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Background: Myocardial infarction (MI) caused by severe coronary artery disease has high incidence and mortality rates, making its prevention and treatment a central and challenging aspect of clinical work for cardiovascular practitioners. Recently, researchers have turned their attention to a novel mechanism of cell death caused by Cu2+, cuproptosis. Methods: This study integrated data from three MI-related bulk datasets downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and identified 16 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to cuproptosis by taking intersection of the 6378 DEGs obtained by differential analysis with 49 cuproptosis-related genes. Four hub genes, Dbt, Dlat, Ube2d1 and Ube2d3, were screened out through random forest analysis and Lasso analysis. In the disease group, Dbt, Dlat, and Ube2d1 showed low expression, while Ube2d3 exhibited high expression. Results: Focusing on Ube2d3 for subsequent functional studies, we confirmed its high expression in the MI group through qRT-PCR and Western Blot detection after successful construction of a MI mouse model by left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery ligation, and further clarified the correlation of cuproptosis with MI development by detecting the levels of cuproptosis-related proteins. Moreover, through in vitro experiments, Ube2d3 was confirmed to be highly expressed in oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-treated cardiomyocytes AC16. In order to further clarify the role of Ube2d3, we knocked down Ube2d3 expression inOGD-treated AC16 cells, and confirmed Ube2d3's promoting role in the hypoxia damage of AC16 cells by inducing cuproptosis, as evidenced by the detection of MTT, TUNEL, LDH release and cuproptosis-related proteins. Conclusion: In summary, our findings indicate that Ube2d3 regulates cuproptosis to affect the progression of MI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Export production, which is defined as the export of organic matter fixed by photosynthesis, is crucial for sustaining oceanic carbon uptake. The export route in the open ocean is the sinking of biogenic particles through the bottom of the euphotic layer. In contrast, the export routes in the shelf seas are the sinking of biogenic particles to the sediment and the horizontal transport of biogenic particles across the boundary of the shelf seas to the open ocean. The biogenic particles in the shelf seas are supported bymultisource nutrients including riverine and oceanic ones. Their exports depend on the hydrodynamic conditions and biogeochemical processes responsible for different sources of nutrients. Here, a unique physical-biological coupled model with a tracking approach is applied to evaluate the export production supported by multisource dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) over the East China Sea. The total export production is 6.83 kmol N s-1 (=17.16 Tg C yr-1), which is slightly lower than the reported atmospheric CO2 absorption. Approximately 80% of particulate organic nitrogen (PON) is exported via off-shelf transport, and the remaining 20% is buried in the sediment. The PON supported by DIN from rivers accounts for 8% of export production, with an e-ratio (export production/primary production) of 0.09. In comparison, that from the Kuroshio accounts for 64%, with an e-ratio of 0.22. This suggests that offshore areas here are more efficient in exporting local production than nearshore ones, largely supported by oceanic nutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) represents the most frequent form of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and accurate International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grading is crucial for prognosis and treatment selection. This study presents a new deep network called Multi-scale Fusion Network (MsfNet), which aims to enhance the automatic ISUP grade of ccRCC with digital histopathology pathology images. The MsfNet overcomes the limitations of traditional ResNet50 by multi-scale information fusion and dynamic allocation of channel quantity. The model was trained and tested using 90 Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stained whole slide images (WSIs), which were all cropped into 320 x 320-pixel patches at 40x magnification. MsfNet achieved a microaveraged area under the curve (AUC) of 0.9807, a macro-averaged AUC of 0.9778 on the test dataset. The Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) visually demonstrated MsfNet's ability to distinguish and highlight abnormal areas more effectively than ResNet50. The t-Distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (t-SNE) plot indicates our model can efficiently extract critical features from images, reducing the impact of noise and redundant information. The results suggest that MsfNet offers an accurate ISUP grade of ccRCC in digital images, emphasizing the potential of AI-assisted histopathological systems in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cognitive decline in the elderly population is a growing concern, and vascular factors, such as hypertension, diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, and coronary heart disease, have been associated with cognitive impairments. This study aims to provide deeper insights into the structure of cognitive function networks under these different vascular factors and explore their potential associations with specific cognitive domains. Methods: Cognitive function was assessed using a modified Chinese version of the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scale, and intensity centrality and side weights were estimated by network modeling. The network structure of cognitive function was compared across subgroups by including vascular factors as subgroup variables while controlling for comorbidities and confounders. Results: The results revealed that cerebrovascular disease and coronary heart disease had a more significant impact on cognitive function. Cerebrovascular disease was associated with weaker centrality in memory and spatial orientation, and a sparser cognitive network structure. Coronary heart disease was associated with weaker centrality in memory, repetition, executive function, recall, attention, and calculation, as well as a sparser cognitive network structure. The NCT analyses further highlighted significant differences between the cerebrovascular disease and coronary heart disease groups compared to controls in terms of overall network structure and connection strength. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that specific cognitive domains may be more vulnerable to impairments in patients with cerebrovascular disease and coronary heart disease. These insights could be used to improve the accuracy and sensitivity of cognitive screening in these patient populations, inform personalized cognitive intervention strategies, and provide a better understanding of the potential mechanisms underlying cognitive decline in patients with vascular diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Nephrolithiasis is thought to be a risk factor for osteoporosis, but data assessing if osteoporosis predisposes to the risk of nephrolithiasis are lacking. The present study aims to investigate whether patients with nephrolithiasis have a prominently higher prevalence of osteoporosis than the controls and vice versa via a cumulative analysis. Methods: Four databases were used to detect the eligible studies. We calculated the relative risk (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) to assess the combined effect. The methodologies for conducting this study followed the PRISMA guidelines and were registered in the PROSPERO (ID: CRD42023395875), Results: Nine case-control or cohort studies with a total of 454,464 participants were finally included. Combined results indicated that there was a significantly higher prevalence of osteoporosis in patients with nephrolithiasis as compared to the general population without nephrolithiasis (overall RR from six studies= 1.204, 95%CI: 1.133 to 1.28, P< 0.001; heterogeneity: I2 = 34.8%, P= 0.162). Conversely, osteoporosis was significantly correlated to an increased risk of nephrolithiasis as compared to the controls without osteoporosis (overall RR from four studies= 1.505, 95%CI: 1.309 to 1.731, P< 0.001; I2 = 89.8%, P< 0.001). Sensitivity analysis on the two categories validated the above findings. No significant publication bias was identified in this study. Conclusions: The present study highlighted a significantly high prevalence of osteoporosis in patients with nephrolithiasis and vice versa. This reciprocal association reminded the clinicians to conduct a regular follow-up assessment when managing patients with nephrolithiasis or osteoporosis, especially for the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Globally, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has negatively affected mental health services, but there is no clear evidence of this in China. Therefore, we examined the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of serious mental illness (SMI)-related outpatient services in Ningbo, China. Methods: We analyzed the trends in monthly SMI-related outpatient department utilization from January 2018 to June 2022 using interrupted time series (ITS) regression analysis, and we defined the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic as January 2020. We also performed ITS regression analyses for sex and age subgroups. Results: A significant difference in the monthly number of outpatient visit slopes before and after the onset of the pandemic was shown in the SMI analysis [-175.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) (-338.3 to -12.9), p < 0.05]. All sex and age categories, except the 20-30 years age category, showed statistically significant changes in their slopes after the onset of the pandemic. Significant differences in the number of outpatient visit slopes before and after the onset of the pandemic were seen for schizophrenia and bipolar disorders [-153.3, 95% CI (-294.1 to -12.5) and -16.8 (-31.0 to -2.6), respectively]. Moreover, a negative relationship was observed between the monthly number of outpatient visits and the number of incidents and accidents due to SMI (r = -0.38, p < 0.05). Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative effect on SMI-related outpatient visits in Ningbo, especially by patients with schizophrenia. A strategy should be developed and implemented to maintain access to SMI services during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Nephrolithiasis is thought to be a risk factor for osteoporosis, but data assessing if osteoporosis predisposes to the risk of nephrolithiasis are lacking. The present study aims to investigate whether patients with nephrolithiasis have a prominently higher prevalence of osteoporosis than the controls and vice versa via a cumulative analysis. Methods: Four databases were used to detect the eligible studies. We calculated the relative risk (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) to assess the combined effect. The methodologies for conducting this study followed the PRISMA guidelines and were registered in the PROSPERO (ID: CRD42023395875). Results: Nine case-control or cohort studies with a total of 454,464 participants were finally included. Combined results indicated that there was a significantly higher prevalence of osteoporosis in patients with nephrolithiasis as compared to the general population without nephrolithiasis (overall RR from six studies= 1.204, 95%CI: 1.133 to 1.28, P< 0.001; heterogeneity: I2 = 34.8%, P= 0.162). Conversely, osteoporosis was significantly correlated to an increased risk of nephrolithiasis as compared to the controls without osteoporosis (overall RR from four studies= 1.505, 95%CI: 1.309 to 1.731, P< 0.001; I2 = 89.8%, P< 0.001). Sensitivity analysis on the two categories validated the above findings. No significant publication bias was identified in this study. Conclusions: The present study highlighted a significantly high prevalence of osteoporosis in patients with nephrolithiasis and vice versa. This reciprocal association reminded the clinicians to conduct a regular follow-up assessment when managing patients with nephrolithiasis or osteoporosis, especially for the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suxiao Jiuxin Pill (SJP) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine drug used to manage heart diseases. This study aimed at determining the pharmacological effects of SJP in acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and the molecular pathways its active compounds target to induce coronary artery vasorelaxation. Using the AMI rat model, SJP improved cardiac function and elevated ST segment. LC-MS and GC-MS detected twenty-eight non-volatile compounds and eleven volatile compounds in sera from SJP-treated rats. Network pharmacology analysis revealed eNOS and PTGS2 as the key drug targets. Indeed, SJP induced coronary artery relaxation via activation of the eNOS-NO pathway. Several of SJP's main compounds, like senkyunolide A, scopoletin, and borneol, caused concentration-dependent coronary artery relaxation. Senkyunolide A and scopoletin increased eNOS and Akt phosphorylation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Molecular docking and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) revealed an interaction between senkynolide A/scopoletin and Akt. Vasodilation caused by senkyunolide A and scopoletin was inhibited by uprosertib (Akt inhibitor) and eNOS/sGC/PKG axis inhibitors. This suggests that senkyunolide A and scopoletin relax coronary arteries through the Akt-eNOS-NO pathway. In addition, borneol induced endothelium-independent vasorelaxation of the coronary artery. The Kv channel inhibitor 4-AP, KCa2+ inhibitor TEA, and Kir inhibitor BaCl2 significantly inhibited the vasorelaxant effect of borneol in the coronary artery. In conclusion, the results show that Suxiao Jiuxin Pill protects the heart against acute myocardial infarction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Identification of the motifs bound by a transcription factor (TF) is important to reveal the function of TF. Previously, we built a transcription factor centered yeast one hybrid (TF-Centered Y1H) that could identify the motifs bound by a target TF. However, that method was difficult to comprehensively identify all the motifs bound by a TF. Results: Here, we build an improved TF-Centered Y1H to comprehensively determine the motifs bound by a target TF. Recombination-mediated cloning in yeast was performed to