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This paper investigates the existence of a unique positive solution for a class of boundary value problems of p-Laplacian fractional differential equations, where its nonlinearity is signchanged and involves a fractional derivative term, and its boundary involves a nonlinear fractional integral term. By constructing an appropriate auxiliary boundary value problem and applying a generalized fixed point theorem of sum operator and properties of Mittag-Leffler function, some sufficient conditions for the existence of a unique positive solution are presented, and a monotone iterative sequence uniformly converging to the unique solution is constructed. In addition, an example is given to illustrate the main result.

Seizures are a frequent complication of adult-type diffuse gliomas, and are often difficult to control with medications. Gliomas with mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 or 2 (IDHmut) are more likely than IDH-wild type (IDHwt) gliomas to cause seizures as part of their initial clinical presentation. However, whether IDHmut is also associated with seizures during the remaining disease course, and whether IDHmut inhibitors can reduce seizure risk, are unclear. Clinical multivariable analyses showed that preoperative seizures, glioma location, extent of resection, and glioma molecular subtype (including IDHmut status) all contributed to postoperative seizure risk in adult-type diffuse glioma patients, and that postoperative seizures were often associated with tumor recurrence. Experimentally, the metabolic product of IDHmut, d-2-hydroxyglutarate, rapidly synchronized neuronal spike firing in a seizure-like manner, but only when non-neoplastic glial cells were present. In vitro and in vivo models recapitulated IDHmut glioma-associated seizures, and IDHmut inhibitors currently being evaluated in glioma clinical trials inhibited seizures in those models, independent of their effects on glioma growth. These data show that postoperative seizure risk in adult-type diffuse gliomas varies in large part by molecular subtype, and that IDHmut inhibitors could play a key role in mitigating such risk in IDHmut glioma patients.

Background Antenatal depression (AD) is a major depressive disorder during pregnancy, which may lead to devastating sequelae for the expectant mothers and infants. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, to analyze trajectory model based on EPDS score, and to explore the influence factors of AD among pregnant women in Chengdu, China. Methods Participants from four maternity hospitals in Chengdu, China were recruited when they had their first pregnancy medical check-up during March 2019 to May 2020. All participants were required to fill in Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale Chinese version (EPDS) once during three trimesters and provided information about their health status, social-demographic etc. The trajectory model, chi-square test and multivariate binary logistic regression were used to analyze all collected data. Results A total of 4560 pregnant women were recruited, while 1051 women completed the study. The prevalence of depression symptoms during the first, second and third trimesters were 32.92% (346/1051), 19.79% (208/1051) and 20.46% (215/1051) respectively. According to the results of the latent growth mixture modeling, the trajectory model of three categories based on EPDS score were identified in this study: low-risk group (38.2%, 401/1051), medium-risk group (54.8%, 576/1051) and high-risk group (7%, 74/1051). Good marital relationship (P = 0.007, OR = 0.33, 95% CI 0.147 ~ 0.74), good relationship with parents-in-law (P = 0.011, OR = 0.561, 95% CI 0.36 ~ 0.874), planned pregnancy (P = 0.018, OR = 0.681, 95% CI 0.496 ~ 0.936) were the protective factors while lower education level (P = 0.036, OR = 1.355, 95% CI 1.02 ~ 1.799), fear about dystocia (P = 0.0, OR = 1.729, 95% CI 1.31 ~ 2.283), recent major negative life events (P = 0.033, OR = 2.147, 95% CI 1.065 ~ 4.329) were the risk factors of medium-risk group. Good marital relationship (P = 0.005, OR = 0.2, 95% CI 0.065 ~ 0.615), good relationship with parents-in-law (P = 0.003, OR = 0.319, 95% CI 0.15 ~ 0.679) were also protective factors of high-risk group, but the risk factors for high-risk group were medical history (P = 0.046, OR = 1.836, 95% CI 1.011 ~ 3.334), pregnancy complications (P = 0.022, OR = 2.015, 95% CI 1.109 ~ 3.662), worry about dystocia (P = 0.003, OR = 2.365, 95% CI 1.347 ~ 4.153), recent major negative life events (P = 0.011, OR = 3.661, 95% CI 1.341 ~ 9.993). No protective or risk factors were identified for low-risk group. Conclusion Even the incidence and levels of depression in the first trimester of pregnancy were the highest, the probability of pregnancy women get depression during gestation period were higher than other population. Therefore, it’s important to monitor the psychological status of pregnant women during the whole pregnancy, especially in the first trimester. The study suggested a good partner relationship and good relations with parents-in-law both protected pregnant women from depression and promoted the well-being of mothers and children.

