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With the vigorous development of digital technology, the development of the digital economy has become an important component of the global economy. Against the background of negative growth of major global economies hit hard by the COVID-19 epidemic, the steadily rising digital economy has become a key force to boost the global economy and an important engine to promote global economic development. Northeast Asian countries should use the dividends released by the digital economy to promote the coordinated development of digital technology innovation within the region, respond to technological revolution and industrial transformation, and build new international competitive advantages. This article provides a detailed overview of the current development status of digital economy in various countries in Northeast Asia, analyzes the challenges faced by countries in the region in developing cross-border digital economic and trade cooperation from three aspects: political mutual trust, digital divide, and network security. It further proposes to build a cross-border digital service trade platform in Northeast Asia, establish a China North Russia Far East digital free trade zone, so as to promote the deepening of cooperation and common development in digital trade within the region.

This study aims to elucidate the longitudinal refractive and ocular biometric alterations in preschool children with high hyperopia who underwent early interventions. We conducted a retrospective analysis of preschool children diagnosed with high hyperopia at Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital between 2011 and 2023. Inclusion criteria required an initial examination with cycloplegic refraction, bilateral spherical equivalent power (SE) ≥ +5.00D with a difference <1.00D, a minimum two-year follow-up, and at least three ocular biometric measurements. The annual axial growth rate evaluated emmetropization in highly hyperopic children. We applied Restricted Cubic Spline (RCS) models to explore potential nonlinear relationships between age and spherical equivalent, axial length, corneal curvature, and axial length-to-corneal curvature ratio. Additionally, Mixed-effects models were employed to investigate factors associated with changes in refractive error and axial length. The study enrolled 60 eligible subjects, with a median initial diagnosis age of 3.5 years (IQR, 2.8-4.9 years) and a median last visit age of 9.3 years (IQR, 8.1-10.8 years). The average follow-up duration was 5.7 years. RCS analysis revealed notable nonlinear changes in spherical equivalent power, axial length, and axial length-to-corneal curvature ratio, although corneal curvature displayed no statistically significant nonlinear trend. Factors affecting SE changes included the presence of strabismus, the use of cycloplegia, baseline SE, and age. Conversely, changes in axial length solely correlated with baseline axial length and age. Highly hyperopic preschool children undergoing early intervention display a marked emmetropization tendency, though most still remain moderately to highly hyperopic, with the progression of refractive changes showing non-uniform patterns with respect to age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Compared with NaCl, NaHCO3 caused more serious oxidative damage and photosynthesis inhibition in safflower by down-regulating the expression of related genes. Salt-alkali stress is one of the important factors that limit plant growth. NaCl and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) are neutral and alkaline salts, respectively. This study investigated the physiological characteristics and molecular responses of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) leaves treated with 200 mmol L−1 of NaCl or NaHCO3. The plants treated with NaCl treatment were less effective at inhibiting the growth of safflower, but increased the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in leaves. Meanwhile, safflower alleviated stress damage by increasing proline (Pro), soluble protein (SP), and soluble sugar (SS). Both fresh weight and dry weight of safflower was severely decreased when it was subjected to NaHCO3 stress, and there was a significant increase in the permeability of cell membranes and the contents of osmotic regulatory substances. An enrichment analysis of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using Gene Ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes identified significant enrichment of photosynthesis and pathways related to oxidative stress. Furthermore, a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) showed that the darkgreen module had the highest correlation with photosynthesis and oxidative stress traits. Large numbers of transcription factors, primarily from the MYB, GRAS, WRKY, and C2H2 families, were predicted from the genes within the darkgreen module. An analysis of physiological indicators and DEGs, it was found that under saline-alkali stress, genes related to chlorophyll synthesis enzymes were downregulated, while those related to degradation were upregulated, resulting in inhibited chlorophyll biosynthesis