construct a saturated prey library that contains 7 random base insertions. After TF-Centered Y1H screening, all the positive clones were pooled together to isolate pHIS2 vector. The insertion regions of pHIS2 were PCR amplified and the PCR product was subjected to high-throughput sequencing. The insertion sequences were then retrieved and analyzed using MEME program to identify the potential motifs bound by the TF. Using this technology, we studied the motifs bound by an ethylene-responsive factor (BpERF2) from birch. In total, 22 conserved motifs were identified, and most of them are novel cis-acting elements. Both the yeast one hybrid and electrophoretic mobility shift assay verified that the obtained motifs could be bound by BpERF2. In addition, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) study further suggested that the identified motifs can be bound by BpERF2 in cells of birch. These results together suggested that this technology is reliable and has biological significance. Conclusion: This method will have wide application in DNA-protein interaction studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute rejection is a determinant of prognosis following kidney transplantation. It is essential to search for novel noninvasive biomarkers for early diagnosis and prompt treatment. Methods: Gene microarray data was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) expression profile database and the intersected differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was calculated. We conducted the DEGs with Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. Distribution of immune cell infiltration was calculated by CIBERSORT. A hub gene marker was identified by intersecting the rejection-related genes from WGCNA and a selected KEGG pathway-T cell receptor signaling pathway (hsa04660), and building a protein-protein interaction network using the STRING database and Cytoscape software. We performed flow-cytometry analysis to validate the hub gene. Results: A total of 1450 integrated DEGs were obtained from five datasets (GSE1563, GSE174020, GSE98320, GSE36059, GSE25902). The GO, KEGG and immune infiltration analysis results showed that AR was mainly associated with T cell activation and various T-cell related pathways. Other immune cells, such as B cells, Macrophage and Dendritic cells were also associated with the progress. After utilizing the WGCNA and PPI network, PDCD1 was identified as the hub gene. The flow-cytometry analysis demonstrated that both in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, PD1+CD57-, an exhausted T cell phenotype, were downregulated in the acute rejection whole blood samples. Conclusions: Our study illustrated that PDCD1 may be a candidate diagnostic biomarker for acute kidney transplant rejection via integrative bioinformatic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection worldwide. Until now, there are no licenced vaccines or effective antiviral drugs against RSV infections. In our previous work, we found 2-((1H-indol-3-yl)thio/sulfinyl)-N-pheny acetamide derivatives (4-49C and 1-HB-63) being a novel inhibitor against RSV in vitro. Here, we explored the underlying mechanism of 2-((1H-indol-3-yl)thio/sulfinyl)-N-pheny acetamide derivatives to inhibit RSV replication in vitro and disclosed that 4- 49C worked as the inhibitor of membrane fusion and 1-HB-63 functioned at the stage of RSV genome replication/transcription. Yet, both of them could not inhibit RSV infection of BALB/c mice by using RSV-Luc, in vivo imaging and RT-qPCR analyses, for which it may be due to the fast metabolism in vivo. Our work suggests that further structural modification and optimisation of 2-((1H-indol-3-yl) thio/sulfinyl)-N-pheny acetamide derivative are needed to obtain drug candidates with effective anti-RSV activities in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute allograft rejection (AR) following renal transplantation contributes to chronic rejection and allograft dysfunction. The current diagnosis of AR remains dependent on renal allograft biopsy which cannot immediately detect renal allograft injury in the presence of AR. In this study, sensitive biomarkers for AR diagnosis were investigated and developed to protect renal function. Methods: We analyzed pre- and postoperative data from five databases combined with our own data to identify the key differently expressed genes (DEGs). Furthermore, we performed a bioinformatics analysis to determine the immune characteristics of DEGs. The expression of key DEGs was further confirmed using the real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining in patients with AR. ROC curves analysis was used to estimate the performance of key DEGs in the early diagnosis of AR. Results: We identified glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase 2 (GOT2) and syntaxin binding protein 3 (STXBP3) as key DEGs. The higher expression of STXBP3 and GOT2 in patients with AR was confirmed using RT-qPCR, ELISA, and IHC staining. ROC curve analysis also showed favorable values of STXBP3 and GOT2 for the diagnosis of early stage AR. Conclusions: STXBP3 and GOT2 could reflect the immunological status of patients with AR and have strong potential for the diagnosis of early-stage AR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviors--an important factor that profoundly affects the physical and mental health of young people--are induced by complex and diverse factors, while showing significant differences at the gender level. We examined mediating behaviors among parenting styles, students' coping styles, and endogenous and exogenous influencing variables of adolescents' NSSI behaviors. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, Secondary school students in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China (n = 2,689; F/M:1532/1157) were surveyed for basic attributes, parenting styles, coping styles, and NSSI behaviors. After the initial screening of the sample data, several external derivatives were screened based on the single factor analysis method. On this basis, the construction of path analysis models under multivariate multiple elicitations was carried out. Results: The overall prevalence of NSSI was 15.16%, and the incidence of NSSI in boys was lower than that in girls (OR = 0.334, 95% CI [0.235-0.474]). The path analysis model data fit well; the indicators of female and male part are: CFI = 0.913/0.923, GFI = 0.964/0.977, SRMR = 0.055/0.047, RMSEA = 0.097/0.069 with 90% confidence interval (CI) [0.084-0.111]/[0.054-0.084]. For female, when negative coping style and extreme education affect NSSI respectively, the standardized path coefficient values are 0.478 (z = 20.636, P = 0.000 < 0.01) and 0.151 (z = 6.524, P = 0.000 < 0.01) respectively, while for male, the corresponding values become 0.225 (z = 7.057, P < 0.001) and 0.104 (z = 3.262, P < 0.001). Conclusion: In particular, we investigated the mediating effects of gender-specific NSSI influences and found that NSSI behaviors were strongly associated with environmental variables and individual factors, especially family parenting style and adolescent coping style, which influenced NSSI in a gender-specific manner. The results showed that males were the target of both positive and negative parenting styles, whereas females were more likely to choose negative coping styles