; Clomiphene ; therapeutic use ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Fertility Agents ; therapeutic use ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; blood ; Humans ; Luteinizing Hormone ; blood ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Semen ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa ; Testosterone ; blood

OBJECTIVETo assess the value of rheumatoid factors IgM-RF, IgA-RF, IgG-RF, interleukin-1 receptor type I (IL-1RI) and cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODSIgM-RF, IgA-RF, IgG-RF, IL-1RI and CDK2 were detected in 47 patients with active RA, 47 with inactive RA, 20 with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 20 with inactive SLE, 20 with acute upper respiratory tract infection (AURTI), and 20 healthy controls using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (IgM-RF, IgA-RF, IgG-RF, IL-1RI) and time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (CDK2).

RESULTSPatients with active and inactive RA showed significant differences in peripheral serum CDK2 and IgA-RF levels (P<0.05). Between active and inactive RA patients, RA patients and SLE patients, RA patients and AURTI patients, and RA patients and the control subjects, the area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was 0.561, 0.814, 0.799, and 0.888 for IgM-RF, 0.596, 0.678, 0.729, and 0.850 for IgA-RF, 0.614, 0.718, 0.692, and 0.791 for IgG-RF, 0.646, 0.691, 0.762, and 0.835 for IL-1RI, 0.803, 0.753, 0.741, and 0.840 for CDK2, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSIgM-RF may have high value in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of RA, and CDK2 can be useful for differential diagnosis between active and inactive RA.

Adult ; Area Under Curve ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; blood ; diagnosis ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2 ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; blood ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood ; Immunoglobulin M ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; ROC Curve ; Receptors, Interleukin-1 Type I ; blood ; Rheumatoid Factor ; blood

Objective To investigate the optimal concentration and site for ozoneadministration to relieve neuropathic pain in rats. Methods Twenty-four adult male rats with sciaticnerve injury (SNI) were randomized equally into 4 groups, and received ozone injections for analgesia atdifferent sites, namely the operative site, the sciatic nerve, the L5 spinal nerve or the operative site inaddition to the L5 spinal nerve. Another 4 groups of rats with SNI (n=6) had ozone injections at theconcentrations of 40, 50, 60, or 70 μg/mL, all administered at both the operative site and the L5 spinalnerve. The analgesic effects of the ozone injections were evaluated using paw withdrawal threshold test inall the rats. Results In rats with ozone injection at both the operative field and the L5 spinal nerve, themechanical pain threshold was significantly increased in comparison with that in rats with injections atother sites (P<0.05), but different doses of ozone simultaneously injected at the two sites did not producesignificant differences in the pain threshold (P>0.05). Conclusion Ozone produces obvious analgesiceffects in rats with SNI-induced neuropathic pain when injected at both the operative site and thespinal nerve, and ozone within the concentration range from 40 to 70 μg/mL has similar analgesic effect.

OBJECTIVETo investigate drug resistance, genotype and serotype of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) naive patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

METHODSFull-length reverse transcriptase region of HBV DNA was amplified by semi-nested polymerase chain reaction from 97 NA-naive CHB patients, and the PCR product was sequenced, and analyzed to screen 11 classical antiviral drug resistance mutation sites and to identify HBV genotypes, subgenotypes and serotypes.

RESULTSWild-type sequences were found at all of the 11 classical antiviral drug resistance mutation sites from all samples. The patients were infected with either genotype B (36.1%, 35/97) or C (63.9%, 62/97) HBV. The former were all belonged to subgenotype B2 strain; while the latter were divided further into subgenotype C2 (91.9%, 57/62), subgenotype C1 (6.5%, 4/62) and unknown subgenotype (1.6%, 1/62). The 71.9% (23/32) of HBV genotype B patients were born in southern China, while 81.6% (40/49) of HBV genotype C patients were from northern China, showing a clear geographic distribution (Chi-square test = 23.19, Probability value less than 0.01). Of 97 CHB patients, 59 (60.8%) were serotype adr associated with genotype C, while 37 (38.1%) were adw related to genotype B (subgenotype B2) (Chi-square test = 87.83, P less than 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe wild-type HBV strains prevail in NA-naive CHB patients, whose HBV genotypes, subgenotypes and serotypes are associated with their places of birth.

Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Base Sequence ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; genetics ; Drug Resistance, Viral ; genetics ; Female ; Genetic Variation ; Genotype ; Hepatitis B virus ; classification ; genetics ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; drug therapy ; epidemiology ; virology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nucleotides ; therapeutic use ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Serotyping ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDIn the years around 1990, in Beijing Tiantan Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University many children with infantile hemiplegia and intractable epilepsy were treated with further modified anatomical hemispherectomy. We report the follow up of the first six cases. To make good use of these precious clinical data and make clear their neuropsychological state, we performed neuropsychological and neurophysiological measurements in these patients, who were at a median of 17.8 years after hemispherectomy.

METHODSOddball task was given to the patients and to a normal control group to collect the peak latency (PL) and peak amplitude (PA) of event-related potentials (ERPs)-P300. The P300 data of the two groups were analyzed and the P300 patterns of the six patients are presented. The baseline characteristics and long-term follow-up of the six hemispherectomized patients, especially the long-term seizure control and cognitive function after surgery, are described.

RESULTSFive patients had no seizures and one was almost seizure-free during the years after surgery. Clear P300 was obtained from every electrode in the patients. Differences of P300 between patients and normal control group had no statistical significance. And the maximum PA was at the site of electrode Pz or Cz which was consistent with that of the control group and with previous findings.

CONCLUSIONSFurther modified anatomical hemispherectomy has preferable long-term antiepileptic effects. The P300 results of the patients mean that the basic cognitive function of the patients has no difference from the control group. This reflects the plasticity of the hemisphere to some extent and increases the affirmation of the long-term curative effects of further modified anatomical hemispherectomy from both neuropsychological and neurophysiological aspects.

Adult ; Disease-Free Survival ; Event-Related Potentials, P300 ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemispherectomy ; Humans ; Male ; Seizures ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the performance of BNII auto-analyzer system in detecting C3 and C4.

METHODSCLSI protocols (EP15-A, EP6-A, EP9-A2) and other relevant literatures were use to or evaluate the precision, accuracy, linearity of C3 and C4 detection by the auto-analyzer system, and the results were compared with the recognized standards.

RESULTSThe relative bias of C3 and C4 was less than one third of the CLIA'88 standard and the precision met the clinical requirement. The results tested by DADE BNII system were not compatible with those by Roche Modular System. C3 showed good linearity in the tests (R2>0.975, P<0.05) with a linearity range of 0.18-5.1 g/L. The linearity of C4 was not available because of lack of high-level samples.

CONCLUSIONThe performances of DADE BNII System basically meet the recognized standards in clinical detection of C3 and C4, but the method comparison needs further validation.

Autoanalysis ; methods ; Blood Chemical Analysis ; instrumentation ; methods ; Complement C3 ; analysis ; Complement C4 ; analysis ; Humans ; Nephelometry and Turbidimetry ; instrumentation ; methods ; Proteins ; analysis ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVEShellfish are recognized as important vehicles of norovirus-associated gastroenteritis. The present study aimed to monitor norovirus contamination in oysters along the farm-to-fork continuum in Guangxi, a major oyster production area in Southwestern China.

METHODSOyster samples were collected monthly from farms, markets, and restaurants, from January to December 2016. Norovirus was detected and quantified by one-step reverse transcription-droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (RT-ddPCR).

RESULTSA total of 480 oyster samples were collected and tested for norovirus genogroups I and II. Norovirus was detected in 20.7% of samples, with genogroup II predominating. No significant difference was observed in norovirus prevalence among different sampling sites. The norovirus levels varied widely, with a geometric mean of 19,300 copies/g in digestive glands. Both norovirus prevalence and viral loads showed obvious seasonality, with a strong winter bias.

CONCLUSIONThis study provides a systematic analysis of norovirus contamination 'from the farm to the fork' in Guangxi. RT-ddPCR can be a useful tool for detection and quantification of low amounts of norovirus in the presence of inhibitors found particularly in foodstuffs. This approach will contribute to the development of strategies for controlling and reducing the risk of human illness resulting from shellfish consumption.

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical outcome, adverse effect and treatment cost of homoharringtonine (HHT) in combination with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide (AS2O3) for newly diagnosed with patients acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL).