and decreased chlorophyll content. Additionally, NaCl and NaHCO3 stress downregulated the expression of genes related to the Calvin cycle, photosynthetic antenna proteins, and the activity of photosynthetic reaction centers to varying degrees, hindering the photosynthetic electron transfer process, suppressing photosynthesis, with NaHCO3 stress causing more pronounced adverse effects. In terms of oxidative stress, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) did not change significantly under the NaCl treatment, but the contents of hydrogen peroxide and the rate of production of superoxide anions increased significantly under NaHCO3 stress. In addition, treatment with NaCl upregulated the levels of expression of the key genes for superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), the ascorbate-glutathione cycle, and the thioredoxin-peroxiredoxin pathway, and increased the activity of these enzymes, thus, reducing oxidative damage. Similarly, NaHCO3 stress increased the activities of SOD, CAT, and POD and the content of ascorbic acid and initiated the glutathione-S-transferase pathway to remove excess ROS but suppressed the regeneration of glutathione and the activity of peroxiredoxin. Overall, both neutral and alkaline salts inhibited the photosynthetic process of safflower, although alkaline salt caused a higher level of stress than neutral salt. Safflower alleviated the oxidative damage induced by stress by regulating its antioxidant system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Compared with NaCl, NaHCO3 caused more serious oxidative damage and photosynthesis inhibition in safflower by down-regulating the expression of related genes. Salt-alkali stress is one of the important factors that limit plant growth. NaCl and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) are neutral and alkaline salts, respectively. This study investigated the physiological characteristics and molecular responses of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) leaves treated with 200 mmol L−1 of NaCl or NaHCO3. The plants treated with NaCl treatment were less effective at inhibiting the growth of safflower, but increased the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in leaves. Meanwhile, safflower alleviated stress damage by increasing proline (Pro), soluble protein (SP), and soluble sugar (SS). Both fresh weight and dry weight of safflower was severely decreased when it was subjected to NaHCO3 stress, and there was a significant increase in the permeability of cell membranes and the contents of osmotic regulatory substances. An enrichment analysis of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using Gene Ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes identified significant enrichment of photosynthesis and pathways related to oxidative stress. Furthermore, a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) showed that the darkgreen module had the highest correlation with photosynthesis and oxidative stress traits. Large numbers of transcription factors, primarily from the MYB, GRAS, WRKY, and C2H2 families, were predicted from the genes within the darkgreen module. An analysis of physiological indicators and DEGs, it was found that under saline-alkali stress, genes related to chlorophyll synthesis enzymes were downregulated, while those related to degradation were upregulated, resulting in inhibited chlorophyll biosynthesis and decreased chlorophyll content. Additionally, NaCl and NaHCO3 stress downregulated the expression of genes related to the Calvin cycle, photosynthetic antenna proteins, and the activity of photosynthetic reaction centers to varying degrees, hindering the photosynthetic electron transfer process, suppressing photosynthesis, with NaHCO3 stress causing more pronounced adverse effects. In terms of oxidative stress, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) did not change significantly under the NaCl treatment, but the contents of hydrogen peroxide and the rate of production of superoxide anions increased significantly under NaHCO3 stress. In addition, treatment with NaCl upregulated the levels of expression of the key genes for superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), the ascorbate-glutathione cycle, and the thioredoxin-peroxiredoxin pathway, and increased the activity of these enzymes, thus, reducing oxidative damage. Similarly, NaHCO3 stress increased the activities of SOD, CAT, and POD and the content of ascorbic acid and initiated the glutathione-S-transferase pathway to remove excess ROS but suppressed the regeneration of glutathione and the activity of peroxiredoxin. Overall, both neutral and alkaline salts inhibited the photosynthetic process of safflower, although alkaline salt caused a higher level of stress than neutral salt. Safflower alleviated the oxidative damage induced by stress by regulating its antioxidant system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice blast, caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae (M. oryzae), is a highly destructive disease that significantly impacts rice yield and quality. During the infection, M. oryzae secretes effector proteins to subvert the host immune response. However, the interaction between the effector protein AvrPik-D and its target proteins in rice, and the mechanism by which AvrPik-D exacerbates disease severity to facilitate infection, remains poorly understood. In this study, we found that the M. oryzae effector AvrPik-D interacts with the Rubisco (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) small subunit OsRBCS4. The overexpression of the OsRBCS4 gene in transgenic rice not only enhances resistance to M. oryzae but also induces more reactive oxygen species following chitin treatment. OsRBCS4 localizes to chloroplasts and co-localizes with AvrPik-D within these organelles. AvrPik-D suppresses the transcriptional expression of OsRBCS4 and inhibits Rubisco activity in rice. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that the M. oryzae effector AvrPik-D targets the Rubisco small subunit OsRBCS4 and inhibits its carboxylase and oxygenase activity, thereby suppressing rice innate immunity to facilitate infection. This provides a novel mechanism for the M. oryzae effector to subvert the host immunity to promote infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural water rights trading has become an effective means to solve the shortage of agricultural water. However, in the context of uncertainty, the key elements of the water rights trading system and their interactions remain unclear. Therefore, this study constructs a multi-dimensional collaborative optimization model for agricultural water rights based on water price reform under a changing environment. The model quantitatively characterizes the synergistic effects of resource, economic, social, environmental, and ecological objectives on initial water rights allocation and trading. At the same time, the model uses a system dynamics model and intuitionistic fuzzy number to reflect the impact of a changing environment and uncertainty of the management system on water rights allocation and trading. The results show that through water rights trading, the overall coordinated development of farms has been improved, and the economic benefits and water resources utilization efficiency have been improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The aim of the study is to compare the femoral triangle (FT) and adductor canal (AC) blocks in terms of the analgesic efficacy and ambulatory outcomes in the context of multimodal analgesia following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods Patients presenting for TKA were assigned to a preoperative ultrasound-guided single-injection FT or AC block. Combined spinal and epidural anesthesia with bupivacaine was administered for TKA. Perioperatively a multimodal analgesic regimen was applied up to 48 h after surgery. The primary outcome was the average pain score during movement in the first 24 h postoperatively. The secondary outcomes included pain scores at rest and during movement at postoperative predetermined time points, cumulative opioid consumption in oral morphine equivalents, functional mobility measured by the timed 'Up and Go' (TUG) test and muscle strength in the lower extremity. Results Ninety-eight patients completed the study. Patients in the FT group had lower median pain scores during movement in the first 24 h postoperatively than those in the AC group (1.3 [1.0-3.3] vs. 3.0 [1.7-4.3]; median difference: - 1.0, adjusted 95% CI from - 1.7 to - 0.3, P = 0.010). There were significant differences in the pain scores at rest and during movement at 12 and 24 h postoperatively between the two groups (P = 0.008 and 0.005, respectively). Cumulative oral morphine equivalent consumption in the first and second 24 h postoperatively, Functional mobility reflected by the TUG test and muscle strength in the lower extremity showed no significantly statistically differences between the two groups. Conclusions The preoperative FT block provided improved analgesic outcomes without compromising functional mobility in the context of multimodal analgesia following TKA compared with the AC block. Trial registration https://www.chictr.org.cnhttps://www.chictr.org.cn. Identifier: ChiCTR-INR-17012716., Author(s): Linlin Song [sup.1], Yuting Li [sup.1], Zhenzhen Xu [sup.1], Zhi-Yu Geng [sup.1], Dong-Xin Wang [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411472.5, 0000 0004 1764 1621, Department of Anesthesiology, Peking University First [...]

Amblyopia risk factors in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are usually hard to detect in early childhood due to poor cooperation and has not been reported in the Chinese population. We screened 168 Chinese children with ASD, aged between 3 and 8 years, and 264 age-matched neurotypical children with Spot photoscreener and basic ophthalmologic examinations. Children with ASD were found to have normal refractive status but significantly higher incidence of strabismus (16.1%), compared with control children (1.5%) (p < 0.01). Most of the cases of strabismus found in children with ASD were classified as esodeviation. Strabismus in children with ASD should be considered more seriously as an amblyopia risk factor by ophthalmologists and other healthcare professionals.