directed towards emotions in response to external stimuli, and instead showed a more significant predisposition towards NSSI behaviors. This phenomenon seems to be influenced by multilevel factors such as sociocultural, individual value identity, and physiological structure differences. In the path analysis model with the introduction of mediating effects, the influence of gender differences on NSSI behavior becomes more pronounced under the interaction of multiple factors: women seem to be more significantly influenced by the external derivatives in the internal derivatives than male subjects, and are more likely to trigger NSSI behavior under the interaction of multiple factors. These findings effectively reveal the significant role of different end-influencing factors in NSSI behaviors at the level of gender differences, which can provide effective theoretical support to prevent and treat NSSI behaviors in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously, we have shown that the transcription factor BplMYB46 in Betula platyphylla can enhance tolerance to salt and osmotic stress and promote secondary cell wall deposition, and we characterized its downstream regulatory mechanism. However, its upstream regulatory mechanism remains unclear. Here, the promoter activity and upstream regulatory factors of BplMYB46 were studied. Analyses of β-glucuronidase (GUS) staining and activity indicated that BplMYB46 promoter was specific temporal and spatial expression, and its expression can be induced by salt and osmotic stress. We identified three upstream regulatory factors of BplMYB46: BpDof1, BpWRKY3, and BpbZIP3. Yeast-one hybrid assays, GUS activity, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that BpDof1, BpWRKY3, and BpbZIP3 can directly regulate the expression of BplMYB46 by specifically binding to Dof, W-box, and ABRE elements in the BplMYB46 promoter, respectively. BpDof1, BpWRKY3, and BpbZIP3 were all localized to the nucleus, and their expressions can be induced by stress. Overexpression of BpDof1, BpWRKY3, and BpbZIP3 conferred the resistance of transgenic birch plants to salt and osmotic stress. Our findings provide new insights into the upstream regulatory mechanism of BplMYB46 and reveal new upstream regulatory genes that mediate resistance to adverse environments. The genes identified in our study provide novel targets for the breeding of forest tree species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The GRAS gene family is a plant-specific family of transcription factors and playa vital role in many plant growth processes and abiotic stress responses. Nevertheless, the functions of the GRAS gene family in woody plants, especially in Betula platyphylla (birch), are hardly known. In this study, we performed a genome-wide analysis of 40 BpGRAS genes (BpGRASs) and identified typical GRAS domains of most BpGRASs. The BpGRASs were unevenly distributed on 14 chromosomes of birch and the phylogenetic analysis of six species facilitated the clustering of 265 GRAS proteins into 17 subfamilies. We observed that closely related GRAS homologs had similar conserved motifs according to motif analysis. Besides, an analysis of the expression patterns of 26 BpGRASs showed that most BpGRASs were highly expressed in the leaves and responded to salt stress. Six BpGRASs were selected for cis-acting element analysis because of their significant upregulation under salt treatment, indicating that many elements were involved in the response to abiotic stress. This result further confirmed that these BpGRAS sight participate in response to abiotic stress. Transiently transfected birch plants with transiently overexpressed 6 BpGRASs and RNAi-silenced 6 BpGRASs were generated for gain- and loss-of-function analysis, respectively. In addition, overexpression of BpGRAS34 showed phenotype resistant to salt stress, decreased the cell death and enhanced the reactive oxygen species (ROS)scavenging capabilities and proline content under salt treatment, consistent with the results in transiently transformed birch plants. This study is a systematic analysis of the GRAS gene family in birch plants, and the results provide insight into the molecular mechanism of the GRAS gene family responding to abiotic stress in birch plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) has an over 30% risk of recurrence after kidney transplantation (Ktx) and is associated with an extremely high risk of graft loss. However, mechanisms remain largely unclear. Thus, this study identifies novel genes related to the recurrence of FSGS (rFSGS). Whole genome-wide sequencing and next-generation RNA sequencing were used to identify the candidate mutant genes associated with rFSGS in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with biopsy-confirmed rFSGS after KTx. To confirm the functional role of the identified gene with the MDH2 c.26C >T mutation, a homozygous MDH2 c.26C >T mutation in HMy2.CIR cell line was induced by CRISPR/Cas9 and co-cultured with podocytes, mesangial cells, or HK2 cells, respectively, to detect the potential pathogenicity of the c.26C >T variant in MDH2. A total of 32 nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 610 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to rFSGS were identified. DEGs are mainly enriched in the immune and metabolomic-related pathways. A variant in MDH2, c.26C >T, was found in all patients with rFSGS, which was also accompanied by lower levels of mRNA expression in PBMCs from relapsed patients compared with patients with remission after KTx. Functionally, co-cultures of HMy2.CIR cells overexpressing the mutant MDH2 significantly inhibited the expression of synaptopodin, podocin, and F-actin by podocytes compared with those co-cultured with WT HMy2.CIR cells or podocytes alone. We identified that MDH2 is a novel rFSGS susceptibility gene in patients with recurrence of FSGS after KTx. Mutation of the MDH2 c.26C >T variant may contribute to progressive podocyte injury in rFSGS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. DNA binding with one finger (Dof) proteins are plant-specific transcription factors playing vital roles in developmental processes and stress responses in plants. Nevertheless, the characterizations, expression patterns, and functions of the Dof family under drought stress (a key determinant of plant physiology and metabolic homeostasis) in woody plants remain unclear. Methods. The birch (Betula platyphylla var. mandshuric) genome and plant TFDB database were used to identify Dof gene family members in birch plants. ClustalW2 of BioEdit v7.2.1, MEGA v7.0, ExPASy ProtParam tool, Subloc, TMHMM v2.0, GSDS v2.0, MEME, TBtools, KaKs Calculator v2.0, and PlantCARE were respectively used to align the BpDof sequences, build a phylogenetic tree, identify the physicochemical properties, analyze the chromosomal distribution and synteny, and identify the ciselements in the promoter regions of the 26 BpDof genes. Additionally, the birch seedlings were exposed to PEG6000-simulated drought stress, and the expression patterns of the BpDof genes in different tissues were analyzed by qRT-PCR. The histochemical staining and the evaluation of physiological indexes were performed to assess the plant tolerance to drought with transient overexpression of BpDof4, BpDof11, and BpDof17 genes. SPSS software and ANOVA