scholarly journals Aptamer-based biosensors for the diagnosis of sepsis

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lubin Liu ◽  
Zeyu Han ◽  
Fei An ◽  
Xuening Gong ◽  
Chenguang Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Sepsis Diagnosis ◽  
Sensitivity And Selectivity ◽  
Causes Of Mortality ◽  
Low Efficiency ◽  
Detection Strategies ◽  
Conventional Detection

AbstractSepsis, the syndrome of infection complicated by acute organ dysfunction, is a serious and growing global problem, which not only leads to enormous economic losses but also becomes one of the leading causes of mortality in the intensive care unit. The detection of sepsis-related pathogens and biomarkers in the early stage plays a critical role in selecting appropriate antibiotics or other drugs, thereby preventing the emergence of dangerous phases and saving human lives. There are numerous demerits in conventional detection strategies, such as high cost, low efficiency, as well as lacking of sensitivity and selectivity. Recently, the aptamer-based biosensor is an emerging strategy for reasonable sepsis diagnosis because of its accessibility, rapidity, and stability. In this review, we first introduce the screening of suitable aptamer. Further, recent advances of aptamer-based biosensors in the detection of bacteria and biomarkers for the diagnosis of sepsis are summarized. Finally, the review proposes a brief forecast of challenges and future directions with highly promising aptamer-based biosensors.

The Role of the Endothelium in Premature Atherosclerosis: Molecular Mechanisms

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 1041-1051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Spartalis ◽  
Eleftherios Spartalis ◽  
Antonios Athanasiou ◽  
Stavroula A. Paschou ◽  
Christos Kontogiannis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Low Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Density Lipoprotein ◽  
Number Of Genes ◽  
Causes Of Mortality ◽  
Artery Disease ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Made In

Atherosclerotic disease is still one of the leading causes of mortality. Atherosclerosis is a complex progressive and systematic artery disease that involves the intima of the large and middle artery vessels. The inflammation has a key role in the pathophysiological process of the disease and the infiltration of the intima from monocytes, macrophages and T-lymphocytes combined with endothelial dysfunction and accumulated oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) are the main findings of atherogenesis. The development of atherosclerosis involves multiple genetic and environmental factors. Although a large number of genes, genetic polymorphisms, and susceptible loci have been identified in chromosomal regions associated with atherosclerosis, it is the epigenetic process that regulates the chromosomal organization and genetic expression that plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Despite the positive progress made in understanding the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, the knowledge about the disease remains scarce.

scholarly journals Small Molecule Inhibitors of Influenza Virus Entry

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 587
Author(s):  
Zhaoyu Chen ◽  
Qinghua Cui ◽  
Michael Caffrey ◽  
Lijun Rong ◽  
Ruikun Du
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Virus ◽  
Membrane Fusion ◽  
Small Molecule ◽  
Drug Target ◽  
Small Molecule Inhibitors ◽  
Virus Entry ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
The Past

Hemagglutinin (HA) plays a critical role during influenza virus receptor binding and subsequent membrane fusion process, thus HA has become a promising drug target. For the past several decades, we and other researchers have discovered a series of HA inhibitors mainly targeting its fusion machinery. In this review, we summarize the advances in HA-targeted development of small molecule inhibitors. Moreover, we discuss the structural basis and mode of action of these inhibitors, and speculate upon future directions toward more potent inhibitors of membrane fusion and potential anti-influenza drugs.

scholarly journals Integration of early disease-resistance phenotyping, histological characterization, and transcriptome sequencing reveals insights into downy mildew resistance in impatiens