To conduct a comprehensive comparison of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in Chinese people with early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) and late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) and analyse the factors of differences.A cross-sectional survey of 93 EOAD and100 LOAD and their caregivers in China from November 2018 to May 2019.The total Neuropsychiatric Inventory score was significantly higher in LOAD. A higher level of agitation in EOAD was related to a lower quality of life of caregivers and the emotional expression of ignoring people with dementia. Higher euphoria scores in LOAD were associated with reduced negative coping by caregivers and reduced stability and predictability at home.The early identification and management of specific BPSD of EOAD and LOAD by family members and health professionals may improve the quality of care and life for people with dementia and that of caregivers.

To analyze the correlation and mechanism of action among caregivers' expressed emotion, positive aspects, coping style and the behavioral and psychological symptoms of people with dementia by using the theory of planned behavior as a framework.We investigated 193 pairs of people with dementia and caregivers to assess patients' behavioral and psychological symptoms, as well as caregivers' expressed emotion, positive aspects and coping style. Regression analysis and structural equation modeling were used.Dementia severity and psychotropic drug use were influencing factors of behavioral and psychological symptoms. Caregivers' positive aspects predicted expressed emotion and coping style, while expressed emotion predicted behavioral and psychological symptoms. Expressed emotion played a completely mediating role between caregivers' positive aspects and dementia patients' behavioral and psychological symptoms.Health care professionals should follow strict guidelines on medication, and focus on the caregiver's emotional state to reduce adverse effects on the person with dementia.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-specific multisystemic syndrome. This study aimed to investigate the associations between angiotensinogen (AGT), methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) polymorphisms, and PE in the Han Chinese population.We genotyped 26 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in three genes by using QuantStudio™ 12 K Flex Real-Time PCR technology in 168 patients with PE and 204 healthy pregnant control subjects. The associations of tested polymorphisms with PE were analyzed at allele, genotype, and haplotype levels.A common coding variant in MTHFR, rs2274976, was significantly associated with increased risk of PE in both allelic and genotype models (P 0.05). The heterozygous genotypes of rs699 (G/A vs G/G) in AGT gene and rs3025035 (C/T vs C/C) in VEGF gene showed weak associations with increased PE risk, whereas the mutant homozygous genotype of rs3024987 (TT vs C/C) and the heterozygous genotype of rs3025039 (C/T vs C/C) in VEGF gene displayed weak associations with decreased PE risk (P 0.05).However, these weak associations lost significance after multiple testing correction. The results indicated that rs2274976 in MTHFR gene may contribute to the increased risk of PE in pregnant women. AGT and VEGF gene polymorphisms may not play a significant role in PE development.

Background Compelling data indicate that adherence to healthy lifestyles can potentially prevent 20–70% of colorectal cancer (CRC) cases and deaths. As a major population in the development of CRC, the lifestyle behaviour of first-degree relatives (FDRs) of CRC patients is attracting more attention. Objective To understand the knowledge of first-degree relatives (FDRs) about colorectal cancer (CRC) and healthy lifestyles and explore their perceptions of and motivations for healthy lifestyles for CRC prevention. Methods A qualitative descriptive study using inductive thematic analysis was performed. Sixteen FDRs of CRC patients were recruited using purposive sampling. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain insight into FDRs’ perceptions and motivations regarding healthy lifestyles for CRC prevention. Results Limited knowledge of CRC makes FDRs less likely to emphasise the prevention of CRC through a healthy lifestyle. Influenced by the culture of Chinese medicine and life experience, the participants gradually developed a perception of healthy lifestyles with Chinese characteristics. The participants’ ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle was greatly influenced by family duty-related factors. Conclusions Social culture and family duty-related factors should be taken into consideration when undertaking health interventions or education programmes on healthy lifestyles for FDRs of CRC patients. Encouraging nurses to act as liaisons between the government, hospitals, and the community and providing them with professional and communication skills to enhance their skills has great potential for nurses to deliver health education and management for communities at risk of CRC.

In animal groups with dominance hierarchies, there often occurs a tug-of-war competition over resources and reproduction between dominants and subordinates, because neither is able to fully control the other. Consequently, individuals may mitigate within-group conflict, either by fighting others or by signalling their willingness to tolerate others. Nevertheless, how such a tolerance interaction evolves remains unclear. Here, we addressed this knowledge gap and tested the tug-of-war competition hypothesis, by investigating whether subordinates pay to stay in the group by helping dominants (pay-to-stay), and whether dominants pay costs by living with subordinates in the group (pay-from-staying). We used the burying beetles,Nicrophorus vespilloides, which compete with intra- and inter-specifics for valuable carcasses that are needed for reproduction. Multiple conspecifics can reproduce together through communal breeding, thereby enhancing benefits in terms of reproduction and resource defence against competitors. In communal associations, larger individuals are often dominant in carcass use and reproduction, whereas subordinates have restricted access to the carcass. Our findings show that cooperative subordinates paid costs by helping dominant breeders in carcass preparation in order to be tolerated (i.e. increased access towards the carcass) by dominant breeders, but subordinates did not increase their reproductive success by helping. Such tolerance was eliminated by a high interspecific competition with blowfly maggots. Our results also show that dominant males, but not dominant females, benefitted more from the presence of subordinates, partly due to a sex difference in the compensation strategy of dominants. Overall, our study demonstrates that a social tolerance occurring in situations with a tug-of-war competition could be a common strategy to resolve conflicts in animal societies.