were used to conduct all statistical analyses and determine statistically significant differences between results. Results. A total of 26 BpDof genes were identified in birch via whole-genome analysis. The conserved Dof domain with a C(x)2C(x)21C(x)2C zinc finger motif was present in all BpDof proteins. These birch BpDofs were classified into four groups (A to D) according to the phylogenetic analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana Dof genes. BpDof proteins within the same group mostly possessed similar motifs, as detected by conserved motif analysis. The exon–intron analysis revealed that the structures of BpDof genes differed, indicating probable gene gain and lose during the BpDof evolution. The chromosomal distribution and synteny analysis showed that the 26 BpDofs were unevenly distributed on 14 chromosomes, and seven duplication events among six chromosomes were found. Cis-acting elements were abundant in the promoter regions of the 26 BpDof genes. qRT-PCR revealed that the expression of the 26 BpDof genes was differentially regulated by drought stress among roots, stems, and leaves. Most BpDof genes responded to drought stress, and BpDof4, BpDof11, and BpDof17 were significantly up-regulated. Therefore, plants overexpressing these three genes were generated to investigate drought stress tolerance. The BpDof4-, BpDof11-, and BpDof17- overexpressing plants showed promoted reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capabilities and less severe cell damage, suggesting that they conferred enhanced drought tolerance in birch. This study provided an in-depth insight into the structure, evolution, expression, and function of the Dof gene family in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Currently, numerous review procedures are applied to perform the urine sediment examination. Clinical technologists and nephrologists use different procedures for the determination of specimen concentration and for particle counting. These techniques may underestimate the formed elements such as pathological casts (CASTs) and renal tubular epithelial (RTE) cells and might interfere with clinical diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate a modified review procedure for urinary analysis and to narrow the gap between nephrologists and technologists by increasing the detection positivity rate for pathological formed elements. Methods: We implemented a modified urinalysis procedure between October 2016 and January 2017 based on strict manual microscopic criteria and the currently available equipment. We confirmed the agreement between methods using a review procedure and Sysmex UF-1000i urinary flow cytometer (Pairwise Agreement > 0.88 for WBCs, RBCs, CASTs, and SRCs). Then we derived the review procedure that was based on the optimal sensitivity and specificity as follows: RBC > 26.1/µL, WBC > 37.0/µL, CAST > 1.0/µL, SRC > 8.2/µL, XTAL > 1.5/µL, YLC > 10.0/µL, BACT > 287.5/µL. Results: Of the 317 specimens investigated, 17.4% (26/149) and 31.5% (39/124) of the specimens for RTEs and Path. CASTs, respectively, were correctly detected using the proposed review procedure. Sensitivity and specificity for this procedure was 96.9% and 46.2%, respectively. In addition, we verified the ability of the procedure to detect the pathological elements with technologists and nephrologists and the agreement was satisfactory. Conclusions: This modified review procedure can significantly improve the quality of urinalysis and reduce the risk of underestimating the detection of pathological particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) worldwide, and the importance of tubular injury has been highlighted in recent years. However, the underlying mechanisms and effective therapeutic targets are still unclear. In this study, we investigated mtDNA, mitochondrial dynamics, function and metabolic pathways to determine if mitochondrial damage plays a critical role in the development of tubular injury in DKD patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among healthy controls (HCs, n = 65), diabetes patients without kidney disease (DCs, n = 48) and DKD patients (n = 60). Serum, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and kidney biopsy specimens were obtained from participants. Metabolomics was employed to investigate cellular metabolism. Results: DKD patients had decreased mtDNA copy numbers and increased mtDNA damage compared to DCs. Mitochondrial fragmentation was specifically presented in tubules, but not in podocytes of DKD patients. The accumulation of damaged mtDNA and fragmented mitochondria resulted in increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, activation of apoptosis and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) in tubules and PBMCs. Furthermore, glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle was perturbed, and increased dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and decreased succinyl-CoA synthetase (SCS) respectively in these two metabolic pathways were identified as potential biomarkers for tubular injury in DKD. Conclusion: Our study indicates that mitochondrial damage could be the hallmark of tubular injury in DKD patients, and this would provide a novel and attractive therapeutic target to improve this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The WOX (WUSCHEL-related homeobox) is a plant-specific transcription factor involved in plant development and stress response. However, few studies have been reported on the WOX gene in woody plants. In this study, 10 BpWOX genes were isolated from paper mulberry by RACE-PCR and categorized into three clades through phylogenetic analysis, ancient, intermediate and WUS clade. Among them, five members had the transcriptional activity detected by yeast one-hybrid and seven were uniquely localized to the nucleus through green fluorescent protein (GFP) observation. The expression patterns of BpWOX genes in different tissues and under diverse treatments were quantified by the qRT-PCR method. Results showed that BpWUS was expressed in the apical bud, stem and root, BpWOX5 and BpWOX7 functioned only in the root tip, and three BpWOXs regulated leaf development redundantly. BpWOX9 and BpWOX10 were induced by indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) or jasmonic acid (JA), while BpWOX2 was repressed by five phytohormones. Interestingly, most BpWOX genes were responsive to the abiotic stress stimuli of drought, salt, cold, and cadmium (CdCl2). Together, our study revealed that BpWOXs were functionally divergent during paper mulberry development and environmental adaptation, which might be related to their evolutionary relationships. Our work will benefit the systematic understanding of the precise function of WOX in plant development and environmental stress responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2) proteins play critical roles in many plant biological processes and environmental stress. However, NAC proteins from Tamarix hispida have not been functionally characterized. Here, we studied a NAC gene from T. hispida, ThNAC13, in response to salt and osmotic stresses. ThNAC13 is a nuclear protein with a C-terminal transactivation domain. ThNAC13 can bind to NAC recognized sites and calmodulin-binding NAC (CBNAC) binding element. Overexpression of ThNAC13 in Arabidopsis improved