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ze Peng ◽  
Yanhong He ◽  
Saroj Parajuli ◽  
Qian You ◽  
Weining Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Resistance ◽  
Downy Mildew ◽  
Transcriptome Sequencing ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Potential Candidate ◽  
Early Disease ◽  
True Leaf ◽  
Cotyledon Stage ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractDowny mildew (DM), caused by obligate parasitic oomycetes, is a destructive disease for a wide range of crops worldwide. Recent outbreaks of impatiens downy mildew (IDM) in many countries have caused huge economic losses. A system to reveal plant–pathogen interactions in the early stage of infection and quickly assess resistance/susceptibility of plants to DM is desired. In this study, we established an early and rapid system to achieve these goals using impatiens as a model. Thirty-two cultivars of Impatiens walleriana and I. hawkeri were evaluated for their responses to IDM at cotyledon, first/second pair of true leaf, and mature plant stages. All I. walleriana cultivars were highly susceptible to IDM. While all I. hawkeri cultivars were resistant to IDM starting at the first true leaf stage, many (14/16) were susceptible to IDM at the cotyledon stage. Two cultivars showed resistance even at the cotyledon stage. Histological characterization showed that the resistance mechanism of the I. hawkeri cultivars resembles that in grapevine and type II resistance in sunflower. By integrating full-length transcriptome sequencing (Iso-Seq) and RNA-Seq, we constructed the first reference transcriptome for Impatiens comprised of 48,758 sequences with an N50 length of 2060 bp. Comparative transcriptome and qRT-PCR analyses revealed strong candidate genes for IDM resistance, including three resistance genes orthologous to the sunflower gene RGC203, a potential candidate associated with DM resistance. Our approach of integrating early disease-resistance phenotyping, histological characterization, and transcriptome analysis lay a solid foundation to improve DM resistance in impatiens and may provide a model for other crops.

scholarly journals Early Detection of Encroaching Woody Juniperus virginiana and Its Classification in Multi-Species Forest Using UAS Imagery and Semantic Segmentation Algorithms

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 1975
Author(s):  
Lin Wang ◽  
Yuzhen Zhou ◽  
Qiao Hu ◽  
Zhenghong Tang ◽  
Yufeng Ge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Detection ◽  
Early Development ◽  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Semantic Segmentation ◽  
Development Stage ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Juniperus Virginiana ◽  
Segmentation Algorithms

Woody plant encroachment into grasslands ecosystems causes significantly ecological destruction and economic losses. Effective and efficient management largely benefits from accurate and timely detection of encroaching species at an early development stage. Recent advances in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) enabled easier access to ultra-high spatial resolution images at a centimeter level, together with the latest machine learning based image segmentation algorithms, making it possible to detect small-sized individuals of target species at early development stage and identify them when mixed with other species. However, few studies have investigated the optimal practical spatial resolution of early encroaching species detection. Hence, we investigated the performance of four popular semantic segmentation algorithms (decision tree, DT; random forest, RF; AlexNet; and ResNet) on a multi-species forest classification case with UAS-collected RGB images in original and down-sampled coarser spatial resolutions. The objective of this study was to explore the optimal segmentation algorithm and spatial resolution for eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana, ERC) early detection and its classification within a multi-species forest context. To be specific, firstly, we implemented and compared the performance of the four semantic segmentation algorithms with images in the original spatial resolution (0.694 cm). The highest overall accuracy was 0.918 achieved by ResNet with a mean interaction over union at 85.0%. Secondly, we evaluated the performance of ResNet algorithm with images in down-sampled spatial resolutions (1 cm to 5 cm with 0.5 cm interval). When applied on the down-sampled images, ERC segmentation performance decreased with decreasing spatial resolution, especially for those images coarser than 3 cm spatial resolution. The UAS together with the state-of-the-art semantic segmentation algorithms provides a promising tool for early-stage detection and localization of ERC and the development of effective management strategies for mixed-species forest management.

scholarly journals The osseointegration and stability of dental implants with different surface treatments in animal models: a network meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun-Ping Hao ◽  
Nan-Jue Cao ◽  
Yu-He Zhu ◽  
Wei Wang
Keyword(s):  
Dental Implants ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Missing Teeth ◽  
Treatment Technology ◽  
Implant Surface ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Early Healing

