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D-allulose, a naturally occurring monosaccharide, is present in small quantities in nature. It is considered a valuable low-calorie sweetener due to its low absorption in the digestive tract and zero energy for growth. Most of the recent efforts to produce D-allulose have focused on in vitro enzyme catalysis. However, microbial fermentation is emerging as a promising alternative that offers the advantage of combining enzyme manufacturing and product synthesis within a single bioreactor. Here, a novel approach was proposed for the efficient biosynthesis of D-allulose from glycerol using metabolically engineered Escherichia coli. FbaA, Fbp, AlsE, and A6PP were used to construct the D-allulose synthesis pathway. Subsequently, PfkA, PfkB, and Pgi were disrupted to block the entry of the intermediate fructose-6-phosphate (F6P) into the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) and pentose phosphate (PP) pathways. Additionally, GalE and FryA were inactivated to reduce D-allulose consumption by the cells. Finally, a fed-batch fermentation process was implemented to optimize the performance of the cell factory. As a result, the titer of D-allulose reached 7.02 g/L with a maximum yield of 0.287 g/g., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Sucrose is a commonly utilized nutritive sweetener in food and beverages due to its abundance in nature and low production costs. However, excessive intake of sucrose increases the risk of metabolic disorders, including diabetes and obesity. Therefore, there is a growing demand for the development of nonnutritive sweeteners with almost no calories. d-Allulose is an ultra-low-calorie, rare six-carbon monosaccharide with high sweetness, making it an ideal alternative to sucrose. In this study, we developed a cell factory for d-allulose production from sucrose using Escherichia coli JM109 (DE3) as a chassis host. The genes cscA, cscB, cscK, alsE, and a6PP were co-expressed for the construction of the synthesis pathway. Then, the introduction of ptsG-F and knockout of ptsG, fruA, ptsI, and ptsH to reprogram sugar transport pathways resulted in an improvement in substrate utilization. Next, the carbon fluxes of the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas and the pentose phosphate pathways were regulated by the inactivation of pfkA and zwf, achieving an increase in d-allulose titer and yield of 154.2% and 161.1%, respectively. Finally, scaled-up fermentation was performed in a 5 L fermenter. The titer of d-allulose reached 11.15 g/L, with a yield of 0.208 g/g on sucrose., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEJ) is increasing, and with poor prognosis. Lymph node status (LNs) is particularly important for planning treatment and evaluating the prognosis of patients with AEJ. However, the use of radiomic based on enhanced computed tomography (CT) to predict the preoperative lymph node metastasis (PLNM) status of the AEJ has yet to be reported., Purpose: We sought to investigate the value of radiomic features based on enhanced CT in the accurate prediction of PLNM in patients with AEJ., Methods: Clinical features and enhanced CT data of 235 patients with AEJ from October 2017 to May 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The data were randomly assigned to the training cohort (n = 164) or the external testing cohort (n = 71) at a ratio of 7:3. A CT-report model, clinical model, radiomic model, and radiomic-clinical combined model were developed to predict PLNM in patients with AEJ. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to screen for independent clinical risk factors. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to select the radiomic features. Finally, a nomogram for the preoperative prediction of PLNM in AEJ was constructed by combining Radiomics-score and clinical risk factors. The models were evaluated by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC), calibration curve, and decision curve analyses., Results: A total of 181 patients (181/235, 77.02%) had LNM. In the testing cohort, the AUC of the radiomic-clinical model was 0.863 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.738-0.957], and the radiomic model (0.816; 95% CI = 0.681-0.929), clinical model (0.792; 95% CI = 0.677-0.888), and CT-report model (0.755; 95% CI = 0.647-0.840)., Conclusion: The radiomic-clinical model is a feasible method for predicting PLNM in patients with AEJ, helping to guide clinical decision-making and personalized treatment planning., (© 2024 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term consequences on the cervical spine after Anterior transcorporeal percutaneous endoscopy cervical discectomy (ATc-PECD) from the biomechanical standpoint., Methods: A three-dimensional model of the normal cervical spine C2-T1 was established using finite element method. Subsequently, a disc degeneration model and degeneration with surgery model were constructed on the basis of the normal model. The same loading conditions were applied to simulate flexion, extension, lateral bending and axial rotation of the cervical spine. We calculated the cervical range of motion (ROM), intradiscal pressure, and intravertebral body pressure under different motions for observing changes in cervical spine biomechanics after surgery. At the same time, we combined the results of a long-term follow-up of the ATc-PECD, and used imaging methods to measure vertebral and disc height and cervical mobility, the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score and visual analog scale (VAS) score were used to assess pain relief and neurological functional recovery., Results: The long-term follow-up results revealed that preoperative JOA score, neck VAS score, hand VAS score, IDH, VBH, and ROM for patients were 9.49 ± 2.16, 6.34 ± 1.68, 5.14 ± 1.48, 5.95 ± 0.22 mm, 15.41 ± 1.68 mm, and 52.46 ± 9.36° respectively. It changed to 15.71 ± 1.13 (P < 0.05), 1.02 ± 0.82 (P < 0.05), 0.77 ± 0.76 (P < 0.05), 4.73 ± 0.26 mm (P < 0.05), 13.67 ± 1.48 mm (P < 0.05), and 59.26 ± 6.72° (P < 0.05), respectively, at 6 years postoperatively. Finite element analysis showed that after establishing the cervical spondylosis model, the overall motion range for flexion, extension, lateral bending, and rotation decreased by 3.298°, 0.753°, 3.852°, and 1.131° respectively. Conversely, after establishing the bone tunnel model, the motion range for these actions increased by 0.843°, 0.65°, 0.278°, and 0.488° respectively, consistent with the follow-up results. Moreover, analysis of segmental motion changes revealed that the increased cervical spine mobility was primarily contributed by the surgical model segments. Additionally, the finite element model demonstrated that bone tunneling could lead to increased stress within the vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs of the surgical segments., Conclusions: Long-term follow-up studies have shown that ATc-PECD has good clinical efficacy and that ATc-PECD can be used as a complementary method for CDH treatment. The FEM demonstrated that ATc-PECD can lead to increased internal stresses in the vertebral body and intervertebral discs of the operated segments, which is directly related to cervical spine degeneration after ATc-PECD., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

d-Allulose, a C-3 epimer of d-fructose, has great market potential in food, healthcare, and medicine due to its excellent biochemical and physiological properties. Microbial fermentation for d-allulose production is being developed, which contributes to cost savings and environmental protection. A novel metabolic pathway for the biosynthesis of d-allulose from a d-xylose-methanol mixture has shown potential for industrial application. In this study, an artificial antisense RNA (asRNA) was introduced into engineered Escherichia coli to diminish the flow of pentose phosphate (PP) pathway, while the UDP-glucose-4-epimerase (GalE) was knocked out to prevent the synthesis of byproducts. As a result, the d-allulose yield on d-xylose was increased by 35.1%. Then, we designed a d-xylose-sensitive translation control system to regulate the expression of the formaldehyde detoxification operon (FrmRAB), achieving self-inductive detoxification by cells. Finally, fed-batch fermentation was carried out to improve the productivity of the cell factory. The d-allulose titer reached 98.6 mM, with a yield of 0.615 mM/mM on d-xylose and a productivity of 0.969 mM/h.