Pectin is a natural anionic polysaccharide, which is of great significance in agricultural applications, but its solubility in water limits its application. Pectin nanospheres can improve the dispersion of pectin in water. This work is to study the effects of pectin nanospheres on wheat germination and seedling growth. The pectin nanospheres were synthesized by ionotropic gelation. Meanwhile, the morphology of pectin nanospheres and the attachment on the surface of wheat seeds coat were characterized. The different concentrations (50, 100, 500 μg/mL) of pectin nanospheres were used to research the impact of wheat seed germination. In the concentration of 50 μg/mL pectin nanospheres treatment groups, the germination rate and seedling index got a 15.6% and 13.9% increase, respectively. The germination index increased by 22.1%, fresh weight of the aboveground part and underground part, respectively, increased by 26.7% and 17.3%, dry weight of the aboveground part and underground part, respectively, increased by 9.65% and 9.97%, and number of adventitious roots and the length of seedlings went up by 36.6% and 20.1%, respectively. Moreover, in seedlings stage the 100 μg/mL promoted the net photosynthetic rate of wheat by 60.2% and uptake of nutrient. In addition, energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the adsorption of pectin nanospheres on the surface of wheat seeds.

Adaptive beamforming with sidelobe-level control in the presence of signal steering vector uncertainty is investigated. Unlike the traditional multiconstrained optimization strategy using the interior point method, iterative optimization algorithms with the aid of the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) framework are proposed. The uncertainty set constraint and the sidelobe constraint are formulated into two optimization subproblems and handled with the Lagrange multiplier method. By introducing matrix decomposition techniques, subproblem 1 is transformed into a polynomial root-finding problem that can be solved with low computational complexity. For subproblem 2, a closed-form solution can be obtained directly. Furthermore, for the continuously receiving snapshots case, iterative gradient minimization is introduced and embedded into the ADMM iterations to give an approximate solution free from matrix decompositions. Theoretical analyses and simulations verify the low complexities and performance advantages of the proposed algorithms in the low sample support, steering vector mismatch, and real-time snapshot update scenarios.

Uniformly dispersed Pd nanoparticles on certain supports exhibit exceptional catalytic performance toward various environmental applications. In this work, ultrafine Pd nanoparticles anchored on CeO2 nanorods were synthesized via an absorption-in situ reduction method. The activity of the CeO2/Pd nanocomposites was systematically investigated toward reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and organic dyes including methyl blue, rhodamine B, methyl orange, and Congo red. The results indicated that the CeO2/Pd nanocomposites with different weight ratios of Pd nanoparticles (10.23 wt%, 11.01 wt%, and 14.27 wt%) can almost completely reduce 4-NP with a rate constant of 3.31×10−1, 3.22×10−1, and 2.23×10−1 min−1. Besides, the 10.23 wt% CeO2/Pd nanocomposites exhibit remarkable enhanced catalytic activity toward reduction of organic dyes. The catalysts display ideal stability after being used for three times for the reduction of 4-NP. We believe that our strategy demonstrated here offers insights into the design and fabrication of novel Pd-based nanocomposites for various heterogeneous catalysis applications.

Prior studies reported inconsistent results on the altered gut microbial composition in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD), likely under the influences of many confounding factors including genetic, life style and environmental variations among different study cohorts. This study aims to examine the gut microbiota of CD patients with particular efforts to minimize the impact of the confounding factors. For this purpose, the healthy relatives of the patients were enrolled as control subjects so that the paired study subjects may have similar genetic background, dietary habits, and household environment. The fecal microbiota of the study subjects were examined by 16S rRNA sequencing. After the identification of the differential bacterial genera, multivariate regression analysis was performed to adjust the results for the impact of confounding factors. We found that the microbiota of the CD patients were featured with reduced short chain fatty acid (SCFA) producing bacteria and elevated opportunistic pathogen Escherichia-Shigella. Correlation analysis indicated that the elevation in Escherichia-Shigella and the reduction in SCFA-producing bacteria usually occur simultaneously. These differential genera exhibited a high capacity in distinguishing between CD and healthy controls achieving an area under curve of 0.89, and were correlated with the changes in inflammation related blood biochemical markers. Consistent with the reduction in SCFA-producing bacteria in CD, metabolomics analysis revealed decreased blood level of SCFAs in the patients. The differential genera identified in this study demonstrated outstanding capability to serve as diagnosis markers for CD and are potential targets for intervention.

