Suchergebnisse

IMPORTANCE: A reduced incidence of microvascular invasion (MVI) in hepatitis B virus (HBV)–related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may be associated with a decreased risk of early tumor recurrence and better survival after partial hepatectomy. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of preoperative antiviral treatment (AVT) with the incidences of MVI and posthepatectomy early tumor recurrence in HBV-related HCC. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Data on a cohort of 2362 patients who underwent R0 resection for HBV-related HCC between January 2008 and April 2010 at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China, were reviewed. The median (interquartile range) postoperative follow-up was 44.8 (22.8-59.3) months. Data were analyzed from June 2016 to October 2017. INTERVENTIONS: Preoperative AVT and partial hepatectomy. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Overall survival and time to recurrence after surgery were calculated and compared using the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and Cox regression analysis. Independent risk factors of MVI presence were assessed by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Among 2362 included patients, 1999 (84.6%) were men, and the median (interquartile range) age was 50.6 (43.1-57.3) years. A total of 2036 patients (86.2%) did not receive any preoperative AVT, while 326 (13.8%) received ongoing AVT more than 90 days before surgery. In the non-AVT group, compared with a preoperative HBV DNA level of less than 2000 IU/mL, a preoperative HBV DNA level of 2000 IU/mL or greater was associated with an increased risk of MVI (odds ratio [OR], 1.399; 95% CI, 1.151-1.701). Compared with the non-AVT group, patients receiving AVT had a lower incidence of MVI (38.7% [126 of 326] vs 48.6% [989 of 2036]; P = .001) and reduced risk of MVI (OR, 0.758; 95% CI, 0.575-0.998). A complete response to AVT was an independent protective factor of MVI (OR, 0.690; 95% CI, 0.500-0.952). Accordingly, preoperative AVT was associated with decreased 6-month, 1-year, and ...

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the burden of bacillary dysentery in China, its cross-regional variations, trends in morbidity and mortality, the causative bacterial species and antimicrobial resistance patterns. METHODS: We extracted and integrated governmental statistics and relevant medical literature published from 1991 to 2000. Data were also collected from one general hospital each for the six provinces and Jin-an district, Shanghai, representative of six geographical regions and a modern city. FINDINGS: In 2000, 0.8-1.7 million episodes of bacillary dysentery occurred of which 0.5 to 0.7 million were treated at health-care facilities and 0.15-0.20 million patients were hospitalized. The highest morbidity and mortality rates were among the youngest and oldest age groups. Bacillary dysentery peaked during the summer months. The major causative species was Shigella flexneri (86%) and the predominant S. flexneri serotype was 2a (80%). About 74-80% of Shigella isolates remained susceptible to fluorinated quinolones. CONCLUSION: We conclude that while morbidity and mortality due to bacillary dysentery has decreased considerably in China in the past decade due to increasing access to affordable health care and antibiotics, a considerable burden exists among the youngest and oldest age groups and in regions with low economic development. We suggest that while a vaccine would be effective for short- and medium-term control of bacillary dysentery, improved water supply, sanitation, and hygiene are likely to be required for long-term control.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the burden of bacillary dysentery in China, its cross-regional variations, trends in morbidity and mortality, the causative bacterial species and antimicrobial resistance patterns. METHODS: We extracted and integrated governmental statistics and relevant medical literature published from 1991 to 2000. Data were also collected from one general hospital each for the six provinces and Jin-an district, Shanghai, representative of six geographical regions and a modern city. FINDINGS: In 2000, 0.8-1.7 million episodes of bacillary dysentery occurred of which 0.5 to 0.7 million were treated at health-care facilities and 0.15-0.20 million patients were hospitalized. The highest morbidity and mortality rates were among the youngest and oldest age groups. Bacillary dysentery peaked during the summer months. The major causative species was Shigella flexneri (86%) and the predominant S. flexneri serotype was 2a (80%). About 74-80% of Shigella isolates remained susceptible to fluorinated quinolones. CONCLUSION: We conclude that while morbidity and mortality due to bacillary dysentery has decreased considerably in China in the past decade due to increasing access to affordable health care and antibiotics, a considerable burden exists among the youngest and oldest age groups and in regions with low economic development. We suggest that while a vaccine would be effective for short- and medium-term control of bacillary dysentery, improved water supply, sanitation, and hygiene are likely to be required for long-term control.