Objective: Various stem cell-loaded scaffolds have demonstrated promising endometrial regeneration and fertility restoration. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of stem cell-loaded scaffolds in treating uterine injury in animal models., Methods: The PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched. Data were extracted and analyzed using Review Manager version 5.4. Improvements in endometrial thickness, endometrial glands, fibrotic area, and number of gestational sacs/implanted embryos were compared after transplantation in the stem cell-loaded scaffolds and scaffold-only group. The standardized mean difference (SMD) and confidence interval (CI) were calculated using forest plots., Results: Thirteen studies qualified for meta-analysis. Overall, compared to the scaffold groups, stem cell-loaded scaffolds significantly increased endometrial thickness (SMD = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.54 to 2.44, P < 0.00001; I² = 16%) and the number of endometrial glands (SMD = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.45 to 2.41, P < 0.00001; I² = 0). Moreover, stem cell-loaded scaffolds present a prominent effect on improving fibrosis area (SMD = -2.50, 95% CI: -3.07 to -1.93, P < 0.00001; I² = 36%) and fertility (SMD = 3.34, 95% CI: 1.58 to 5.09, P = 0.0002; I² = 83%). Significant heterogeneity among studies was observed, and further subgroup and sensitivity analyses identified the source of heterogeneity. Moreover, stem cell-loaded scaffolds exhibited lower inflammation levels and higher angiogenesis, and cell proliferation after transplantation., Conclusion: The evidence indicates that stem cell-loaded scaffolds were more effective in promoting endometrial repair and restoring fertility than the scaffold-only groups. The limitations of the small sample sizes should be considered when interpreting the results. Thus, larger animal studies and clinical trials are needed for further investigation., Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO, identifier CRD42024493132., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Huang, Zheng, Shi and Xu.)

Introduction: Electronic cigarettes (E-cigs) are in a controversial state. Although E-cig aerosol generally contains fewer harmful substances than smoke from burned traditional cigarettes, aerosol along with other compounds of the E-cigs may also affect lung functions and promote the development of lung-related diseases. We investigated the effects of E-cig on the pulmonary functions of male C57BL/6 mice and reveal the potential underlying mechanisms., Methods: A total of 60 male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups. They were exposed to fresh-air, traditional cigarette smoke, E-cig vapor with 12 mg/mL of nicotine, and E-cig with no nicotine for 8 weeks. Lung functions were evaluated by using quantitative analysis of the whole body plethysmograph, FlexiVent system, lung tissue histological and morphometric analysis, and RT-PCR analysis of mRNA expression of inflammation-related genes. In addition, the effects of nicotine and acrolein on the survival rate and DNA damage were investigated using cultured human alveolar basal epithelial cells., Results: Exposure to E-cig vapor led to significant changes in lung functions and structures including the rupture of the alveolar cavity and enlarged alveolar space. The pathological changes were also accompanied by increased expression of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α., Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicate that the safety of E-cig should be further evaluated., Implications: Some people currently believe that using nicotine-free E-cigs is a safe way to smoke. However, our research shows that E-cigs can cause lung damage regardless of whether they contain nicotine., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: The study on predicting the differentiation grade of colorectal cancer (CRC) based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has not been reported yet. Developing a non-invasive model to predict the differentiation grade of CRC is of great value., Aim: To develop and validate machine learning-based models for predicting the differentiation grade of CRC based on T2-weighted images (T2WI)., Methods: We retrospectively collected the preoperative imaging and clinical data of 315 patients with CRC who underwent surgery from March 2018 to July 2023. Patients were randomly assigned to a training cohort ( n = 220) or a validation cohort ( n = 95) at a 7:3 ratio. Lesions were delineated layer by layer on high-resolution T2WI. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was applied to screen for radiomic features. Radiomics and clinical models were constructed using the multilayer perceptron (MLP) algorithm. These radiomic features and clinically relevant variables (selected based on a significance level of P < 0.05 in the training set) were used to construct radiomics-clinical models. The performance of the three models (clinical, radiomic, and radiomic-clinical model) were evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC), calibration curve and decision curve analysis (DCA)., Results: After feature selection, eight radiomic features were retained from the initial 1781 features to construct the radiomic model. Eight different classifiers, including logistic regression, support vector machine, k-nearest neighbours, random forest, extreme trees, extreme gradient boosting, light gradient boosting machine, and MLP, were used to construct the model, with MLP demonstrating the best diagnostic performance. The AUC of the radiomic-clinical model was 0.862 (95%CI: 0.796-0.927) in the training cohort and 0.761 (95%CI: 0.635-0.887) in the validation cohort. The AUC for the radiomic model was 0.796 (95%CI: 0.723-0.869) in the training cohort and 0.735 (95%CI: 0.604-0.866) in the validation cohort. The clinical model achieved an AUC of 0.751 (95%CI: 0.661-0.842) in the training cohort and 0.676 (95%CI: 0.525-0.827) in the validation cohort. All three models demonstrated good accuracy. In the training cohort, the AUC of the radiomic-clinical model was significantly greater than that of the clinical model ( P = 0.005) and the radiomic model ( P = 0.016). DCA confirmed the clinical practicality of incorporating radiomic features into the diagnostic process., Conclusion: In this study, we successfully developed and validated a T2WI-based machine learning model as an auxiliary tool for the preoperative differentiation between well/moderately and poorly differentiated CRC. This novel approach may assist clinicians in personalizing treatment strategies for patients and improving treatment efficacy., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All the Authors have no conflict of interest related to the manuscript., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