To systematically review the literature on relationships between communication issues and missed nursing care.Systematic review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 Statement.EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, PubMed and Cochrane databases were comprehensively searched from inception to December 2021.Screening, data extraction and initial quality assessment were conducted independently by two reviewers. The JBI quality assessment tool was used for study appraisal and the certainty of evidence was assessed using the five Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria. Discrepancies were settled by consulting a third researcher.A total of 18 articles were included. Missed nursing care was common and the status of communication was not optimistic in clinical. Nurses' sociodemographic characteristics and work environment both influenced missed nursing care and communication. Intrateam communication included three parts: doctors-nurses communication, nurses-nurses communication and nurses-patients communication, poor intrateam communication could contribute to missed nursing care. There was an interaction between missed nursing care and communication.Promoting efficient intrateam communication, to acknowledge the importance of communication factors in reducing the incidence of missed nursing care in clinics is required. Future research can explore the impact of the internal dimension of communication on missed nursing care and consider interventions aimed at nurses' effective communication.What problem did the study address? This study offers new evidence that the impact of intrateam communication on missed nursing care. What were the main findings? Effective intrateam communication can reduce the incidence of missed nursing care, there is mutual influence between communication and missed nursing care. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? Policymakers can provide positive interventions on communication problems in different populations (e.g. nurses-patients, nurses-nurses and doctors-nurses) to provide high-quality patient care.

Background Antenatal depression (AD) is a major depressive disorder during pregnancy, which may lead to devastating sequelae for the expectant mothers and infants. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of (AD), and to explore influence factors of AD among pregnant women of continuous three trimesters in Chengdu, China. Methods The prospective study included pregnant women who were in their first, second and third trimester pregnancy and were recruited from four maternity hospitals by using the method of stratified and convenient sampling from March 2019 to May 2020 in Chengdu, China. These women completed questionnaires that included the Chinese validated versions of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and questions related to health status, cognition, and soci-demographic variables to measure AD. The chi-square test and multivariate binary logistic regression was used to analyze. Results A total of 4560 pregnant women were recruited, 1051 women completed the whole study. The prevalence of depression symptoms during the first, second and third trimesters were 32.92% (346/1051), 19.79% (208/1051) and 20.46% (215/1051), respectively. During all stages group depression (77), the relations with parents-in-law, the marital relationship, and recent major negative life events, fear about dystocia and taking care of baby were the independent influencing factors of the depression (P

In the near and future climate change scenarios, agricultural meteorological disasters, such as drought, cold damage and high temperature, will occur frequently, which will seriously affect agricultural production yield. Oligosaccharides can improve crop stress resistance and protect crop growth. Alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) were prepared by enzymatic degradation of alginate extracted from brown algae. In order to study the growth promotion behavior of Alginate oligosaccharide on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), 25 mg/L, 50 mg/L, 100mg/L aqueous solution of AOS were applied through foliar spraying at the greening stage, jointing stage and booting stage of wheat. The effects of different treatments on wheat yield and yield components were studied in Yongshou county dry farming experiment station of northwest A&F University located in the Weibei Arid Plateau of Shaanxi province. Foliar application of alginate oligosaccharides had a significant effect on the yield of tested three varieties. The effect of leaf spraying of alginate oligosaccharides on the yield of dryland wheat was greatly related to the spraying period, alginate oligosaccharide concentration and variety. The yield of wheat was significantly increased when wheat was treated with 25 mg/L and 50 mg/L, and the yield increase range was 3.21-17.51% on CH1and TM6 variety, but the yield of ZM 175 was not significantly affected．The yield of wheat was reduced when wheat was treated with 100 mg/L. Spraying 25 mg/L and 50 mg/L alginate oligosaccharide at the greening stage, jointing stage and heading stage of wheat increased the number of grains per spike and the 1000-grain weight of wheat. The spike number, the number of grains per spike and the 1000-grain weight of wheat were the main factors that formed wheat yield. Alginate oligosaccharides increased the levels of these three factors, thus increasing wheat yield.

Abstract Life-history theory predicts trade-offs between investment in current versus future reproduction. However, many studies find no or even positive correlations among these traits. The absence of the trade-off may result from resource availability, as it influences resource allocation to different traits. In addition, since large amounts of resources require additional effort in processing, resource maintenance may affect the detection of reproductive trade-offs. Here, we carried out two breeding attempts to assess the effects of resource availability and maintenance on reproductive trade-offs for both sexes in the burying beetle (Nicrophorus vespilloides). In the first breeding attempt, we simultaneously manipulated carcass size (small versus large) and carcass preparation (non-prepared versus prepared). In the second breeding attempt, we provided parents with same-sized, non-prepared carcasses. For both breeding attempts, we monitored the main and interactive effects of carcass size and carcass preparation on parental effort and reproductive outcome. In the first breeding attempt, males gained more weight and provided more care as carcass size increased, whereas females gained more weight but did not change their care. In addition, when breeding on non-prepared versus prepared carcasses, both parents provided more care and gained more weight. In the second breeding attempt, with increased investment for the first breeding, parents did not show decreased investment for the second brood, vice versa. In contrast, males breeding on large or non-prepared carcasses gained more weight during the first breeding attempt, then provided more care in subsequent reproduction. There were no differences in subsequent female care among different treatments. Significance statement Resource availability and resource maintenance may affect the detection of reproductive trade-offs. Here, we simultaneously manipulated carcass size and carcass preparation to assess these effects. This is the first time that the effects of resource availability and resource maintenance on reproductive trade-offs have been separated in burying beetles. Our findings suggest that despite the increased costs of parental care and resource maintenance, parents breeding on large or non-prepared carcasses gained more benefits in terms of increased body weight by staying longer and feeding more from the carcasses. Such benefits gained during the first breeding attempt offset the costs of current reproduction to some degree and masked the reproductive trade-off between current and future reproduction in terms of parental care. These findings enhance the understanding of the effects of resource availability and maintenance on reproductive trade-offs.

