Jingjing Huang

Background: Human myiasis is a parasitic dipteran fly infestation that infects humans and vertebrates worldwide. However, the disease is endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. In Sub-Saharan Africa, it is under-reported and therefore its prevalence is unknown. This systematic review aims to elucidate the prevalence of human myiasis, factors that influence the infection, and myiasis-causing fly species in SSA. The review also dwelled on the common myiasis types and treatment methods of human myiasis.Methods: Here, we collect cases of human myiasis in Sub-Saharan Africa based on literature retrieved from PubMed, Google Scholar and Science Direct from 1959 to 2022. A total of 75 articles and 157 cases were included in the study. The recommendations of PRISMA 2020 were used for the realization of this systematic review.Results: In total, 157 cases of human myiasis in SSA were reviewed. Eleven fly species (Cordylobia anthropophaga,Cordylobia rodhaini,Dermatobia hominis,Lucilia cuprina,Lucilia sericata,Oestrus ovis,Sarcophagaspp.,Sarcophaga nodosa,Chrysomya megacephala,Chrysomya chloropygaandClogmia albipuntum) were found to cause human myiasis in SSA.Cordylobia anthropophagawas the most prevalent myiasis-causing species of the reported cases (n = 104, 66.2%). More than half of the reported cases were from travelers returning from SSA (n = 122, 77.7%). Cutaneous myiasis was the most common clinical presentation of the disease (n = 86, 54.7%). Females were more infected (n = 78, 49.6%) than males, and there was a higher infestation in adults than young children.Conclusion: The findings of this study reveals that international travelers to Sub-Saharan Africa were mostly infested therefore, we recommend that both international travelers and natives of SSA be enlightened by public health officers about the disease and its risk factors at entry points in SSA and the community level respectively. Clinicians in Sub-Saharan Africa often misdiagnose the disease and most of them lack the expertise to properly identify larvae, so we recommend the extensive use of molecular identification methods instead.

Background: Early-stage female lung adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer encountered in thoracic surgery departments. Tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging does not adequately explain a significant stratification phenomenon in the prognosis of patients with stage I lung adenocarcinoma. We aimed to investigate the contributory role of miR-940 in the prognosis prediction. Methods: We analyzed the microRNA (miRNA) expression level in tumor tissues (high-risk group vs. low-risk group) from 12 non-smoking female patients with stage I lung adenocarcinoma using miRNA array. Bioinformatic analyses of miR-940 were also carried out based on the public database. Then, quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) tests of the tissue samples were further validated. And miR-940’s function was analyzed and potential target genes were predicted. Results: In all, 24 miRNAs were found to be significantly different between the high-risk group and low-risk group. The expression level of miR-940 was lower in tumor tissue (P=0.011), and the survival rate in the high miR-940 group was higher [hazard ratio (HR) =0.688; P=0.011]. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that the assembly functions of targets regulated by miR-940 were mainly enriched in regulation of myeloid cell differentiation, G1/S transition of mitotic cell cycle, and cellular response to environmental stimulus. miR-940 is involved in transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) signaling pathway; TNF signaling pathway; and estrogen signaling pathway. The number of lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549) was significantly decreased after miR-940 was transfected. Ten epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition (EMT)-associated genes (MMP9, ZEB1, CDH1, KRT8, KRT18 KET19, TWIST1, VIM, SNAI1, and SNAI2) were found to be significantly related to miR-940. Conclusions: The present study showed that miR-940 might be a protective factor for positive prognosis in early stage nonsmoking female lung adenocarcinoma, with transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) pathway, TNF pathway, and matrix metalloprotein (MMP9) being potential targets.

Background The planting density of broccoli can directly affect the yield and overall health of plants. So there is necessary to reveal the regulatory genes of planting density in broccoli by QTL mapping. In this study, the important planting density-dependent factors of broccoli, plant height (PH), maximum outer petiole length (PL) and leaf width (LW), were investigated during 2017 and 2018. The mapping of QTLs for PH, PL and LW were performed, and the interaction between QTLs and the environment was also analyzed by a DH population constructed with 176 genotypes derived from F₁ obtained by crossing the broccoli inbred lines 86101 (P₁) and 90196 (P₂).Results A linkage group including a total of 438 SSR markers were constructed covering a length of 1168.26 cM using QTL IciMapping 4.0 software. Finally, there were mainly four QTLs (phc1, phc2, phc4-1, phc4-2), one QTL (plc6), and two QTLs (lwc1, lwc3) corresponding for PH, PL and LW recurred during the two years. In three environments, inclusive composite interval mapping (ICIM) analysis showed that there was a major QTL for PH at 7.20 cM on chromosome 1 between molecular markers 8C024 and sf4482 with a high explanatory contribution rate of 20.05%. The QTL at the 11.10 cM position of chromosome 6 was located for the PL with a high explanatory contribution rate of 20.02% between the molecular markers sc2170 and sf43960. The QTL at the 147.00 cM position of chromosome 3 was located on LW with a high explanatory contribution rate of 19.97% between molecular markers of Sc52751 and RA2-E12.Conclusions According to the QTL results of planting density in broccoli by a DH population, the possible positions of candidate genes were screened to provide a basis for further locating and cloning genes for plant height, maximum outer petiole and leaf width.

Background: Nutrition support is crucial for patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer after the operation. However, the controversy over the application of parenteral nutrition (PN) and early enteral immunonutrition (EEIN) has no determinate conclusion. Materials and Methods: We compared the effects of PN and EEIN on the postoperative nutrition condition, immune status, inflammation level, long‐term survival, and quality of life of the patients with GI cancer. Seventy‐eight patients were randomly divided into the PN group (n = 44) or EEIN group (n = 34). After an 8‐day nutrition treatment, clinical and immunological parameters were evaluated. Results: The EEIN group had a significantly shorter hospital stay and higher body mass index level on postoperative day 30 than those in the PN group (P < .05). However, total hospital cost and incidences of short‐term postoperative complications had no significant difference (P > .05). The percentages of CD4⁺, natural killer, and natural killer T lymphocyte cells and the ratio of CD4⁺/CD8⁺ in peripheral blood were significantly increased. Compared with the PN group, the EEIN group had a higher expression of activated cell surface markers such as CD27 and CD28. In addition, the secretion of interleukin (IL)–2 and interferon‐γ was significantly higher, and the secretion of tumor necrosis factor–α and IL‐10 was lower. Complication‐free survival in the EEIN group were longer than those in the PN group (P = .04). Conclusion: EEIN is superior to PN in improving nutrition status, enhancing immune function, and elevating quality of life.