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Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer... Jun 2024Lung cancer is the most common malignancy and among the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Therefore, there is an important need for biomarkers that can be used in...
OBJECTIVE
Lung cancer is the most common malignancy and among the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Therefore, there is an important need for biomarkers that can be used in the early diagnosis of the disease and in the follow-up of treatment. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have a covalently closed circular structure that lacks 3' and 5' polar ends and is resistant to RNAase enzymes. Due to these properties, they can be stably found in body fluids. Therefore, they can serve as potential biomarkers in the diagnosis, monitoring of therapeutic response and prognosis of cancer. In our study, we aimed to investigate the expression levels of circRNA molecules in the treatment of lung cancer and to determine those that have the potential to be biomarkers.
METHODS
In this in vitro study, expression levels of 163 circRNAs were investigated in A549 cells, a non-small cell lung cancer cell line, before and after treatment with carboplatin and pemetrexed. Total RNA isolation and cDNA synthesis were performed after treatments. Expression levels of circRNA genes were determined by RT-qPCR method with the designed divergent primer sequences.
RESULTS
The study revealed the characterisation of differentially expressed circRNAs by treatment in lung cancer cells. Of them, hsa_circ_0001320 is not expressed in cancer cells, is expressed only after treatment, and increased the level of its expression in response to combination therapy.
CONCLUSION
As a result, while carboplatin, pemetrexed, and combined drug applications changed the expression levels of some circRNAs in lung cancer cells, some circRNAs were expressed only after treatment. In treatment follow-up and management, hsa_circ_0001320 has been identified as potential biomarker candidate.
Topics: Humans; RNA, Circular; Lung Neoplasms; Biomarkers, Tumor; Prognosis; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung; Carboplatin; Pemetrexed; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Tumor Cells, Cultured
PubMed: 38918678
DOI: 10.31557/APJCP.2024.25.6.2147 -
The Korean Journal of Gastroenterology... Jun 2024Toxocariasis, a zoonotic infection transmitted by (from dogs) and (from cats) larvae, poses rare but severe risks to humans. We present a case of hepatic visceral... (Review)
Review
Toxocariasis, a zoonotic infection transmitted by (from dogs) and (from cats) larvae, poses rare but severe risks to humans. We present a case of hepatic visceral larva migrans (VLM) caused by in a 21-year-old male with a history of close contact with a pet dog. Initial symptoms and imaging findings mimicked a pyogenic liver abscess. The initial laboratory investigations revealed neutrophilia and elevated levels of IgE. Despite broad-spectrum antibiotics, persistent fever prompted further investigation. Subsequent serological testing for Toxocara antibodies and histopathological analysis of liver tissue demonstrating eosinophil infiltrates and Charcot-Leyden crystals led to a confirmed diagnosis of a liver abscess caused by . Serological testing for Toxocara antibodies and histopathological analysis of liver tissue confirmed a -induced liver abscess. Albendazole treatment yielded significant clinical improvement. This case highlights the necessity of considering toxocariasis in liver abscess differentials, particularly in high-seroprevalence regions like Vietnam. Relying solely on serological tests may be insufficient, emphasizing the need for corroborative evidence, including invasive procedures like liver biopsy, for accurate hepatic toxocariasis diagnosis.
Topics: Humans; Toxocara canis; Larva Migrans, Visceral; Male; Animals; Young Adult; Albendazole; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Dogs; Liver; Antibodies, Helminth; Ultrasonography; Liver Abscess; Toxocariasis; Immunoglobulin E; Anthelmintics
PubMed: 38918038
DOI: 10.4166/kjg.2024.051 -
International Journal For Parasitology.... Jun 2024Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are major worldwide morbidity-causing pathogens. Bumped kinase inhibitors (BKIs) are a compound class that has been optimized to...
Efficacy of the bumped kinase inhibitor BKI-1708 against the cyst-forming apicomplexan parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in vitro and in experimentally infected mice.
Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are major worldwide morbidity-causing pathogens. Bumped kinase inhibitors (BKIs) are a compound class that has been optimized to target the apicomplexan calcium-dependent protein kinase 1 (CDPK1) - and several members of this class have proven to be safe and highly active in vitro and in vivo. BKI-1708 is based on a 5-aminopyrazole-4-carboxamide scaffold, and exhibited in vitro IC values of 120 nM for T. gondii and 480 nM for N. caninum β-galactosidase expressing strains, and did not affect human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) viability at concentrations up to 25 μM. Electron microscopy established that exposure of tachyzoite-infected fibroblasts to 2.5 μM BKI-1708 in vitro induced the formation of multinucleated schizont-like complexes (MNCs), characterized by continued nuclear division and harboring newly formed intracellular zoites that lack the outer plasma membrane. These zoites were unable to finalize cytokinesis to form infective tachyzoites. BKI-1708 did not affect zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo development during the first 96 h following egg hatching at concentrations up to 2 μM. Treatments of mice with BKI-1708 at 20 mg/kg/day during five consecutive days resulted in drug plasma levels ranging from 0.14 to 4.95 μM. In vivo efficacy of BKI-1708 was evaluated by oral application of 20 mg/kg/day from day 9-13 of pregnancy in mice experimentally infected with N. caninum (NcSpain-7) tachyzoites or T. gondii (TgShSp1) oocysts. This resulted in significantly decreased cerebral parasite loads and reduced vertical transmission in both models without drug-induced pregnancy interference.
PubMed: 38917582
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2024.100553 -
PloS One 2024Land use change affects both pollinator and herbivore populations with consequences for crop production. Recent evidence also shows that land use change affects insect...
Land use change affects both pollinator and herbivore populations with consequences for crop production. Recent evidence also shows that land use change affects insect traits, with intraspecific body size of pollinators changing across landscape gradients. However, the consequences on crop production of trait changes in different plant interactors have not been well-studied. We hypothesized that changes in body size of key species can be enough to affect crop productivity, and therefore looked at how the field-realistic variation in body size of both an important pollinator, Bombus impatiens (Cresson), and a key pest herbivore, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot), can affect fruit size and damage in strawberry. First, we determined if pests vary in body size along land use gradients as prior studies have documented for pollinators; and second, we tested under controlled conditions how the individual and combined changes in size of an important pollinator and a key herbivore pest affect strawberry fruit production. The key herbivore pest was smaller in landscapes with more natural and semi-natural habitat, confirming that herbivore functional traits can vary along a land use gradient. Additionally, herbivore size, and not pollinator size, marginally affected fruit production-with plants exposed to larger pests producing smaller fruits. Our findings suggest that land use changes at the landscape level affect crop production not just through changes in the species diversity of insect communities that interact with the plant, but also through changes in body size traits.
Topics: Fragaria; Animals; Fruit; Body Size; Pollination; Herbivory; Bees
PubMed: 38917100
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305370 -
ImmunoHorizons Jun 2024Malaria is a serious vector-borne disease characterized by periodic episodes of high fever and strong immune responses that are coordinated with the daily synchronized...
Malaria is a serious vector-borne disease characterized by periodic episodes of high fever and strong immune responses that are coordinated with the daily synchronized parasite replication cycle inside RBCs. As immune cells harbor an autonomous circadian clock that controls various aspects of the immune response, we sought to determine whether the intensity of the immune response to Plasmodium spp., the parasite causing malaria, depends on time of infection. To do this, we developed a culture model in which mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages are stimulated with RBCs infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA (iRBCs). Lysed iRBCs, but not intact iRBCs or uninfected RBCs, triggered an inflammatory immune response in bone marrow-derived macrophages. By stimulating at four different circadian time points (16, 22, 28, or 34 h postsynchronization of the cells' clock), 24-h rhythms in reactive oxygen species and cytokines/chemokines were found. Furthermore, the analysis of the macrophage proteome and phosphoproteome revealed global changes in response to iRBCs that varied according to circadian time. This included many proteins and signaling pathways known to be involved in the response to Plasmodium infection. In summary, our findings show that the circadian clock within macrophages determines the magnitude of the inflammatory response upon stimulation with ruptured iRBCs, along with changes of the cell proteome and phosphoproteome.