Weilan Wang,1,* Chengmin Huang,1,* Peng Luo,2 Jiang Yao,1 Jie Li,1 Wenxia Wang,1 Fengqin Liu3 1Department of General Surgery, Changxing People’s Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medical Changxing Campus, Changxing, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Medical Research, Shanghai Topgen Biomedical Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Ultrasound, Changxing People’s Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medical Changxing Campus, Changxing, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Fengqin LiuDepartment of Ultrasound, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medical Changxing Campus, No. 66 Taihu Middle Road, Changxing, 313100, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-0572-6023641Email bwknyp@163.comPurpose: This study was to explore the biological roles and underlying mechanism of circRNA WD repeat domain 27 (circWDR27).Methods: The expression of circWDR27, microRNA-215-5p (miR-215-5p) and tripartite motif containing 44 (TRIM44) were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and colony formation assays were employed to detect cell proliferation. Flow cytometry was used to determine cell apoptosis and cell cycle distribution. Cell migration and invasion abilities were examined by wound healing and transwell assays. The protein levels of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), MMP9 and TRIM44 were analyzed by Western blot assay. The relationship between miR-215-5p and circWDR27 or TRIM44 was predicted by bioinformatics tools and confirmed using dual-luciferase reporter assay. Mouse xenograft model was established to examine the role of circWDR27 in vivo.Results: CircWDR27 and TRIM44 were highly expressed while miR-215-5p was lowly expressed in PTC tissues and cells. Knockdown of circWDR27 suppressed cell proliferation and metastasis and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in PTC cells. Moreover, miR-215-5p was a direct target of circWDR27, and its inhibition reversed the suppressive effect of circWDR27 knockdown on PTC cell progression. In addition, miR-215-5p directly targeted TRIM44, and miR-215-5p exerted its anti-cancer role in PTC cells by targeting TRIM44. Furthermore, circWDR27 positively regulated TRIM44 expression by sponging miR-215-5p. Importantly, knockdown of circWDR27 suppressed tumor growth in vivo by upregulating miR-215-5p and downregulating TRIM44.Conclusion: CircWDR27 accelerates PTC progression via regulating miR-215-5p/TRIM44 axis, providing a potential therapeutic target for PTC.Keywords: papillary thyroid cancer, circWDR27, miR-215– 5p, TRIM44

In this work, zeolite based on coal fly ash was firstly synthesized via wet milling for the adsorption of lead (Pb(II)). The effects of contact time, solid-to-liquid ratio and initial pH of solution on Pb(II) removal were investigated in detail. The experimental data showed that synthesized zeolite has high adsorption capacity of 99.082 mg of Pb(II) per gram of adsorbent. Coal fly ash zeolite synthesized by wet milling has good Pb(II) adsorption performance when the initial pH of the solution is above 5. The adsorption kinetic results demonstrated that removal of Pb(II) via the synthesized zeolite followed pseudo-second-order kinetic model. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results directly demonstrated the adsorption between Pb(II) and synthesized zeolite, and a possible reaction pathway was proposed. Specifically, the removing mechanism of Pb(II) from aqueous solution via the synthesized zeolite involves two stages: one is that Pb(II) in aqueous solution is absorbed on the interior of the synthesized zeolite, and the other is chemical precipitation.