D-Allulose is an ultra-low-calorie sweetener with broad market prospects in the fields of food, beverage, health care, and medicine. The fermentative synthesis of D-allulose is still under development and considered as an ideal route to replace enzymatic approaches for large-scale production of D-allulose in the future. Generally, D-allulose is synthesized from D-fructose through Izumoring epimerization. This biological reaction is reversible, and a high temperature is beneficial to the conversion of D-fructose. Mild cell growth conditions seriously limit the efficiency of producing D-allulose through fermentation. FryABC permease was identified to be responsible for the transport of D-allulose in Escherichia coli by comparative transcriptomic analysis. A cell factory was then developed by expression of ptsG-F, dpe, and deletion of fryA, fruA, manXYZ, mak, and galE. The results show that the newly engineered E. coli was able to produce 32.33 ± 1.33 g L -1 of D-allulose through a unique thermo-swing fermentation process, with a yield of 0.94 ± 0.01 g g -1 on D-fructose., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Objectives: Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a noninvasive marker of atherosclerosis, a typical pathologic process underlying cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). It is essential to explore the relationships between weight loss and the reduction of CIMT., Study Design: This was an updated systematic review and meta-analysis., Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to collect relevant clinical trials. The pooled results of meta-analyses were assessed by weighted mean difference (WMD) and the corresponding 95 % confidence interval (95% CI)., Results: Thirty-three articles involving 2273 participants were collected in this meta-analysis. Among all participants with obesity, the pooled mean of weight loss was -23.26 kg (95% CI: -27.71 to -18.81), and the pooled mean change of CIMT was -0.06 mm (95% CI: -0.08 to -0.04). Compared with Non-surgical interventions, Surgical ones could lead to much higher weight loss (P between groups < 0.001). A more significant CIMT reduction was identified among Surgical intervention patients than among Non-surgical intervention participants (P between groups < 0.001)., Conclusions: Effective interventions, especially Surgical interventions, could reduce the weight of patients with obesity, followed by the decline of CIMT, which might further disturb atherosclerosis progression and lower CVD risk., (Copyright © 2023 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Gastric ectopic pancreas (GEP) is a rare developmental abnormality that refers to the existence of pancreatic tissue in the stomach with no anatomical relationship with the main pancreas. It is usually difficult to diagnose through histological examination, and the choice of treatment method is crucial., Aim: To describe the endoscopic ultrasound characteristics of GEP and evaluate the value of laparoscopic resection (LR) and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD)., Methods: Forty-nine patients with GEP who underwent ESD and LR in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from May 2018 to July 2023 were retrospectively included. Data on clinical characteristics, endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS), ESD, and LR were collected and analyzed. The characteristics of EUS and the efficacy of the two treatments were analyzed., Results: The average age of the patients was 43.31 ± 13.50 years, and the average maximum diameter of the lesions was 1.55 ± 0.70 cm. The lesion originated from the mucosa in one patient (2.04%), from the submucosa in 42 patients (85.71%), and from the muscularis propria in 6 patients (12.25%). Twenty-nine patients (59.20%) with GEP showed umbilical depression on endoscopy. The most common initial symptom of GEP was abdominal pain (40.82%). Tumor markers, including carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA-19-9), were generally within the normal range. One patient (2.04%) with GEP had increased CEA and CA-19-9 levels. However, no cancer tissue was found on postoperative pathological examination, and tumor markers returned to normal levels after resecting the lesion. There was no significant difference in surgery duration (72.42 ± 23.84 vs 74.17 ± 12.81 min) or hospital stay (3.70 ± 0.91 vs 3.83 ± 0.75 d) between the two methods. LR was more often used for patients with larger tumors and deeper origins. The amount of bleeding was significantly higher in LR than in ESD (11.28 ± 16.87 vs 16.67 ± 8.76 mL, P < 0.05). Surgery was associated with complete resection of the lesion without any serious complications; there were no cases of recurrence during the follow-up period., Conclusion: GEP has unique characteristics in EUS. LR and ESD seem to be good choices for treating GEP. LR is better for large GEP with a deep origin. However, due to the rarity of GEP, multicenter large-scale studies are needed to describe its characteristics and evaluate the safety of LR and ESD., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: We have no financial relationships to disclose., (©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Based on the clinical data of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients who underwent surgery at our institution, a model for predicting the formation of tumor deposits (TDs) in this patient population was established., Aim: To establish an effective model for predicting TD formation, thus enabling clinicians to identify CRC patients at high risk for TDs and implement personalized treatment strategies., Methods: CRC patients ( n = 645) who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into training ( n = 452) and validation ( n = 193) cohorts using a 7:3 ratio in this retrospective analysis. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was employed to screen potential risk factors, and multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent risk factors. Subsequently, a predictive model for TD formation in CRC patients was constructed based on the independent risk factors. The discrimination ability of the model, its consistency with actual results, and its clinical applicability were evaluated using receiver-operating characteristic curves, area under the curve (AUC), calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA)., Results: Thirty-four (7.5%) patients with TDs were identified in the training cohort based on postoperative pathological specimens. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified female sex, preoperative intestinal obstruction, left-sided CRC, and lymph node metastasis as independent risk factors for TD formation. The AUCs of the nomogram models constructed using these variables were 0.839 and 0.853 in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. The calibration curve demonstrated good consistency, and the training cohort DCA yielded a threshold probability of 7%-78%., Conclusion: This study developed and validated a nomogram with good predictive performance for identifying TDs in CRC patients. Our predictive model can assist surgeons in making optimal treatment decisions., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All the Authors have no conflict of interest related to the manuscript., (©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: To compare short-term and long-term clinical effects of modified overlap anastomosis and conventional incision-assisted anastomosis for laparoscopic total gastrectomy., Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients with gastric cancer admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from January 2016 to March 2020. Quality of life, intraoperative and postoperative conditions were analyzed., Results: Compared with the conventional assisted group, the modified overlap group showed a shorter auxiliary incision, milder postoperative pain, shorter time to the first postoperative anal exhaust, shorter time to the first postoperative liquid food intake, and shorter postoperative stay. There were no differences between the two groups regarding operation time, esophagus-jejunum anastomosis time, intraoperative blood loss, number of lymph nodes dissected, and length of the upper incision margin. There were no differences between the two groups regarding postoperative early and late complications. There were no differences between the two groups regarding the QLQ-C30 scale three years after the operation. The scores of the QLQ-STO22 scale 3 years after the operation showed significantly lower scores for dysphagia and feeding limit in the modified overlap group than those in the conventional assisted anastomosis group. There was no recurrence in the modified overlap group but one patient in the conventional assisted group., Conclusions: Patients undergoing totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy with modified overlap anastomosis have better minimal invasiveness and faster post-operative recovery than conventional incision-assisted anastomosis., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

The use of crystalline metal-organic complexes with definite structures as multilevel memories can enable explicit structure-property correlations, which is significant for designing the next generation of memories. Here, four Zn-polysulfide complexes with different degrees of conjugation have been fabricated as memory devices. ZnS 6 (L) 2 -based memories (L = pyridine and 3-methylpyridine) can exhibit only bipolar binary memory performances, but ZnS 6 (L)-based memories (L = 2,2'-bipyridine and 1,10-phenanthroline) illustrate non-volatile ternary memory performances with high ON2/ON1/OFF ratios (10 4.22 /10 2.27 /1 and 10 4.85 /10 2.58 /1) and ternary yields (74% and 78%). Their ON1 states stem from the packing adjustments of organic ligands upon the injection of carriers, and the ON2 states are a result of the ring-to-chain relaxation of S 6 2- anions. The lower conjugated degrees in ZnS 6 (L) 2 result in less compact packing; consequently, the adjacent S 6 2- rings are too long to trigger the S 6 2- relaxation. The deep structure-property correlation in this work provides a new strategy for implementing multilevel memory by triggering polysulfide relaxation based on the conjugated degree regulation of organic ligands.

Decompressional melting of asthenosphere under spreading centers has been accepted to produce oceanic lithospheric mantle with vertical compositional variations, but these gradients are much smaller than those observed from ophiolites, which clearly require additional causes. Here we conduct high-density sampling and whole-rock and mineral analyses of peridotites across a Tibetan ophiolitic mantle section (~2 km thick), which shows a primary upward depletion (~12% difference) and local more-depleted anomalies. Thermodynamic modeling demonstrates that these features cannot be produced by decompressional melting or proportional compression of residual mantle, but can be explained by melt-peridotite reaction with lateral melt/rock ratio variations in an upwelling asthenospheric column, producing stronger depletion in the melt-focusing center and local zones. This column splits symmetrically and flows to become the horizontal uppermost lithospheric mantle, characterized by upward depletion and local anomalies. This model provides insights into melt extraction and uppermost-mantle origin beneath spreading centers with high melt fluxes., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

d-Allulose is a rare hexose with great application potential, owing to its moderate sweetness, low energy, and unique physiological functions. The current strategies for d-allulose production, whether industrialized or under development, utilize six-carbon sugars such as d-glucose or d-fructose as a substrate and are usually based on the principle of reversible Izumoring epimerization. In this work, we designed a novel route that coupled the pathways of methanol reduction, pentose phosphate (PP), ribulose monophosphate (RuMP), and allulose monophosphate (AuMP) for Escherichia coli to irreversibly synthesize d-allulose from d-xylose and methanol. After improving the expression of AlsE by SUMO fusion and regulating the carbon fluxes by knockout of FrmRAB, RpiA, PfkA, and PfkB, the titer of d-allulose in fed-batch fermentation reached ≈70.7 mM, with a yield of ≈0.471 mM/mM on d-xylose or ≈0.512 mM/mM on methanol.

