Vibrio vulnificus is an important zoonotic and aquatic pathogen and can cause vibriosis in humans and aquatic animals (especially farmed fish and shrimp species). Rapid and sensitive detection methods for V. vulnificus are still required to diagnose human vibriosis early and reduce aquaculture losses. Herein, we developed a rapid and sensitive diagnostic method comprising a recombinase-aided amplification (RAA) assay and the CRISPR/Cas12a system (named RAA-CRISPR/Cas12a) to detect V. vulnificus. The RAA-CRISPR/Cas12a method allows rapid and sensitive detection of V. vulnificus in 40 min without a sophisticated instrument, and the limit of detection is two copies of V. vulnificus genomic DNA per reaction. Meanwhile, the method shows satisfactory specificity toward non-target bacteria and high accuracy in the spiked blood, stool, and shrimp samples. Therefore, our proposed rapid and sensitive V. vulnificus detection method, RAA-CRISPR/Cas12a, has great potential for early diagnosis of human vibriosis and on-site V. vulnificus detection in aquaculture and food safety control.

Toxoplasmosis, caused by the intracellular protozoon Toxoplasma gondii, is a significant parasitic zoonosis with a world-wide distribution. As a main transmission route, human infection can be acquired by the ingestion of T. gondii oocysts from the environment (e.g., soil, water, fruits and vegetables). Regarding the detection of T. gondii oocysts in environmental samples, the development of a time-saving, cost-effective and highly sensitive technique is crucial for the surveillance, prevention and control of toxoplasmosis. In this study, we developed a new method by combining recombinase-aided amplification (RAA) with CRISPR-Cas12a, designated as the RAA-Cas12a-Tg system. Here, we compared this system targeting the 529 bp repeat element (529 bp-RE) with the routine PCR targeting both 529 bp-RE and ITS-1 gene, respectively, to assess its ability to detect T. gondii oocysts in soil samples. Our results indicated that the 529 bp RE-based RAA-Cas12a-Tg system was able to detect T. gondii successfully in nearly an hour at body temperature and was more sensitive than the routine PCR assay. The sensitivity of this system reached as low as 1 fM with high specificity. Thus, RAA-Cas12a-Tg system provided a rapid, sensitive and easily operable method for point-of-care detection of T. gondii oocysts in soil, which will facilitate the control of T. gondii infection in humans and animals.

Gastric cancer (GC) is a common cancer with high mortality and morbidity rates worldwide. Although medical and surgical treatments have improved, the mechanisms of the progression of GC remain unclear. Platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β (PDGFRB) plays a pivotal role in angiogenesis and tumor cell proliferation and has been suggested as a prognostic marker of cancer. This study aimed to explore the relationship of PDGFRB expression with clinicopathologic characteristics, immune cell infiltration status, and prognosis in GC. In this study, we visualized the expression and prognostic values of PDGFRB in GC using the Oncomine, UALCAN, GEPIA, and Kaplan-Meier Plotter databases. And then we explored the potential relationships between PDGFRB expression and the levels of immune cell infiltration using the TIMER, GEPIA databases and CIBERSORT algorithm. Furthermore, LinkedOmics analysis was performed to explore the functions for PDGFRB. The results showed close correlations between PDGFRB and immune cell infiltration especially M2 Macrophage infiltration in GC. High PDGFRB expression was related to poor outcomes in GC. High PDGFRB expression can negatively affect GC prognosis by promoting angiogenesis and modulating the tumor immune microenvironment. These results strongly suggest that PDGFRB can be used as a prognostic biomarker of GC and provide novel insights into possible immunotherapeutic targets.