METHODSClinical data of treatment of newly diagnosed patients with APL in experimental group (HHT + ATRA + AS2O3, n = 14) and control group \[Idarubicin (IDA) + ATRA + AS2O3, n = 21\] were analyzed retrospectively. The therapeutic effects, side effects and costs during induction therapy were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS(1) The complete remission (CR) rate were 92.9% (13/14) and 95.2% (20/21) in experimental group and control group, respectively. The time to achieve CR were (28.1 ± 3.8) and (31.7 ± 4.2) days, respectively (P > 0.05). The negative rate of PML-RARα fusion gene at the time of CR were 76.9% (10/13) and 75.0% (15/20), respectively, and that in CR patient at the end of the first cycle treatment were 100.0% (13/13) and 95.0% (19/20), respectively (P > 0.05). (2) 5-year overall survival (OS) rate were (92.6 ± 0.6)% and (89.9 ± 0.5)%, respectively (P > 0.05), 5-year disease free survival (DFS) rate were 100.0% and (86.8 ± 0.6)%, respectively (P > 0.05). (3) During induction therapy, the incidence of infection in experimental and control group were 23.1% (3/13), 60.0% (12/20), respectively (P < 0.05). The amount of platelet transfusion were (54.7 ± 29.6) and (76.5 ± 25.6) units, respectively (P > 0.05), and that of fresh frozen plasma were (1157.1 ± 238.4) and (1423.5 ± 324.6) ml, respectively (P > 0.05). The total medical costs (excluding HHT and IDA) in experimental and control group were (36074.9 ± 1245.6) and (50564.5 ± 3658.4)CNY, respectively (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONHHT in combination with ATRA and AS2O3 regimen for newly diagnosed APL has a better efficacy, a higher long-term survival rate, and a lower costs, which is one of the reasonable choice.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Arsenicals ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Harringtonines ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute ; drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Oxides ; therapeutic use ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Tretinoin ; therapeutic use

Objective: To investigate the impact of FLT3-ITD and DNMT3A R882 double mutations to the prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Methods: FLT3-ITD, DNMT3A, C-kit, CEBPA, FLT3-TKD and NPM1 mutations were detected in 206 newly diagnosed AML patients by Sanger sequencing (M(3) and those received FLT3 inhibitor were excluded). Clinical data of AML patients were retrospectively analyzed to compare the prognosis of each gene mutation group. Results: ①Of 206 patients, 104 were male and 102 female with a median age of 38 (3-63) years, including 6 cases of M(0), 24 cases of M(1), 56 cases of M(2), 39 cases of M(4), 63 cases of M(5), 6 cases of M(6) and 12 unclassified cases. ②All 206 patients were divided into four groups according to the mutation gene at the time of diagnosis: FLT3-ITD(+) DNMT3A R882(+) group (group A), FLT3-ITD(+) DNMT3A R882(-) group (group B), FLT3-ITD(-) DNMT3A R882(+) group (group C) and FLT3-ITD(-) DNMT3A R882(-) groups (group D). Gender, leukocyte count at diagnosis, chromosome karyotype, the median age, FAB classification, disease status prior to transplantation, type of donor, conditioning regimen and GVHD were not significantly different between four groups (P>0.05). ③The 2-year cumulative recurrence rate (CIR) of group A was significantly higher than that of other groups [group A (72.2±2.6)%, group B (38.6±0.6)%, group C (36.8±1.6)%, group D (27.8±0.1)%, respectively, P<0.05], while the 2-year overall survival (OS) rate and 2-year leukocyte-free survival (LFS) rate were lower than those of other groups [group A (30.9±13.3)%, (11.3±10.2)%; group B (67.5±7.8)%, (47.9±8.4)%; group C (61.4±12.4)%, (56.8±12.5)%; group D (80.1±3.7)%, (79.7±3.6)%, respectively, P<0.05]. Conclusion: AML patients with FLT3-ITD and DNMT3A R882 double mutations had a very high CIR and low OS, LFS after transplantation.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases/genetics* ; DNA Methyltransferase 3A ; Female ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Nucleophosmin ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult ; fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3/genetics*