D-Allose is a potential alternative to sucrose in the food industries and a useful additive for the healthcare products in the future. At present, the methods for large-scale production of D-allose are still under investigation, most of which are based on in vitro enzyme-catalyzed Izumoring epimerization. In contrast, fermentative synthesis of D-allose has never been reported, probably due to the absence of available natural microorganisms. In this work, we co-expressed D-galactose: H + symporter (GalP), D-glucose isomerase (DGI), D-allulose 3-epimerase (DAE), and ribose-5-phosphate isomerase (RPI) in Escherichia coli , thereby constructing an in vivo Izumoring pathway for yielding D-allose from D-glucose. The carbon fluxes and carbon catabolite repression (CCR) were rationally regulated by knockout of FruA, PtsG, Glk, Mak, PfkA, and PfkB involved in the pathways capable of phosphorylating D-fructose, D-glucose, and fructose-6-phosphate. Moreover, the native D-allose transporter was damaged by inactivation of AlsB, thus driving the reversible Izumoring reactions towards the target product. Fermentation was performed in the M9 medium supplemented with glycerol as a carbon source and D-glucose as a substrate. The results show that the engineered E. coli cell factory was able to produce approximately 127.35 mg/L of D-allose after 84 h. Our achievements in the fermentative production of D-allose in this work may further promote the green manufacturing of rare sugars., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zheng, Guo, Zhang, Liu, Fan and Zheng.)

We describe two new species of Pezicula (Dermateaceae, Ascomycota), P. ellipsoides and P. fusispora , which are discovered in China. Pezicula ellipsoides sp. nov. is distinct in producing 2-3 stipitate apothecia on a basal stroma with a light yellow hymenium, broadly ellipsoid 0-1(-2)-septate ascospores, and divergent DNA sequence data. Pezicula fusispora sp. nov. is characterized by sessile apothecia, 0.3-0.8 mm in diam, a yellowish hymenium, J+ asci 135-170 × 15-21 μm, multiseptate ascospores, 33-48 × 7-10.3 μm, and growing on rotten bamboo. In addition, Pezicula acericola and P. carpinea are reported for the first time from China, and 11 Pezicula species previously reported from China are reviewed and briefly noted, of which one was a misidentified species. Phylogenetic analyses inferred from ITS nrDNA sequences confirm the placement of P. ellipsoides and P. cinnamomea in the genus Pezicula .

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, nonspecific intestinal inflammatory disease. Acupuncture and moxibustion is proved effective in treating UC, but the mechanism has not been clarified. Proteomic technology has revealed a variety of biological markers related to immunity and inflammation in UC, which provide new insights and directions for the study of mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment of UC., Aim: To investigate the mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) and herb-partitioned moxibustion (HM) on UC rats by using proteomics technology., Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the normal (N) group, the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC model (M) group, the HM group, and the EA group. UC rat model was prepared with 3% DSS, and HM and EA interventions at the bilateral Tianshu and Qihai acupoints were performed in HM or EA group. Haematoxylin and eosin staining was used for morphological evaluation of colon tissues. Isotope-labeled relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry were performed for proteome analysis of the colon tissues, followed by bioinformatics analysis and protein-protein interaction networks establishment of differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between groups. Then western blot was used for verification of selected DEPs., Results: The macroscopic colon injury scores and histopathology scores in the HM and EA groups were significantly decreased compared to the rats in the M group ( P < 0.01). Compared with the N group, a total of 202 DEPs were identified in the M group, including 111 up-regulated proteins and 91 down-regulated proteins, of which 25 and 15 proteins were reversed after HM and EA interventions, respectively. The DEPs were involved in various biological processes such as biological regulation, immune system progression and in multiple pathways including natural killer cell mediated cytotoxicity, intestinal immune network for immunoglobulin A (IgA) production, and FcγR-mediated phagocytosis. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways of DEPs between HM and M groups, EA and M groups both included immune-associated and oxidative phosphorylation. Network analysis revealed that multiple pathways for the DEPs of each group were involved in protein-protein interactions, and the expression of oxidative phosphorylation pathway-related proteins, including ATP synthase subunit g (ATP5L), ATP synthase beta subunit precursor (Atp5f), cytochrome c oxidase subunit 4 isoform 1 (Cox4i1) were down-regulated after HM and EA interventions. Subsequent verification of selected DEPs (Synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A; nuclear cap binding protein subunit 1; carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1; Cox4i1; ATP synthase subunit b, Atp5f1; doublecortin like kinase 3) by western blot confirmed the reliability of the iTRAQ data, HM and EA interventions can significantly down-regulate the expression of oxidative phosphorylation-associated proteins (Cox4i1, Atp5f1) ( P < 0.01)., Conclusion: EA and HM could regulate the expression of ATP5L, Atp5f1, Cox4i1 that associated with oxidative phosphorylation, then might regulate immune-related pathways of intestinal immune network for IgA production, FcγR-mediated phagocytosis, thereby alleviating colonic inflammation of DSS-induced UC rats., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article., (©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

D-Allulose is an ultra-low calorie sweetener with broad market prospects. As an alternative to Izumoring, phosphorylation-dephosphorylation is a promising method for D-allulose synthesis due to its high conversion of substrate, which has been preliminarily attempted in enzymatic systems. However, in vitro phosphorylation-dephosphorylation requires polyphosphate as a phosphate donor and cannot completely deplete the substrate, which may limit its application in industry. Here, we designed and constructed a metabolic pathway in Escherichia coli for producing D-allulose from D-fructose via in vivo phosphorylation-dephosphorylation. PtsG-F and Mak were used to replace the fructose phosphotransferase systems (PTS) for uptake and phosphorylation of D-fructose to fructose-6-phosphate, which was then converted to D-allulose by AlsE and A6PP. The D-allulose titer reached 0.35 g/L and the yield was 0.16 g/g. Further block of the carbon flux into the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) pathway and introduction of an ATP regeneration system obviously improved fermentation performance, increasing the titer and yield of D-allulose to 1.23 g/L and 0.68 g/g, respectively. The E. coli cell factory cultured in M9 medium with glycerol as a carbon source achieved a D-allulose titer of ≈1.59 g/L and a yield of ≈0.72 g/g on D-fructose., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Guo, Liu, Zheng, Zheng, Zhang, Zhao, Zheng, Fan and Lin.)

Nuclear receptors (NRs) are ligand-dependent transcription factors that regulate the transcription of target genes. Bile acids (BAs) can be used as effector molecules to regulate physiological processes in the gut, and NRs are important receptors for bile acid signaling. Relevant studies have shown that NRs are closely related to the occurrence of Crohn's disease (CD). Although the mechanism of NRs in CD has not been clarified completely, growing evidence shows that NRs play an important role in regulating intestinal immunity, mucosal barrier, and intestinal flora. NRs can participate in the progress of CD by mediating inflammation, immunity, and autophagy. As the important parts of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy, acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of CD curative mechanism can get a lot of research support. At the same time, acupuncture and moxibustion can regulate the changes of related NRs. Therefore, to explore whether acupuncture can regulate BA circulation and NRs expression and then participate in the disease progression of CD, a new theoretical basis for acupuncture treatment of CD is provided., Competing Interests: All authors have no conflicts of interest with respect to the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Jia-Cheng Shen et al.)

