Conserved DNA sequence analysis reveals the phylogeography and evolutionary events of Akebia trifoliata in the region across the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau and subtropical China

BACKGROUND

The eastern edge of the Qinghai‒Tibet Plateau (QTP) and subtropical China have various regions where plant species originate and thrive, but these regions have been the focus of very few integrative studies. Here, we elucidated the phylogeographic structure of a continuous and widespread Akebia trifoliata population across these two regions.

RESULTS

Sixty-one populations consisting of 391 genotypes were examined to assess population diversity and structure via network distribution analysis, maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree reconstruction, divergence time estimation, demographic history inference, and ancestral area reconstruction of both conserved internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and chloroplast (rps16) DNA sequences. The results showed that the ITS region was more variable than the rps16 region and could be suitable for studying intraspecific phylogeography. The A. trifoliata population displayed high genetic diversity, genetic differentiation and obvious phylogeographical structure, possibly originating on the eastern QTP, expanding during the last glacial-interglacial cycle, diverging in the early Pleistocene and middle Pleistocene, and extensively migrating thereafter. The migration route from west to east along rivers could be largely responsible for the long-distance dispersal of this species, while three main refuges (Qinba Mountains, Nanling Mountains and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau) with multiple ice shelters facilitated its wide distribution.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggested that the from west to east long migration accompanying with the minor short reciprocal migration in the south-north direction, and the three main refuges (the Qinba Mountains, Nanling Mountains and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau) contributed to the extant geographical distribution of A. trifoliata. In addition, this finding also strongly reduced the discrepancy between glacial contraction and postglacial expansion and the in situ survival hypothesis by simultaneously considering the existence of many similar climate-related ecological niches and migration influences.

Influences of tobacco straw return with lime on microbial community structure of tobacco-planting soil and tobacco leaf quality

Soil amendment is an important strategy for improving soil quality and crop yield. From 2014 to 2019, we conducted a study to investigate the effects of tobacco straw return with lime on soil nutrients, soil microbial community structure, tobacco leaf yield, and quality in southern Anhui, China. A field experiment was conducted with four treatments: straw removed (CK), straw return (St), straw return with dolomite (St + D), and straw return with lime (St + L). Results showed that after 5 years of application, the St + L significantly increased the soil pH by 16.9%, and the contents of soil alkaline nitrogen (N) and available potassium (K) by 17.2% and 23.0%, respectively, compared with the CK. Moreover, the St + L significantly increased tobacco leaf yield (24.0%) and the appearance (9.1%) and sensory (5.9%) quality of flue-cured tobacco leaves. The addition of soil conditioners (straw, dolomite, and lime) increased both the total reads and effective sequences of soil microorganisms. Bacterial diversity was more sensitive to changes in the external environment compared to soil fungi. The application of soil amendments (lime and straw) promoted the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the soil. Additionally, bacterial species had greater competition and limited availability of resources for survival compared to fungi. The results showed that soil microorganisms were significantly influenced by the presence of AK, AN, and pH contents. These findings can provide an effective method for improving the quality of flue-cured tobacco leaves and guiding the amelioration of acidic soil in regions where tobacco-rice rotation is practiced.

Deciphering the impact of greenhouse pesticides on hepatic metabolism profile: Toxicity experiments on HepG2 cells using chlorpyrifos and emamectin benzoate

Epidemiological evidence on the health effects of pesticide exposure among greenhouse workers is limited, and the mechanisms are lacking. Building upon our team's previous population study, we selected two pesticides, CPF and EB, with high detection rates, based on the theoretical foundation that the liver serves as a detoxifying organ, we constructed a toxicity model using HepG2 cells to investigate the impact of individual or combined pesticide exposure on the hepatic metabolism profile, attempting to identify targeted biomarkers. Our results showed that CPF and EB could significantly affect the survival rate of HepG2 cells and disrupt their metabolic profile. There were 117 metabolites interfered by CPF exposure, which mainly affected ABC transporter, biosynthesis of amino acids, center carbon metabolism in cancer, fatty acid biosynthesis and other pathways, 95 metabolites interfered by EB exposure, which mainly affected center carbon metabolism in cancer, HIF-1 signaling pathway, valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis, fatty acid biosynthesis and other pathways. The cross analysis and further biological experiments confirmed that CPF and EB pesticide exposure may affect the HIF-1 signaling pathway and valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis in HepG2 cells, providing reliable experimental evidence for the prevention and treatment of liver damage in greenhouse workers.

Improving chilling tolerance of peanut seedlings by enhancing antioxidant-modulated ROS scavenging ability, alleviating photosynthetic inhibition, and mobilizing nutrient absorption

Peanut production is threatened by climate change. Damage to seedlings from low temperatures in early spring can limit yield. Plant adaptations to chilling stress remain unclear in peanut seedlings. It is essential to understand how peanut acquires chilling tolerance. We evaluated effects of chilling stress on growth and recovery of peanut seedlings. We compared and analysed biological characteristics, antioxidants, photosynthesis, biochemical and physiological responses, and nutrient absorption at varying levels of chilling. Compared with chilling-sensitive FH18, the reduced impact of chilling stress on chilling-tolerant NH5 was associated with reduced ROS accumulation, higher ascorbate peroxidase activity and soluble sugar content, lower soluble protein content, and smaller reductions in nutrient content during stress. After removal of chilling stress, FH18 had significant accumulation of O2 •- and H2O2, which decreased photosynthesis, nutrient absorption, and transport. ROS-scavenging reduced damage from chilling stress, allowed remobilization of nutrients, improved chilling tolerance, and restored plant functioning after chilling stress removal. These findings provide a reference for targeted research on peanut seedling tolerance to chilling and lay the foundation for bioinformatics-based research on peanut chilling tolerance mechanisms.

An intelligent ratiometric fluorescent assay based on MOF nanozyme-mediated tandem catalysis that guided by contrary logic circuit for highly sensitive sarcosine detection and smartphone-based portable sensing application

As the well-known test-indicator for early prostate cancer (PCa), sarcosine (SA) is closely related to the differential pathological process, which makes its accurate determination increasingly significant. Herein, we for the first time expanded the peroxidase (POD)-like property of facile-synthesized Zn-TCPP(Fe) MOF to fluorescent substrates and exploited it to ratiometric fluorescent (RF) sensing. By harnessing the effective catalytic oxidation of MOF nanozyme toward two fluorescent substrates (Scopoletin, SC; Amplex Red, AR) with contrary changes, and target-responsive (SA + SOx)/MOF/(SC + AR) tandem catalytic reaction, we constructed the first MOF nanozyme-based RF sensor for the quantitative determination of SA. Superior to previous works, the operation of this RF sensor is under the guidance of AND-(AND^NAND) contrary logic circuit. The dual-channel binary output changes (from 1/0 to 0/1) not only enable the intelligent logical recognition of SA, bringing strengthened reliability and accuracy, but also manifest the proof-of-concept discrimination of PCa individuals and healthy ones. Through recording the fluorescence alterations of SC (F465) and AR (F585), two segments of linear relationships between ratiometric values (F585/F465) and varied contents of SA are realized successfully. The LOD for SA could reach to as low as 39.98 nM, which outperforms all nanozyme-originated SA sensors reported till now. Moreover, this sensor also demonstrates high selectivity and satisfactory performance in human serum samples. Furthermore, the portable sensing of SA is realized under the assistance of smartphone-based RGB analysis, demonstrating the potential of point-of-care diagnostics of PCa in the future.

Tuning the Flat Band in Bi2O2Se by Pressure to Induce Superconductivity

The discovery of superconductivity in twisted bilayer graphene has reignited enthusiasm in the field of flat-band superconductivity. However, important challenges remain, such as constructing a flat-band structure and inducing a superconducting state in materials. Here, we successfully achieved superconductivity in Bi2O2Se by pressure-tuning the flat-band electronic structure. Experimental measurements combined with theoretical calculations reveal that the occurrence of pressure-induced superconductivity at 30 GPa is associated with a flat-band electronic structure near the Fermi level. Moreover, in Bi2O2Se, a van Hove singularity is observed at the Fermi level alongside pronounced Fermi surface nesting. These remarkable features play a crucial role in promoting strong electron-phonon interactions, thus potentially enhancing the superconducting properties of the material. These findings demonstrate that pressure offers a potential experimental strategy for precisely tuning the flat band and achieving superconductivity.

Association between 19 medication use and risk of common cancers: A cross-sectional and Mendelian randomisation study

Background

Previous studies have yielded inconsistent results concerning drug use and the risk of cancers. We conducted a large-scale cross-sectional study and a two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) study to reveal the causal effect between the use of 19 medications and the risk of four common cancers (breast, lung, colorectal, and prostate).

Methods

We obtained information on medication use and cancer diagnosis from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants. After propensity score matching, we conducted survey-weighted multivariate logistic regression and restricted cubic spline analysis to assess the observed correlation between medication use and cancer while adjusting for multiple covariates. We also performed MR analysis to investigate causality based on summary data from genome-wide association studies on medication use and cancers. We performed sensitivity analyses, replication analysis, genetic correlation analysis, and reverse MR analysis to improve the reliability of MR findings.

Results

We found that the use of agents acting on the renin-angiotensin system was associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer (odds ratio (OR) = 0.42; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.27-0.63, P < 0.001), and there was a nonlinear association of 'decrease-to-increase-to-decrease' (P < 0.0001). The random-effects inverse variance weighted (IVW) model-based primary MR analysis (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.91-0.97, P = 0.0007) and replication MR analysis (OR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.85-0.96, P = 0.0006) both provided robust evidence of the causality of genetic liability for the use of agents acting on the renin-angiotensin system on a decreased risk of prostate cancer.

Conclusions

Our study provides robust evidence that the use of drugs acting on the renin-angiotensin system can reduce prostate cancer risk. Given the high prevalence of prostate cancer, these findings have important implications for drug selection and prostate cancer prevention in patients with cardiovascular disease.

Impact of autophagy inhibition on intervertebral disc cells and extracellular matrix

Background

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a leading contributor to low back pain (LBP). Autophagy, strongly activated by hypoxia and nutrient starvation, is a vital intracellular quality control process that removes damaged proteins and organelles to recycle them for cellular biosynthesis and energy production. While well-established as a major driver of many age-related diseases, autophagy dysregulation or deficiency has yet been confirmed to cause IDD.

Methods

In vitro, rat nucleus pulposus (NP) cells treated with bafilomycin A1 to inhibit autophagy were assessed for glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content, proteoglycan synthesis, and cell viability. In vivo, a transgenic strain (Col2a1-Cre; Atg7 fl/fl) mice were successfully generated to inhibit autophagy primarily in NP tissues. Col2a1-Cre; Atg7 fl/fl mouse intervertebral discs (IVDs) were evaluated for biomarkers for apoptosis and cellular senescence, aggrecan content, and histological changes up to 12 months of age.

Results

Here, we demonstrated inhibition of autophagy by bafilomycin produced IDD features in the rat NP cells, including increased apoptosis and cellular senescence (p21 CIP1) and decreased expression of disc matrix genes Col2a1 and Acan. H&E histologic staining showed significant but modest degenerative changes in NP tissue of Col2a1-Cre; Atg7 fl/fl mice compared to controls at 6 and 12 months of age. Intriguingly, 12-month-old Col2a1-Cre; Atg7 fl/fl mice did not display increased loss of NP proteoglycan. Moreover, markers of apoptosis (cleaved caspase-3, TUNEL), and cellular senescence (p53, p16 INK4a , IL-1β, TNF-α) were not affected in 12-month-old Col2a1-Cre; Atg7 fl/fl mice compared to controls. However, p21 CIP1and Mmp13 gene expression were upregulated in NP tissue of 12-month-old Col2a1-Cre; Atg7 fl/fl mice compared to controls, suggesting p21 CIP1-mediated cellular senescence resulted from NP-targeted Atg7 knockout might contribute to the observed histological changes.

Conclusion

The absence of overt IDD features from disrupting Atg7-mediated macroautophagy in NP tissue implicates other compensatory mechanisms, highlighting additional research needed to elucidate the complex biology of autophagy in regulating age-dependent IDD.

Bioaerosols in the atmosphere: A comprehensive review on detection methods, concentration and influencing factors

In the past few decades, especially since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the effects of atmospheric bioaerosols on human health, the environment, and climate have received great attention. To evaluate the impacts of bioaerosols quantitatively, it is crucial to determine the types of bioaerosols in the atmosphere and their spatial-temporal distribution. We provide a concise summary of the online and offline observation strategies employed by the global research community to sample and analyze atmospheric bioaerosols. In addition, the quantitative distribution of bioaerosols is described by considering the atmospheric bioaerosols concentrations at various time scales (daily and seasonal changes, for example), under various weather, and different underlying surfaces. Finally, a comprehensive summary of the reasons for the spatiotemporal distribution of bioaerosols is discussed, including differences in emission sources, the impact process of meteorological factors and environmental factors. This review of information on the latest research progress contributes to the emergence of further observation strategies that determine the quantitative dynamics of public health and ecological effects of bioaerosols.

Survival assessment of nephron-sparing surgery or radical nephrectomy in children with unilateral Wilms tumor receiving adjuvant chemotherapy: a retrospective cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

Surgical treatment of unilateral Wilms tumor (WT) in children is controversial. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the survival and prognosis of radical nephrectomy (RN) and nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) in children with unilateral WT receiving adjuvant chemotherapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data on pediatric patients with WT were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 2000 to 2019. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze factors influencing the choice of surgical strategy. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess factors associated with overall survival.

RESULTS

We included 1,825 patients with unilateral WT (<14 years) who received adjuvant chemotherapy and surgery. Between 2000 and 2019, the percentage of patients treated with NSS increased from 4% in 2000 to 8% in 2019. There was no significant difference in 10-year overall survival between the two surgical strategies [NSS vs. RN, 93.26% (95% CI, 86.88%-100%) vs. 92.17% (95% CI, 90.75%-93.61%), p=0.98]. Patients with unilateral WTs ≤4 cm were more likely to be treated with NSS. There was no survival benefit for patients treated with RN compared with that for those treated with NSS (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.29-1.86; p=0.5).

CONCLUSIONS

The use of NSS in children with unilateral WT has increased over the last two decades. Tumor size is an important influencing factor for the surgical application of NSS. Patients who underwent NSS had an equivalent OS compared with the overall group of patients with unilateral tumors who received RN.

Risk Factors for Subclinical Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Purpose

To investigate the risk factors associated with subclinical diabetic peripheral neuropathy (sDPN) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Patients and Methods

This cross-sectional, retrospective study involved 311 patients with T2DM who were successively admitted from January 2018 to December 2021 without any neurological symptoms. All participants underwent a nerve conduction study (NCS), and those asymptomatic patients with abnormal nerve conduction were diagnosed with sDPN. Differences between groups were evaluated by the chi-squared, Wilcoxon, or Fisher's exact test. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the independent risk factors for sDPN. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed, and the areas under curves (AUCs) were detected.

Results

Among 311 asymptomatic patients with T2DM, 142 (45.7%) with abnormal nerve conduction were diagnosed with sDPN. Patients with sDPN significantly differed from those without diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in age, history of hypertension, duration of diabetes, anemia, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, fasting C-peptide level, serum creatinine level, and albuminuria (all p<0.05). Furthermore, the duration of diabetes (odds ratio [OR]: 1.062, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.016-1.110), fasting C-peptide level (OR: 2.427, 95% CI: 1.126-5.231), and presence of albuminuria (OR: 2.481, 95% CI: 1.406-4.380) were independently associated with the development of sDPN (all p<0.05). The AUCs for fasting C-peptide level, duration of diabetes, and the two factors combined were 0.6229 (95% CI: 0.5603-0.6855, p=0.0002), 0.6738 (95% CI: 0.6142-0.7333, p<0.0001), and 0.6808 (95% CI: 0.6212-0.7404, p<0.0001), respectively.

Conclusion

For patients with T2DM and longer duration of diabetes, lower fasting C-peptide levels, and presence with albuminuria, the risk for developing DPN is higher even if they have no clinical signs or symptoms. Identifying potential risk factors for the development of sDPN and effectively controlling them early are critical for the successful management of DPN.

The role of Shenqi Fuzheng injection as adjuvant therapy for breast cancer: an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent malignancy in the world. Chemotherapy (CT) is a common treatment for BC but is accompanied by toxicity and side effects. Shenqi Fuzheng Injection (SFI) is an adjuvant therapy with promising results in improving efficacy and reducing toxicity in clinical studies. This overview of systematic reviews and meta-analysis (SRs/MAs) aimed to summarize the benefits and evaluate the quality of evidence supporting SFI adjuvant as CT for BC.

METHODS

A systematic search for SRs/MAs of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on SFI treatment for BC was performed by searching PubMed, Web of Science, EMbase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed databases from inception to October 1, 2022. The quality of SRs/MAs was evaluated using AMSTAR-2, PRISMA 2020, ROBIS, and GRADE by two reviewers. The corrected covered area (CCA) was used to quantify the degree of duplication of the original SRs/MAs. Finally, quantitative analysis of RCTs was conducted using RevMan 5.4 software. This study was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42022377290.

RESULTS

Six SRs/MAs including 61 RCTs with 5593 patients were included in this study. Studies were published between 2015 and 2019, the original RCTs ranged from 7-49, with sample sizes ranging from 336-1989. The quantitative meta-analysis found that adjuvant CT of SFI improved the clinical response rate (RR=1.37, 95% CI=1.28, 1.46; P<0.00001) and the KPS score (RR=1.66, 95% CI 1.54, 1.79, P<0.00001) of patients with BC. In terms of immune function, CD3+ (SMD=1.51, 95% CI 0.91, 2.10; P<0.00001), CD4+ (SMD=1.87, 95% CI 1.18, 2.56; P<0.00001), CD4+/CD8+ (SMD=0.86, 95% CI 0.48, 1.23; P<0.00001), and NK cell levels (SMD=0.94, 95% CI 0.63, 1.24; P<0.00001) in the adjuvant CT group SFI were better than those with CT alone. Adverse reactions following SFI adjuvant CT showed reduced incidence of leukopenia (RR=0.53, 95% CI 0.46, 0.62; P<0.00001) and gastrointestinal reactions (RR=0.48, 95% CI 0.39, 0.58; P<0.00001). However, the GRADE results showed 'very low' to 'moderate' evidence for the 42 outcomes, without high-quality evidence supporting them, limited mainly by deficiencies in the design of RCTs (42/42, 100.00%), inconsistency (19/42, 45.24%), publication bias (41/42, 97.62%), and inaccuracy (3/42, 7.14%). The unsatisfactory results of AMSTAR-2, PRISMA 2020, and ROBIS were limited to lack of registration of study protocols, explanation of inclusion basis of RCTs, description of funding sources for the included studies, incomplete search strategy and screening process, addressing heterogeneity and sensitivity, and reporting potential conflicts of interest.

CONCLUSION

Adjuvant CT with SFI for BC had better benefits and a lower risk of adverse events. The methodology and quality of the evidence are generally low, highlighting a need of greater attention during study implementation. More objective and high-quality studies are needed to verify the efficacy of adjuvant CT with SFI in clinical decision-making for BC.

Association of adverse fetal outcomes with placental inflammation after oral gestational exposure to hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (GenX) in Sprague-Dawley rats

Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), known as "GenX" for its trade name, is gradually taking the place of Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). However, there is a poor understanding of the developmental effects of GenX. This study aims to explore whether GenX produces adverse effects on offspring development in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and the underlying mechanisms. Pregnant rats were orally administered with GenX (0, 1, 10 and 100 mg/kg/day) from gestational 0.5-19.5 days. Experimental data showed that the exposure to GenX resulted in increased rats' gestational weight gain, whereas both body weight and body length of their fetuses born naturally were significantly reduced. This could contribute to the developmental delays of fetal body weight, body length and tail length from postnatal 1-21 days. Histopathological evaluation of placenta indicated that GenX exposure led to neutrophil infiltration in decidual zone and congestion in labyrinth zone. Moreover, placental proteomics showed changes at the expression levels of the inflammation-related proteins in the Rap1 signaling pathway. In conclusion, gestational exposure to GenX induced fetal intrauterine and extrauterine development retardation in SD rats. Placental inflammation may play a key role in this process through the Rap1 signaling pathway.

Directional manipulation of electron transfer in copper/nitrogen doped carbon by Schottky barrier for efficient anodic hydrazine oxidation and cathodic oxygen reduction

Development of bifunctional hydrazine oxidation and oxygen reduction electrocatalysts with high activity and stability is of great significance for the implementation of direct hydrazine fuel cells. Combining zero-dimensional metal nanoparticles with three-dimensional nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets is an attractive strategy for balancing performance and cost. However, the precise construction of these composites remains a significant challenge, and thorough study of their interaction mechanisms is lacking. Herein, the CuNPs/CuSA-NPCF catalyst was constructed by anchoring copper nanoparticles on a three-dimensional nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanosheet framework through coordination of polyvinyl pyrrolidone and copper ions. The Schottky barrier of metal-semiconductor matched the Fermi level of the rectifying contact, thus enabling directional electron transfer. The resulting electron-deficient Cu nanoparticles surface exhibited Lewis acidity, which was beneficial to adsorption of hydrazine molecule. While the electron-enriched Cu-N4/carbon surface improved the adsorption of oxygen molecule, and accelerated electron supply from Cu-N4 active sites to various oxygen intermediates. The CuNPs/CuSA-NPCF Mott-Schottky catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic activity for hydrazine oxidation reaction and oxygen reduction reaction in an alkaline media. The directional manipulation of electron transfer in heterogeneous materials was an attractive universal synthesis method, providing new approach for the preparation of efficient and stable hydrazine fuel cell catalysts.

Identification and validation of genes associated with copper death in oral squamous cell carcinoma based on machine learning and weighted gene co-expression network analysis

OBJECTIVE

To identify copper-induced death-associated hub genes in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and understand their functional and biological significance using machine learning and Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA).

METHODS

OSCC transcriptomic data from GEO and TCGA databases were subjected to data integration, batch effect removal, background correction, and quantile normalization to select cuproptosis-associated genes using Spearman's correlation analysis. The 'limma' R package was used to filter differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Core module genes selected using gene co-expression network analysis with R package 'WGCNA' were screened using Support Vector Machine (SVM), LASSO regression, and Random Forest (RF) machine learning algorithms and validated using TCGA database samples. Core gene expression variations between OSCC and adjacent normal tissues were validated using immunohistochemistry. Immune infiltration analysis using package 'CIBERSORT' correlated hub genes with immune cells.

RESULTS

From 19 cuproptosis-related genes (identified from literature), 2382 cuproptosis-related mRNA were obtained through Spearman's correlation analysis; 112 DEGs using 'limma' R package and 32 hub genes using WGCNA were obtained. Hub genes TMPRSS11B, SERPINH1, and CDH3 were identified using machine learning algorithms. TCGA validation showed that TMPRSS11B significantly underexpressed (P < 0.001) but SERPINH1 and CDH3 significantly overexpressed (P < 0.001) in tumor samples. The AUC for TMPRSS11B, SERPINH1, and CDH3 in ROC curve analysis were 78.1%, 95.6%, and 87.5%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

TMPRSS11B, SERPINH1, and CDH3 may be pivotal for OSCC development and progression and potential targets for new therapeutic and predictive strategies. However, their specific functions and mechanisms underlying OSCC remain to be elucidated.

[The clinical application value of brain 18F-FDG PET/CT in the diagnostics of Parkinsonian syndromes]

Objective: To analyze the PET/CT imaging features of fluoride 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) in patients with various types of Parkinson's syndrome (PS), and to establish a "diagnostic tree" model of 18F-FDG PET/CT for PS. Methods: Data of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), patients with multiple system atrophy cerebellar type (MSA-C), and patients with multiple system atrophy Parkinson's type (MSA-P)admitted to the Neurology Department of Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University from January 2019 to December 2021. 18F-FDG PET/CT examination was conducted in all patients. Clinical and follow-up data was collected to determine clinical diagnosis. The specific patterns of brain glucose metabolism in patients with various types of Parkinsonism were observed and their utility in the differential diagnosis of the disease was analyzed. 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging"diagnostic tree"model was established and its value in the differential diagnosis of Parkinsonism was verified. Results: A total of 320 patients, 187 males and 133 females, aged (62±9) years, were enrolled in our study, including 80 PD, 90 PSP, 114 MSA-C and 36 MSA-P patients. The differential diagnostic features of cerebral glucose metabolism of Parkinsonism were as follows: the metabolism of putamen increased in PD patients, the metabolism of caudate nucleus, thalamus, midbrain, and frontal lobe decreased in PSP patients, the metabolism of cerebellum decreased in MSA-C patients, and the metabolism of putamen and cerebellum decreased in MSA-P patients. The sensitivity and specificity of the"diagnostic tree"model are 88.75% and 91.25% for PD diagnosis, 54.44% and 96.96% for PSP diagnosis, 87.72% and 86.41% for MSA-C diagnosis, and 55.56% and 91.55% for MSA-P diagnosis, respectively. It could correctly classify 75%(240/320) of patients. Conclusions: Characteristic metabolism patterns of brain in 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging is significant for the differential diagnosis of PD, PSP, MSA-C and MSA-P. The"diagnostic tree"model is valuable for clinical diagnosis.

Efficacy of mouthwash on reducing salivary SARS-CoV-2 viral load and clinical symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 has been a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) for a lengthy period of time. The novel coronavirus is primarily spread via aerosols at a short distance, with infected individuals releasing large amounts of aerosols when speaking and coughing. However, there is an open question regarding whether mouthwash could effectively reduce virus transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic and support the prevention of infection among medical workers.

METHODS

Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases were systematically searched from the inception of each database to January 12, 2023 for currently available randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on the effect of mouthwash on novel coronavirus load in the oral cavity in COVID-19 patients. The treatment group received mouthwash for rinsing the mouth, while the control group received a placebo or distilled water for COVID-19 patients. The primary outcomes were CT value and viral load. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated using a random-effects model. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to minimize the bias and the impact of heterogeneity.

RESULTS

Thirteen RCTs were included. Seven studies reported the intervention effect of mouthwash on the CT value of novel coronavirus. The analysis results showed that the mouthwash group had a positive impact on the CT value of novel coronavirus [ SMD = 0.35, 95% CI (0.21, 0.50)] compared with the control group. In addition, subgroup analysis showed a significant positive effect of mouthwash on CT values in the treatment group compared with the control group, with chlorhexidine (CHX) [SMD = 0.33, 95% CI (0.10, 0.56)], povidone-iodine (PVP-I) [SMD = 0.61, 95% CI (0.23, 0.99)], or hydrogen peroxide (HP) [SMD = 1.04, 95% CI (0.30, 1.78)] as an ingredient of the mouthwash. Six studies reported the intervention effect of mouthwash on the viral load, 263 cases in the treatment group and 164 cases in the control group. The analysis results showed that there was no statistical difference between the mouthwash group and the control group in the viral load of novel coronavirus [SMD = -0.06, 95% CI (-0.18, 0.05)]. In the subgroup analysis by measurement time, there were statistically significant differences between the mouthwash and control groups for CT values [SMD = 0.52, 95% CI (0.31, 0.72)] and viral load [SMD =  - 0.32, 95% CI (- 0.56, - 0.07)] within 30 min of gargling.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, mouthwash has some efficacy in reducing the viral load of novel coronavirus, especially within 30 min after rinsing the mouth. Mouthwash containing CHX, PVP-I and HP all had significant positive effects on CT values, and PVP-I-containing mouthwash may be a promising option to control novel coronavirus infections and relieve virus-related symptoms. However, studies on the dose and frequency of use of mouthwash for infection control are still lacking, which may limit the clinical application of mouthwash.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Protocol registration: The protocol was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42023401961).

Hsa_circ_0003928 regulates the progression of diabetic nephropathy through miR-136-5p/PAQR3 axis

BACKGROUND

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the complications of diabetes and has a high mortality, but its specific pathogenesis is not clear. In recent years, researches on the mechanism of circRNAs in DN have been proved a lot, whereas the functional mechanism of circ_0003928 in DN remains open and it must be investigated to value its important role in DN prevention.

METHODS

HK-2 cells were treated with high glucose (HG), normal glucose (NG) or Mannitol. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assays were performed to detect cell proliferation. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was applied to analyze malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD) levels. Flow cytometry and western blot were preformed to measure cell apoptosis. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to test the levels of circ_0003928, miR-136-5p and progestin and adipoQ receptor family member 3 (PAQR3) mRNA. Western blot was executed to detect Bcl2 associated X (Bax), B cell leukemia/lymphoma 2 (Bcl2), smooth muscle (αSMA), apolipoprotein (C-IV) and PAQR3 levels. Luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down assay were used to analyze the target relationship between miR-136-5p and circ_0003928 or PAQR3.

RESULTS

Circ_0003928 and PAQR3 expression were up-regulated, whereas miR-136-5p was decreased in DN serum and HG-induced HK-2 cells. Circ_0003928 knockdown promoted cell proliferation, and inhibit cell apoptosis, oxidative stress, and fibrosis in HK-2 cells under HG condition. MiR-136-5p silencing overturned the protective effects of si-circ_0003928 on HG-induced HK-2 cells. MiR-136-5p was targeted by circ_0003928 and directly targeted PAQR3. Overexpression of PAQR3 counteracted the inhibitory functions of circ_0003928 knockdown or miR-136-5p overexpression on HG-induced HK-2 cell injury.

CONCLUSION

Circ_0003928 acted as a sponge of miR-136-5p to up-regulating PAQR3 expression, and then regulate the proliferation, oxidative stress, fibrosis and apoptosis in HG-induced HK-2 cells.

SenseLite: A YOLO-Based Lightweight Model for Small Object Detection in Aerial Imagery

In the field of aerial remote sensing, detecting small objects in aerial images is challenging. Their subtle presence against broad backgrounds, combined with environmental complexities and low image resolution, complicates identification. While their detection is crucial for urban planning, traffic monitoring, and military reconnaissance, many deep learning approaches demand significant computational resources, hindering real-time applications. To elevate the accuracy of small object detection in aerial imagery and cater to real-time requirements, we introduce SenseLite, a lightweight and efficient model tailored for aerial image object detection. First, we innovatively structured the YOLOv5 model for a more streamlined structure. In the backbone, we replaced the original structure with cutting-edge lightweight neural operator Involution, enhancing contextual semantics and weight distribution. For the neck, we incorporated GSConv and slim-Neck, striking a balance between reduced computational complexity and performance, which is ideal for rapid predictions. Additionally, to enhance detection accuracy, we integrated a squeeze-and-excitation (SE) mechanism to amplify channel communication and improve detection accuracy. Finally, the Soft-NMS strategy was employed to manage overlapping targets, ensuring precise concurrent detections. Performance-wise, SenseLite reduces parameters by 30.5%, from 7.05 M to 4.9 M, as well as computational demands, with GFLOPs decreasing from 15.9 to 11.2. It surpasses the original YOLOv5, showing a 5.5% mAP0.5 improvement, 0.9% higher precision, and 1.4% better recall on the DOTA dataset. Compared to other leading methods, SenseLite stands out in terms of performance.

Brønsted-Acid-Catalyzed In Situ Formation of Acyclic Tertiary Enamides and Its Application to the Preparation of Diverse Nitrogen-Containing Heterocyclic Compounds

A Brønsted acid-catalyzed cascade process, involving in situ formation of acyclic tertiary enamides and intramolecular Michael reaction, is developed for the synthesis of functionalized cyclic tertiary enamides. Based on the dual reactivities of the enamide moiety, several reaction sequences were realized by using rationally designed substrates, leading to biologically relevant nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds with diverse structural skeletons in a concise and diastereocontrolled manner.

Genome-Wide Analysis of TCP Transcription Factors and Their Expression Pattern Analysis of Rose Plants (Rosa chinensis)

The plant-specific transcription factor TEOSINTE BRANCHED, CYCLOIDEA, AND PROLIFERATING CELL FACTOR (TCP) gene family plays vital roles in various biological processes, including growth and development, hormone signaling, and stress responses. However, there is a limited amount of information regarding the TCP gene family in roses (Rosa sp.). In this study, we identified 18 TCP genes in the rose genome, which were further classified into two subgroups (Group A and Group B) via phylogenetic analysis. Comprehensive characterization of these TCP genes was performed, including gene structure, motif composition, chromosomal location, and expression profiles. Synteny analysis revealed that a few TCP genes are involved in segmental duplication events, indicating that these genes played an important role in the expansion of the TCP gene family in roses. This suggests that segmental duplication events have caused the evolution of the TCP gene family and may have generated new functions. Our study provides an insight into the evolutionary and functional characteristics of the TCP gene family in roses and lays a foundation for the future exploration of the regulatory mechanisms of TCP genes in plant growth and development.

Social participation, psychological resilience and depression among widowed older adults in China

BACKGROUND

Depression has become a challenging public health problem, and the loss of a spouse is one of the main causes of depression in older adults. Social participation and psychological resilience are protective factors that reduce depressive symptoms in adults. The purpose of this study was to explore the influences of social participation and psychological resilience on the depression of Chinese widowed older adults.

METHODS

We carried out a cross-sectional study on 790 community-dwelling widowed older adults in Shaanxi, China, in 2019. A structured face-to-face interview was used to collect data. We used the ordinary least squares model (OLS), the generalized propensity score matching (GPSM) and the mediation model to test the relationship between social participation, psychological resilience and depression.

RESULTS

We find a U-shaped relationship between social participation and depression, with the increase in social participation scores, the average depression level decreased and then increased. The psychological resilience of the widowed older adults was negatively associated with depression. The higher their psychological resilience, the lower their depression level. Among the four factors of psychological resilience, factor 2 (optimism and positive acceptance of change) and factor 3 (secure relationships and tolerance of negative affect) of psychological resilience were protective factors for depression after adjusting for demographic variables and physical health conditions. Psychological resilience plays a mediating role, as evident in factor 2 and factor 3 mediating the relationship between social participation and depression.

CONCLUSION

An appropriate level of social participation will relieve the depression of widowed older adults. Social participation can reduce the depression level of widowed older adults by improving their psychological resilience. Community and family could reduce depression by intervening in the social participation of widowed older adults. Active social participation is crucial because it has a protective and resilient impact, which can help people recover from the stress of losing a spouse.

Enantioseparation by zeolitic imidazolate framework-8-silica hybrid monolithic column with sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin as a chiral additive in capillary electrochromatography

A zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)-8-silica hybrid monolithic column was prepared by one-step sol-gel method. The stationary phase in the monolithic column was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectra, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, nitrogen adsorption/desorption, and zeta potential. The results showed that ZIF-8-silica hybrid monolithic materials had abundant functional groups, good crystallinity, large specific surface area, and good thermal stability. A capillary electrochromatography (CEC) chiral separation system was for the first time constructed with ZIF-8-silica hybrid monolithic column and sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD) as a chiral additive and was applied to separate the selected single and mixed chiral compounds (13 natural amino acids and 5 chiral pesticides). Under the optimized CEC conditions, all the single analytes achieved baseline separation with resolution of 2.14-5.94 and selectivity factor of 1.06-1.49 in less than 6 min, and the mixed amino acids with similar properties were also simultaneously enantioseparated (Rs ≥ 1.82). Relative standard deviations (RSDs) of migration time and column efficiency were lower than 4.26% and did not change significantly after 200 runs, evidencing excellent reproducibility and stability. These results demonstrate that the application of SBE-β-CD as a chiral additive for ZIF-8-silica hybrid monolithic columns is a promising method for the separation of chiral compounds.

High-pressure synthesis of fully sp2-hybridized polymeric nitrogen layer in potassium supernitride

Searching for fully sp²-hybridized layered structures is of fundamental importance because of their fascinating physical properties and potential to host topologically non-trivial electronic states. However, the synthesis of fully sp²-hybridized layered polymeric nitrogen structures remains a challenging work because of their low stability. Here, we report the synthesis of a fully sp²-hybridized layered polymeric nitrogen structure featuring fused 18-membered rings in potassium supernitride (K₂N₁₆) under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions. Bader charge analysis reveals that the potassium atomic layer stabilizes the unique sp²-hybridized polymeric nitrogen layers through the charge transfer effect in K₂N₁₆. The calculation of electronic structure indicates that K₂N₁₆ is a topological semimetal with multiple Dirac points and hosts higher-order Dirac fermions with cubic dispersion, which are contributed by the sp²-hybridized polymeric nitrogen layers arranged in P6/mcc symmetry. The high-pressure synthesis of the fully sp²-hybridized polymeric nitrogen layered structure provides promising prospects for exploring novel topological materials with effective stabilization routes.

Abnormal Metal-Semiconductor-Like Transition and Exceptional Enhanced Superconducting State in Pressurized Restacked TaS2

Interlayer coupling and stacking order play essential roles in shaping the exotic electronic properties of two-dimensional materials. Here, we employ restacked TaS₂─a novel transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) with weak vdW bonding and twisted angles─to investigate the strain effects of interlayer modulation on the electronic properties. Under pressure, an unexpected transition from metallic to semiconducting-like states occurs. Superconductivity coexists with the semiconducting-like state over a wide pressure range, which has never before been observed in TMDs. Upon further compression, a new superconducting SC-II state emerges without structural evolution and gradually replaces the initial SC-I state. The emerging SC-II state exhibits robust zero-resistance superconductivity and an ultrahigh upper critical field. The abundant electronic state changes in RS-TaS₂ are strongly related to band-structure engineering resulting from pressure-induced interlayer stacking angle modulation. Our results reveal the remarkable effect of interlayer rearrangement on electronic properties and provide a special way to explore the unique properties of 2D materials.

Prediction of Late Hospital Arrival in Patients with Mild and Rapidly Improving Acute Ischemic Stroke in a Rural Area of China

Purpose

Among all ischemic stroke patients, more than half are mild and rapidly improving acute ischemic stroke (MaRAIS) patients. However, many MaRAIS patients do not recognize the disease early on, and thus they delay access to the treatment that would be most effective if provided earlier. This is especially true in rural areas. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a late hospital arrival risk nomogram in a rural Chinese population of patients with MaRAIS.

Methods

We developed a prediction model based on a training dataset of 173 MaRAIS patients collected from September 9, 2019 to May 13, 2020. Data analyzed included demographics and disease characteristics. A least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model was used to optimize feature selection for the late hospital arrival risk model. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was applied to build a prediction model incorporating the features selected in the LASSO regression models. The discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness of the prediction model were assessed using the C-index, calibration plot, and decision curve analysis, respectively. Internal validation was then assessed using bootstrapping validation.

Results

Variables contained in the prediction nomogram included transportation mode, history of diabetes, knowledge of stroke symptoms, and thrombolytic therapy. The model had moderate predictive power with a C-index of 0.709 (95% confidence interval: 0.636-0.783) and good calibration. In the internal validation, the C-index reached 0.692. The risk threshold was 30-97% according to the analysis of the decision curve, and the nomogram could be applied in clinical practice.

Conclusion

This novel nomogram, which incorporates transportation mode, history of diabetes, knowledge of stroke symptoms, and thrombolytic therapy, was conveniently applied to facilitate individual late hospital arrival risk prediction among MaRAIS patients in a rural area of Shanghai, China.

Genetically predicted 486 blood metabolites in relation to risk of colorectal cancer: A Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND

Metabolic disorders are a hallmark feature of cancer. However, the evidence for the causality of circulating metabolites to promote or prevent colorectal cancer (CRC) is still lacking. We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to assess the causality from genetically proxied 486 blood metabolites to CRC.

METHODS

Genome-wide association study (GWAS) data for exposures were extracted from 7824 Europeans GWAS on metabolite levels. GWAS data for CRC from the GWAS catalog database GCST012879 were used for the preliminary analysis. The random inverse variance weighted (IVW) is the primary analysis for causality analysis while MR-Egger and weighted median as complementary analyses. Cochran Q test, MR-Egger intercept test, MR-PRESSO, Radial MR, and leave-one-out analysis were used for sensitivity analyses. For significant associations, additional independent CRC GWAS data GCST012880 were used for replication analysis and meta-analysis. For the final identification of metabolites, Steiger test, linkage disequilibrium score regression, and colocalization analysis were performed for further evaluation. Multivariable MR was performed to assess the direct effect of metabolites on CRC.

RESULTS

The results of this study indicated significant associations between six metabolites pyruvate (odds ratio [OR]: 0.49, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.32-0.77, p = 0.002), 1,6-anhydroglucose (OR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.11-1.59, p = 0.002), nonadecanoate (19:0) (OR: 0.40, 95% C I:0.4-0.68, p = 0.0008), 1-linoleoylglycerophosphoethanolamine (OR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.30-0.75, p = 0.001), 2-hydroxystearate (OR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.23-0.67, p = 0.0007), gamma-glutamylthreonine (OR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.02-4.50, p = 0.040) and CRC. MVMR analysis revealed that genetically predicted pyruvate, 1-linoleoylglycerophosphoethanolamine and gamma-glutamylthreonine can directly influence CRC independently of other metabolites.

CONCLUSION

The current work provides evidence to support the causality of the six circulating metabolites on CRC and a new perspective on the exploration of the biological mechanisms of CRC by combining genomics and metabolomics. These findings contribute to the screening, prevention and treatment of CRC.

Urea impregnation into fungus pretreated corn stover to perform pyrolysis for production of nitrogen-containing bio-oil and nitrogen-doped biochar

Urea was introduced into the fungal pretreated corn stover and then the urea soaked materials were subjected to pyrolysis for the production of nitrogen-containing bio-oil and nitrogen-doped biochar. The urea soaking effectively realized the enrichment of nitrogen-containing compounds in the bio-oil and the maximal content of the nitrogen-containing compounds in bio-oils reached up to 66.32% under 4 wt% urea concentration. Among the nitrogen-containing compounds, amines were the most dominant component with the maximal content of 41.17%. The higher urea concentration is beneficial to make more nitrogen be fixed in the biochar. The nitrogen content of the biochar reached up to 12.86 wt% under 8 wt% urea concentration. Nitrogen on the biochar surface existed in the form of pyrrolic-N, pyridinic-N and graphite-N. In conclusion, urea simple soak on fungus pretreated biomass to perform pyrolysis is a promising approach to obtain high value-added nitrogen-containing chemicals and nitrogen-doped biochar with high nitrogen content.

Effect of negative emotions on patients with advanced gastric cancer receiving systemic chemotherapy: a prospective study

Background

Most patients with advanced gastric cancer (GC) are treated with systemic chemotherapy and many factors have remarkable impacts on their prognosis. However, the importance of psychological status in the prognosis of advanced GC patients is still unclear. This prospective study was performed to analyze the impact of negative emotions on GC patients treated with systemic chemotherapy.

Methods

Advanced GC patients admitted to our hospital between January 2017 and March 2019 were prospectively enrolled. Demographic and clinical data were collected, as were any adverse events (AEs) related to systemic chemotherapy. Self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) were used to assess negative emotions. The primary outcome was progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), and the secondary outcome was the quality of life which was assessed by The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30. Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the effects of negative emotions on prognosis, and logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk factors related to negative emotions.

Results

A total of 178 advanced GC patients were enrolled in this study. A total of 83 patients were divided into a negative emotion group and 95 patients were divided into normal emotion group. 72 patients experienced AEs during treatment. Many more patients experienced AEs in the negative emotion group than in the normal emotion group (62.7% vs. 21.1%, P<0.001). Enrolled patients were followed up for at least 3 years. It was found both PFS and OS were much lower in the negative emotion group than in the normal emotion group (P=0.0186 and 0.0387, respectively). Participants in negative emotion group had lower health status and more severe symptoms. Negative emotions, lower body mass index (BMI), and IV tumor stage were identified as risk factors. In addition, higher BMI and marital status were identified as protective factors of negative emotions.

Conclusions

Negative emotions have a significant adverse effect on the prognosis of GC patients. The main risk factor of negative emotions is AEs during treatment. It is necessary to closely monitor the treatment process and improve the psychological status of patients.

A chiral fluorescent COF prepared by post-synthesis modification for optosensing of imazamox enantiomers

We report a post-synthesis modification for the preparation of a novel chiral fluorescent covalent organic framework (COF) for selective recognization of imazamox enantiomers. In this study, chiral COF was firstly synthesized via a Schiff-base reaction between 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalaldehyde (Dha) and 1,3,5-tris(4-aminophenyl)benzene (Tab) followed by a nucleophilic substitution using (1S)-(+)-10-camphorsulfonyl chloride as chiral modifier. The resulting regular spherical chiral COF Dha Tab not only presented the high optical efficiency, strong covalent bond structure, good crystallinity, large specific surface area but also showed the specific enantioselectivity and quick identification for imazamox enantiomers among five pesticide enantiomers (S/R-imazamox, acephate, acetochlor, propisochlor and metalaxyl). The detection limits for S- and R-imazamox were 4.20 μmol/L and 3.03 μmol/L, respectively. Meanwhile, the enantiomeric excess value (5.30 %) manifested that the chiral COF Dha Tab had the strong adsorption ability to imazamox enantiomers and more higher affinity for R-imazamox. This chiral fluorescent COF opened up a new way for the recognition of enantiomers.

Cross-Modality Person Re-Identification via Local Paired Graph Attention Network

Cross-modality person re-identification (ReID) aims at searching a pedestrian image of RGB modality from infrared (IR) pedestrian images and vice versa. Recently, some approaches have constructed a graph to learn the relevance of pedestrian images of distinct modalities to narrow the gap between IR modality and RGB modality, but they omit the correlation between IR image and RGB image pairs. In this paper, we propose a novel graph model called Local Paired Graph Attention Network (LPGAT). It uses the paired local features of pedestrian images from different modalities to build the nodes of the graph. For accurate propagation of information among the nodes of the graph, we propose a contextual attention coefficient that leverages distance information to regulate the process of updating the nodes of the graph. Furthermore, we put forward Cross-Center Contrastive Learning (C3L) to constrain how far local features are from their heterogeneous centers, which is beneficial for learning the completed distance metric. We conduct experiments on the RegDB and SYSU-MM01 datasets to validate the feasibility of the proposed approach.

Mutant β1-adrenergic receptor improves REM sleep and ameliorates tau accumulation in a mouse model of tauopathy

Sleep is essential for our well-being, and chronic sleep deprivation has unfavorable health consequences. We recently demonstrated that two familial natural short sleep (FNSS) mutations, DEC2-P384R and Npsr1-Y206H, are strong genetic modifiers of tauopathy in PS19 mice, a model of tauopathy. To gain more insight into how FNSS variants modify the tau phenotype, we tested the effect of another FNSS gene variant, Adrb1-A187V, by crossing mice with this mutation onto the PS19 background. We found that the Adrb1-A187V mutation helped restore rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and alleviated tau aggregation in a sleep-wake center, the locus coeruleus (LC), in PS19 mice. We found that ADRB1+ neurons in the central amygdala (CeA) sent projections to the LC, and stimulating CeAADRB1+ neuron activity increased REM sleep. Furthermore, the mutant Adrb1 attenuated tau spreading from the CeA to the LC. Our findings suggest that the Adrb1-A187V mutation protects against tauopathy by both mitigating tau accumulation and attenuating tau spreading.

Bionic lipoprotein loaded with chloroquine-mediated blocking immune escape improves antitumor immunotherapy

Tumor immunotherapy hold great promise for eradicating tumors. However, immune escape and the immunosuppressive microenvironment of tumor usually limit the efficiency of tumor immunotherapy. Therefore, simultaneously blocking immune escape and improving immunosuppressive microenvironment are the current problems to be solved urgently. Among them, CD47 on cancer cells membrane could bind to signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα) on macrophages membrane and sent out "don't eat me" signal, which was an important pathway of immune escape. The large number of M2-type macrophages in tumor microenvironment was a significant factor contributing to the immunosuppressive microenvironment. Here, we present a drug loading system for enhancing cancer immunotherapy, comprising CD47 antibody (aCD47) and chloroquine (CQ) with Bionic lipoprotein (BLP) carrier (BLP-CQ-aCD47). On the one hand, as drug delivery carrier, BLP could allow CQ to be preferentially taken up by M2-type macrophages, thereby efficiently polarized M2-type tumor-promoting cells into M1-type anti-tumor cells. On the other hand, blocking CD47 from binding to SIRPα could block the "don't eat me" signal, and improve the phagocytosis of macrophages to tumor cells. Taken together, BLP-CQ-aCD47 could block immune escape, improve immunosuppressive microenvironment of tumor, and induce a strong immune response without substantial systemic toxicity. Therefore, it provides a new idea for tumor immunotherapy.

Transcranial Doppler versus CT angiography: a comparative analysis for the diagnosis of ischaemic cerebrovascular disease

AIMS

To compare the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and clinical usefulness of transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound against computed tomography angiography (CTA) for the diagnosis of ischaemic cerebrovascular disease.

METHODS

A total of 1,183 sites (vascular segments) of 169 patients who had been diagnosed with cerebrovascular disease using digital subtraction angiography (DSA) were evaluated by CTA and TCD for the diagnosis of the arterial lesions.

RESULTS

Lesions were identified in 509 sites and 674 sites did not have lesions according to the DSA examination. Each individual site had higher sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for TCD than those for CTA, respectively. For all sites, TCD had higher true-positive (p=0.0029) and -negative (p=0.0151) values and fewer false-positive and -negative (p<0.0001 for both) values than those of CTA. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of CTA for all sites to detect lesions were 77%, 88%, and 84%, respectively. The same parameters for TCD were 94%, 97%, and 95%, respectively. The beneficial scores for CTA and TCD to detect lesions were 0-0.795 diagnostic confidence and 0-0.91 diagnostic confidence, respectively. Beneficial scores >0.795 and >0.91 indicated a risk of underdiagnosis of lesions at CTA and TCD, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with DSA (reference standard) and CTA, the study underscores the use of TCD in cerebrovascular pathology.

Chiral covalent organic framework-based open tubular capillary electrochromatography column for enantioseparation of selected amino acids and pesticides

A novel chiral covalent organic framework (CCOF) was synthesized with an imine covalent organic framework TpBD (synthesized via Schiff-base reaction between phloroglucinol (Tp) and benzidine (BD)) modified using (1S)-(+)-10-camphorsulfonyl chloride as chiral ligand by chemical bonding method for the first time, and was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption/desorption, thermogravimetry analysis, and zeta-potential. The results revealed that the CCOF had good crystallinity, high specific surface area and good thermal stability. Then, the CCOF was employed as stationary phase in open-tubular capillary electrochromatography (OT-CEC) column (the CCOF-bonded OT-CEC column) for enantioseparation of 21 single chiral compounds (12 natural amino acids including acidic, neutral and basic, 9 pesticides including herbicides, insecticides and fungicides) and simultaneous enantioseparation of mixture amino acids and pesticides with similar structures or properties. Under the optimized CEC conditions, all the analytes reached the baseline separation with high resolutions of 1.67-25.93 and selectivity factors of 1.06-3.49 in 8 min. Finally, the reproducibility and stability of the CCOF-bonded OT-CEC column were measured. Relative standard deviations (RSDs) of retention time and separation efficiency were 0.58-4.57% and 1.85-4.98%, and not obviously changed after 150 runs. These results demonstrate that COFs-modified OT-CEC explore a promising method to separate chiral compounds.

Identification of Photoperiod- and Phytohormone-Responsive DNA-Binding One Zinc Finger (Dof) Transcription Factors in Akebia trifoliata via Genome-Wide Expression Analysis

As a kind of plant-specific transcription factor (TF), DNA-Binding One Zinc Finger (Dof) is widely involved in the response to environmental change, and as an evolutionarily important perennial plant species, Akebia trifoliata is ideal for studying environmental adaptation. In this study, a total of 41 AktDofs were identified in the A. trifoliata genome. First, the characteristics, including the length, exon number, and chromosomal distribution of the AktDofs and the isoelectric point (PI), amino acid number, molecular weight (MW), and conserved motifs of their putative proteins, were reported. Second, we found that all AktDofs evolutionarily underwent strong purifying selection, and many (33, 80.5%) of them were generated by whole-genome duplication (WGD). Third, we outlined their expression profiles by the use of available transcriptomic data and RT-qPCR analysis. Finally, we identified four candidate genes (AktDof21, AktDof20, AktDof36, and AktDof17) and three other candidate genes (AktDof26, AktDof16, and AktDof12) that respond to long day (LD) and darkness, respectively, and that are closely associated with phytohormone-regulating pathways. Overall, this research is the first to identify and characterize the AktDofs family and is very helpful for further research on A. trifoliata adaptation to environmental factors, especially photoperiod changes.

Nanoarray Architecture of Ultra-Lithiophilic Metal Nitrides for Stable Lithium Metal Anodes

Lithium metal anode (LMA) is puzzled by the serious issues corresponding to infinite volume change and notorious lithium dendrite during long-term stripping/plating process. Herein, the transition metal nitrides array with outstanding lithiophilicity, including CoN, VN, and Ni₃ N, are decorated onto carbon framework as "nests" to uniform Li nucleation and guide Li metal deposition. These transition metal nitrides with excellent conductivity can guarantee the fast electron transport, therefore maintain a stable interface for Li reduction. In addition, the designed multi-dimensional structure of metal nitride array decorated carbon framework can effectively regulate the growth of Li metal during the stripping/plating process. Of note, attributing to the lattice-matching between CoN and Li metal, the composite Li/CoN@CF anode exhibits ultra-stable cycling performance in symmetrical cells (over 4000 h@1 mA cm^-2 with 1 mAh cm^-2 and 1000h@20 mA cm^-2 with 20 mAh cm^-2 ). The assembled full cells based on Li/CoN@CF composite anode, LiFePO₄ or S as cathodes, deliver excellent cycling stability and rate capability. This strategy provides an effective approach to develop a stable lithium metal anode for lithium metal batteries.

ELOVL fatty acid elongase 7 (ELOVL7), upregulated by Mdr2-knockout, predicts advanced liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate the correlations between gene alterations induced in Mdr2-knockout (Mdr2-/-) models and liver fibrosis.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

The overlapping genes in Mdr2-/- models were determined and included in logistic regression analysis to identify potential candidates for predicting liver fibrosis. Correlations between the expression levels of the identified candidates and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were addressed. Functional enrichment of the identified candidates was also evaluated via bioinformatic analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty-two overlapping genes in the GSE4612, GSE8642 and GSE14539 datasets were identified. Univariate and multivariate analysis indicated that ELOVL fatty acid elongase 7 (ELOVL7) was significantly associated with liver fibrosis S ≥ 2 (OR = 11.8, 95% CI = 2.0 - 69.2, p = 0.006). ELOVL7 was significantly upregulated in patients with various types of liver injury including hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and fatty liver diseases, and in multiple liver injury models, including bile duct ligation (BDL), carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and paracetamol injection-induced liver damage models (all p < 0.05). The ELOVL7 levels were significantly higher in HSCs than in other liver cells (all p < 0.05) and were significantly upregulated in activated HSCs compared to quiescent HSCs (all p < 0.05). In addition, ELOVL7 expression was positively associated with transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) and bone morphogenic protein 9 (BMP9) expression and negatively associated with BMP7 expression. Bioinformatic analysis of functional enrichment indicated that ELOVL7 is mainly involved in fatty acid synthesis and metabolism.

CONCLUSIONS

ELOVL7 could accurately predict advanced liver fibrosis. It might be involved in the activation of HSCs and the TGFβ signaling pathway.

Effects of probiotics on preventing caries in preschool children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

This paper systematically evaluate the effects of probiotics on preventing caries in preschool children. The present systematic review was conducted following the Transparent Reporting of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and recorded in the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) database (registration no: CRD42022325286). Literature were screened from PubMed, Embase, Web of Sciences, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang and other databases from inception to April 2022 to identify randomized controlled trials on the clinical efficacies of probiotics in preventing dental caries in preschool children and extract relevant data. The meta-analysis was performed using the RevMan5.4 software and the Stata16. Cochrane handbook was used to assess the risk of bias. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADEprofiler 3.6) was used to determine the evidence quality. A total of 17 randomized controlled trials were eligible, of which two trials had certain levels of bias and 15 had a low risk of bias. Evidence quality assessment showed that the included trials were of medium quality. The meta-analysis results showed that Lactobacillus rhamnosus was associated with a reduced incidence (p = 0.005) and progression (p < 0.001) of caries in preschool children. Probiotics could reduce the number of high-level Streptococcus mutans in saliva (p < 0.00001) but could not reduce the number of Streptococcus mutans in dental plaque nor the amount of Lactobacillus in the saliva and dental plaque. Current evidence shows that probiotics could prevent caries in preschool children, but Lactobacillus rhamnosus was more effective in preventing caries than others. Although probiotics could reduce high levels of Streptococcus mutans in saliva, they could not reduce the amount of Lactobacillus in saliva and dental plaque.

Processed meat, red meat, white meat, and digestive tract cancers: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Background

Previous observational studies suggested inconsistent insights on the associations between meat intake and the risk of digestive tract cancers (DCTs). The causal effect of meat intake on DCTs is unclear.

Methods

Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was performed based on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) summary data from UK Biobank and FinnGen to evaluate the causal effect of meat intake [processed meat, red meat (pork, beef, and lamb), and white meat (poultry)] on DCTs (esophageal, stomach, liver, biliary tract, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers). The causal effects were estimated using a primary analysis that employed inverse-variance weighting (IVW) and complementary analysis that utilized MR-Egger weighted by the median. A sensitivity analysis was conducted using the Cochran Q statistic, a funnel plot, the MR-Egger intercept, and a leave-one-out approach. MR-PRESSO and Radial MR were performed to identify and remove outliers. To demonstrate direct causal effects, multivariable MR (MVMR) was applied. In addition, risk factors were introduced to explore potential mediators of the relationship between exposure and outcome.

Results

The results of the univariable MR analysis indicated that genetically proxied processed meat intake was associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer [IVW: odds ratio (OR) = 2.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07-4.19; P = 0.031]. The causal effect is consistent in MVMR (OR = 3.85, 95% CI 1.14-13.04; P = 0.030) after controlling for the influence of other types of exposure. The body mass index and total cholesterol did not mediate the causal effects described above. There was no evidence to support the causal effects of processed meat intake on other cancers, except for colorectal cancer. Similarly, there is no causal association between red meat, white meat intake, and DCTs.

Conclusions

Our study reported that processed meat intake increases the risk of colorectal cancer rather than other DCTs. No causal relationship was observed between red and white meat intake and DCTs.

Crosstalk between autophagy and the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway regulates realgar-induced neurotoxicity

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Realgar, the main component of which is As₂S₂ or As₄S₄ (≥90%), is a traditional Chinese natural medicine that has been used to treat carbuncles, furuncles, snake and insect bites, abdominal pain caused by parasitic worms, and epilepsy in China for many years. Because realgar contains arsenic, chronic or excessive use of single-flavor realgar and realgar-containing Chinese patent medicine can lead to drug-induced arsenic poisoning, but the exact mechanism underlying its toxicity to the central nervous system is unclear.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The aim of this study was to clarify the mechanism of realgar-induced neurotoxicity and to investigate the effects of realgar on autophagy and the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We used rats treated with the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) or adeno-associated virus (AAV2/9-r-shRNA-Sqstm1, sh-p62) to investigate realgar-induced neurotoxicity and explore the specific relationship between autophagy and the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway (the Nrf2 pathway) in the cerebral cortex. Molecular docking analysis was used to assess the interactions among the Nrf2, p62 and Keap1 proteins.

RESULTS

Our results showed that arsenic from realgar accumulated in the brain and blood to cause neuronal and synaptic damage, decrease exploratory behavior and spontaneous movement, and impair memory ability in rats. The mechanism may have involved realgar-mediated autophagy impairment and continuous activation of the Nrf2 pathway via the LC3-p62-Keap1-Nrf2 axis. However, because this activation of the Nrf2 pathway was not sufficient to counteract oxidative damage, apoptosis was aggravated in the cerebral cortex.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed that autophagy, the Nrf2 pathway, and apoptosis are involved in realgar-induced central nervous system toxicity and identified p62 as the hub of the LC3-p62-Keap1-Nrf2 axis in the regulation of autophagy, the Nrf2 pathway, and apoptosis.

Insights into chloroplast genome structure, intraspecific variation, and phylogeny of Cyclamen species (Myrsinoideae)

Species from the flowering plant genus Cyclamen are popular amongst consumers. In particular Cyclamen persicum Mill. has been significantly used commercially, and certain small flowering species such as Cyclamen hederifolium and Cyclamen coum are gradually growing in popularity in the potted flower market. Here, the chloroplast genomes of nine Cyclamen samples including four Cyclamen species and five varieties of C. hederifolium were sequenced for genome structure comparison, White green septal striped leaves related gene screening and DNA molecular markers were developed for phylogenetic analysis. In comparing Cyclamen species' chloroplast genomes, gene content and gene order were found to be highly similar with the length of genomes ranging from 151,626 to 153,058 bp. The chloroplast genome of Cyclamen has 128 genes, including 84 protein-coding genes, 36 transfer RNA genes, and 8 ribosomal RNA genes. Based on intraspecific variation, seven hotspots, including three genes and four intergenic regions, were identified as variable markers for downstream species delimitation and interspecific relationship analyses. Moreover, a phylogenetic tree constructed with complete chloroplast genomes, revealed that Cyclamen are monophyletic with Lysimachia as the closest neighbor. Phylogenetic analyses of the 14 Cyclamen species with the seven variable regions showed five distinct clades within this genus. The highly supported topologies showed these seven regions may be used as candidate DNA barcode sequences to distinguish Cyclamen species. White green septal striped leaves is common in C. hederifolium, however the molecular mechanism of this has not yet been described. Here, we find that the intergenic region rps4-trnT-UGU seems related to white green septal striped leaves.

Shenqi Fuzheng Injection Combined With Chemotherapy for Gastric Cancer: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer (GC) is a prevalent malignant tumor of the digestive tract. Chemotherapy (CT) is the primary treatment for GC, but it is accompanied by toxic side effects. Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRs/MAs) on the combination of Shenqi Fuzheng injection (SFI) with CT for GC have been published; however, the conclusions have been inconsistent. This overview of SRs/MAs aims to assess the effectiveness and safety of SFI for GC, establishing a dependable foundation for its clinical application.

METHODS

We utilized 7 databases, namely PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed, to conduct our search. The retrieval period spanned from inception to August 2023. The methodological quality, bias risk, reporting quality, and evidence quality of the SRs/MAs were assessed using the evaluation tools AMSTAR-2, ROBIS, PRISMA 2020, and GRADE, respectively. Subsequently, the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) included in the SRs/MAs were quantitatively analyzed through the implementation of RevMan 5.4 software.

RESULTS

Eleven SRs/MAs were included in this study, comprising 54 RCTs involving a total of 9539 patients with GC. The studies covered the period from 2012 to 2021, with the number of original RCTs per study ranging from 3 to 20 and sample sizes ranging from 159 to 1413. The methodological quality of all 11 SRs/MAs was assessed as low or very low, and the quality of evidence was determined to range from moderate to very low. The comprehensive quantitative meta-analysis revealed that the combination of SFI with CT improved the objective response rate (ORR) (RR = 1.30, 95% CI = [1.21, 1.41], P < .00001) and disease control rate (DCR) (RR = 1.13, 95% CI = [1.09, 1.18], P < .00001) in GC patients, without heterogeneity observed among the studies. In comparison with CT alone, SFI combined with CT also demonstrated improvements in the Karnofsky performance status (KPS) (RR = 1.36, 95% CI = [1.25, 1.49], P < .00001) and CD4+/CD8+ level (RR = 1.16, 95% CI = [0.87, 1.46], P < .00001) of patients. In terms of adverse reactions, the combination therapy of SFI with CT was associated with a reduced incidence of gastrointestinal reactions (RR = 0.67, 95% CI = [0.58, 0.78], P < .00001) and neurotoxicity (RR = 0.64, 95% CI = [0.50, 0.81], P = .0002).

CONCLUSIONS

SFI combined with CT can enhance the clinical effectiveness and enhance the quality of life in patients with GC, while minimizing adverse reactions. Nonetheless, the evaluation of overall quality remains deficient, thus restricting the reliability and stability of the conclusions. High-quality, large-sample RCTs remain crucial for establishing dependable clinical evidence.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

INPLASY20239004.

m2ABQ-a proposed refinement of the modified algorithm-based qualitative classification of osteoporotic vertebral fractures

Currently, there is no reproducible, widely accepted gold standard to classify osteoporotic vertebral body fractures (OVFs). The purpose of this study is to refine a method with clear rules to classify OVFs for machine learning purposes. The method was found to have moderate interobserver agreement that improved with training.

INTRODUCTION

The current methods to classify osteoporotic vertebral body fractures are considered ambiguous; there is no reproducible, accepted gold standard. The purpose of this study is to refine classification methodology by introducing clear, unambiguous rules and a refined flowchart to allow consistent classification of osteoporotic vertebral body fractures.

METHODS

We developed a set of rules and refinements that we called m2ABQ to classify vertebrae into five categories. A fracture-enriched database of thoracic and lumbar spine radiographs of patients 65 years of age and older was retrospectively obtained from clinical institutional radiology records using natural language processing. Five raters independently classified each vertebral body using the m2ABQ system. After each annotation round, consensus sessions that included all raters were held to discuss and finalize a consensus annotation for each vertebral body where individual raters' evaluations differed. This process led to further refinement and development of the rules.

RESULTS

Each annotation round showed increase in Fleiss kappa both for presence vs absence of fracture 0.62 (0.56-0.68) to 0.70 (0.65-0.75), as well as for the whole m2ABQ scale 0.29 (0.25-0.33) to 0.54 (0.51-0.58).

CONCLUSION

The m2ABQ system demonstrates moderate interobserver agreement and practical feasibility for classifying osteoporotic vertebral body fractures. Future studies to compare the method to existing studies are warranted, as well as further development of its use in machine learning purposes.

Specific Nanodrug for Diabetic Chronic Wounds Based on Antioxidase-Mimicking MOF-818 Nanozymes

Chronic wound is a common complication for diabetic patients, which entails substantial inconvenience, persistent pain, and significant economic burden to patients. However, current clinical treatments for diabetic chronic wounds remain unsatisfactory. A prolonged but ineffective inflammation phase in chronic wounds is the primary difference between diabetic chronic wounds and normal wounds. Herein, we present an effective antioxidative system (MOF/Gel) for chronic wound healing of diabetic rats through integrating a metal organic framework (MOF) nanozyme with antioxidant enzyme-like activity with a hydrogel (Gel). MOF/Gel can continuously scavenge reactive oxygen species to modulate the oxidative stress microenvironment in diabetic chronic wounds, which leads to a natural transition from the inflammation phase to the proliferation phase. Impressively, the efficacy of one-time-applied MOF/Gel was comparable to that of the human epidermal growth factor Gel, a widely used clinical drug for various wound treatments. Such an effective, safe, and convenient MOF/Gel system can meet complex clinical demands.

Ventricular and lumbar cerebrospinal fluid analysis in 77 HIV-negative patients with Cryptococcal meningitis who received a ventriculoperitoneal shunt

Lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) parameters are widely studied and have wide clinical applications, but ventricular CSF has rarely been studied since it is relatively difficult to obtain. To determine whether there are differences between ventricular and lumbar CSF parameters and whether the differences have clinical significance, we retrospectively reviewed 77 patients with Cryptococcal meningitis who received a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. We analyzed the following parameters: white blood cell count, total protein concentration, CSF/blood glucose ratio, chloride ion concentration, and Cryptococcal count. All parameters between lumbar and ventricular CSF were remarkably different (all p < 0.001). White blood cell count, total protein level and Cryptococcal count were lower in ventricular CSF than in lumbar CSF, while CSF/blood glucose ratio and chloride ion concentration were higher. Compared to patients without ventriculomegaly, patients with ventriculomegaly had a significantly higher total protein concentration in ventricular CSF (p = 0.047). Compared to patients without surgical complications, patients with complications had a significantly lower CSF/blood glucose ratio in ventricular CSF (p = 0.032). The lumbar CSF parameters had no significant differences between these groups. The changes in lumbar CSF indices over time after shunt placement were also analyzed. After shunt placement, total protein concentration was transiently increased, white blood cell count, CSF/blood glucose ratio and chloride ion concentration were continued at the preoperative level until two months after shunting surgery. These findings suggest that the composition of ventricular CSF differs from that of lumbar CSF, and different CSF parameters have disparate rostro-caudal gradients in patients with Cryptococcal meningitis. Furthermore, ventricular and lumbar CSF parameters may have different clinical implications. Transient deterioration of lumbar CSF parameters after ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement may not be due to disease progression, but to change in CSF flow rate by CSF shunts.

LmCht5-1 and LmCht5-2 Promote the Degradation of Serosal and Pro-Nymphal Cuticles during Locust Embryonic Development

The success of the degradation of the extraembryonic serosal cuticle and the second embryonic cuticle (pro-nymphal cuticle) is essential for the development and molting of nymph from egg in Orthoptera Locusta migratoria. Chitinase 5 is an important gene for chitin degradation in nymphs and in the egg stage. In this study, we investigated the important roles of chitinase 5-1 (LmCht5-1) and chitinase 5-2 (LmCht5-2) in the degradation of the serosal and pro-nymphal cuticles during locust embryonic development. The serosal cuticle degrades from 7-day-old embryos (E7) to E13, along with the degradation of the pro-nymphal cuticle, which begins at E12 to E14. The mRNA and protein of LmCht5-1 and LmCht5-2 are expressed during the degradation process of the serosal cuticle and the pro-nymphal cuticle. RNAi experiments at the embryonic stage show that both dsLmCht5-1 and dsLmCht5-2 contribute to the failure of development in early and late embryogenesis. Further, during the serosal cuticle molting process, ultra-structure analysis indicated that dsLmCht5-1 prevented the loss of the coarse chitin layer in the upper part in both early and late embryogenesis. Meanwhile, dsLmCht5-2 blocked the degradation of the lower fine chitin layer at the early stage and blocked the chitin degradation of loose coarse chitin in the late molting process. During the degradation of the pro-nymphal cuticle, dsLmCht5-1 suppresses chitin degradation between layers in the procuticle, while dsLmCht5-2 suppresses chitin degradation into filaments inside of the layer. In summary, our results suggest that both LmCht5-1 and LmCht5-2 contribute to the degradation of the serosal and pro-nymphal cuticles during the locust embryonic stage.

Complete genome sequence of a new badnavirus infecting a tea plant in China

The complete genome of a novel virus, provisionally named "Camellia sinensis badnavirus 1" (CSBV1), was identified in tea plant (Camellia sinensis) leaves collected in Anhui Province, China. The genome of CSBV1 consists of 8,195 bp and possesses three open reading frames (ORFs), sharing 68.6 % nucleotide sequence identity with the genome of Camellia lemon glow virus (CLGV) from Camellia japonica. The genome organization of CSBV1 is highly similar to that of members of the genus Badnavirus (family Caulimoviridae). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that CSBV1, CLGV, and cacao swollen shoot virus form a separate clade within the genus Badnavirus, suggesting that CSBV1 is the first badnavirus infecting C. sinensis.