Ferns are the closest sister group to all seed plants, yet little is known about their genomes other than that they are generally colossal. Here, we report on the genomes of Azolla filiculoides and Salvinia cucullata (Salviniales) and present evidence for episodic whole-genome duplication in ferns—one at the base of 'core leptosporangiates' and one specific to Azolla. One fernspecific gene that we identified, recently shown to confer high insect resistance, seems to have been derived from bacteria through horizontal gene transfer. Azolla coexists in a unique symbiosis with N2-fixing cyanobacteria, and we demonstrate a clear pattern of cospeciation between the two partners. Furthermore, the Azolla genome lacks genes that are common to arbuscular mycorrhizal and root nodule symbioses, and we identify several putative transporter genes specific to Azolla–cyanobacterial symbiosis. These genomic resources will help in exploring the biotechnological potential of Azolla and address fundamental questions in the evolution of plant life. ; Partly supported by the Shenzhen Municipal Government of China (no. JCYJ20150529150409546), the National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant DEB-1407158 (to K.M.P. and F.-W.L.) and the German Research Foundation Research Fellowship VR132/1-1 (to J.d.V.). ; http://www.nature.com/nplants ; am2018 ; Biochemistry ; Genetics ; Microbiology and Plant Pathology

Importance:Primary open-angle glaucoma presents with increased prevalence and a higher degree of clinical severity in populations of African ancestry compared with European or Asian ancestry. Despite this, individuals of African ancestry remain understudied in genomic research for blinding disorders. Objectives:To perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of African ancestry populations and evaluate potential mechanisms of pathogenesis for loci associated with primary open-angle glaucoma. Design, Settings, and Participants:A 2-stage GWAS with a discovery data set of 2320 individuals with primary open-angle glaucoma and 2121 control individuals without primary open-angle glaucoma. The validation stage included an additional 6937 affected individuals and 14 917 unaffected individuals using multicenter clinic- and population-based participant recruitment approaches. Study participants were recruited from Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, the United States, Tanzania, Britain, Cameroon, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Morocco, Peru, and Mali from 2003 to 2018. Individuals with primary open-angle glaucoma had open iridocorneal angles and displayed glaucomatous optic neuropathy with visual field defects. Elevated intraocular pressure was not included in the case definition. Control individuals had no elevated intraocular pressure and no signs of glaucoma. Exposures:Genetic variants associated with primary open-angle glaucoma. Main Outcomes and Measures:Presence of primary open-angle glaucoma. Genome-wide significance was defined as P C) with primary open-angle glaucoma (odds ratio [OR], 1.32 [95% CI, 1.20-1.46]; P = 2 × 10-8). The association was validated in an analysis of an additional 6937 affected individuals and 14 917 unaffected individuals (OR, 1.15 [95% CI, 1.09-1.21]; P < .001). Each copy of the rs59892895*C risk allele was associated with increased risk of primary open-angle glaucoma when all data were included in a meta-analysis (OR, 1.19 [95% CI, 1.14-1.25]; P = 4 × 10-13). The rs59892895*C risk allele was present at appreciable frequency only in African ancestry populations. In contrast, the rs59892895*C risk allele had a frequency of less than 0.1% in individuals of European or Asian ancestry. Conclusions and Relevance:In this genome-wide association study, variants at the APBB2 locus demonstrated differential association with primary open-angle glaucoma by ancestry. If validated in additional populations this finding may have implications for risk assessment and therapeutic strategies.