Low temperature (LT) chilling damage often occurs at the seedling stage of rice growth, especially direct-seeded early indica rice, and flooding can alleviate the damage caused by LT chilling at the rice seedling stage. However, few studies have elucidated the molecular mechanism by which suitable flooding alleviates LT stress-induced damage. Therefore, LT, LT plus flooding (LTF) and control (CK) treatments were established at 8 °C for 3 days to determine the phenotype, agronomic traits and transcriptomic of direct-seeded early indica rice at the seedling stage. The results showed that compared with LTF, the seedling height, root number, fresh weight, dry weight and T3 (the 3rd leaf from the top) leaf length significantly decreased after LT treatment; LTF could reduce the damage of LT to the agronomic characters of rice seedlings. The physiological characteristics showed that compared with LT, LTF significantly decreased soluble protein content and CAT activity. Transcriptomic profiling showed that 5934 DEGs were identified from the rice leaves between the LT and CK comparison groups; 7658 DEGs were identified between the LTF and CK; and 2697 DEGs were identified between the LT and LTF treatment. In biological process, the ‘metabolic process’ was the most enriched subcategory. In cellular components, the three most enriched subcategories were ‘cell’, ‘cell part’ and ‘organelle’. ‘Binding’ was the most enriched subcategory in molecular function. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in photosynthesis, carotenoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, glycolysis gluconeogenesis, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism and plant hormone signal transduction pathways. Photosynthesis, energy metabolism and signal transduction pathway play important roles in flooding mitigation of LT stress. The results of this study may help to elucidate changes in physiological characteristics and gene expression through which flooding mitigates LT stress.

The pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease is thought to be directly linked to the abnormal aggregation of β-amyloid (Aβ) in the nervous system as a common neurodegenerative disease. Consequently, researchers in many areas are actively looking for factors that affect Aβ aggregation. Numerous investigations have demonstrated that, in addition to chemical induction of Aβ aggregation, electromagnetic radiation may also affect Aβ aggregation. Terahertz waves are an emerging form of non-ionizing radiation that has the potential to affect the secondary bonding networks of biological systems, which in turn could affect the course of biochemical reactions by altering the conformation of biological macromolecules. As the primary radiation target in this investigation, the in vitro modeled Aβ42 aggregation system was examined using fluorescence spectrophotometry, supplemented by cellular simulations and transmission electron microscopy, to see how it responded to 3.1 THz radiation in various aggregation phases. The results demonstrated that in the nucleation aggregation stage, 3.1 THz electromagnetic waves promote Aβ42 monomer aggregation and that this promoting effect gradually diminishes with the exacerbation of the degree of aggregation. However, by the stage of oligomer aggregation into the original fiber, 3.1 THz electromagnetic waves exhibited an inhibitory effect. This leads us to the conclusion that terahertz radiation has an impact on the stability of the Aβ42 secondary structure, which in turn affects how Aβ42 molecules are recognized during the aggregation process and causes a seemingly aberrant biochemical response. Molecular dynamics simulation was employed to support the theory based on the aforementioned experimental observations and inferences.

Based on the theory of cone and operators, this paper concerned with the existence of unique positive solution for a class of nonlinear fractional boundary value problem with two parameters (one is called an eigenvalue parameter and another is a disturbance parameter) on the half-line. More important, the solutions dependence on two parameters was discussed, which shows that different parameters have different effects on the properties of positive solutions, and the results reflect an interesting fact different from our inference. Some examples are given to illustrate the main results.

This research is focused on improving performance of chitosan based functional material by introducing active additive. A series of assays revealed incorporation with clove essential oil (CEO) significantly improved the physical, chemical and antimicrobial performance of chitosan. In this work, the prepared chitosan-CEO film (CH-CEO) showed varieties in color parameters, mechanical strength and water vapor permeability. Moreover, chitosan was endowed with significant antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, thereby it was used as protective coatings for fresh-cutting apple tubes at ~1 °C. Results demonstrated the treatment slowed down the quality deterioration process of preserved apple samples, especially for firmness and color. As well, CH-CEO coating reduced microbial counts in the preserved apple samples and inhibited the varieties in the chemical properties. The overall observations revealed that CH-CEO film has remarkable potential as an antioxidant and antimicrobial material, especially as an active coating for fresh-cutting foods during storage.

Since microbial detection is an important aspect for the prevention and control of foodborne diseases, an ideal detection system with high sensitivity, strong specificity, and timeliness is needed. Here, we proposed a fluorescent and opt-electric recording bacterial identification device (FORBID) for fully automatic real-time photoelectric sensing analysis of microbials by integrating the metabolic characteristics of microbial and selective substrate catalysis. It simplifies the testing process (one-step) and decreases the need of professional technicians. Besides, the system exhibits ultrasensitive (1 CFU/mL) and specific detection (99%) in both microbials, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. More importantly, the timeliness of this system is even better than that of the traditional culture methods. It is believed that this system can be extended to the detection of other microorganisms and provide a potential alternative for the detection of pathogens.

