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Summary: The integrity of wheat (Triticum aestivum) production is increasingly jeopardized by the fungal pathogen Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt), particularly amid the vicissitudes of climate change.Here, we delineated the role of a wheat transcription factor, TaNAC1, which precipitates cellular apoptosis and fortifies resistance against Bgt. Utilizing BiFC, co‐immunoprecipitation, protein quantification, luciferase report assays, we determined that cytoplasmic TaNAC1‐7A undergoes phosphorylation at the S184/S258 sites by TaCDPK20, facilitating its nuclear translocation. This migration appears to prime further phosphorylation by TaMPK1, thereby enhancing transcriptional regulatory activity. Notably, the apoptotic activity of phosphorylated TaNAC1‐7A is negatively modulated by the nuclear protein phosphatase PP2Ac.Furthermore, activation of TaNAC1 phosphorylation initiates transcription of downstream genes TaSec1a and TaCAMTA4, through binding to the C[T/G]T[N7]A[A/C]G nucleic acid motif. Suppression of TaNAC1, TaCDPK20, and TaMPK1 in wheat compromises its resistance to Bgt strain E09, whereas overexpression of TaNAC1 and silencing of PP2Ac markedly elevate resistance levels.Our results reveal the pivotal role of TaNAC1 in basal resistance which is mediated by its effects on homotypic fusion, vacuolar protein sorting, and the expression of defense‐related genes. The findings highlight the potential through targeting TaNAC1 and its regulators as a strategy for improving wheat's resistance to fungal pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinity can adversely affect crop growth and yield, and an improved understanding of the genetic factors that confer salt tolerance could inform breeding strategies to engineer salt‐tolerant crops and improve productivity. Here, a group of K+‐preferring HKT transporters, TaHKT8, TaHKT9 and TaHKT10, were identified and negatively regulate the wheat shoot K+ accumulation and salt tolerance. A genome‐wide association study (GWAS) and candidate gene association analysis further revealed that TaHKT9‐B substantially underlies the natural variation of wheat shoot K+ accumulation under saline soil conditions. Specifically, an auxin responsive element (ARE) within an 8‐bp insertion in the promoter of TaHKT9‐B is strongly associated with shoot K+ content among wheat accessions. This ARE can be directly bound by TaARF4 for transcriptional activation of TaHKT9‐B, which subsequently attenuates shoot K+ accumulation and salt tolerance. Moreover, the tae‐miR390/TaTAS3/TaARF4 pathway was identified to regulate the salt‐induced root development and salt tolerance in wheat. Taken together, our study describes the genetic basis and accompanying mechanism driving phenotypic variation in wheat shoot K+ accumulation and salt tolerance. The identified tae‐miR390/TaTAS3/TaARF4/TaHKT9‐B module is an important regulator in wheat subjected to salt stress, which provides the potentially important genetic resources for breeders to improve wheat salt tolerance. Summary statement: Here, a genome‐wide association study and candidate gene association analysis revealed that TaHKT9‐B substantially underlies the natural variation of wheat shoot K+ accumulation under saline soil conditions. In addition, this study provides the first evidence of which we are aware showing that the tae‐miR390/TaTAS3/TaARF4/TaHKT9‐B module is a key regulator of root growth in salt‐stressed wheat, providing a genetic basis for enhancing salt tolerance in wheat and other crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing demand for electric energy, more and more cities are constructing cable tunnels. In order to prevent the cable in the tunnel from being damaged, regular inspection of the cable tunnel is very important. However, due to the large scale of cable tunnel construction, the traditional manual inspection is difficult to meet the maintenance requirements. With the development of intelligent technology, the intelligent patrol mode of UAV has gradually replaced the traditional manual patrol mode and become the main patrol mode of cable tunnel. Therefore, the positioning and navigation method of cable tunnel UAV is studied in this paper. By using UWB localization algorithm and depth camera fusion, the positioning and navigation methods of UAVs are determined and compared with the positioning algorithm based on optical flow. Experimental comparison results show that the maximum and minimum yaw angles of UAV positioning based on the proposed algorithm are 2.41° and 0.16°, while the maximum and minimum yaw angles of UAV positioning based on the comparison algorithm are 3.11° and 1.51°. It can be seen that the integration of UWB and depth camera is of great significance for the research of positioning and navigation methods of cable tunnel UAVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Wheat stripe rust caused by the fungus Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) is one of the most destructive wheat diseases resulting in significant losses to wheat production worldwide. The development of disease‐resistant varieties is the most economical and effective measure to control diseases. Altering the susceptibility genes that promote pathogen compatibility via CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated gene editing technology has become a new strategy for developing disease‐resistant wheat varieties. Calcineurin B‐like protein (CBL)‐interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) has been demonstrated to be involved in defence responses during plant‐pathogen interactions. However, whether wheat CIPK functions as susceptibility factor is still unclear. Here, we isolated a CIPK homoeologue gene TaCIPK14 from wheat. Knockdown of TaCIPK14 significantly increased wheat resistance to Pst, whereas overexpression of TaCIPK14 resulted in enhanced wheat susceptibility to Pst by decreasing different aspects of the defence response, including accumulation of ROS and expression of pathogenesis‐relative genes. We generated wheat Tacipk14 mutant plants by simultaneous modification of