seed germination rate and increased root growth and fresh weight gain under salt or osmotic stress. Transgenic T. hispida plants transiently overexpressing ThNAC13 and with RNAi-silenced ThNAC13 were generated for gain- and loss-of-function experiments. Following exposure to salt or osmotic stress, overexpression of ThNAC13 induced superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activities, chlorophyll and proline contents; decreased the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde levels; and reduced electrolyte leakage rates in both transgenic Tamarix and Arabidopsis plants. In contrast, RNAi-silenced ThNAC13 showed the opposite results in transgenic Tamarix. Furthermore, ThNAC13 induced the expression of SODs and PODs in transgenic Arabidopsis. These results suggest that ThNAC13 improves salt and osmotic tolerance by enhancing the ROS-scavenging capability and adjusting osmotic potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 1A (eIF1A) functions as an mRNA scanner and AUG initiation codon locator. However, few studies have clarified the role of eIF1A in abiotic stress. In this study, we cloned eIF1A (TheIF1A) from Tamarix hispida and found its expression to be induced by NaCl and polyethylene glycol (PEG) in roots, stems, and leaves. Compared to control, TheIF1A root expression was increased 187.63-fold when exposed to NaCl for 6 h, suggesting a potential abiotic stress response for this gene. Furthermore, transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing TheIF1A exhibited enhanced seed germination and a higher total chlorophyll content under salt and mannitol stresses. Increased superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, glutathione transferase and glutathione peroxidase activities, as well as decreased electrolyte leakage rates and malondialdehyde contents, were observed in TheIF1A-transgenic tobacco and T. hispida seedlings under salt and mannitol stresses. Histochemical staining suggested that TheIF1A improves reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging in plants. Moreover, TheIF1A may regulate expression of stress-related genes, including TOBLTP, GST, MnSOD, NtMPK9, poxN1, and CDPK15. Moreover, a 1352-bp promoter fragment of TheIF1A was isolated, and cis-elements were identified. Yeast one-hybrid assays showed that ThDof can specifically bind to the Dof motif present in the promoter. In addition, ThDof showed expression patterns similar to those of TheIF1A under NaCl and PEG stresses. These findings suggest the potential mechanism and physiological roles of TheIF1A. ThDof may be an upstream regulator of TheIF1A, and TheIF1A may function as a stress response regulator to improve plant salt and osmotic stress tolerance via regulation of associated enzymes and ROS scavenging, thereby reducing cell damage under stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RNA interfering (RNAi) using short interfering RNA (siRNA) is becoming a promising approach for cancer gene therapy. However, owing to the lack of safe and efficient carriers, the application of RNAi for clinical use is still very limited. In this study, we have developed cadmiumsulphoselenide/Zinc sulfide quantumdots (CdSSe/ZnS QDs)-based nanocarriers for in vitro gene delivery. These CdSSe/ZnS QDs are functionalized with polyethyleneimine (PEI) to form stable nanoplex (QD-PEI) and subsequently they are used for siRNA loading which specially targets human telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). High gene transfection efficiency (>80%) was achieved on two glioblastoma cell lines, U87 and U251. The gene expression level (49.99 ± 10.23% for U87, 43.28 ± 9.66% for U251) and protein expression level (51.58 ± 7.88% for U87, 50.69 ± 7.59%for U251) of TERT is observed to decrease substantially after transfecting the tumor cells for 48 h. More importantly, the silencing of TERT gene expression significantly suppressed the proliferation of glioblastoma cells. No obvious cytotoxicity from these QD-PEI nanoplexes were observed over at 10 times of the transfected doses. Based on these results, we envision that QDs engineered here can be used as a safe and efficient gene nanocarrier for siRNA delivery and a promising tool for future cancer gene therapy applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

APETALA2/Ethylene Responsive Factor (AP2/ERF) is a large family of plant transcription factors which play important roles in the control of plant metabolism and development as well as responses to various biotic and abiotic stresses. The desert moss Syntrichia caninervis, due to its robust and comprehensive stress tolerance, is a promising organism for the identification of stress-related genes. Using S. caninervis transcriptome data, 80 AP2/ERF unigenes were identified by HMM modeling and BLASTP searching. Based on the number of AP2 domains, multiple sequence alignment, motif analysis, and gene tree construction, ScAP2/ERF genes were classified into three main subfamilies (including 5 AP2 gene members, 72 ERF gene members, and 1 RAV member) and two Soloist members. We found that the ratio for each subfamily was constant between S. caninervis and the model moss Physcomitrella patens, however, as compared to the angiosperm Arabidopsis, the percentage of ERF subfamily members in both moss species were greatly expanded, while the members of the AP2 and RAV subfamilies were reduced accordingly. The amino acid composition of the AP2 domain of ScAP2/ERFs was conserved as compared with Arabidopsis. Interestingly, most of the identified DREB genes in S. caninervis belonged to the A-5 group which play important roles in stress responses and are rarely reported in the literature. Expression profile analysis of ScDREB genes showed different gene expression patterns under dehydration and rehydration; the majority of ScDREB genes demonstrated a stronger response to dehydration relative to rehydration indicating that ScDREB may play an important role in dehydrated moss tissues. To our knowledge, this is the first study to detail the identification and characterization of the AP2/ERF gene family in a desert moss. Further, this study will lay the foundation for further functional analysis of these genes, provide greater insight to the stress tolerance mechanisms in S. caninervis and provide a reference for AP2/ERF gene family classification in other moss species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Syringe infiltration is an important transient transformation method that is widely used in many molecular studies. Owing to the wide use of syringe agroinfiltration, it is important and necessary to improve its transformation efficiency. Here, we studied the factors influencing the transformation efficiency of syringe agroinfiltration. The pCAMBIA1301 was transformed into Nicotiana benthamiana leaves for investigation. The effects of 5-azacytidine (AzaC), Ascorbate acid (ASC) and Tween-20 on transformation were studied. The β-glucuronidase (GUS) expression and GUS activity were respectively measured to determine the transformation efficiency. AzaC, ASC and Tween-20 all significantly affected the transformation efficiency of agroinfiltration, and the optimal concentrations of AzaC, ASC and Tween-20 for the transgene expression were identified. Our results showed that 20 μM AzaC, 0.56 mM ASC and 0.03% (v/v) Tween-20 