AbstractDental implants are commonly used to repair missing teeth. The implant surface plays a critical role in promoting osseointegration and implant success. However, little information is available about which implant surface treatment technology best promotes osseointegration and implant stability. The aim of this network meta-analysis was to evaluate the osseointegration and stability of four commonly used dental implants (SLA, SLActive, TiUnite, and Osseotite). The protocol of the current meta-analysis is registered in PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) under the code CRD42020190907 (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk). We conducted a systematic review following PRISMA and Cochrane Recommendations. Medline (PubMed), Cochrane Library, Embase, and the Web of Science databases were searched. Only randomized controlled trials were considered. Twelve studies were included in the current network meta-analysis, eleven studies were included concerning the osseointegration effect and five studies were included for stability analysis (four studies were used to assess both stability and osseointegration). Rank possibility shows that the SLActive surface best promoted bone formation at an early healing stage and TiUnite seemed to be the best surface for overall osseointegration. For stability, TiUnite seemed to be the best surface. The present network meta-analysis showed that the SLActive surface has the potential to promote osseointegration at an early stage. The TiUnite surface had the best effect on osseointegration regarding the overall healing period. The TiUnite surface also had the best effect in stability.

Sequence of Colonization Determines the Composition of Mixed Biofilms by Escherichia coli O157:H7 and O111:H8 Strains†

2015 ◽  
Vol 78 (8) ◽  
pp. 1554-1559 ◽  
Author(s):  
RONG WANG ◽  
NORASAK KALCHAYANAND ◽  
JAMES L. BONO
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Foodborne Pathogens ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
The United States ◽  
Food Samples ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Cell Percentage ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Biofilm Development

Bacterial biofilms are one of the potential sources of cross-contamination in food processing environments. Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 and O111:H8 are important foodborne pathogens capable of forming biofilms, and the coexistence of these two STEC serotypes has been detected in various food samples and in multiple commercial meat plants throughout the United States. Here, we investigated how the coexistence of these two STEC serotypes and their sequence of colonization could affect bacterial growth competition and mixed biofilm development. Our data showed that E. coli O157:H7 strains were able to maintain a higher cell percentage in mixed biofilms with the co-inoculated O111:H8 companion strains, even though the results of planktonic growth competition were strain dependent. On solid surfaces with preexisting biofilms, the sequence of colonization played a critical role in determining the composition of the mixed biofilms because early stage precolonization significantly affected the competition results between the E. coli O157:H7 and O111:H8 strains. The precolonizer of either serotype was able to outgrow the other serotype in both planktonic and biofilm phases. The competitive interactions among the various STEC serotypes would determine the composition and structure of the mixed biofilms as well as their potential risks to food safety and public health, which is largely influenced by the dominant strains in the mixtures. Thus, the analysis of mixed biofilms under various conditions would be of importance to determine the nature of mixed biofilms composed of multiple microorganisms and to help implement the most effective disinfection operations accordingly.

scholarly journals A Novel Computational Framework for Precision Diagnosis and Subtype Discovery of Plant With Lesion

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Xia ◽  
Xiaojun Xie ◽  
Zongqin Wang ◽  
Shichao Jin ◽  
Ke Yan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Disease ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Disease Diagnosis ◽  
Image Clustering ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Computational Framework ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Deep Embedding ◽  
Food Shortages ◽  
Public Datasets

Plants are often attacked by various pathogens during their growth, which may cause environmental pollution, food shortages, or economic losses in a certain area. Integration of high throughput phenomics data and computer vision (CV) provides a great opportunity to realize plant disease diagnosis in the early stage and uncover the subtype or stage patterns in the disease progression. In this study, we proposed a novel computational framework for plant disease identification and subtype discovery through a deep-embedding image-clustering strategy, Weighted Distance Metric and the t-stochastic neighbor embedding algorithm (WDM-tSNE). To verify the effectiveness, we applied our method on four public datasets of images. The results demonstrated that the newly developed tool is capable of identifying the plant disease and further uncover the underlying subtypes associated with pathogenic resistance. In summary, the current framework provides great clustering performance for the root or leave images of diseased plants with pronounced disease spots or symptoms.

scholarly journals Insights Into the Antiviral Pathways of the Silkworm Bombyx mori

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Bombyx Mori ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Janus Kinase ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Phosphatidylinositol 3 Kinase ◽  
Extracellular Signal ◽  
Immune Pathways ◽  
Insect Innate Immunity