Objective: To characterize a clinical triad of symptoms associated with myeloid sarcomas of the temporal bone via a review of all previously reported cases., Methods: Case report and Ovid MEDLINE database literature review., Results: A literature search revealed that a clinical triad of hearing loss, otalgia, and facial nerve weakness are commonly associated with this rare presentation of myeloid sarcoma in the temporal bone. 44% (18/41) of patients presented with all three symptoms, while 76% (31/41) presented with at least two. The presence of t(8;21) was reported in nine patients with myeloid sarcomas of the temporal bone., Conclusions: Although myeloid sarcomas are exceedingly rare, it is necessary to consider them as part of the differential diagnosis for patients who might present with middle ear and mastoid opacification on computed tomography (CT) scan, hearing loss, otalgia, and facial nerve palsy. Physicians should maintain a high degree of suspicion in patients with a history of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), especially if previous cytogenetic analysis revealed a t(8;21)., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022, Otology & Neurotology, Inc.)

To help doctors and patients evaluate lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) accurately and efficiently, we propose a segmentation network and a quantitation method for IVDD from T2MRI. A semantic segmentation network (BianqueNet) composed of three innovative modules achieves high-precision segmentation of IVDD-related regions. A quantitative method is used to calculate the signal intensity and geometric features of IVDD. Manual measurements have excellent agreement with automatic calculations, but the latter have better repeatability and efficiency. We investigate the relationship between IVDD parameters and demographic information (age, gender, position and IVDD grade) in a large population. Considering these parameters present strong correlation with IVDD grade, we establish a quantitative criterion for IVDD. This fully automated quantitation system for IVDD may provide more precise information for clinical practice, clinical trials, and mechanism investigation. It also would increase the number of patients that can be monitored., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Xylitol is a salutary sugar substitute that has been widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries. Co-fermentation of xylose and glucose by metabolically engineered cell factories is a promising alternative to chemical hydrogenation of xylose for commercial production of xylitol. Here, we engineered a mutant of SecY protein-translocation channel (SecY [ΔP]) in xylitol-producing Escherichia coli JM109 (DE3) as a passageway for xylose uptake. It was found that SecY (ΔP) channel could rapidly transport xylose without being interfered by XylB-catalyzed synthesis of xylitol-phosphate, which is impossible for native XylFGH and XylE transporters. More importantly, with the coaction of SecY (ΔP) channel and carbon catabolite repression (CCR), the flux of xylose to the pentose phosphate (PP) pathway and the xylitol synthesis pathway in E. coli could be automatically controlled in response to glucose, thereby ensuring that the mutant cells were able to fully utilize sugars with high xylitol yields. The E. coli cell factory developed in this study has been proven to be applicable to a broad range of xylose-glucose mixtures, which is conducive to simplifying the mixed-sugar fermentation process for efficient and economical production of xylitol., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Chylous ascites following right colectomy has a high incidence which is a critical challenge. At present, there are few studies on the factors affecting chylous ascites after right colectomy and especially after D3 Lymphadenectomy. A predictive model for chylous ascites has not yet been established. Therefore, we created the first nomogram to predict the incidence of chylous ascites after right hemicolectomy., Aim: To analyze the risk factors for chylous ascites after right colectomy and establish a nomogram to predict the incidence of chylous ascites., Methods: We retrospectively collected patients who underwent right hemicolectomy between January 2012 and May 2021 and were pathologically diagnosed with cancer. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of chylous ascites and a nomogram was established. The predictive ability was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve., Results: Operative time, the type of operation (standard or extended), the number of lymph nodes retrieved, and somatostatin administration were considered important risk factors. Multivariate logistic regression and nomograms can be used to accurately predict whether chylous ascites occurs. The area under the ROC curve of the model is 0.770. The C-statistic of this model is 0.770 which indicates that it has a relatively moderate ability to predict the risk of chylous ascites., Conclusion: We found a novel set of risk factors, created a nomogram, and validated it. The nomogram had a relatively accurate forecasting ability for chylous ascites after right hemicolectomy and can be used as a reference for risk assessment of chylous ascites and whether to prevent it after surgery., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors report no conflicts of interest., (©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

d-Allulose is considered an ideal alternative to sucrose and has shown tremendous application potential in many fields. Recently, most efforts on production of d-allulose have focused on in vitro enzyme-catalyzed epimerization of cheap hexoses. Here, we proposed an approach to efficiently produce d-allulose through fermentation using metabolically engineered Escherichia coli JM109 (DE3), in which a SecY (ΔP) channel and a d-allulose 3-epimerase (DPEase) were co-expressed, ensuring that d-fructose could be transported in its nonphosphorylated form and then converted into d-allulose by cells. Further deletion of fruA , manXYZ , mak , galE , and fruK and the use of Ni 2+ in a medium limited the carbon flux flowing into the byproduct-generating pathways and the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) pathway, achieving a ≈ 0.95 g/g yield of d-allulose on d-fructose using E. coli (DPEase, SecY [ΔP], ΔFruA, ΔManXYZ, ΔMak, ΔGalE, ΔFruK) and 8 μM Ni 2+ . In fed-batch fermentation, the titer of d-allulose reached ≈23.3 g/L.

The small fruitbodies of Chlorosplenium are greenish yellow and mainly grow on woody substrates. The species diversity of the genus in China was investigated based on specimens formerly deposited in the Herbarium Mycologicum Academiae Sinicae as well as new collections gained in recent years. Our phylogenetic results revealed the species diversity of the genus is underestimated and the commonly known Chlorosplenium chlora is a species complex. Based on morphology studies and sequence analyses of three regions (ITS, LSU and RPB1 ), the Chinese collections represent two new species which are described and illustrated here as C. sinicum and C. sinochlora . Chlorosplenium fusisporum is quite possibly a species of the genus Chlorociboria , and C. hyperici-maculati should be excluded from the genus.

Objective: To observe the effect of herb-partitioned moxibustion (HPM) on the miRNA expression profile of thyroid tissue in experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT) rats., Methods: Rats were randomly divided into normal control (NC) group, EAT model (EAT) group, HPM group and western medicine (Med) group. EAT model rats were prepared by a combined immunization with complete and incomplete Freund's adjuvant emulsified with porcine thyroglobulin and iodine. Rats in the HPM group were treated with HPM, while rats in the Med group were treated with levothyrocine (1 μg/2 mL) by gavage. HE staining was used to observe the pathological morphological changes of thyroid tissue, ELISAs was uaed to detect the serum concentrations of TGAb, TPOAb, FT3, FT4, TSH. We then performed high-throughput miRNA sequencing to analyse the miRNA expression profiles in the thyroid tissues, followed by a bioinformatics analysis. RT-qPCR was used to verify the identified differentially expressed miRNAs., Results: HPM improved the thyroid tissue morphology and reduced serum TPOAb, TGAb, TSH concentration in EAT rats (P < 0.05), but with no obvious effect on FT3 and FT4 concentration. While the TSH, FT3 and FT4 concentration was significantly changed in the Med group (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) compared with that of EAT group. Sequencing results showed that a total of 17 miRNAs were upregulated, and 4 were downregulated in the EAT rats, in which the expression levels of miR-346 and miR-331-5p were reversed by HPM. The target genes of the miRNAs that regulated by HPM were associated with a variety of immune factors and immune signals. RT-qPCR verification showed that the expression of miRNA-346 and miRNA-331-5p was consistent with the sequencing results., Conclusions: HPM could regulate the the expression of miRNA-346 and miRNA-331-5p, then act on their target genes to immune and inflammation-related pathways, which may be one of the mechanisms of HPM on EAT rats.

