Dongwei Hu

The methods routinely used to detect trichomonads in the lungs are not sensitive enough, and an effective method is urgently needed. Primers were first designed to match the conserved area of the 18S rRNA gene of trichomonads. Then, nested PCR was carried out to detect trichomonads in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Finally, all positive specimens were subjected to DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Among 115 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples, ten samples tested positive in nested PCR (10/115), while no samples were positive in wet mount microscopy (0/115) (P < 0.01). Among the ten positive specimens, two were identified as Tetratrichomonas spp. and the other eight as Trichomonas tenax in phylogenetic analysis. Nested PCR is an effective way to detect trichomonads in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.

We investigated the clinical roles and biological function of long non-coding (lncRNA) RPLP0P2 in lung adenocarcinoma (LAD). The expression level of RPLP0P2 was estimated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in 57 pairs of LAD and NT samples and the relation of RPLP0P2 to clinical data of LAD patients was analyzed. We overexpressed RPLP0P2 based on the human LAD cell line A549 by lentivirus‑mediated technology, then oncological behavior change was observed of A549 cells and the change of mRNA level of LRRC10B and RPLP0P2 by qPCR. We found that RPLP0P2 expression was lower while LRRC10B mRNA level was higher in LAD than NT by qPCR. RPLP0P2 expression level was negative correlated to LRRC10B mRNA level (Pearson correlation =‑0.754, P=0.0021). The expression of RPLP0P2 in lymph node metastasis of LAD group was significantly lower than LAD without lymph node metastasis group. Survival analysis showed that survival time of high expression of RPLP0P2 was significantly longer than low RPLP0P2 level in LAD patients. After RPLP0P2 was overexpressed, the proliferation rate, adhesion ability, S phase and G2/M phase cells and LRRC10B mRNA significantly reduced, while apoptosis and G0/G1 phase cells obviously increased, but migration ability and invasion did not significantly change. Our study ascertained that low expression of RPLP0P2 in LAD is associated with poor prognosis and decreased proliferation and adhesion ability of tumor cells. LRRC10B may be a downstream gene regulated by RPLP0P2.

The artemisinin (ART), discovered in China, has been widely used against malaria in China over the last 30 years. Understanding the emergence and origin of ART resistance in China is therefore of great interest. We analyzed 111 culture-adapted isolates of P. falciparum from China-Myanmar (CM) border for their susceptibility to dihydroartemisinin using the ring stage survival assay (RSA_0−3h) and genotyped their K13 genes. Of the isolates, 59 had a wild type of the K13 marker and a median ring survival rate of 0.26% (P₉₅ = 1.005%). Among the remaining isolates harboring single mutations in the K13 marker, 26 survived at >P₉₅(median survival rate = 2.95%). Further, we genotyped the K13 gene of 693 isolates collected from different regions in China and China-Myanmar/Thai-Cambodia/Thai-Myanmar (CM/TC/TM) borders, 308 (44.4%) had K13 mutations and marked differences in the patterns of K13 mutations were observed between the CM and the TC/TM borders. A network diagram showed that majority of the K13 mutant alleles from the CM border clustered together including those harboring the high resistant-associated R539T mutations. The resistant parasites carrying distinct halplotypes suggested the multiple indigenous origins of the resistant alleles, which highlight the importance of surveillance of resistance in all malaria endemic areas where ART has been introduced.