Topics: Animals; Macrophages; Mice; Erythrocytes; Malaria; Plasmodium berghei; Circadian Rhythm; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Reactive Oxygen Species; Cytokines; Circadian Clocks; Cells, Cultured; Proteome
PubMed: 38916585
DOI: 10.4049/immunohorizons.2400021 -
Microbiology Spectrum Jun 2024The coccidian parasite is the causative agent for foodborne outbreaks of cyclosporiasis disease and multiple annual fresh produce recalls. The aim of this study was to...
UNLABELLED
The coccidian parasite is the causative agent for foodborne outbreaks of cyclosporiasis disease and multiple annual fresh produce recalls. The aim of this study was to identify potential cross-reacting species for the 18S rRNA and MIT1C gene target real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays. The environmental samples evaluated were irrigation pond water, produce wash water, and wastewater treatment sludge from a previous study with qPCR detections of by the 18S rRNA gene target qPCR. From these samples, longer regions of the 18S rRNA gene and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit III gene () were sequenced. Of 65 irrigation pond water samples with positive test results using the 18S rRNA gene qPCR assay, none had MIT1C qPCR assay detections or sequences that clustered with based on sequencing of the and 18S rRNA gene. Sequences from these samples clustered around coccidia sequences found in bird, fish, reptile, and amphibian hosts. Of 26 sludge samples showing detections by either qPCR assay, 14 (54%) could be confirmed as containing by sequencing of and 18S rRNA gene regions. In three of the remaining sludge samples, sequenced reads clustered with coccidia from rodents. This study demonstrated that caution should be taken when interpreting qPCR detection data in environmental samples and sequencing steps will likely be needed for confirmation.
IMPORTANCE
Fresh produce is a leading transmission source in cyclosporiasis outbreaks. It is therefore essential to understand the role that produce-growing environments play in the spread of this disease. To accomplish this, sensitive and specific tests for environmental and irrigation waters must be developed. Potential cross-reactions of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays have been identified, hindering the ability to accurately identify this parasite in the environment. Amplicon sequencing of the cox3 and 18S rRNA genes revealed that all irrigation pond water and two sludge samples that initially detected by qPCR were most likely cross-reactions with related coccidian organisms shed from birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and rodents. These results support that a single testing method for environmental samples is likely not adequate for sensitive and specific detection of .
PubMed: 38916361
DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00906-24 -
Microbiology Spectrum Jun 2024Fungal cell walls are dynamic extracellular matrices that enable efficient adaptation to changing environments. While the cell wall compositions of yeasts, human, and...
UNLABELLED
Fungal cell walls are dynamic extracellular matrices that enable efficient adaptation to changing environments. While the cell wall compositions of yeasts, human, and plant pathogenic fungi have been studied to some extent, the cell walls of mycoparasites remain poorly characterized. species comprise a diverse group of soil fungi with different survival strategies and lifestyles. The comparative study of cell wall carbohydrate-active enzymes in 13 spp. revealed that the types of enzymes involved in chitin and chitosan metabolism are phylogenetically distant between mycoparasitic and saprotrophic species. Here, we compare the carbohydrate composition and function of the cell wall of a saprotrophic strain with that of the mycoparasitic, biological control agent . Monosaccharide and glycosidic linkage analyses as well as dual interaction assays showed that the cell wall polysaccharide composition is conserved between both species, except for the amounts of chitin detected. The results suggest that the observed accumulation of chitosan during mycoparasitism may prevent host recognition. Remarkably, undergoes dynamic cell wall adaptations during both vegetative development and mycoparasitism, which appears to be confirmed by an evolutionarily expanded group of specialized enzymes. Overall, our analyses support the notion that habitat specialization is reflected in cell wall architecture and that plastic chitin remodeling may confer an advantage to mycoparasites, ultimately enabling the successful invasion and parasitism of plant pathogens. This information may potentially be exploited for the control of crop diseases using biological agents.
IMPORTANCE
species are emerging model fungi for the development of biocontrol agents and are used in industrial biotechnology as efficient enzyme producers. Fungal cell walls are complex structures that differ in carbohydrate, protein, and enzyme composition across taxa. Here, we present a chemical characterization of the cell walls of two spp., namely the predominantly saprotrophic and the mycoparasite . Chemical profiling revealed that spp. remodel their cell wall to adapt to particular lifestyles, with dynamic changes during vegetative development. Importantly, we found that chitosan accumulation during mycoparasitism of a fungal host emerged as a sophisticated strategy underpinning an effective attack. These insights shed light on the molecular mechanisms that allow mycoparasites to overcome host defenses and can be exploited to improve the application of in biological pest control. Moreover, our results provide valuable information for targeting the fungal cell wall for therapeutic purposes.
PubMed: 38916333
DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03495-23 -
Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2024spp. is a significant zoonotic parasite. The prevalence and infection characteristics of spp. in Bactrian camels in Yili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture have yet to be...
INTRODUCTION
spp. is a significant zoonotic parasite. The prevalence and infection characteristics of spp. in Bactrian camels in Yili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture have yet to be fully understood. Thus, the molecular epidemiology of cryptosporidiosis in camels was investigated in this region.
METHODS
A total of 1,455 fecal samples were collected from 6 counties in three regions (Altay, Tacheng, and Yili) in Yili Prefecture. Nested PCR targeting the small subunit ribosomal RNA ( rRNA) gene was used to identify the species or genotypes of infection in camels. For positive samples, the subtypes were identified using the 60-kDa glycoprotein (gp60) gene.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The overall infection rate was 8.7% (126/1,455), ranging from 5.6% to 11.7% in different regions, and 4.2% to 15.8% in different counties. A significant difference was observed amongst the counties ( < 0.001). Three species were detected, namely (65.1%, 82/126), (34.1%, 43/126), and (0.8%, 1/126). Three subtypes, If-like-A15G2 ( = 29), IIdA15G1 ( = 4), and IIdA19G1( = 1) were detected, with If-like-A15G2 being the most prevalent subtype. Camels aged 3-12 months exhibited the highest infection rate (11.4%, 44/387), with no significant difference among age groups ( > 0.05). was predominant in camels under 3 months, while prevailed in camels over 3 months. There was an extremely significant difference observed among seasons ( < 0.001), summer had the highest infection rates (16.9%, 61/360). This study collected nearly 1,500 samples and, for the first time, investigated spp. infection in camels based on different age groups and seasons. All three species identified were zoonotic, posing a potential threat to human health and requiring close attention.
PubMed: 38915888
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1411377 -
Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2024Wildlife represents an increasingly important source of pathogens of medical and veterinary importance. Surveillance in wildlife offers an insight on current...
INTRODUCTION
Wildlife represents an increasingly important source of pathogens of medical and veterinary importance. Surveillance in wildlife offers an insight on current epidemiological status of selected pathogens and help to prevent spillovers to humans and livestock.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Our study included 312 wild ruminants belonging to five species: Roe deer ( = 134), red deer ( = 113), Alpine chamois ( = 53), European mouflon ( = 10) and Alpine ibex ( = 2). Seven pathogens that may have profound effect on human/livestock health and economic viability of the farms were tested using serological methods.
RESULTS
Antibodies against spp., subsp. (MAP) and were detected in 34.62% (108/312), 0.96% (3/312), 2.24% (7/312), 0, 0.96% (3/312), 0, 0.64% (2/312) of animals tested, respectively. Because of low prevalences, risk factors were assessed only for . Sex (female>male) and species (roe deer>red deer, roe deer>Alpine chamois) were significantly associated with the positive outcome, while age was not.
DISCUSSION
Adult males had the lowest prevalence which offers future research opportunities. The lower seroprevalence of most investigated pathogens suggests game meat, if properly cooked, as being relatively safe for human consumption. This is the first study investigating the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of selected pathogens in wild ruminants in Slovenia.
PubMed: 38915887
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1415304 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2024
Topics: Humans; Malaria; Global Health; Disease Eradication
PubMed: 38915746
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1433213