This work aimed to investigate tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) and immune-associated genes in the tumor microenvironment of osteosarcoma. An algorithm known as ESTIMATE was applied for immune score assessment, and osteosarcoma cases were assigned to the high and low immune score groups. Immuneassociated genes between these groups were compared, and an optimal immune-related risk model was built by Cox regression analyses. The deconvolution algorithm (referred to as CIBERSORT) was applied to assess 22 TIICs for their amounts in the osteosarcoma microenvironment. Osteosarcoma cases with high immune score had significantly improved outcome (P<0.01). The proportions of naive B cells and M0 macrophages were significantly lower in high immune score tissues compared with the low immune score group (P<0.05), while the amounts of M1 macrophages, M2 macrophages, and resting dendritic cells were significantly higher (P<0.05). Important immune-associated genes were determined to generate a prognostic model by Cox regression analysis. Interestingly, cases with high risk score had poor outcome (P<0.01). The areas under the curve (AUC) for the risk model in predicting 1, 3 and 5-year survival were 0.634, 0.781, and 0.809, respectively. Gene set enrichment analysis suggested immunosuppression in high-risk osteosarcoma patients, in association with poor outcome.

We found that IL-17, a signature cytokine of Th17, was produced early in the innate immunity phase after an intranasal infection with the obligate intracellular pathogen Chlamydia muridarum. The airway IL-17, which peaked at 48 h after infection, was dependent on live chlamydial organism replication and MyD88-mediated signaling pathways. Treatment with antibiotics or knockout of the MyD88 gene, but not Toll/IL receptor domain-containing adapter-inducing IFN-β, can block the early IL-17 production. Treatment of mice with an anti-IL-17-neutralizing mAb enhanced growth of chlamydial organisms in the lung, dissemination to other organs, and decreased mouse survival, whereas treatment with an isotype-matched control IgG had no effect. Although IL-17 did not directly affect chlamydial growth in cell culture, it enhanced the production of other inflammatory cytokines and chemokines by Chlamydia-infected cells and promoted neutrophil infiltration in mouse airways during chlamydial infection, which may contribute to the antichlamydial effect of IL-17. These observations suggest that an early IL-17 response as an innate immunity component plays an important role in initiating host defense against infection with intracellular bacterial pathogens in the airway.

Background Cryptosporidium and Giardia are the two important zoonotic pathogens causing diarrhea of humans and animals worldwide. Considering the human cryptosporidiosis outbreak and sporadic cases caused by C. cuniculus, the important public health significance of G. duodenalis and little obtained information regarding rabbit infected with Cryptosporidium and Giardia in China, the aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and molecularly characterize Cryptosporidium and Giardia in rabbits in Heilongjiang Province, China.Methodology/Principal Findings378 fecal samples were obtained from rabbits in Heilongjiang Province. Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts were detected using Sheather's sugar flotation technique and Lugol's iodine stain method, respectively. The infection rates of Cryptosporidium and Giardia were 2.38% (9/378) and 7.41% (28/378), respectively. Genotyping of Cryptosporidium spp. was done by DNA sequencing of the small subunit rRNA (SSU rRNA) gene and all the nine isolates were identified as Cryptosporidium cuniculus. The nine isolates were further subtyped using the 60-kDa glycoprotein (gp60) gene and two subtypes were detected, including VbA32 (n = 3) and a new subtype VbA21 (n = 6). G. duodenalis genotypes and subtypes were identified by sequence analysis of the triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) gene. The assemblage B (belonging to eight different subtypes B-I to B-VIII) was found in 28 G. duodenalis-positive samples.Conclusions/SignificanceThe rabbits have been infected with Cryptosporidium and Giardia in Heilongjiang Province. The results show that the rabbits pose a threat to human health in the studied areas. Genotypes and subgenotypes of C. cuniculus and G. duodenalis in this study might present the endemic genetic characterization of population structure of the two parasites.

To determine the prevalence of bovine giardiasis in Heilongjiang Province in China and to molecularly characterize Giardia duodenalis, feces were collected from 814 dairy and beef cattle ranging in age from 6 days to 9 years. Clinical symptoms of diarrhea were recorded at the time of sampling. The G. duodenalis infection rate in cattle was 5.2 % (42/814) as determined by Lugol's iodine staining. G. duodenalis assemblages and subtypes were genetically diagnosed by sequence analysis of the triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) gene. Three assemblages were identified, representing A (n = 1), B (n = 18), and E (n = 24), with a mixed infection case of assemblages A and E. High heterogeneity was also observed within assemblages B and E at the TPI locus. Among the assemblages, eight subtypes of assemblage B and three subtypes of assemblage E were found to be novel subtypes. Findings on assemblages A and B are of public health importance. The zoonotic potential of bovine giardiasis needs to be further assessed by extensive genetic data of assemblages A and B from humans at the subtype level. The newly found subtypes of assemblages B and E imply that the evaluation of geographically distributed subtypes is of importance.

Human breast milk is a natural emulsion containing relatively large triacylglycerol droplets coated by a distinct interfacial layer known as the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM). The unique properties of the MFGM impact the release of nutrients from breast milk in an infant's gastrointestinal tract (GIT), but the membrane architecture is susceptible to disruption by industrial processes. To formulate infant formula that simulates the gastrointestinal behavior of breast milk, food manufacturers require knowledge of the impact of the interfacial properties on the gastrointestinal fate of fat globules. In this study, a simulated GIT was utilized to monitor the gastrointestinal fate of emulsified corn oil with different dairy emulsifiers, including sodium caseinate, lactoferrin (LF), whey protein isolate (WPI), and milk phospholipids (MPL) isolated from MFGM. The influence of droplet size on the gastrointestinal fate of the MPL-stabilized emulsions was also examined. Our findings provide valuable information for the optimization of infant formula and dairy-based nutritional beverages.

Background: The association between metabolic syndrome (MS), both in terms of its components and as a whole, and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in subjects with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains unclear, especially in mainland China. Methods: We prospectively included 6,564 individuals with HBV infection from an initial cohort of 105,397 civil servants. The multivariate-adjusted HR and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards models to explore the potential connection between HCC risk and MS. Cumulative incidences were plotted using Kaplan-Meier curves. Results: After a 45,668.0 person-year follow-up (76.0 AE 30.8 months) of 6,564 subjects who were seropositive for hepatitis B surface antigen, 89 incident HCC cases were identified. MS as a whole was independently associated with a 2-fold increased HCC risk (HR, 2.25; 95% CI, 1.41-3.60) after adjusting for age (in 1-year increments), gender, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, liver cirrhosis, and elevated aspartate aminotransferase levels (!40 U/L). Subjects with three or more factors and those with one or two factors had adjusted increased HCC risks of 2.12-fold (95% CI, 1.16-3.89) and 1.28-fold (95% CI, 0.74-2.22), respectively, in comparison with those without any metabolic factors. Central obesity and type 2 diabetes were associated with significantly increased HCC risk, whereas this association was not observed in obese subjects (body mass index !30 kg/m 2 ; 95% CI, 0.73-3.44). Conclusions: MS as a whole, central obesity, and type 2 diabetes were independently associated with increased HCC risk in a population with HBV infection in mainland China. Impact: MS may be a risk factor for HCC.

No abstract

No abstract