DNA methylation profiling has emerged as a transformative prognostic tool in meningiomas, identifying distinct epigenetic subgroups that share unique clinical and biological features. Hypothesizing that methylation patterns may also reflect underlying pathogenic mechanisms, we investigated if this modality could be informative for the selection of efficacious chemotherapies in meningiomas, focusing on FDA-approved compounds that are well-tolerated in patients. Using a methylation dataset of 210 tumors, we identified 981 genes in which adjacent CpG sites were predictive of progression-free survival. Pathway enrichment of these genes nominated Docetaxel as a candidate therapeutic; a well-established taxane that is routinely used for breast, prostate, and lung cancers. Using 15 primary patient-derived cultures and 2 cell lines, we found that Docetaxel could inhibit meningioma growth at concentrations that were favorable relative to other cancers. This drug triggered apoptosis in meningiomas of all tumor grades and methylation classes, with IC50 values ranging from 0.8nm to 4.4nm in vitro. Combining Docetaxel with radiation therapy resulted in synergistic cytotoxic effects on meningioma cultures, associated with elevated markers of cell death and dsDNA breaks. We confirmed our results via orthotopic meningioma mouse models of the cell lines CH157 and IOMM-Lee, which exhibited dose-dependent improvements in mortality and tumor volume in response to Docetaxel and radiation. Our results leverage DNA methylation patterns to repurpose FDA-approved medications in the treatment of meningiomas, and suggest a clinical trial of Docetaxel with radiotherapy may be efficacious in higher-grade lesions.

Activation of TLR4 by its cognate damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) elicits potent profibrotic effects and myofibroblast activation in systemic sclerosis (SSc), while genetic targeting of TLR4 or its DAMPs in mice accelerates fibrosis resolution. To prevent aberrant DAMP/TLR4 activity, a variety of negative regulators evolved to dampen the magnitude and duration of the signaling. These include radioprotective 105 kDa (RP105), a transmembrane TLR4 homolog that competitively inhibits DAMP recognition of TLR4, blocking TLR4 signaling in immune cells. The role of RP105 in TLR4-dependent fibrotic responses in SSc is unknown. Using unbiased transcriptome analysis of skin biopsies, we found that levels of both TLR4 and its adaptor protein MD2 were elevated in SSc skin and significantly correlated with each other. Expression of RP105 was negatively associated with myofibroblast differentiation in SSc. Importantly, RP105-TLR4 association was reduced, whereas TLR4-TLR4 showed strong association in fibroblasts from patients with SSc, as evidenced by PLA assays. Moreover, RP105 adaptor MD1 expression was significantly reduced in SSc skin biopsies and explanted SSc skin fibroblasts. Exogenous RP105-MD1 abrogated, while loss of RP105 exaggerated, fibrotic cellular responses. Importantly, ablation of RP105 in mice was associated with augmented TLR4 signaling and aggravated skin fibrosis in complementary disease models. Thus, we believe RP105-MD1 to be a novel cell-intrinsic negative regulator of TLR4-MD2-driven sustained fibroblast activation, representing a critical regulatory network governing the fibrotic process. Impaired RP105 function in SSc might contribute to persistence of progression of the disease.

Background: NLRP3 inflammasome is implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Since guanylate binding protein 5 (GBP5) induces the NLRP3 inflammasome activity, we aim to investigate the potential role of GBP5 in IBD pathogenesis. Results: The expression of GBP5, NLRP3 inflammasome and related cytokines and chemokines were examined in two cohorts of IBD patients and healthy controls, by microarray transcriptome analysis and quantitative real time PCR. Cellular localization of GBP5 in colonic biopsies were examined by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence with confocal microscopy. For functional studies, GBP5 was induced by interferon γ or silenced by siRNA or CRISPR/CAS9 technique, and inflammatory activities were evaluated at mRNA and protein levels. We found that expression of GBP5 was elevated in colonic mucosa in two geographically and culturally distinct IBD cohorts. In colonic tissues of IBD patients, GBP5 expression was mainly confined to immune cells and the levels of GBP5 expression were correlated with those of the inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. In cultured T and macrophage cells, expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines were increased when GBP5 was induced, while GBP5 deficiency leads to decreased expression of proinflammatory mediators including gasdermin D, caspase 1, cytokines and chemokines.Conclusions: GBP5 is required in the expression of many pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in intestinal immune cells. In addition, GBP5 may up-regulate inflammatory reactions through an inflammasome mediated mechanism. Since GBP5 plays a pro-inflammatory role at the early steps of the inflammatory cascades of IBD pathogenesis, and is implicated in IBD patients of distinct genetic and environmental backgrounds, targeting GBP5 could be an effective strategy for the management of IBD.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic, multisystem orphan disease with a highly variable clinical course, high mortality rate, and a poorly understood complex pathogenesis. We have identified an important role for a subpopulation of monocytes and macrophages characterized by surface expression of the scavenger receptor macrophage receptor with collagenous structure (MARCO) in chronic inflammation and fibrosis in SSc and in preclinical disease models. We show that MARCO+ monocytes and macrophages accumulate in lesional skin and lung in topographic proximity to activated myofibroblasts in patients with SSc and in the bleomycin-induced mouse model of SSc. Short-term treatment of mice with a potentially novel nanoparticle, poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLG), which is composed of a carboxylated, FDA-approved, biodegradable polymer and modulates activation and trafficking of MARCO+ inflammatory monocytes, markedly attenuated bleomycin-induced skin and lung inflammation and fibrosis. Mechanistically, in isolated cells in culture, PLG nanoparticles inhibited TGF-dependent fibrotic responses in vitro. Thus, MARCO+ monocytes are potent effector cells of skin and lung fibrosis and can be therapeutically targeted in SSc using PLG nanoparticles.