Background: The histopathology and microbiology associated with silent sinus syndrome (SSS) have not been well described., Objective: This study details the histopathological and microbiological characteristics in addition to radiographic findings of SSS in comparison to those of chronic maxillary sinusitis (CRS)., Methods: 42 patients diagnosed with SSS at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Arizona were identified. Paranasal computed tomography scans of the 42 SSS patients as well as 42 matched CRS patients were analyzed in order to assess differences in the prevalence of septal spurs/deviation. 20 of the SSS patients and 19 of the matched CRS patients also had histopathology and microbiology reports, which were compiled and summarized. Additionally, 19 SSS and 19 matched CRS patients were contacted via phone survey for a more complete patient history regarding maxillary dental disease/surgery., Results: SSS patients have a significantly higher prevalence of septal spurs/deviation than CRS patients. The microbiomes of SSS patients more closely resemble those of healthy controls than those of CRS patients. Analysis of the histopathology of SSS reveals chronic, non-specific inflammation similar to that seen in non-eosinophilic CRS without polyps. SSS patients were significantly more likely to have a history of maxillary dental disease requiring surgery., Conclusion: These data support the hypothesis that the pathogenesis of SSS is more likely due to anatomical/mechanical factors than inflammatory/microbiological factors.

The development of new-type memristors with special performance is of great interest. Herein, an inorganic-organic hybrid crystalline polyoxometalate (POM) with usual dynamic structures is reported and used as active material for fabricating memristor with unique temperature-regulated resistive switching behaviors. The hybrid POM not only exhibits tunable thermochromic properties, but also thermal-induced reversible aggregation and disaggregation reactions, leading to reversible structural transformations in SCSC fashion. Further, the memory device using the hybrid POM as active layer exhibits uncommon performance, which can keep resistive switching silent in the low temperature range of 30-150 °C, but show nonvolatile memory behavior in the high temperature range of 150-270 °C. Particularly, the silent and working states at three special temperatures (30, 150 and 270 °C) can be monitored by chromism. The correlation between structure and resistive switching property of the material has been discussed. The work demonstrates that crystalline inorganic-organic hybrid POMs are promising materials for making memristors with superior performance., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved biological process in eukaryotic cells that involves lysosomal-mediated degradation and recycling of related cellular components. Recent studies have shown that autophagy plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD). Herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion (HM) has been historically practiced to treat CD. However, the mechanism by which HM regulates colonic autophagy in CD remains unclear., Aim: To observe whether HM can alleviate CD by regulating colonic autophagy and to elucidate the underlying mechanism., Methods: Rats were randomly divided into a normal control (NC) group, a CD group, an HM group, an insulin + CD (I + CD) group, an insulin + HM (I + HM) group, a rapamycin + CD (RA + CD) group, and a rapamycin + HM (RA + HM) group. 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid was administered to establish a CD model. The morphology of the colonic mucosa was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining, and the formation of autophagosomes was observed by electron microscopy. The expression of autophagy marker microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta (LC3B) was observed by immunofluorescence staining. Insulin and rapamycin were used to inhibit and activate colonic autophagy, respectively. The mRNA expression levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase class I ( PI3KC1 ), Akt1 , LC3B , sequestosome 1 ( p62 ), and mammalian target of rapamycin ( mTOR ) were evaluated by RT-qPCR. The protein expression levels of interleukin 18 (IL-18), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), nuclear factor κB/p65 (NF-κB p65), LC3B, p62, coiled-coil myosin-like BCL2-interacting protein (Beclin-1), p-mTOR, PI3KC1, class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3KC3/Vps34), and p-Akt were evaluated by Western blot analysis., Results: Compared with the NC group, the CD group showed severe damage to colon tissues and higher expression levels of IL-18 and NF-κB p65 in colon tissues ( P < 0.01 for both). Compared with the CD group, the HM group showed significantly lower levels of these proteins ( P IL-18 < 0.01 and P p65 < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the expression of TNF-α protein in colon tissue among the rat groups. Typical autophagic vesicles were found in both the CD and HM groups. The expression of the autophagy proteins LC3B and Beclin-1 was upregulated ( P < 0.01 for both) in the colon tissues of rats in the CD group compared with the NC group, while the protein expression of p62 and p-mTOR was downregulated ( P < 0.01 for both). However, these expression trends were significantly reversed in the HM group compared with the CD group ( P LC3B < 0.01, P Beclin-1 < 0.05, P p62 < 0.05, and P m-TOR < 0.05). Compared with those in the RA + CD group, the mRNA expression levels of PI3KC1 , Akt1 , mTOR , and p62 in the RA + HM group were significantly higher ( P PI3KC1 < 0.01 and P Akt1, mTOR, and p62 < 0.05), while those of LC3B were significantly lower ( P < 0.05). Compared with the RA + CD group, the RA + HM group exhibited significantly higher PI3KC1, p-Akt1, and p-mTOR protein levels ( P PI3KC1 < 0.01, P p-Akt1 < 0.05, and P p-mTOR < 0.01), a higher p62 protein level ( P = 0.057), and significantly lower LC3B and Vps34 protein levels ( P < 0.01 for both) in colon tissue., Conclusion: HM can activate PI3KC1/Akt1/mTOR signaling while inhibiting the PI3KC3 (Vps34)-Beclin-1 protein complex in the colon tissues of CD rats, thereby inhibiting overactivated autophagy and thus exerting a therapeutic effect., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the clinical value of next-generation sequencing in the diagnosis of Pneumocystis pneumonia in non-HIV infected patients. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on the diagnosis and treatment of Pneumocystis pneumonia in 5 non-HIV patients in the Fourth Medical Center of the General Hospital of the PLA from September 1, 2017 to September 1, 2018. Next-generation sequencing of BALF were compared with the traditional laboratory microbiological test, and the advantages of the next-generation sequencing in the diagnosis of Pneumocystis pneumonia in non-HIV infected patients were analyzed. Results: There were 3 males and 2 females, with a mean age (48±6) years. Three patients had membranous nephropathy, a patient had tuberculous meningitis, and a patient had esophageal cancer after radiotherapy and chemotherapy. All patients had glucocorticoid medication history before. The clinical manifestations were fever, cough and dyspnea. The chest CT mainly showed bilateral lung ground glass shadows. All the results of 1, 3-β-D-glucan test were more than 1 000 ng/L. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed in the 5 cases, and Pneumocystis cysts were found in 1 BALF by Gomori's methenamine silver nitrate staining, and the DNAs of Pneumocystis and human herpesvirus were detected in 5 BALFs by next-generation sequencing. All patients were treated with sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (orally, 1.44 g, q8 h) for 23 to 72 days (median 33 days), and with ganciclovir(Ⅳ, 250 mg q12 h) for 6 to 22 days (median 15 days). The chest CT manifestations and symptoms were improved after treatment, without death. Conclusions: The next-generation sequencing of BALF is more specific and sensitive in the diagnosis of Pneumocystis pneumoniae in non-HIV patients. It is faster, more comprehensive and more accurate than the traditional laboratory test, and could be widely used as a PCP diagnosis technique.

To investigate fungi from the Qilian Mountains in Gansu Province, ascomycetous specimens were collected and hypocrealean fungi were examined. Eighteen species belonging to six genera in the families Hypocreaceae and Nectriaceae were identified, including 11 species of Hypomyces and Trichoderma in Hypocreaceae and seven species of Nectria , Stylonectria , Thelonectria , and Thyronectria in Nectriaceae. Among them, Stylonectria qilianshanensis and Trichoderma gansuanum are new to science. DNA sequence analyses of combined ACL1, ITS, RPB2, and TEF1 regions confirmed their taxonomic placements. Morphological distinctions between the new species and their close relatives are discussed. Hypomyces tremellicola is reported for the first time in China., (Zhao-Qing Zeng, Huan-Di Zheng, Xin-Cun Wang, Sheng-Long Wei, Wen-Ying Zhuang.)

Holographic three-dimensional (3D) imaging of Terra-Cotta Warrior model using Fractional Fourier Transform is introduced in this paper. Phase holograms of Terra-Cotta Warrior model are calculated from 60 horizontal viewing-angles by the use of fractional Fourier transform (FRT). Multiple phase holograms are calculated for each angle by adding proper pseudorandom phase to reduce the speckle noise of a reconstructed image. Experimental system based on high-resolution phase-only spatial light modulator (SLM) is built for 3D image reconstruction from the calculated phase holograms. The texture of the Terra-Cotta Warrior model is rough. The calculation of rough texture is optimized in order to show better model details. The effects of computing distance and layer thickness on imaging quality are analyzed finally.

Three new species of Dicephalospora are introduced based on morphological characters and DNA sequence analyses (maximum parsimony and neighbor-joining methods), viz. D.albolutea , D.shennongjiana , and D.yunnanica . All of them lack mucilaginous caps at ascospore poles. Dicephalosporaalbolutea is distinguished by cream to yellowish white apothecia and slightly curved ascospores. Dicephalosporashennongjiana is characterized by yellow apothecia, elliptical-fusoid ascospores 19-22 × 7-8.8 μm, and J+ asci 130-150 × 14-16.5 μm. Dicephalosporayunnanica is distinguished by orange apothecia and fusoid ascospores 16.5-25.3 × 3.3-3.5 μm. Descriptions and illustrations of the new species as well as a key to the known species in the genus are provided.

Objective: To investigate the immune regulation mechanism of herb-partitioned moxibustion in rats with Crohn's disease (CD) focusing on autophagy., Methods: Rats were randomly divided into normal (N) group, CD model (M) group, CD model with herb-partitioned moxibustion (MM) group, normal with herb-partitioned moxibustion (NM) group, CD model with mesalazine (western medicine, Med ) group, and normal saline (NS) group, with 10 rats in each group. The CD model rats were prepared by trinitrobenzene sulphonic expect for the N group and NM group. After the CD rats model were established, the rats in the MM and NM groups were treated with herb-partitioned moxibustion at Tianshu (ST25) and Qihai (CV6) acupoints once daily for 7 days, and rats in the Med and NS groups were respectively treated with mesalazine enteric coated tablet and normal saline once daily for 7 days. After intervention, hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the histological changes of colon; RNA sequencing was used to observe the changes in autophagy- and immune-associated gene expression profiles. In addition, autophagy- and immune-associated cytokines and signaling pathways in CD rats were also screened., Results: HPM significantly increased the body weight of CD rats ( P <0.01) and improved the pathological injury of colon in CD rats ( P <0.01). HPM also changed the expression of many autophagy- and immune-associated genes, especially downregulating the expression of autophagy-associated Nod2 , Irgm genes as well as the receptor of immune-associated Il12b , Il22 ( Il12rb1 , Il22ra2 ) genes in the colon of CD rats. HPM also changed the enrichment levels of differentially expressed genes in the human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 infection pathway, the Epstein-Barr virus infection pathway, and the cell adhesion molecule pathway. In addition, the expression levels of Nod2, Irgm, IL-12b, and IL-22 mRNA were increased (all P < 0.01) in the M group compared to the N group, while the expression levels of Nod2, Irgm, IL-12b, and IL-22 mRNA were decreased ( P <0.05 or P <0.01) in the MM and Med groups compared to the M group., Conclusion: Herb-partitioned moxibustion may effectively attenuate intestinal inflammation and promote the repair of colon mucosal injury of CD rats through the regulation of autophagy- and immune-associated gene expression and signaling pathways.

NADPH donates high energy electrons for antioxidant defense and reductive biosynthesis. Cytosolic NADP is recycled to NADPH by the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (oxPPP), malic enzyme 1 (ME1) and isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1). Here we show that any one of these routes can support cell growth, but the oxPPP is uniquely required to maintain a normal NADPH/NADP ratio, mammalian dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) activity and folate metabolism. These findings are based on CRISPR deletions of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD, the committed oxPPP enzyme), ME1, IDH1, and combinations thereof in HCT116 colon cancer cells. Loss of G6PD results in high NADP, which induces compensatory increases in ME1 and IDH1 flux. But the high NADP inhibits dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), resulting in impaired folate-mediated biosynthesis, which is reversed by recombinant expression of E. coli DHFR. Across different cancer cell lines, G6PD deletion produced consistent changes in folate-related metabolites, suggesting a general requirement for the oxPPP to support folate metabolism.

In order to study the toxic effect of deltamethrin on the hepatopancreas of Pagrosomus major with sub-acute exposure, Pagrosomus major were divided into 5 groups with different doses of semi-static exposure. The damage of the hepatopancreas tissue of Pagrosomus major was analyzed by microscopy observation and the DNA damage of the cells was analyzed by comet assay technique after 25 days exposure. The results showed that different degrees of congestion, nuclear enrichment and cell necrosis appeared in hepatopancreas of 0.025, 0.125, 0.250, 0.375 Μg·L -1 exposure concentrations. The higher the exposure concentration, the variations of tissue and cell were more significant. DNA damages in the hepatopancreas cells of all exposed group were observed. The co-met rate, percentage of tail DNA and the olive moment were significantly different from the control group (P<0.05). Linear regression analysis showed that the exposure concentration was significantly positively correlated with the tailing rate and the tail length (P<0.01). The indexes were significantly related to the concentration of deltamethrin exposure with the coefficient of determination between 0.909-0.996. It was suggested that deltamethrin could cause various degree of damage to the tissue and cellular DNAs in the hepatopancreas of Pagrosomus major in a linear responsive manner.

Objective: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as an ordinary malignant tumor, presents with high death rate and poor prognosis. Few literatures have explored the association between NSCLC development and lncRNAs expression. This study focuses on the important role of a novel lncRNA TRPM2-AS in the development of chemo-resistance in NSCLC., Materials and Methods: The expression level of lncRNA TRPM2-AS was identified by using qRT-PCR assay. The apoptosis rate and the alteration of the cell cycle were detected by the flow cytometric analysis. Cell Counting Kit-8 assay (CCK8) was utilized for detecting chemo-sensitivity of the cisplatin-resistant A549/DDP cells. The p53 and p66shc protein levels were detected by Western blotting assay., Results: A549/DDP cells presented remarkably higher expression of lncRNA TRPM2-AS than paired A549 cells. Moreover, re-sensitization to cisplatin was seen in A549/DDP cells after lncRNA TRPM2-AS knockdown. On the contrary, the sensitivity of lncRNA TRPM2-AS-overexpressed A549 cells to cisplatin decreased obviously when compared with the control. Furthermore, downregulated lncRNA TRPM2-AS induced cell apoptosis and altered cell cycle distribution through activating the p53-p66shc pathway., Conclusions: We suggest that lncRNA TRPM2-AS participates in the resistance of NSCLC cells to cisplatin, which may provide a new therapeutic target of NSCLC.

Glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma B (GPNMB) is a type I transmembrane glycoprotein which is overexpressed in many tumors and seems to play a critical role in metastasis of malignant tumors. The purpose of this study was to determine GPNMB expression in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and analyze the prognostic value in patients with SCLC. A total of 132 cases of SCLCs were analyzed immunohistochemically on tissue microarrays (TMAs). Patients were divided into weak-positive and strong-positive GPNMB groups. In addition, serum GPNMB was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The average serum GPNMB concentration was 1054.15 ± 363.71 pg/mL in the weak-positive group, 2611.52 ± 457.57 pg/mL in the strong-positive group, and 427.61 ± 273.9 pg/mL in the control. The strong-positive group showed significantly higher serum GPNMB levels than the weak-positive group and healthy control (p < 0.01). Overall survival in the weak-positive GPNMB group was significantly longer than in the strong-positive group (27 months vs 15 months, p < 0.01). These results suggest that the expression of GPNMB may be useful as a prognostic indicator in patients with SCLC., (© 2013 APMIS Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The present paper studied the impact of geometry dimensions, located angle and detection position of a quartz tuning fork (QTF) on the sensitivity of QEPAS system. Ten kinds of QTFs were employed to compare the sensitivity with each other, and the results show that the QTF with a wedge-shape top obtains a higher quality factor and turns to be 50% more sensitive than the ones with a regular cuboid top when detecting the water concentration at 7 306 cm-1. By studying the located angle of a QTF, it was found that it nearly makes no difference, but more noise is introduced when there is an angle phi between the laser beam and QTF. The optimal detection position of a QTF appears to be 3. 1 cm away from the bottom of the QTF under the case of the normal incidence. At last the influence of external contamination on the resonant frequency of a QTF is discussed. The authors found that the frequency of the QTF decreases along with the contamination increasing. A novel method to lower the frequency of the QTF is proposed. This may make a contribution to the QEPAS used in detecting trace gas with a low V-T relaxation.

Objective: To explore the effect of changes of processing time on the surface properties of titanium coating formed by micro-arc oxidation (MAO)., Methods: Forty-four disc-shaped pure titanium specimens with 10 mm diameter and 1 mm thickness were equally divided into 4 groups and processed by MAO technique in electrolytes containing 0.2 mol/L calcium acetate (CA) and 0.02 mol/L β-glycerol phosphate disodium salt pentahydrate (β-GP). The processing time were set at 1 min, 5 min, 10 min and 15 min respectively. The topograph of the MAO film surface and the film-substrate interface was observed by a scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the composition was analyzed by an energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS) incorporated in the SEM. The phase and the microstructure of the film were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The roughness of the film was measured using a roughness tester. The surface static contact angle was detected by a contact angle measurement instrument and the surface energy was calculated accordingly., Results: With the increase of processing time from 1 min to 15 min, the pore size increased from (1.30 ± 0.07) µm to (1.55 ± 0.09) µm, and film thickness increased from (10.2 ± 1.1) µm to (20.9 ± 2.9) µm. The content of the Ca in the film increased accordingly, and Ca/P increased from 1.99 to 2.45, and the surface energy increased from 24.62 mJ/m(2) to 39.49 mJ/m(2). Meanwhile, the XRD pattern indicated that rutile increased but anatase and titanium decreased gradually. At the time of 15 min, part of the MAO film peeled off., Conclusions: Processing time has impact on the thickness, surface topography, crystal component and surface energy of titanium MAO coating. MAO film treated for 5 - 10 min demonstrated favorable surface properties.

It is well known that WO(3) interacts efficiently with H(2) gas in the presence of noble metals (such as Pd, Pt and Au) at elevated temperatures, changing its optical behaviors; and that its crystallinity plays an important role in these interactions. For the first time, we investigated the in situ Raman spectra changes of WO(3) films of different crystal phases, while incorporating Pd catalysts, at elevated temperatures in the presence of H(2). The Pd/WO(3) films were prepared using RF sputtering and subsequently annealed at 300, 400 and 500 °C in air in order to alter the dominant crystal phase. The films were then characterized using SEM, XRD, XPS, and both UV-VIS and Raman spectroscopy. In order to fundamentally study the process, the measurements were conducted when films were interacting with 1% H(2) in synthetic air at elevated sample temperatures (20, 60, 100 and 140 °C). We suggest that the changes of Raman spectra under such conditions to be mainly a function of the crystal phase, transforming from monoclinic to a mix phase of monoclinic and orthorhombic achieved via increasing the annealing temperature. The as-deposited sample consistently shows similar Raman spectra responses at different operating conditions upon H(2) exposure. However, increasing the annealing temperature to 500 °C tunes the optimum H(2) response operating temperature to 60 °C.

Currently, serum biomarkers might usually be thought not to be used for early detection of lung cancer by some researchers. In this study, we used a highly optimized ClinProt-matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of flight mass spectrometer (MALDI-TOF-MS) to screen non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) markers in serum. A training set of spectra derived from 45 NSCLC patients, 24 patients with benign lung diseases (BLDs) and 21 healthy individuals, was used to develop a proteomic pattern that discriminated cancer from non-cancer effectively. A test set, including 74 cases (29 NSCLC patients and 45 controls), was used to validate this pattern. After cross-validation, the classifier showed sensitivity and specificity, 86.20% and 80.00%, respectively. Remarkably, 100% of early stage serum samples could be correctly classified as lung cancer. Furthermore, the differential peptides of 1865Da and 4209Da were identified as element of component 3 and eukaryotic peptide chain release factor GTP-binding subunit ERF, respectively. The patterns we described and peptides we identified may have clinical utility as surrogate markers for detection and classification of NSCLC.

Under the direction of large conjugated organic cationic SDAs (structure-directing agents), three silver(I) iodides, (ipq)4(Ag2I6 x 2I2) (1), {[pql][Ag2I3]}n (2), [(npql)2(Ag4I6)]n (3) (ipq+ = N-(isopentyl)-quinolinium, pql+ = N-propyl-quinolinium, npql+ = N-(n-pentyl)-quinolinium) have been synthesized. 1 presents a zero-dimensional structure constituting of ipq+ cations, [Ag2I6]4- anions and molecular iodine. But 2 and 3 consist of one-dimensional coordination polymers that could be described as edge-sharing AgI4 tetrahedra. Electrostatic interactions between organic counter cations and inorganic moieties are present and contribute to the crystal packing. The structural differences between 1, 2 and 3 illustrate the influences of substituents of SDAs on the linkage modes of AgI4 tetrahedra. DFT calculations were carried out to reveal their electronic structures.

Objective: To screen the serum biomarker proteins of lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCCs) by liquid chip-mass spectrometry technology., Methods: All serum samples, including 34 SCCs, 46 benign lung diseases (BLDs) and 44 healthy individuals, were analyzed by CLINPROT system in order to study the serum protein expression profiles. Then the discriminatory proteins were detected by FlexAnalysis 3.0 software. Biomarkers were identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LCMS/MS)., Results: Comparing the differential serum expression proteins between SCCs and healthy individuals, and SCCs and BLDs respectively. Ninety-six differential protein peaks [mass-to-charge ration (M/Z) between 800 and 10 000] were found between SCCs and healthy individuals. In these protein peaks, the expression of protein peaks at 4054.13 M/Z and 4267.46 M/Z had the largest difference between them. The two protein peaks could accurately separate SCCs from healthy individuals by the frame of axes. Similarly, 99 differential protein peaks were automatically detected between SCCs and BLDs. In these protein peaks, the expression of protein peaks at 5065.27 M/Z and 4054.02 M/Z had the largest difference between them. The two protein peaks could accurately separate SCCs from BLDs by the frame of axes. Identified by LC-MS/MS, 1778 M/Z and 1865 M/Z might be assayed jointly and corresponded to complements C3 fragment or C3f precursor., Conclusions: Differential protein expressions existed between SCCs versus healthy individuals and SCCs versus BLD patients. It is feasible to screen the diagnostic serum biomarkers of SCC with a high sensitivity and specificity by using CLINPROT system.