The lepidopteran model silkworm, Bombyx mori, is an important economic insect. Viruses cause serious economic losses in sericulture; thus, the economic importance of these viruses heightens the need to understand the antiviral pathways of silkworm to develop antiviral strategies. Insect innate immunity pathways play a critical role in the outcome of infection. The RNA interference (RNAi), NF-kB-mediated, immune deficiency (Imd), and stimulator of interferon gene (STING) pathways, and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway are the major antiviral defense mechanisms, and these have been shown to play important roles in the antiviral immunity of silkworms. In contrast, viruses can modulate the prophenol oxidase (PPO), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt), and the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathways of the host to elevate their proliferation in silkworms. In this review, we present an overview of the current understanding of the main immune pathways in response to viruses and the signaling pathways modulated by viruses in silkworms. Elucidation of these pathways involved in the antiviral mechanism of silkworms furnishes a theoretical basis for the enhancement of virus resistance in economic insects, such as upregulating antiviral immune pathways through transgenic overexpression, RNAi of virus genes, and targeting these virus-modulated pathways by gene editing or inhibitors.

Backward Mapping Methodology for Design Synthesis

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen C.-Y. Lu ◽  
Satish T. S. Bukkapatnam ◽  
Ping Ge ◽  
Nanxin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Space ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Product Development Process ◽  
Engineering System ◽  
Design Synthesis ◽  
Performance Space ◽  
Backward Mapping

Abstract Design efficiency and robustness at early stage of parametric engineering design play a critical role in reducing cycle time and improving product quality in the overall product development process. Usually, the “forward mapping” approach, is used to find designs, where the desirable performances are satisfied through large iterations of analysis and evaluation from design space to performance space. However, these approaches are time-consuming and involve blind search if the engineering system simulation models and/or initial conditions are not appropriately selected. On the other hand, common “reverse engineering” methods use domain-specific assumptions and are not effective in generic scenarios where the presumed conditions are violated. In this paper, a Backward Mapping Methodology for Design Synthesis (BMDS) is presented that can help conduct design synthesis rapidly and robustly at early stage of parametric engineering design. BMDS is a surrogate model-based approach that combines the strengths of metamodeling and statistics. It can help designers explicitly identify the robust design solutions that satisfy the designer-specified performance requirements through a “backward mapping” from the performance space directly to the design space. Preliminary case studies show its effectiveness and potential to be used as a generic early stage parametric design synthesis methodology in the future.

Abstract P311: Cardiac Sympathetic Afferents Does Not Initiate but Contributes to the Further Development of Hypertension in Spontaneous Hypertensive Rats

Hypertension ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanjun Wang ◽  
Irving H. Zucker
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Sensory Nerve ◽  
Shr Rats ◽  
Hypertensive Rats ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Novel Therapy ◽  
Cardiac Afferents ◽  
Further Development

Sympatho-excitation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of hypertension. However, it is unclear what factors initiate and maintain sympatho-excitation in hypertension. Our past studies have confirmed a critical role of cardiac sensory nerve endings that mediate a sympatho-excitatory reflex called the “cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex” (CSAR) in the setting of heart failure. However, whether/when the CSAR is activated and contributes to the development of hypertension remains unclear. To address this issue, we chronically abolished the CSAR by epidural application of a selective afferent neurotoxin, resiniferatoxin (RTX) at the level of the T1-T4 dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) by destroying TRPV1-expressing neuronal soma in 8-week and 16-w old spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR). Conscious blood pressure was monitored before (baseline) and during 2 months post RTX using radio telemetry. As shown in Figure 1A, in early-hypertensive (8-w old) SHR rats, there was no difference in mean arterial pressure (MAP) between vehicle and RTX groups until 3 weeks post intervention. At that time, MAP in vehicle-treated SHR rats continued to increase whereas this increase was largely abolished in the RTX-treated group. In the established (16-w old) SHR rats (Figure 1B), treatment with RTX immediately reduced MAP by ~15 mmHg, which was maintained for the 2-month recording period. These data strongly suggest that although CSAR does not initiate hypertension at the early stage in SHR, it contributes to the further development of hypertension in the mid/late stages. These data support a potential novel therapy possibly involving cardiac afferents.

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