is the optimal concentration that could significantly improve the transformation efficiency of agroinfiltration. Furthermore, a combined supplement of 20 μM AzaC, 0.56 mM ASC and 0.03% Tween-20 improves the expression of transgene better than any one factor alone, increasing the transgene expression by more than 6-fold. Thus, an optimized syringe agroinfiltration was developed here, which might be a powerful method in transient transformation analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skeletal muscle has a major role in locomotion and muscle disorders are associated with poor regenerative efficiency. Therefore, a deeper understanding of muscle regeneration is needed to provide a new insight for new therapies. CaMKK2 plays a role in the calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase cascade; however, its role in skeletal muscle remains unknown. Here, we found that CaMKK2 expression levels were altered under physiological and pathological conditions including postnatal myogensis, freeze or cardiotoxin-induced muscle regeneration, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Overexpression of CaMKK2 suppressed C2C12 myoblast proliferation and differentiation, while inhibition of CaMKK2 had opposite effect. We also found that CaMKK2 is able to activate AMPK in C2C12 myocytes. Inhibition of AMPK could attenuate the effect of CaMKK2 overexpression, while AMPK agonist could abrogate the effect of CaMKK2 knockdown on C2C12 cell differentiation and proliferation. These results suggest that CaMKK2 functions as an AMPK kinase in muscle cells and AMPK mediates the effect of CaMKK2 on myoblast proliferation and differentiation. Our data also indicate that CaMKK2 might inhibit myoblast proliferation through AMPK-mediated cell cycle arrest by inducing cdc2-Tyr15 phosphorylation and repress differentiation through affecting PGC1α transcription. Lastly, we show that overexpressing CaMKK2 in the muscle of mice via electroporation impaired the muscle regeneration during freeze-induced injury, indicating that CaMKK2 could serve as a potential target to treat patients with muscle injury or myopathies. Together, our study reveals a new role for CaMKK2 as a negative regulator of myoblast differentiation and proliferation and sheds new light on the molecular regulation of muscle regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) comprise a large protein family and they are mainly involved in abiotic stress tolerance. Although Arabidopsis RING/FYVE/PHD ZFP At5g62460 (AtRZFP) is found to bind to zinc, whether it is involved in abiotic stress tolerance is still unknown. In the present study, we characterized the roles of AtRZFP in response to abiotic stresses. The expression of AtRZFP was induced significantly by salt and osmotic stress. AtRZFP positively mediates tolerance to salt and osmotic stress. Additionally, compared with wild-type Arabidopsis plants, plants overexpressing AtRZFP showed reduced reactive oxygen species (ROSs) accumulation, enhanced superoxide dismutase and peroxidase activity, increased soluble sugars and proline contents, reduced KC loss, decreased Na+ accumulation, stomatal aperture and the water loss rate. Conversely, AtRZFP knockout plants displayed the opposite physiological changes when exposed to salt or osmotic stress conditions. These data suggested that AtRZFP enhances salt and osmotic tolerance through a series of physiological processes, including enhanced ROSs scavenging, maintaining Na+ and KC homeostasis, controlling the stomatal aperture to reduce the water loss rate, and accumulating soluble sugars and proline to adjust the osmotic potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a radiating pattern reconfigurable antenna by employing RF Micro-electromechanical Systems (RF MEMS) switches. The antenna has a low profile and small size of 4 mm ⨰ 5 mm ⨰ 0.4 mm, and mainly consists of one main patch, two assistant patches, and two RF MEMS switches. By changing the RF MEMS switches operating modes, the proposed antenna can switch among three radiating patterns (with main lobe directions of approximately -17.0°, 0° and +17.0°) at 35 GHz. The far-field vector addition model is applied to analyse the pattern. Comparing the measured results with analytical and simulated results, good agreements are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Biofilms affect >80% bacterial infections in human and are usually difficult to eradicate because of their inherent drug resistance.Methods: We investigated the effectiveness of antimicrobial blue light (aBL) (wavelength, 415 nm) for inactivating Acinetobacter baumannii or Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms in 96-well microplates or infected mouse burn wounds.Results: In vitro, in 96-well microplates, exposure of 24-hour-old and 72-hour-old A. baumannii biofilms to 432 J/cm(2) aBL resulted in inactivation of 3.59 log10 and 3.18 log10 colony-forming units (CFU), respectively. For P. aeruginosa biofilms, similar levels of inactivation-3.02 log10 and 3.12 log10 CFU, respectively-were achieved. In mouse burn wounds infected with 5 × 10(6) CFU ofA. baumannii, approximately 360 J/cm(2) and 540 J/cm(2) aBL was required to inactivate 3 log10 CFU in biofilms when delivered 24 and 48 hours, respectively, after bacterial inoculation. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed the presence of endogenous porphyrins in both A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa TUNEL assay detected no apoptotic cells in aBL-irradiated mouse skin at up to 24 hours after aBL exposure (540 J/cm(2)).Conclusions: aBL has antimicrobial activity in biofilms ofA. baumannii and P. aeruginosa and is a potential therapeutic approach for biofilm-related infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Plant Science is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Agricultural Science & Technology is the property of Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) leucine-zipper transcription factors play important roles in abiotic stress responses. However, their specific roles in abiotic stress tolerance are not fully known. Here, we functionally characterized a bHLH gene, ThbHLH1, from Tamarix hispida in abiotic stress tolerance. ThbHLH1 specifically binds to G-box motif with the sequence of 'CACGTG'. Transiently transfected T. hispida plantlets with transiently overexpressed ThbHLH1 and RNAi-silenced ThbHLH1 were generated for gain- and loss-of-function analysis. Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana lines overexpressing ThbHLH1 were generated to confirm the gain- and loss-of-function analysis. Overexpression of ThbHLH1 significantly elevates glycine betaine and proline levels, increases Ca2+ concentration and enhances peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities to decrease reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. Additionally, ThbHLH1 regulates the expression of the genes including P5CS, BADH, CaM, POD and SOD, to activate the above physiological changes, and also induces the expression of stress tolerance-related genes LEAs and HSPs. These data suggest that ThbHLH1 induces the expression of stress tolerance-related genes to improve abiotic stress tolerance by increasing osmotic potential, improving ROS scavenging capability and enhancing second messenger in stress signaling cascades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gas molecule nitric oxide (NO) can cooperate with ethylene to tightly modulate plant growth and stress responses. One of the mechanism of their crosstalk is that NO is able to activate ethylene biosynthesis, possibly through post-translational modification of key enzymes such as ACC synthase and oxidase by S-nitrosylation. In this paper, we focus on the crosstalk of NO with ethylene signaling transduction transcription factor EIN3 (Ethylene Insensitive 3) and downstream gene expression in alleviating germination inhibition and growth damage induced by high salt. The Arabidopsis lines affected in ethylene signaling (ein3eil1) and NO biosynthesis (nia1nia2) were employed to compare with the wild-type Col-0 and overexpressing line EIN3ox. Firstly, the obviously inhibited germination, greater ratio of bleached leaves and enhanced electrolyte leakage were found in ein3eil1 and nia1nia2 lines than in Col-0 plants upon high salinity. However, the line EIN3ox obtained a notably elevated ability to germinate and improved seedling resistance. The experiment with SNP alone or plus high salt mostly enhanced the expression of EIN3 transcripts, compared with ACO4 and ACS2. The western blot and transcript analysis found that high-salt-induced EIN3 stabilization and EIN3 transcripts were largely attenuated in the NO biogenesis mutant nia1nia2 plants than in Col-0 ones. This observation was confirmed by simulation experiments with NO scavenger cPTIO to block NO emission. Taken together, our study provides insights that NO promotes seed germination and seedlings growth under salinity may depend on EIN3 protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WRKY proteins are a large family of transcription factors that are involved in diverse developmental processes and abiotic stress responses in plants. However, our knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms of WRKYs participation in protein-protein interactions is still fragmentary, and such protein-protein interactions are fundamental in understanding biological networks and the functions of proteins. In this study, we report that a WRKY protein from Tamarix hispida, ThWRKY4, can form both homodimers and heterodimers with ThWRKY2 and ThWRKY3. In addition, ThWRKY2 and ThWRKY3 can both bind to W-box motif with binding affinities similar to that of ThWRKY4. Further, the expression patterns of ThWRKY2 and ThWRKY3 are similar to that of ThWRKY4 when plants are exposed to abscisic acid (ABA). Subcellular localization shows that these three ThWRKY proteins are nuclear proteins. Taken together, these results demonstrate that ThWRKY4 is a dimeric protein that can form functional homodimers or heterodimers that are involved in abiotic stress responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly efficient Ag3PO4/WS2 composite photocatalyst was synthesized by controlling the growth of Ag3PO4 nanoparticles within WS2 sheets. The process can tune the microstructure, stability and visible-light photocatalytic performance of Ag3PO4. The WS2 sheets, possessing uncoordinated sulfur atoms on exposed surfaces and edges, play an important role in the formation of Ag3PO4/WS2 composite. With 0.05 mol of AgAc added, the Ag3PO4/WS2 composite shows the highest photocatalytic activity. The matched energy level between Ag3PO4 and WS2 inhibits the recombination of the photogenerated electrons and holes. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is also attributed to the multi-interface heterojunction structure assembled by two-dimensional sheets and nanoparticles, driven by chemical binding. The addition of WS2 sheets can also reduce the rate at which Ag+ dissolves from Ag3PO4 into the water, improving the stability of Ag3PO4. This work could provide new insights into fabricating highly efficient and stable Ag3PO4-transition-metal dichalcogenide composite photocatalysts for dye degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a retrospective study to analyze the therapeutic effects of ligation of the internal jugular vein in a series of adults with pulsatile tinnitus of venous origin. Our study group was made up of 12 patients-all women, aged 27 to 61 years (mean: 40 ±6.1)-who had been diagnosed with venous pulsatile tinnitus and who were treated with jugular vein ligation. Follow-up had been conducted by telephone interviews for 1 to 6 years postoperatively to assess tinnitus status over the long term. Seven patients achieved complete relief of their tinnitus immediately after surgery, but 5 of them experienced a recurrence within 2 years. The remaining 5 patients received no relief from surgery, including 1 patient who actually experienced a worsening of her tinnitus to the point that it became an intolerable roar. We conclude that treatment of pulsatile tinnitus of venous origin by ligation of the internal jugular vein should be avoided because of poor outcomes and in view of the possibility of complications. In addition to our study findings, we discuss 2 of our cases in more detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gibberellin (GA) is a key signal molecule inducing differentiation of tracheary elements, fibers, and xylogenesis. However the molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of GA on xylem elongation and secondary wall development in tree species remain to be determined. In this study, Betula platyphylla (birch) seeds were treated with 300 ppm GA3 and/or 300 ppm paclobutrazol (PAC), seed germination was recorded, and transverse sections of hypocotyls were stained with toluidine blue; the two-month-old seedlings were treated with 50 μM GA3 and/or 50 μM PAC, transverse sections of seedling stems were stained using phloroglucinol-HCl, and secondary wall biosynthesis related genes expression was analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR. Results indicated that germination percentage, energy and time of seeds, hypocotyl height and seedling fresh weight were enhanced by GA3, and reduced by PAC; the xylem development was wider in GA3-treated plants than in the control; the expression of NAC and MYB transcription factors, CESA, PAL, and GA oxidase was up-regulated during GA3 treatment, suggesting their role in GA3-induced xylem development in the birch. Our results suggest that GA3 induces the expression of secondary wall biosynthesis related genes to trigger xylogenesis in the birch plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we describe a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process for the La2O3/SiO2/4H-SiC interface and investigate its effect on the material's electrical properties. Our results indicate that the trap charge density and interface state density (Dit) are reduced as the RTA temperature increases due to the termination of residual carbon and dangling bonds. We demonstrate that the sample obtained after RTA at 500?C has the highest breakdown electric field (Efb) (7 MV/cm) due to a decrease in the trap charge density and an improvement in the interfacial properties. However, when the RTA temperature reaches 600?C or higher, a lower Efb value (1.2 MV/cm) is obtained due to leakage routes generated by the crystallization of La2O3. Based on our results, we conclude that the ideal choice for the RTA temperature is 500 ?C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]