Excessive softening of fruits during the ripening process leads to rapid deterioration. N-glycan processing enzymes are reported to play important roles during fruit ripening associated softening. Efforts have been made to identify and purify β-D-N-acetyl hexosaminidase (β-Hex) from strawberry fruit and also to investigate its function during ripening. More than that, the postharvest treatment effect of alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) at a concentration of 0.1 g L(−1) on fruit firmness and the activity of N-glycan processing enzymes were also investigated during the storage of strawberry. Results demonstrated that the full-length of β-Hex(1) and β-Hex(2) genes were 2186 and 2013 bp, including an ORF of 1598 and 1724 bp and encoding 532 and 574 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 60 and 71 kDa, respectively. Moreover, β-hex enzyme activity and the expression of their encoding genes increased during the ripening of strawberry. In addition, postharvest application of AOS delayed the loss of firmness and suppressed the activity of N-glycan processing enzymes (α-Man and β-Hex) along with N-glycan processing enzymes associated genes expression resulting in delayed fruit softening. Therefore, our study suggests that N-glycan processing enzymes may play roles in strawberry softening and AOS treatment suppressed enzymes activity and preserve firmness of the fruit. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13197-020-04576-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Actinidia arguta, commonly called hardy kiwifruit or kiwiberry, is a perennial vine of Actinidiaceae Actinidia genus. Understanding the main pathogens that cause the fruit rot of A. arguta during storage is of great significance for finding strategies to prevent fruit rot. In September 2020, the A. arguta (Sieb.et Zucc.) Planch. ex Miq. LD133 was harvested from a farm in Dandong City, Liaoning Province, China (40°31'N, 124°20'E). After being stored at room temperature for about a week, the fruit rotted (no mechanical damage or wound). Initial symptoms were localized irregular spots, which then became soft and the spots connected into large, flaky, light brown lesions. Later symptoms were dark brown lesions and rot that affect the entire fruit. The strain that shows the same morphology as observed in the four decaying tissues was isolated on PDA. The strain was white, edge irregular and surface wavy, and the reverse side was pale yellow (Fig. S1A). The black viscous acervuli appeared on the surface of the mycelium after 7 to 10 days at 25℃ with 12 hours photoperiod. Conidia were fusiform to ellipsoid, straight to slightly curved, 5.7×25.9 µm (width × length), n=30, with five versicolor cells (three brown median cells, two hyaline cells on apical and basal). The apical cell generally contains one to four appendages on conidia (Fig. S1B). For identify the selected strains, three genetic regions (ITS, TUB and TEF 1-α) were used for amplification and sequencing. These sequences of pathogen shared 98 to 100% homology with Neopestalotiopsis clavispora. Then, a phylogenetic tree was constructed by the Bayesian algorithm using PhyloSuite (v1.2.2) (Zhang et al. 2020). Based on the morphological and molecular characterization, the pathogen was identified as Neopestalotiopsis clavispora (Chamorro et al. 2016). Next, pathogenicity of the screened strains was determined by wound inoculation method. Ripe healthy fruits are immersed in 1% NaClO, rinsed twice with sterile water. A sterile needle was used to penetrate 1-2mm of peel, and then inoculate hyphae (about 5mm in length, 1mm in diameter), and 10 µL of sterile water as a control. The treated fruits are stored in an artificial climate chamber (22°C, 70% relative humidity with 12 hours photoperiod). The inoculated fruit began to show signs of rot on the second day, and after 6 days, lesions similar to those found during storage of the pathogenic isolated fruit appeared. Similarly, 10 µL (106 conidia/mL) conidial suspension exhibited decay symptoms. Compared with conidial suspension as inoculum, hyphae has shorter incubation period and stronger pathogenicity to fruit (Fig. S2). The pathogen was re-isolated from these infected fruits and identified as N. clavispora, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. N. clavispora has been reported causing root and crown rot on strawberry in Spain, Argentina, Uruguay and Italy (Chamorro et al. 2016; Gilardi et al. 2019; Machin et al. 2019; Obregon et al. 2018), and as a pathogen on blueberry in Spain and Korea (Borrero et al. 2018; Lee et al. 2019), and causing leaf spot on macadamia in Brazil (Santos et al. 2019), and causing leaf spot on Syzygium cumini in India (Banerjee and Rana 2020). However, to our knowledge, this is the first report of Neopestalotiopsis clavispora causing postharvest fruit rot of A. argute in the worldwide. The identification of the pathogen is of great significance for conducting research on A. argute fruit preservation to prolong its shelf life and improve its merchantability.