Green plants (Viridiplantae) include around 450,000-500,000 species(1,2) of great diversity and have important roles in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Here, as part of the One Thousand Plant Transcriptomes Initiative, we sequenced the vegetative transcriptomes of 1,124 species that span the diversity of plants in a broad sense (Archaeplastida), including green plants (Viridiplantae), glaucophytes (Glaucophyta) and red algae (Rhodophyta). Our analysis provides a robust phylogenomic framework for examining the evolution of green plants. Most inferred species relationships are well supported across multiple species tree and supermatrix analyses, but discordance among plastid and nuclear gene trees at a few important nodes highlights the complexity of plant genome evolution, including polyploidy, periods of rapid speciation, and extinction. Incomplete sorting of ancestral variation, polyploidization and massive expansions of gene families punctuate the evolutionary history of green plants. Notably, we find that large expansions of gene families preceded the origins of green plants, land plants and vascular plants, whereas whole-genome duplications are inferred to have occurred repeatedly throughout the evolution of flowering plants and ferns. The increasing availability of high-quality plant genome sequences and advances in functional genomics are enabling research on genome evolution across the green tree of life. ; Alberta Ministry of Advanced Education; Alberta Innovates AITF/iCORE Strategic Chair [RES0010334]; Musea Ventures; National Key Research and Development Program of China [2016YFE0122000]; Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of ChinaMinistry of Science and Technology, China [2015BAD04B01/2015BAD04B03]; State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics [2011DQ782025]; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of core collection of crop genetic resources research and application [2011A091000047]; Shenzhen Municipal Government of China [CXZZ20140421112021913/JCYJ20150529150409546/JCYJ20150529150505656]; National Science FoundationNational Science Foundation (NSF) [DBI-1265383, IOS 0922742, IOS-1339156, DEB 0830009, EF-0629817, EF-1550838, DEB 0733029, DBI 1062335, 1461364]; National Institutes of HealthUnited States Department of Health & Human ServicesNational Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA [1R01DA025197]; Deutsche ForschungsgemeinschaftGerman Research Foundation (DFG) [Qu 141/5-1, Qu 141/6-1, GR 3526/7-1, GR 3526/8-1]; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of CanadaNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada ; The 1KP initiative was funded by the Alberta Ministry of Advanced Education and Alberta Innovates AITF/iCORE Strategic Chair (RES0010334) to G.K.-S.W., Musea Ventures, The National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFE0122000), The Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (2015BAD04B01/2015BAD04B03), the State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics (2011DQ782025) and the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of core collection of crop genetic resources research and application (2011A091000047). Sequencing activities at BGI were also supported by the Shenzhen Municipal Government of China (CXZZ20140421112021913/JCYJ20150529150409546/JCYJ20150529150505656). Computation support was provided by the China National GeneBank (CNGB), the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), WestGrid and Compute Canada; considerable support, including personnel, computational resources and data hosting, was also provided by the iPlant Collaborative (CyVerse) funded by the National Science Foundation (DBI-1265383), National Science Foundation grants IOS 0922742 (to C.W.d., P.S.S., D.E.S. and J.H.L.-M.), IOS-1339156 (to M.S.B.), DEB 0830009 (to J.H.L.-M., C.W.d., S.W.G. and D.W.S.), EF-0629817 (to S.W.G. and D.W.S.), EF-1550838 (to M.S.B.), DEB 0733029 (to T.W. and J.H.L.-M.), and DBI 1062335 and 1461364 (to T.W.), a National Institutes of Health Grant 1R01DA025197 (to T.M.K., C.W.d. and J.H.L.-M.), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft grants Qu 141/5-1, Qu 141/6-1, GR 3526/7-1, GR 3526/8-1 (to M.Q. and I.G.) and a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery grant (to S.W.G.). We thank all national, state, provincial and regional resource management authorities, including those of province Nord and province Sud of New Caledonia, for permitting collections of material for this research. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee