Excitation functions for fast neutron induced reactions on iron and lead

Cross sections of the 54Fe(n,p)54Mn, 54Fe(n,α)51Cr, 56Fe(n,p)56Mn and 204Pb (n,2n)203Pb reactions induced by D-T neutrons were obtained with activation method and γ-ray spectrometry technique. Experimental values measured in this work are consistent with most of the previous literature data. These reactions cross sections were theoretically calculated by using the TALYS-1.96 and EMPIRE-3.2.3 codes from threshold up to 20 MeV, and significant discrepancies were found between calculated results and experiment data. In addition, experimental values are compared with evaluated nuclear data of the CENDL-3.2, ENDF/B-VIII.0, JENDL-5, BROND-3.1 and JEFF-3.3 libraries, and significant difference was found for the 54Fe(n,α)51Cr reaction in ENDF/B-VIII.0 library but not for other reactions.

Design of Solid Polycationic Electrolyte to Enable Durable Chloride-Ion Batteries

The high energy density and cost-effectiveness of chloride-ion batteries (CIBs) make them promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries. However, the development of CIBs is greatly restricted by the lack of compatible electrolytes to support cost-effective anodes. Herein, we present a rationally designed solid polycationic electrolyte (SPE) to enable room-temperature chloride-ion batteries utilizing aluminum (Al) metal as an anode. This SPE endows the CIB configuration with improved air stability and safety (i.e. free of flammability and liquid leakage). A high ionic conductivity (1.3×10-2 S cm-1 at 25 °C) has been achieved by the well-tailored solvation structure of the SPE. Meanwhile, the solid polycationic electrolyte ensures stable electrodes|electrolyte interfaces, which effectively inhibit the growth of dendrites on the Al anodes and degradation of the FeOCl cathodes. The Al|SPE|FeOCl chloride-ion batteries showcased a high discharge capacity around 250 mAh g-1 (based on the cathodes) and extended lifespan. Our electrolyte design opens a new avenue for developing low-cost chloride-ion batteries.

Optimization of Extraction Process and Activity of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitory Peptide from Walnut Meal

In order to further realize the resource reuse of walnut meal after oil extraction, walnut meal was used as raw material to prepare polypeptide, and its angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity was investigated. The ACE inhibitory peptides were prepared from walnut meal protein by alkaline solution and acid precipitation. The hydrolysis degree and ACE inhibition rate were used as indexes to optimize the preparation process by single-factor experiment and response surface method. The components with the highest ACE activity were screened by ultrafiltration, and their antioxidant activities were evaluated in vitro. The effect of gastrointestinal digestion on the stability of walnut peptide was analyzed by measuring molecular weight and ACE inhibition rate. The results showed that the optimal extraction conditions were pH 9.10, hydrolysis temperature 54.50 °C, and hydrolysis time 136 min. The ACE inhibition rate of walnut meal hydrolysate (WMH) prepared under these conditions was 63.93% ± 0.43%. Under the above conditions, the fraction less than 3 kDa showed the highest ACE inhibitory activity among the ACE inhibitory peptides separated by ultrafiltration. The IC50 value of scavenging ·OH free radical was 1.156 mg/mL, the IC50 value of scavenging DPPH free radical was 0.25 mg/mL, and the IC50 value of scavenging O2- was 3.026 mg/mL, showing a strong total reducing ability. After simulated gastrointestinal digestion in vitro, the ACE inhibitory rate of walnut peptide decreased significantly, but it still maintained over 90% ACE inhibitory activity. This study provides a reference for the application of low-molecular-weight walnut peptide as a potential antioxidant and ACE inhibitor.

Fluorine Chemistry in Rechargeable Batteries: Challenges, Progress, and Perspectives

The renewable energy industry demands rechargeable batteries that can be manufactured at low cost using abundant resources while offering high energy density, good safety, wide operating temperature windows, and long lifespans. Utilizing fluorine chemistry to redesign battery configurations/components is considered a critical strategy to fulfill these requirements due to the natural abundance, robust bond strength, and extraordinary electronegativity of fluorine and the high free energy of fluoride formation, which enables the fluorinated components with cost effectiveness, nonflammability, and intrinsic stability. In particular, fluorinated materials and electrode|electrolyte interphases have been demonstrated to significantly affect reaction reversibility/kinetics, safety, and temperature tolerance of rechargeable batteries. However, the underlining principles governing material design and the mechanistic insights of interphases at the atomic level have been largely overlooked. This review covers a wide range of topics from the exploration of fluorine-containing electrodes, fluorinated electrolyte constituents, and other fluorinated battery components for metal-ion shuttle batteries to constructing fluoride-ion batteries, dual-ion batteries, and other new chemistries. In doing so, this review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the structure-property interactions, the features of fluorinated interphases, and cutting-edge techniques for elucidating the role of fluorine chemistry in rechargeable batteries. Further, we present current challenges and promising strategies for employing fluorine chemistry, aiming to advance the electrochemical performance, wide temperature operation, and safety attributes of rechargeable batteries.

Fast neutron induced reaction cross sections on natural manganese and tantalum

The cross sections for the 55Mn(n,2n)54Mn, 181Ta(n,2n)180gTa, and 181Ta(n,p)181Hf reactions were measured to be 705.1 ± 26.1 mb at 14.0 MeV, 1362.7 ± 87.2 mb at 13.6 MeV, and 2.31 ± 0.09 mb at 13.6 MeV, respectively, by using an off-line γ-ray spectroscopic technique. The neutrons were produced via the 3H(d,n)4He reaction. The monitor reactions 27Al(n,α)24Na and 93Nb(n,2n)92mNb were used for neutron flux determination. The results from the present work were compared with those of the literature and the evaluated data from ENDF/B-VIII.0, JEFF-3.3, JENDL-5, CENDL-3.2, and BROND-3.1 libraries. Besides, the cross sections were also estimated with the TALYS-1.96 nuclear model code using different level density models for a better description of the present work and literature data. The present experimental results were found to be in good agreement with most of the available literature data and with the evaluated data.

Magnetic-fluorescent immunosensing platform applying AuNPs heterogeneous MIL-53(Al) composite for efficient detection of zearalenone

Rapid, sensitive, specific and stable detection of mycotoxin in food remains an extremely crucial issue. Herein, a magnetic-fluorescent immunosensing platform for the detection of zearalenone (ZEN) was proposed. The platform utilized Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) heterogeneous fluorescent metal-organic framework (MIL-53(Al)@AuNPs) labeled with ZEN-bovine serum albumin (ZEN-BSA) as signal probe and ZEN mono-antibodies coupled with magnetic NPs (MNPs-mAbs) as capture probe. Specifically, the heterogenization of AuNPs on the MIL-53(Al) surface improved its biocompatibility, and facilitated the loading of ZEN-BSA conjugates. The MNPs-mAbs could rapidly capture the target ZEN, simplify the immunoassay process and further improve the detection efficiency. The established competitive magnetic-fluorescent immunosensing platform had a wider linear response to ZEN in the range of 0.001-100 ng/mL with a lower limit of detection (LOD) at 0.0035 ng/mL, and could finish the whole detection process within 20 min, showing great potential for rapid and sensitive detection of food contaminants.

Evaluation and identification of powdery mildew-resistant genes in 137 wheat relatives

Powdery mildew is one of the most severe diseases affecting wheat yield and quality and is caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt). Host resistance is the preferred strategy to prevent this disease. However, the narrow genetic basis of common wheat has increased the demand for diversified germplasm resources against powdery mildew. Wheat relatives, especially the secondary gene pool of common wheat, are important gene donors in the genetic improvement of common wheat because of its abundant genetic variation and close kinship with wheat. In this study, a series of 137 wheat relatives, including 53 Triticum monococcum L. (2n = 2x = 14, AA), 6 T. urartu Thumanjan ex Gandilyan (2n = 2x = 14, AA), 9 T. timopheevii Zhuk. (2n = 4x = 28, AAGG), 66 T. aestivum subsp. spelta (2n = 6x = 42, AABBDD), and 3 Aegilops speltoides (2n = 2x = 14, SS) were systematically evaluated for their powdery mildew resistance and composition of Pm genes. Out of 137 (60.58%) accessions, 83 were resistant to Bgt isolate E09 at the seedling stage, and 116 of 137 (84.67%) wheat relatives were resistant to the mixture of Bgt isolates at the adult stage. This indicates that these accessions show a high level of resistance to powdery mildew. Some 31 markers for 23 known Pm genes were used to test these 137 accessions, and, in the results, only Pm2, Pm4, Pm6, Pm58, and Pm68 were detected. Among them, three Pm4 alleles (Pm4a, Pm4b, and Pm4f) were identified in 4 T. subsp. spelta accessions. q-RT PCR further confirmed that Pm4 alleles played a role in disease resistance in these four accessions. The phylogenetic tree showed that the kinship of Pm4 was close to Pm24 and Sr62. This study not only provides reference information and valuable germplasm resources for breeding new wheat varieties with disease resistance but also lays a foundation for enriching the genetic basis of wheat resistance to powdery mildew.

Measurement and analysis of leakage neutron spectra from Lead slab samples with D-T neutrons

The leakage neutron spectra from three different sizes of Lead samples were measured by a TOF technique at 60° and 120°. The essential characteristic properties of the experimental measurement spectra can be reproduced well by MCNP code simulations with the ENDF/B-VIII.0, CENDL-3.2, JENDL-5.0, JEFF-3.3 and TENDL-2021 evaluated nuclear data libraries. The calculated results of JENDL-5.0 and JEFF-3.3 libraries agree better with the experimental data in the whole energy range. The results from ENDF/B-VIII.0 and CENDL-3.2 are overestimated in the 4-9 MeV range at 60° and in the 4-12.5 MeV range at 120°. The differences of the leakage neutron spectra by MCNP simulations using five evaluated nuclear data libraries mainly originate from the differences of the spectrum distributions of neutron reaction channels in these libraries. And the secondary neutron energy distribution and angular distribution from the five libraries have been present to explain it.

Long-Life Lithium-Ion Sulfur Pouch Battery Enabled by Regulating Solvent Molecules and Using Lithiated Graphite Anode

The development of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries is severely limited by the shuttle effect and instability of Li-metal anode. Constructing Li-ion S batteries (LISBs), by using more stable commercial graphite (Gr) anode instead of Li-metal, is an effective way to realize long-cycle-life Li-S batteries. However, Gr electrode is usually incompatible with the ether-based electrolytes commonly used for Li-S batteries due to the Li+ -ether complex co-intercalation into Gr interlayers. Herein, a solvent molecule structure regulation strategy is provided to weaken the Li+ -solvent binding by increasing steric hindrance and electronegativity, to accelerate Li+ de-solvation process and prevent Li+ -ether complex co-intercalation into Gr anode. Meanwhile, the weakly solvating power of solvent can suppress the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides and makes more anions participate in Li+ solvation structure to generate a stable anion-derived solid electrolyte interface on Gr surface. Therefore, a LISB coin-cell consisting of lithiated graphite anode and S@C cathode displays a stable capacity of ≈770 mAh g-1 within 200 cycles. Furthermore, an unprecedented practical LISB pouch-cell with a high Gr loading (≈10.5 mg cm-2 ) also delivers a high initial capacity of 802.3 mAh g-1 and releases a stable capacity of 499.1 mAh g-1 with a high Coulombic efficiency (≈95.9%) after 120 cycles.

Co-Intercalation-Free Ether-Based Weakly Solvating Electrolytes Enable Fast-Charging and Wide-Temperature Lithium-Ion Batteries

Ether-based electrolytes are competitive choices to meet the growing requirements for fast-charging and low-temperature lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to the low viscosity and low melting point of ether solvents. Unfortunately, the graphite (Gr) electrode is incompatible with commonly used ether solvents due to their irreversible co-intercalation into Gr interlayers. Here, we propose cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME) as a co-intercalation-free ether solvent, which contains a cyclopentane group with large steric hindrance to obtain weakly solvating power with Li+ and a wide liquid-phase temperature range (-140 to +106 °C). A weakly solvating electrolyte (WSE) based on CPME and fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) cosolvents can simultaneously achieve fast desolvation ability and high ionic conductivity, which also induces a LiF-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the Gr anode. Therefore, the Gr/Li half-cell with this WSE can deliver outstanding rate capability, stable cycling performance, and high specific capacity (319 mAh g-1) at an ultralow temperature of -60 °C. Furthermore, a practical LiFePO4 (loading ≈25 mg cm-2)/Gr (loading ≈12 mg cm-2) pouch cell with this WSE also reveals outstanding rate capability and stable long-term cycling performance above 1000 cycles with a high Coulombic efficiency (≈99.9%) and achieves an impressive low-temperature application potential at -60 °C.

Genome-Wide Analysis of the Amino Acid Permeases Gene Family in Wheat and TaAAP1 Enhanced Salt Tolerance by Accumulating Ethylene

Amino acid permeases (AAPs) are proteins of the integral membrane that play important roles in plant growth, development, and responses to various stresses. The molecular functions of several AAPs were characterized in Arabidopsis and rice, but there is still limited information on wheat. Here, we identified 51 AAP genes (TaAAPs) in the wheat genome, classified into six groups based on phylogenetic and protein structures. The chromosome location and gene duplication analysis showed that gene duplication events played a crucial role in the expansion of the TaAAPs gene family. Collinearity relationship analysis revealed several orthologous AAPs between wheat and other species. Moreover, cis-element analysis of promoter regions and transcriptome data suggested that the TaAAPs can respond to salt stress. A TaAAP1 gene was selected and transformed in wheat. Overexpressing TaAAP1 enhanced salt tolerance by increasing the expression of ethylene synthesis genes (TaACS6/TaACS7/TaACS8) and accumulating more ethylene. The present study provides an overview of the AAP family in the wheat genome as well as information on systematics, phylogenetics, and gene duplication, and shows that overexpressing TaAAP1 enhances salt tolerance by regulating ethylene production. These results serve as a theoretical foundation for further functional studies on TaAAPs in the future.

A Candidemia Case Caused by a Novel Drug-Resistant Candida auris with the Y132F Mutation in Erg11 in Mainland China

Background

Candida auris is a pathogen first found in external ear canal, becoming a major threat to global health. Here, we describe a candidemia case caused by a novel drug-resistant Candida auris strain.

Case Presentation

An 80-year-old patient, with multiple serious medical conditions, was suffered from candidemia caused by Candida auris, died 9 days after admission in our hospital. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that this C. auris isolate (designated BJCA003) belongs to the South Asian clade, carries the Y132F mutation in the protein Erg11. And antibiotic susceptibility test indicated that BJCA003 is resistant to fluconazole and amphotericin B, not susceptible to caspofungin. In addition, this strain has multiple colony and cellular morphologies under different culture conditions.

Conclusion

Strain BJCA003 is a novel drug resistant C. auris strain in mainland China, the Y132F mutation in Erg11 may attribute to fluconazole-resistance, alarming that we still face more challenges about C. auris.

High-Energy-Density Lithium Metal Batteries with Impressive Li+ Transport Dynamic and Wide-Temperature Performance from -60 to 60 °C

High-energy-density Li metal batteries (LMBs) with Nickel (Ni)-rich cathode and Li-metal anode have attracted extensive attention in recent years. However, commercial carbonate electrolytes bring severe challenges including poor cycling stability, severe Li dendrite growth and cathode cracks, and narrow operating temperature window, especially hardly work at below -40 °C. In this work, a 2.4 m lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate (LiDFOB) in ethyl acetate (EA) solvent with 20 wt% fluorocarbonate (FEC) (named 2.4m-DEF) is designed to solve Li⁺ transport dynamic at low temperature and improve interfacial stability between electrolyte with Li anode or Ni-rich cathode. Beneficial lower freezing point, lower viscosity, and higher dielectric constant of EA solvent, the electrolyte exhibits excellent Li⁺ transport dynamic. Relying on the unique Li⁺ solvation structure, more DFOB^- anions and FEC solvents are decomposed to establish a stable solid electrolyte interface at electrolyte/electrode. Therefore, LiNi_0.9 Co_0.05 Mn_0.05 O₂ (NCM90)/Li LMB with 2.4m-DEF enables excellent rate capability (184 mA h g^-1 at 30 C) and stable cycling performance with ≈93.7% of capacity retention after 200 cycles at 20 C and room temperature. Moreover, the NCM90/Li LMB with 2.4m-DEF exhibits surprising ultra-low-temperature performance, showing 173 mA h g^-1 at -40 °C and 152 mA h g^-1 at -60 °C, respectively.

Activation cross sections for reactions induced by 14 MeV neutrons on natural titanium

Cross sections for the neutrons around 14 MeV interaction with natural titanium were precisely measured by neutron activation and off-line measurement technique. The fast neutrons were produced by ³H(d,n)⁴He reaction and the neutron energy was obtained by using the cross section ratio method of ⁹⁰Zr(n,2n)⁸⁹Zr to ⁹³Nb(n,2n)^92mNb reactions. Experimental cross sections have been acquired for ^natTi(n,x)⁴⁶Sc, ^natTi(n,x)⁴⁷Sc, ⁵⁰Ti(n,x)⁴⁷Ca and ⁴⁸Ti(n,x)⁴⁸Sc reactions. The measured cross section data are compared with the experimental data available in the previous literature and evaluated nuclear data from the ENDF/B-VIII.0, JEFF-3.3, JENDL-5, BROND-3.1, CENDL-3.2 and FENDL-3.2b libraries. Furthermore, excitation functions for these reactions were calculated by using the theoretical model based on Talys-1.96 code with default and adjusted parameters. Within experimental error, evaluated nuclear data are mostly consistent with experimental data. The excitation function with adjusted parameters can roughly reproduce the experimental data.

Structural characterization and induction of tumor cell apoptosis of polysaccharide from purple sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam)

The carbohydrate is the main ingredient of purple sweet potato. A polysaccharide, named PSP, was separated and purified from purple sweet potato by extraction with hot water, precipitation with ethanol, deproteinization with Sevag reagent and column chromatography with Sephadex G-100. The purity and structure were studied with HPLC, UV-Vis, GC-MS and NMR. The PSP is a neutral polysaccharide with Mw of 470 kDa. The monosaccharide composition of PSP contained D-xylose, d-glucose, D-galactose with ratio of 1.0: 8.3: 1.3. The backbone of PSP was composed of the residues of →6)-D-Glcp-(1 → and →2, 6)-D-Glcp-(1→. The branches of PSP contained the residues of →3)-D-Galp-(1→, and D-Xylp-(1→. The antitumor activity in vitro of PSP was analyzed with HT-29 cells. And the SEM, AO staining, MDC staining and hoechst 33342 staining were performed to study the effect on apoptosis of HT-29 cells by PSP. The results revealed that the PSP can significantly inhibit the proliferation of HT-29 cells from induction apoptosis. The manuscript provided valuable knowledges on structural characteristics of the polysaccharides from purple sweet potato.

A polysaccharide from Pleurotus citrinopileatus mycelia enhances the immune response in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed mice via p62/Keap1/Nrf2 signal transduction pathway

The manuscript aimed to study the immunoregulatory activity and the mechanism of the polysaccharide (CMP) from Pleurotus citrinopileatus mycelia. The mice were divided into normal group, model group, different dosage of CMP (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, respectively) groups and levamisole hydrochloride treated group. The results showed that, compared with the model group, CMP could significantly improve the auricle swelling rate, half hemolysis value and phagocytic index in mice. The indices of immune organs were raised, and tissue damage of spleen was relieved. Splenic Th1 cells were decreased, while Th2 cells were increased, furthermore the proliferation of splenic lymphocytes and the cytotoxicity of NK cells were increased. The levels of interleukin-12 (IL-12), interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in spleen were decreased, while interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were increased. In serum and spleen, the levels of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were increased, while the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) was decreased. And the levels of Immunoglobulin were also increased. Western blot showed that CMP had immunoregulatory activity by activating Nrf2, Keap1, p62, HO-1, and NQO1 in the p62/Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway. The study proved that CMP could be used as a biological Immune regulating agent.

Valgus-varus deformity induced abnormal tissue metabolism, inflammatory damage and apoptosis in broilers

1. This study explored the tissue metabolic status and the relationship with inflammation in valgus-valgus deformity (VVD) broilers with increasing age.2. Tissue and blood from VVD and healthy broilers were collected at two, four and five weeks old. A fully automated biochemical analyser, real-time PCR, HE staining and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to detect tissue metabolic indexes, mRNA levels of inflammation and apoptosis cytokines in immune organs, histological changes and serum inflammation and immune-related protein contents in VVD broilers.3. The results showed that VVD increased the levels of total protein, albumin, alanine aminotransferase at five weeks of age, aspartate aminotransferase, urea and creatine kinase in blood at two weeks of age. It upregulated the gene expression of inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, NF-κB and TGF-β and apoptotic factors FAS, Bcl-2, caspase-3 and 9 in immune organs; increased levels of serum proteins TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 and decreased levels of serum immunoglobulins IgY and CD3⁺.4. In addition, with increasing age, IL-10 gene expression gradually increased in the BF and decreased in the spleen.5. In conclusion, VVD broilers have disorders of liver and kidney metabolism, inflammation and apoptosis of immune organs and increased levels of serum inflammatory factor proteins.

Integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis reveals that flavonoids function in wheat resistance to powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease devastating to wheat, causing significant quality and yield loss. Flavonoids are important secondary plant metabolites that confer resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. However, whether they play a role in powdery mildew resistance in wheat has yet to be explored. In the present study, we combined transcriptome and metabolome analyses to compare differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially accumulated flavonoids identified in plants with and without powdery mildew inoculation. Transcriptome analysis identified 4,329 DEGs in susceptible wheat cv. Jimai229, and 8,493 in resistant cv. HHG46. The DEGs were functionally enriched using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, revealing the flavonoid synthesis pathway as the most significant in both cultivars. This was consistent with the upregulation of flavonoid synthesis pathway genes observed by quantitative PCR. Metabolome analysis indicated flavone and flavonol biosynthesis pathways as the most significantly enriched following powdery mildew inoculation. An accumulation of total flavonoids content was also found to be induced by powdery mildew infection. Exogenous flavonoids treatment of inoculated plants led to less severe infection, with fewer and smaller powdery mildew spots on the wheat leaves. This reduction is speculated to be regulated through malondialdehyde content and the activities of peroxidase and catalase. Our study provides a fundamental theory for further exploration of the potential of flavonoids as biological prevention and control agents against powdery mildew in wheat.

Phytate and Arsenic Enhance Each Other's Uptake in As-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata: Root Exudation of Phytate and Phytase, and Plant Uptake of Phytate-P

Phytate as a root exudate is rare in plants as it mainly serves as a P storage in the seeds; however, As-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata effectively secretes phytate and utilizes phytate-P, especially under As exposure. This study investigated the effects of As on its phytate and phytase exudation and the impacts of As and/or phytate on each other's uptake in P. vittata through two hydroponic experiments. Under 10-100 μM arsenate (AsV), the exudation of phytate and phytase by P. vittata was increased by 50-72% to 20.4-23.4 μmol h^-1 g^-1 and by 28-104% to 18.6-29.5 nmol h^-1 plant^-1, but they were undetected in non-hyperaccumulator Pteris ensiformis at 10 μM AsV. Furthermore, compared to 500 μM phytate, the phytate concentration in the growth media was reduced by 69% to 155 μM, whereas the P and As contents in P. vittata fronds and roots were enhanced by 68-134% and 44-81% to 2423-2954 and 82-407 mg kg^-1 under 500 μM phytate plus 50 μM AsV. The increased P/As uptake in P. vittata was probably attributed to 3.0-4.5-fold increase in expressions of P transporters PvPht1;3-1;4. Besides, under As exposure, plant P may be converted to phytate in P. vittata roots, thereby increasing phytate's contents by 84% to 840 mg kg^-1. Overall, our results suggest that As-induced phytate/phytase exudation and phytate-P uptake stimulate its growth and As hyperaccumulation by P. vittata.

The role of Akkermansia muciniphila in inflammatory bowel disease: Current knowledge and perspectives

Inflammatory bowel diseases, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is a chronic relapsing gastrointestinal inflammatory disease mediated by dysregulated immune responses to resident intestinal microbiota. Current conventional approaches including aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents, and biological therapies are focused on reducing intestinal inflammation besides inducing and maintaining disease remission, and managing complications. However, these therapies are not curative and are associated with various limitations, such as drug resistance, low responsiveness and adverse events. Recent accumulated evidence has revealed the involvement of mucin-degrading bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila) in the regulation of host barrier function and immune response, and how reduced intestinal colonisation of probiotic A. muciniphila can contribute to the process and development of inflammatory bowel diseases, suggesting that it may be a potential target and promising strategy for the therapy of inflammatory bowel disease. In this review, we summarise the current knowledge of the role of A. muciniphila in IBD, especially focusing on the related mechanisms, as well as the strategies based on supplementation with A. muciniphila, probiotics and prebiotics, natural diets, drugs, and herbs to promote its colonisation in the gut, and holds promise for A. muciniphila-targeted and -based therapies in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

Efficacy and safety of high-dose esomeprazole and amoxicillin dual therapy versus bismuth-containing quadruple therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection: a multicenter, randomized controlled clinical trial

BACKGROUND

A high-dose proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-amoxicillin dual therapy has been investigated for treatment of patients with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. Currently, the efficacy of this dual therapy remains inconclusive, with controversial findings from various single-center clinical trials.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the efficacy and safety of high-dose dual therapy (HDDT) compared with the bismuth-containing quadruple therapy (BQT) in treatment-naive patients with H. pylori infection.

DESIGN

A multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled clinical trial.

METHODS

Three hundred and forty treatment-naïve patients with H. pylori infection were prospectively recruited from seven participating hospitals. The enrolled patients were randomized into one of two treatment groups: the HDDT group (esomeprazole, 20 mg four times daily; amoxicillin, 750 mg four times daily) and the BQT group (esomeprazole, 20 mg, twice daily; bismuth potassium citrate, 600 mg, twice daily; amoxicillin, 1 g, twice daily; metronidazole, 400 mg, four times daily). The primary outcome was eradication rate, and secondary outcomes were safety and patient compliance.

RESULTS

The eradication rates in the HDDT group versus the BQT group were 86.47% versus 87.06% on intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis, 91.88% versus 92.50% on modified ITT (MITT) analysis, and 91.77% versus 93.04% on per-protocol (PP) analysis, with no significant differences between the two groups. The patient compliance rates in the HDDT group versus the BQT group were 97.02% versus 95.86%, and no significant difference was found between the two groups. Notably, the HDDT group exhibited significantly lower incidence in the drug-induced adverse events (AEs) compared to the BQT group (16.67% versus 47.94%).

CONCLUSION

HDDT is equally efficacious in eradicating H. pylori infection and resulted in good patient compliance and safety compared with BQT. These findings provide evidence in support of HDDT as a first-line treatment for H. pylori infection.

REGISTRATION

This clinical trial was registered at The Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (trial registration number: ChiCTR2000039096).

Comparison of As(III) Adsorption by Nanomagnetic Fe3O4, Activated Carbon and Modified Activated Carbon

As a kind of new material, nanomagnetic Fe3O4 (NMF) has many advantages in water and wastewater treatment. In this paper, the adsorption characteristic for arsenic(III) (As) by NMF was studied, and the adsorption was compared with the traditional adsorbent of activated carbon (AC) and modified activated carbon (MAC). The results showed that the NMF had high adsorption performance for As, and the adsorption performance of modified activated carbon and activated carbon were far lower than that of magnetic nanomagnetic Fe3O4. The adsorption capacity for As with NMF, MAC, and AC was 0.189 mg.g-1, 0.023 mg.g-1 and 0.013 mg.g-1 in 0.25 mg.L-1 As solution, respectively. The adsorption rate for As was different from the three adsorbents. For NMF, it needs only 10 minutes to reach an adsorption balance, while the time to balance was 20 minutes for MAC and more than 120 minutes for AC. The adsorption for As by the three adsorbents all conform to Langmuir adsorption isotherm, and the adsorption kinetics for As by the three adsorbents were in accordance with the pseudo-second-order kinetics model. The adsorption efficiency of MAC and AC was lower than nanomagnetic Fe3O4. The nanomagnetic Fe3O4 was an effective adsorbent for arsenic.

Arsenic-induced up-regulation of P transporters PvPht1;3-1;4 enhances both As and P uptake in As-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata

Plants often up-regulate gene expression of P transporters under P deficiency, but down-regulate them under arsenic stress. Different from other P transporters, PvPht1;3 and PvPht1;4 expressions in As-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata are up-regulated under P deficiency and As stress, showing strong transport capacity for both As and P. This study examined the mechanisms behind As-induced up-regulation of P transporters in P. vittata after exposing to 10-50 µM arsenate (AsV) for 14 d under hydroponics, with non-hyperaccumulator P. ensiformis as a control. Under As stress, P. vittata was more efficient in taking up both As and P than P. ensiformis, showing 48-84% more P content in the fronds and roots, leading to 18-79% greater biomass. Though As enhanced the P uptake by P. vittata, the inorganic P was reduced by 25-64% from 140-347 to 65-126 mg kg^-1. It is likely that, under As stress, more P was utilized by P. vittata to counter As toxicity, causing reduction in inorganic P. This was supported by As-induced conversion of inorganic P to phytate in P. vittata, with phytate-P being increased by 26-75% from 239-713 to 418-1221 mg kg^-1, maintaining internal low P levels. Under As-induced low inorganic-P conditions, the expressions of P transporters PvPht1;3 and PvPht1;4 were up-regulated by 1.4- and 2.7-fold in the roots, helping greater As and P uptake by P. vittata. Clearly, As-induced overexpression of P transporters in P. vittata roots plays a critical role in taking up both As and P, thereby increasing its efficiency in As-hyperaccumulation from contaminated media.

Identification of the powdery mildew resistance gene in wheat breeding line Yannong 99102-06188 via bulked segregant exome capture sequencing

Powdery mildew of wheat (Triticum aestivum), caused by Blumeria graminis f.sp. tritici (Bgt), is a destructive disease that seriously threatens the yield and quality of its host. Identifying resistance genes is the most attractive and effective strategy for developing disease-resistant cultivars and controlling this disease. In this study, a wheat breeding line Yannong 99102-06188 (YN99102), an elite derivative line from the same breeding process as the famous wheat cultivar Yannong 999, showed high resistance to powdery mildew at the whole growth stages. Genetic analysis was carried out using Bgt isolate E09 and a population of YN99102 crossed with a susceptible parent Jinhe 13-205 (JH13-205). The result indicated that a single recessive gene, tentatively designated pmYN99102, conferred seedling resistance to the Bgt isolate E09. Using bulked segregant exome capture sequencing (BSE-Seq), pmYN99102 was physically located to a ~33.7 Mb (691.0-724.7 Mb) interval on the chromosome arm 2BL, and this interval was further locked in a 1.5 cM genetic interval using molecular markers, which was aligned to a 9.0 Mb physical interval (699.2-708.2 Mb). Based on the analysis of physical location, origin, resistant spectrum, and inherited pattern, pmYN99102 differed from those of the reported powdery mildew (Pm) resistance genes on 2BL, suggesting pmYN99102 is most likely a new Pm gene/allele in the targeted interval. To transfer pmYN99102 to different genetic backgrounds using marker-assisted selection (MAS), 18 closely linked markers were tested for their availability in different genetic backgrounds for MAS, and all markers expect for YTU103-97 can be used in MAS for tracking pmYN99102 when it transferred into those susceptible cultivars.

Uptake, speciation and detoxification of antimonate and antimonite in As-hyperaccumulator Pteris Cretica L

Antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) are chemical analogs, but their behaviors in plants are different. To investigate the Sb uptake, translocation and speciation in As-hyperaccumulator P. cretica, a hydroponic experiment was conducted. In this study, P. cretica was exposed to 0.2-strength Hoagland nutrient solution, which contained 0.5 or 5 mg/L antimonite (SbIII) or antimonate (SbV). After 14 d exposure, P. cretica took up 1.4-2.8 times more SbIII than SbV. Since P. cretica was unable to translocate Sb, its roots accumulated >97% Sb with the highest at 7965 mg/kg. In both SbIII and SbV treatments, SbIII was the predominant species in P. cretica, with 90-100% and 46-100% SbIII in the roots. As the first barrier against Sb to enter plant cells, more Sb was accumulated in cell wall than cytosol or organelles. The results suggest that P. cretica may detoxify Sb by reducing SbV to SbIII and immobilizing it in root cell walls. Besides, the presence of SbIII significantly reduced the concentrations of dissolved organic C including organic acids in P. cretica root exudates. Further, increasing Sb levels promoted P accumulation in the plant, especially in the fronds, which may help P. cretica growth. The information from this study shed light on metabolic transformation of Sb in As-hyperaccumulators P. cretica, which helps to better understand Sb uptake and detoxification by plants.

Molecular and Cytogenetic Identification of Stem Rust Resistant Wheat-Thinopyrum intermedium Introgression Lines

Thinopyrum intermedium (JJJ^sJ^sStSt, 2n = 6x = 42), a wild relative of common wheat, possesses many desirable agronomic genes for wheat improvement. The production of wheat-Thinopyrum intermedium introgression lines is a key step for transferring these beneficial genes into wheat. In this study, we characterized three wheat-Thinopyrum intermedium introgression lines TA3681, TA5566, and TA5567 using non-denaturing fluorescence in situ hybridization, genomic in situ hybridization, PCR-based landmark unique gene, and intron targeting markers. Our results showed that TA3681 is a wheat-Thinopyrum intermedium 1St disomic addition line, TA5566 is a wheat-Thinopyrum intermedium non-Robertsonian translocation line carrying two pairs of 3A-7J^s translocation chromosomes, and that TA5567 is a wheat-Thinopyrum intermedium non-Robertsonian translocation line carrying a pair of 3A-7J^s translocation chromosomes. We developed 13, 36, and 15 Thinopyrum intermedium chromosome-specific markers for detecting the introgressed Thinopyrum chromosomes in TA3681, TA5566, and TA5567, respectively. Stem rust assessment revealed that TA3681 exhibited a high level of seedling resistance to Chinese-prevalent Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici pathotypes, and both TA5566 and TA5567 were highly resistant to Australian P. graminis f. sp. tritici pathotypes, indicating that Thinopyrum intermedium chromosomes 1St and 7J^s might carry new stem rust resistance genes. Therefore, the new identified introgression lines may be useful for improving wheat stem rust resistance.

Enhancing Phytate Availability in Soils and Phytate-P Acquisition by Plants: A Review

Phytate (myo-inositol hexakisphosphate salts) can constitute a large fraction of the organic P in soils. As a more recalcitrant form of soil organic P, up to 51 million metric tons of phytate accumulate in soils annually, corresponding to ∼65% of the P fertilizer application. However, the availability of phytate is limited due to its strong binding to soils via its highly-phosphorylated inositol structure, with sorption capacity being ∼4 times that of orthophosphate in soils. Phosphorus (P) is one of the most limiting macronutrients for agricultural productivity. Given that phosphate rock is a finite resource, coupled with the increasing difficulty in its extraction and geopolitical fragility in supply, it is anticipated that both economic and environmental costs of P fertilizer will greatly increase. Therefore, optimizing the use of soil phytate-P can potentially enhance the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture production. To increase phytate-P availability in the rhizosphere, plants and microbes have developed strategies to improve phytate solubility and mineralization by secreting mobilizing agents including organic acids and hydrolyzing enzymes including various phytases. Though we have some understanding of phytate availability and phytase activity in soils, the limiting steps for phytate-P acquisition by plants proposed two decades ago remain elusive. Besides, the relative contribution of plant- and microbe-derived phytases, including those from mycorrhizas, in improving phytate-P utilization is poorly understood. Hence, it is important to understand the processes that influence phytate-P acquisition by plants, thereby developing effective molecular biotechnologies to enhance the dynamics of phytate in soil. However, from a practical view, phytate-P acquisition by plants competes with soil P fixation, so the ability of plants to access stable phytate must be evaluated from both a plant and soil perspective. Here, we summarize information on phytate availability in soils and phytate-P acquisition by plants. In addition, agronomic approaches and biotechnological strategies to improve soil phytate-P utilization by plants are discussed, and questions that need further investigation are raised. The information helps to better improve phytate-P utilization by plants, thereby reducing P resource inputs and pollution risks to the wider environment.

[Establishment of a culture system for human nasal mucosa organoids with controllable differentiation]

OBJECTIVE

To establish a culture system for human nasal mucosal organoids with controllable differentiation to reproduce the structure and function of the source tissue through staged expansion-differentiation culture.

METHODS

Fresh samples of surgically resected middle turbinate and nasal polyp tissues were collected, from which the nasal mucosa epithelial cells were isolated by enzymatic digestion and filtration for continuous culture at the air-liquid interface for expansion (EO group) or staged culture for expansion and differentiation (DO group). Immunohistochemical staining was used to characterize the structure, cellular composition and ciliary function of nasal mucosal organoids in the two groups. The secretion function of the differentiated nasal mucosal organoids in DO group was evaluated using PAS staining.

RESULTS

Both of the two organoid culture systems yielded vacuolar or solid spherical 3D organoids, and their diameters increased progressively with time. On day 16 of culture, more vacuolar organoids occurred in DO group, while more solid spherical organoids were seen in EO group, and the proportion of vacuoles was significantly greater in DO group than in EO group [(54.67±13.26)% vs (21.67±8.57)%, P < 0.05]. Short tandem repeat (STR) test of the nasal mucosal organoids and the source tissue showed a 100% match between them. On day 21 of culture, scanning and transmission electron microscopy of the nasal mucosal organoids identified ultrastructure of cilia in DO group and short villi structure in most of the organoids in EO group. Immunohistochemical staining showed positivity for P63 (basal cells), β-tubulin (ciliated columnar cells), and MUC5AC (goblet cells) in the organoids. Compared with those in EO group, the organoids in DO group showed significantly greater percentages of ciliated cells [(7.95±1.81)% vs (27.04±5.91)%, P < 0.05] and goblet cells [(14.46±0.93)% vs (39.85±5.43)%, P < 0.05) with a similar percentage of basal cells [(56.91±14.12)% vs (53.42±15.77)%, P > 0.05]. The differentiated nasal mucosal organoids in DO group were positively stained for glycogen.

CONCLUSION

The staged expansion-differentiation culture method allows more stable and prolonged growth of the cultured cells in vitro to produce organoids with controllable differentiation closely resembling the morphological structure and functions (ciliary function and secretory function) of the source tissue.

Joint synthesis and registration network for deformable MR-CBCT image registration for neurosurgical guidance

Objective.The accuracy of navigation in minimally invasive neurosurgery is often challenged by deep brain deformations (up to 10 mm due to egress of cerebrospinal fluid during neuroendoscopic approach). We propose a deep learning-based deformable registration method to address such deformations between preoperative MR and intraoperative CBCT.Approach.The registration method uses a joint image synthesis and registration network (denoted JSR) to simultaneously synthesize MR and CBCT images to the CT domain and perform CT domain registration using a multi-resolution pyramid. JSR was first trained using a simulated dataset (simulated CBCT and simulated deformations) and then refined on real clinical images via transfer learning. The performance of the multi-resolution JSR was compared to a single-resolution architecture as well as a series of alternative registration methods (symmetric normalization (SyN), VoxelMorph, and image synthesis-based registration methods).Main results.JSR achieved median Dice coefficient (DSC) of 0.69 in deep brain structures and median target registration error (TRE) of 1.94 mm in the simulation dataset, with improvement from single-resolution architecture (median DSC = 0.68 and median TRE = 2.14 mm). Additionally, JSR achieved superior registration compared to alternative methods-e.g. SyN (median DSC = 0.54, median TRE = 2.77 mm), VoxelMorph (median DSC = 0.52, median TRE = 2.66 mm) and provided registration runtime of less than 3 s. Similarly in the clinical dataset, JSR achieved median DSC = 0.72 and median TRE = 2.05 mm.Significance.The multi-resolution JSR network resolved deep brain deformations between MR and CBCT images with performance superior to other state-of-the-art methods. The accuracy and runtime support translation of the method to further clinical studies in high-precision neurosurgery.

Identification and Evaluation of Wheat-Aegilops bicornis Lines with Resistance to Powdery Mildew and Stripe Rust

Wheat pathogens, especially those causing powdery mildew and stripe rust, seriously threaten yield worldwide. Utilizing newly identified disease resistance genes from wheat relatives is an effective strategy to minimize disease damage. In this study, chromosome-specific molecular markers for the 3S^b and 7S^b chromosomes of Aegilops bicornis were developed using PCR-based landmark unique gene primers for screening wheat-A. bicornis progenies. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was performed to further identify wheat-A. bicornis progenies using oligonucleotides probes Oligo-pSc119.2-1, Oligo-pTa535-1, and Oligo-(GAA)₈. After establishing A. bicornis 3S^b and 7S^b chromosome-specific FISH markers, Holdfast (common wheat)-A. bicornis 3S^b addition, 7S^b addition, 3S^b(3A) substitution, 3S^b(3B) substitution, 3S^b(3D) substitution, 7S^b(7A) substitution, and 7S^b(7B) substitution lines were identified by the molecular and cytological markers. Stripe rust and powdery mildew resistance, along with agronomic traits, were investigated to evaluate the breeding potential of these lines. Holdfast and Holdfast-A. bicornis progenies were all highly resistant to stripe rust, indicating that the stripe rust resistance might derive from Holdfast. However, Holdfast-A. bicornis 3S^b addition, 3S^b(3A) substitution, 3S^b(3B) substitution, and 3S^b(3D) substitution lines showed high resistance to powdery mildew while Holdfast was highly susceptible, indicating that chromosome 3S^b of A. bicornis carries previously unknown powdery mildew resistance gene(s). Additionally, the transfer of the 3S^b chromosome from A. bicornis to wheat significantly increased tiller number, but chromosome 7S^b has a negative effect on agronomic traits. Therefore, wheat germplasm containing A. bicornis chromosome 3S^b has potential to contribute to improving powdery mildew resistance and tiller number during wheat breeding.

Selenate increased plant growth and arsenic uptake in As-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata via glutathione-enhanced arsenic reduction and translocation

The beneficial effects of selenium on As uptake and plant growth in As-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata are known, but the associated mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of selenate on arsenic accumulation by P. vittata under two arsenate levels. P. vittata plants were exposed to 13 (As₁₃) or 133 µM (As₁₃₃) arsenate and 5 µM selenate in 0.2-strength Hoagland solution. After 14 d of growth, plant biomass, Se and As content, As speciation, and malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and glutathione (GSH and GSSG) levels were determined. The results show that selenate promoted P. vittata growth and increased As concentrations in the roots and fronds by 256% from 97 to 346 mg kg^-1 and 142% from 213 to 514 mg kg^-1 under As₁₃ treatment, and by 166% from 500 to 1332 mg kg^-1 and 534% from 777 to 4928 mg kg^-1 under As₁₃₃ treatment. In addition, selenate increased the glutathione content in P. vittata roots and fronds by 75-86% under As₁₃ treatment and 44-45% under As₁₃₃ treatment. Selenate also increased the GPX activity by 161-173%, and GR activity by 72-79% in P. vittata under As₁₃ and As₁₃₃ treatments. The HPLC-ICP-MS analysis indicated that selenate increased both AsIII and AsV levels in P. vittata, with AsIII/AsV ratio being lower in the roots and higher in the fronds, i.e., more AsIII was being translocated to the fronds. Taken together, our results suggest that, via GPX-GR mediated enhancement of GSH-GSSG cycle, selenate effectively increases plant growth and As uptake in P. vittata by improving AsV reduction in the roots and AsIII translocation from the roots to the fronds.

Novel phytase PvPHY1 from the As-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata enhances P uptake and phytate hydrolysis, and inhibits As translocation in Plant

Developing P-efficient plants helps improve P uptake from soils with low-available P and reduce environmental damage by P runoff. Here, we investigated a novel root-specific phytase PvPHY1 from As-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata, which can efficiently utilize phytate, a recalcitrant organic phosphorus in soil. Unlike other plants, expression of PvPHY1 in P. vittata was greater in the roots than the fronds. A pure phytase with considerable activity was obtained via prokaryotic expression. Expressing PvPHY1 in tobacco (PvPHY1-Ex) enhanced its growth (2.8 to 3.5-3.9 g per plant) and increased its P accumulation by 10-50% under low- and adequate-P conditions. Further, PvPHY1-Ex tobacco showed 25-32% lower intracellular phytate and 30-56% higher inorganic P in the roots, likely due to phytase-mediated hydrolysis of phytate. Decrease of phytate levels up-regulated phosphate transporter genes (NbPht1;1, NbPht1;2 and NbPht1;6), leading to greater P and As uptake. However, As translocation to the shoots was low, probably due to competition from increased inorganic P via phytate hydrolysis. As such, PvPHY1 facilitated P uptake from soils and phytate hydrolysis in plants, thereby promoting tobacco growth. Overall, PvPHY1 from P. vittata helps better understand the novel phytase to increase soil P utilization efficiency, thereby reducing P fertilizer requirements for crop production.

Mining of Wheat Pm2 Alleles for Goal-Oriented Marker-Assisted Breeding

Powdery mildew of wheat, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt), is a devastating disease that seriously reduces yield and quality worldwide. Utilization of plant resistance genes is an attractive and effective strategy for controlling this disease. Among the reported powdery mildew (Pm) resistance genes, Pm2 exhibits a diverse resistance spectrum among its multiple alleles. It has been widely used in China for resistance breeding for powdery mildew. To mine more Pm2 alleles and clarify their distribution, we screened 33 wheat cultivars/breeding lines carrying Pm2 alleles from 641 wheat genotypes using diagnostic and Pm2-linked markers. To further investigate the relationships within the Pm2 alleles, we compared their resistance spectra, polymorphism of marker alleles and gene sequences, and found that they have identical marker alleles and gene sequences but diverse resistance spectra. In addition, the diagnostic kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) marker, YTU-KASP-Pm2, was developed and was shown to detect all the Pm2 alleles in the different genetic backgrounds. These findings provide valuable information for the distribution and rational use of Pm2 alleles, push forward their marker-assisted breeding (MAS), and hence improve the control of wheat powdery mildew.

Deformable MR-CT image registration using an unsupervised, dual-channel network for neurosurgical guidance

PURPOSE

The accuracy of minimally invasive, intracranial neurosurgery can be challenged by deformation of brain tissue - e.g., up to 10 mm due to egress of cerebrospinal fluid during neuroendoscopic approach. We report an unsupervised, deep learning-based registration framework to resolve such deformations between preoperative MR and intraoperative CT with fast runtime for neurosurgical guidance.

METHOD

The framework incorporates subnetworks for MR and CT image synthesis with a dual-channel registration subnetwork (with synthesis uncertainty providing spatially varying weights on the dual-channel loss) to estimate a diffeomorphic deformation field from both the MR and CT channels. An end-to-end training is proposed that jointly optimizes both the synthesis and registration subnetworks. The proposed framework was investigated using three datasets: (1) paired MR/CT with simulated deformations; (2) paired MR/CT with real deformations; and (3) a neurosurgery dataset with real deformation. Two state-of-the-art methods (Symmetric Normalization and VoxelMorph) were implemented as a basis of comparison, and variations in the proposed dual-channel network were investigated, including single-channel registration, fusion without uncertainty weighting, and conventional sequential training of the synthesis and registration subnetworks.

RESULTS

The proposed method achieved: (1) Dice coefficient = 0.82±0.07 and TRE = 1.2 ± 0.6 mm on paired MR/CT with simulated deformations; (2) Dice coefficient = 0.83 ± 0.07 and TRE = 1.4 ± 0.7 mm on paired MR/CT with real deformations; and (3) Dice = 0.79 ± 0.13 and TRE = 1.6 ± 1.0 mm on the neurosurgery dataset with real deformations. The dual-channel registration with uncertainty weighting demonstrated superior performance (e.g., TRE = 1.2 ± 0.6 mm) compared to single-channel registration (TRE = 1.6 ± 1.0 mm, p < 0.05 for CT channel and TRE = 1.3 ± 0.7 mm for MR channel) and dual-channel registration without uncertainty weighting (TRE = 1.4 ± 0.8 mm, p < 0.05). End-to-end training of the synthesis and registration subnetworks also improved performance compared to the conventional sequential training strategy (TRE = 1.3 ± 0.6 mm). Registration runtime with the proposed network was ∼3 s.

CONCLUSION

The deformable registration framework based on dual-channel MR/CT registration with spatially varying weights and end-to-end training achieved geometric accuracy and runtime that was superior to state-of-the-art baseline methods and various ablations of the proposed network. The accuracy and runtime of the method may be compatible with the requirements of high-precision neurosurgery.

Comparative performance of the GenoLab M and NovaSeq 6000 sequencing platforms for transcriptome and LncRNA analysis

Background

GenoLab M is a recently established next-generation sequencing platform from GeneMind Biosciences. Presently, Illumina sequencers are the globally leading sequencing platform in the next-generation sequencing market. Here, we present the first report to compare the transcriptome and LncRNA sequencing data of the GenoLab M sequencer to NovaSeq 6000 platform in various types of analysis.

Results

We tested 16 libraries in three species using various library kits from different companies. We compared the data quality, genes expression, alternatively spliced (AS) events, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), and insertions–deletions (InDel) between two sequencing platforms. The data suggested that platforms have comparable sensitivity and accuracy in terms of quantification of gene expression levels with technical compatibility.

Conclusions

Genolab M is a promising next-generation sequencing platform for transcriptomics and LncRNA studies with high performance at low costs.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-021-08150-8.

Deformable 3D-2D registration for high-precision guidance and verification of neuroelectrode placement

Purpose.Accurate neuroelectrode placement is essential to effective monitoring or stimulation of neurosurgery targets. This work presents and evaluates a method that combines deep learning and model-based deformable 3D-2D registration to guide and verify neuroelectrode placement using intraoperative imaging.Methods.The registration method consists of three stages: (1) detection of neuroelectrodes in a pair of fluoroscopy images using a deep learning approach; (2) determination of correspondence and initial 3D localization among neuroelectrode detections in the two projection images; and (3) deformable 3D-2D registration of neuroelectrodes according to a physical device model. The method was evaluated in phantom, cadaver, and clinical studies in terms of (a) the accuracy of neuroelectrode registration and (b) the quality of metal artifact reduction (MAR) in cone-beam CT (CBCT) in which the deformably registered neuroelectrode models are taken as input to the MAR.Results.The combined deep learning and model-based deformable 3D-2D registration approach achieved 0.2 ± 0.1 mm accuracy in cadaver studies and 0.6 ± 0.3 mm accuracy in clinical studies. The detection network and 3D correspondence provided initialization of 3D-2D registration within 2 mm, which facilitated end-to-end registration runtime within 10 s. Metal artifacts, quantified as the standard deviation in voxel values in tissue adjacent to neuroelectrodes, were reduced by 72% in phantom studies and by 60% in first clinical studies.Conclusions.The method combines the speed and generalizability of deep learning (for initialization) with the precision and reliability of physical model-based registration to achieve accurate deformable 3D-2D registration and MAR in functional neurosurgery. Accurate 3D-2D guidance from fluoroscopy could overcome limitations associated with deformation in conventional navigation, and improved MAR could improve CBCT verification of neuroelectrode placement.

[Prevalence and influencing factors of deciduous dental caries among preschool children in Qingdao city in 2019]

In 2019, the rate of primary tooth caries rate among 1 598 preschool children in Shinan District and Shibei District of Qingdao was 59.4%. The multivariate logistic regression model showed that compared with children ≤ 2 years old with history of iron deficiency anemia (IDA), suffering IDA, breastfeeding to 2 years old and no tooth melanin, children ≤ 2 years old without history of IDA, not suffering IDA, breastfeeding to less than 2 years old and heavy tooth melanin had a lower risk of primary tooth caries, with OR (95%CI) values about 0.328 (0.197-0.549), 0.354 (0.208-0.603), 0.636 (0.437-0.926) and 0.301 (0.143-0.635), respectively.

Comparative study on different organic acids for promoting Solanum nigrum L. hyperaccumulation of Cd and Pb from the contaminated soil

Organic acids-assisted phytoremediation is a promising strategy to remove metal pollutants from the soil. However, few reports have focused on the mechanisms of organic acids promoting the uptake of heavy metals by hyperaccumulators. In this study, 5 types of organic acids, namely polybasic carboxylic acids, acidic amino acids, acidic plant growth regulators, phosphoric and gluconic acids, were comprehensively investigated the effects on the solubility of Cd and Pb in the soil along with their uptake by Cd hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum L. The results indicated that the addition of Hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP) and d-Gluconic acid (D-GA) effectively extracted the most of acid-extractable and some of reducible and oxidizable fractions of Cd and Pb in the soil, with the extraction rates of 64.8% and 34.4% for total Cd and 53.6% and 30.0% for total Pb, respectively. HEDP and D-GA significantly increased the accumulations of Cd (57.1% and 35.0%) and Pb (43.4% and 31.9%) by S. nigrum without the inhibition of its biomass, making the great removal efficiencies of Cd (1.35% and 1.16%) and Pb (0.039% and 0.036%) from the soil. The enhanced phytoremediation efficiency of S. nigrum was due to the increase of the extractable Cd and Pb in the rhizosphere but little changes of soil pH and enzyme activities (catalase and urease). Among all of organic acids, HEDP may be an alternative to EDTA because of its characteristics of environmental friendliness and high efficiency.

The potential of medicinal plant extracts in improving the phytoremediation capacity of Solanum nigrum L. for heavy metal contaminated soil

This study focused on the effects of eight medicinal plant extracts on Solanum nigrum L. potential to accumulate Cd and Pb from soil. These medicinal plants were common and relatively cheap. The eight 10% water extracts were made from the peel of Citrus reticulata Blanco (PCR), fruit of Phyllanthus emblica L. (FPE), root of Pueraria Lobata (Willd.) Ohwi (RPL), rhizome of Polygonatum sibiricum Red (RPS), root of Astragalus propinquus Schischkin (RAP), bud of Hemerocallis citrina Baroni (BHC), seed of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn (SNN) and fruit of Prunus mume (Sieb.) Sieb.etZuce (FPM). The results showed that among all exposures, the treatment with FPE resulted in the significant increase (p < 0.05) of Cd and Pb concentration in shoots and roots of S. nigrum by 32.5% and 65.2% for Cd, and 38.7% and 39.6% for Pb. The biomasses of S. nigrum in all plant extract treatments were not significantly changed (p < 0.05) compared to the control (CK). The Cd and Pb extraction rates of S. nigrum in FPE treatment were increased respectively by 60.5% and 40.5% compared to CK. Though the treatment with EDTA significantly improved (p < 0.05) the concentration of Cd and Pb of S. nigrum, the Cd and Pb masses (ug plant^-1) of S. nigrum did not show any significant difference compared to the CK due to the significant decrease in the shoot (20.4%) and root (22.0%) biomasses. The chelative role of FPE might be relation with its higher polyphenolic compounds. However, not sure if the contents of polyphenolic compounds was the only differences between FPE and other additives. Thus, some unknown organic matters might also play active role. This study provided valuable information on improving the phytoremediation potential of hyperaccumulator.

A splenic-targeted versatile antigen courier: iPSC wrapped in coalescent erythrocyte-liposome as tumor nanovaccine

The major obstacles for tumor vaccine to be surmounted are the lack of versatile property and immunity-inducing effectiveness. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) expressed various antigens the same as multiple types of tumors, providing a promising source of wide-spectrum cancer vaccines. The damaged erythrocyte membrane entrapped by spleen could be developed as antigen deliverer for enhancing acquired immunity. Here, the modified lipid materials were used to dilate erythrocyte membrane to fabricate coalescent nanovector, which not only preserved the biological characteristics of erythrocyte membrane but also remedied the defect of insufficient drug loading capacity. After wrapping iPSC protein, the nanovaccine iPSC@RBC-Mlipo exhibited obvious splenic accumulation, systemic specific antitumor immunity evocation, and effective tumor expansion and metastasis inhibition in mice. Hence, our research may provide a prospective strategy of efficient tumor vaccine for clinical practice.

Characterization, Identification and Evaluation of Wheat-Aegilops sharonensis Chromosome Derivatives

Aegilops sharonensis, a wild relative of wheat, harbors diverse disease and insect resistance genes, making it a potentially excellent gene source for wheat improvement. In this study, we characterized and evaluated six wheat-A. sharonensis derivatives, which included three disomic additions, one disomic substitution + monotelosomic addition and two disomic substitution + disomic additions. A total of 51 PLUG markers were developed and used to allocate the A. sharonensis chromosomes in each of the six derivatives to Triticeae homoeologous groups. A set of cytogenetic markers specific for A. sharonensis chromosomes was established based on FISH using oligonucleotides as probes. Molecular cytogenetic marker analysis confirmed that these lines were a CS-A. sharonensis 2S^sh disomic addition, a 4S^sh disomic addition, a 4S^sh (4D) substitution + 5S^shL monotelosomic addition, a 6S^sh disomic addition, a 4S^sh (4D) substitution + 6S^sh disomic addition and a 4S^sh (4D) substitution + 7S^sh disomic addition line, respectively. Disease resistance investigations showed that chromosome 7S^sh of A. sharonensis might harbor a new powdery mildew resistance gene, and therefore it has potential for use as resistance source for wheat breeding.