the three homoeologues of wheat TaCIPK14 via CRISPR/Cas9 technology. The Tacipk14 mutant lines expressed race‐nonspecific (RNS) broad‐spectrum resistance (BSR) to Pst. Moreover, no significant difference was found in agronomic yield traits between Tacipk14 mutant plants and Fielder control plants under greenhouse and field conditions. These results demonstrate that TaCIPK14 acts as an important susceptibility factor in wheat response to Pst, and knockout of TaCIPK14 represents a powerful strategy for generating new disease‐resistant wheat varieties with BSR to Pst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Drought stress limits wheat production and threatens food security world‐wide. While ethylene‐responsive factors (ERFs) are known to regulate plant response to drought stress, the regulatory mechanisms responsible for a tolerant phenotype remain unclear.Here, we describe the positive regulatory role of TaERF87 in mediating wheat tolerance to drought stress. TaERF87 overexpression (OE) enhances drought tolerance, while silencing leads to drought sensitivity in wheat. RNA sequencing with biochemical assays revealed that TaERF87 activates the expression of the proline biosynthesis genes TaP5CS1 and TaP5CR1 via direct binding to GCC‐box elements. Furthermore, proline accumulates to higher levels in TaERF87‐ and TaP5CS1‐OE lines than that in wild‐type plants under well‐watered and drought stress conditions concomitantly with enhanced drought tolerance in these transgenic lines.Moreover, the interaction between TaERF87 and the bHLH transcription factor TaAKS1 synergistically enhances TaP5CS1 and TaP5CR1 transcriptional activation. TaAKS1 OE also increases wheat drought tolerance by promoting proline accumulation. Additionally, our findings verified that TaERF87 and TaAKS1 are targets of abscisic acid‐responsive element binding factor 2 (TaABF2).Together, our study elucidates the mechanisms underlying a positive response to drought stress mediated by the TaABF2–TaERF87/TaAKS1–TaP5CS1/TaP5CR1 module, and identifies candidate genes for the development of elite drought‐tolerant wheat varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), the rate-limiting enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), plays a pivotal role in plant stress responses. However, the function and mechanism of G6PDHs in crop plants challenged by fungal pathogens remain poorly understood. In this study, a wheat G6DPH gene responding to infection by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), designated TaG6PDH2, was cloned and functionally identified. TaG6PDH2 expression was significantly upregulated in wheat leaves inoculated with Pst or treated with abiotic stress factors. Heterologous mutant complementation and enzymatic properties indicate that TaG6PDH2 encodes a G6PDH protein. The transient expression of TaG6PDH2 in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves and wheat protoplasts revealed that TaG6PDH2 is a chloroplast-targeting protein. Silencing TaG6PDH2 via the barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV)-induced gene silencing (VIGS) system led to compromised wheat resistance to the Pst avirulent pathotype CYR23, which is implicated in weakened H2O2 accumulation and cell death. In addition, TaG6PDH2 was confirmed to interact with the wheat glutaredoxin TaGrxS4. These results demonstrate that TaG6PDH2 endows wheat with increased resistance to stripe rust by regulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early assessment of malnutrition in cancer patients is very important. The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) is often used to assess malnutrition in adult cancer patients. However, the diagnostic values of MNA are controversial. We aimed to analyze the diagnostic values of MNA in assessing malnutrition in adult cancer patients. A systematic search was performed using Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, and China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP). Studies comparing MNA with other tools or criteria in cancer patients were included. The quality of the included studies was assessed by the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2). The pooled sensitivity, specificity, the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC), and the diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were calculated using Stata 17.0 and Meta-DiSc1.4. In addition, sensitivity, subgroup, meta-regression, and publication bias analyses were conducted. In total, 11 studies involving 1367 patients involving MNA were included. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, ROC, and DOR were 0.84 (95% CI: 0.81–0.87), 0.66 (95% CI: 0.63–0.69), 0.84 (95% CI: 0.81–0.87), and 16.11 (95% CI: 7.16–36.27), respectively. In the assessment of malnutrition in adult cancer patients, MNA has high sensitivity and moderate specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The obligate biotrophic fungus Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) employs virulence effectors to disturb host immunity and causes devastating stripe rust disease. However, our understanding of how Pst effectors regulate host defense responses remains limited. In this study, we determined that the Pst effector Hasp98, which is highly expressed in Pst haustoria, inhibits plant immune responses triggered by flg22 or nonpathogenic bacteria. Overexpression of Hasp98 in wheat (Triticum aestivum) suppressed avirulent Pst‐triggered immunity, leading to decreased H2O2 accumulation and promoting P. striiformis infection, whereas stable silencing of Hasp98 impaired P. striiformis pathogenicity. Hasp98 interacts with the wheat mitogen‐activated protein kinase TaMAPK4, a positive regulator of plant resistance to stripe rust. The conserved TEY motif of TaMAPK4 is important for its kinase activity, which is required for the resistance function. We demonstrate that Hasp98 inhibits the kinase activity of TaMAPK4 and that the stable silencing of TaMAPK4 compromises wheat resistance against P. striiformis. These results suggest that Hasp98 acts as a virulence effector to interfere with the MAPK signaling pathway in wheat, thereby promoting P. striiformis infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Totally implantable venous access ports (PORTs) and peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). It is not known which type of catheter is most at risk of thrombosis. We aimed to study the incidence of PORT-related VTE and PICC-related VTE in cancer patients by a meta-analysis. A systematic search was performed using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library. Cohort studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing PORT-related VTE and PICC-related VTE in cancer patients were included. Quality was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration tool for RCTs and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for cohort studies. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to calculate odd ratio (OR). Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were conducted. In total, 22 studies comprising 11,940 patients were retrieved. Our meta-analysis of 22 studies suggested that the risk of PORT-related VTE was lower than that of PICC-related VTE in cancer patients (OR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.25–0.58). The subgroup analysis showed that the risk of PORT-related VTE and PICC-related VTE is different in different regions. In the non-Asian countries, PORTs were associated with a decreased risk of VTE compared with PICCs. (OR = 0.41, 95%CI: 0.27–0.61). However, there was no significant difference in the risk of PORT-related VTE and PICC-related VTE in the Asian countries (OR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.05–1.12). PORTs are associated with a lower risk of VTE than PICCs in cancer patients. The risk of VTE and benefits should be considered when selecting PORTs or PICCs for cancer patients. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma are notably susceptible to high nutritional risks. If not addressed, this susceptibility can lead to malnutrition, resulting in numerous adverse clinical outcomes. Despite the significance of this issue, there is limited comprehensive research on the topic., Objective: The objective of our study was to identify nutritional risk factors in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma., Methods: For this cross-sectional study, we recruited a total of 377 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 tool was used to assess their nutritional risk. These patients were divided into a well-nourished group ( n  = 222) and a nutritional risk group ( n  = 155). Potential risk factors were screened out using univariate analysis ( p  < 0.1). These factors were subsequently analyzed with multivariate logistic regression analysis ( p  < 0.05) to identify the nutritional risk factors for these patients., Results: Our findings indicated that increasing age (OR = 1.085, 95%CI: 1.053-1.117, p  < 0.001), high number of radiation treatments (OR = 1.103, 95%CI: 1.074-1.132, p  < 0.001), low BMI (OR = 0.700, 95%CI: 0.618-0.793, p  < 0.001), and low albumin levels (OR = 0.852, 95%CI: 0.789-0.921, p  < 0.001) are significant nutritional risk factors in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma., Conclusion: Increasing age, high number of radiation treatments, low BMI, and low albumin levels are significant nutritional risk factors in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma., 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 Wang, Huang, Xue, Liao, Liu, Yu and Li.)

Background: Patients with head and neck cancer are prone to malnutrition, which can lead to adverse health outcomes. A review of the literature revealed a lack of systematic reviews addressing risk factors for malnutrition in this population., Objectives: This study aimed to fill the knowledge gap by identifying risk factors for malnutrition in patients with head and neck cancer., Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed®, Web of Science, Embase®, and Cochrane Library databases, spanning from their inception until June 2023. Three researchers critically evaluated the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Two investigators independently screened the literature and extracted data, resolving any discrepancies through consensus., Findings: This systematic review includes 18 studies. The results indicated that risk factors for malnutrition in patients with head and neck cancer encompass disease-related, genetic, lifestyle, nutritional health, physiologic, psychological, and treatment-related factors.

Soil salinity can adversely affect crop growth and yield, and an improved understanding of the genetic factors that confer salt tolerance could inform breeding strategies to engineer salt-tolerant crops and improve productivity. Here, a group of K + -preferring HKT transporters, TaHKT8, TaHKT9 and TaHKT10, were identified and negatively regulate the wheat shoot K + accumulation and salt tolerance. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) and candidate gene association analysis further revealed that TaHKT9-B substantially underlies the natural variation of wheat shoot K + accumulation under saline soil conditions. Specifically, an auxin responsive element (ARE) within an 8-bp insertion in the promoter of TaHKT9-B is strongly associated with shoot K + content among wheat accessions. This ARE can be directly bound by TaARF4 for transcriptional activation of TaHKT9-B, which subsequently attenuates shoot K + accumulation and salt tolerance. Moreover, the tae-miR390/TaTAS3/TaARF4 pathway was identified to regulate the salt-induced root development and salt tolerance in wheat. Taken together, our study describes the genetic basis and accompanying mechanism driving phenotypic variation in wheat shoot K + accumulation and salt tolerance. The identified tae-miR390/TaTAS3/TaARF4/TaHKT9-B module is an important regulator in wheat subjected to salt stress, which provides the potentially important genetic resources for breeders to improve wheat salt tolerance., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Emergence of new Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici races that overcome resistance of wheat cultivars is a challenging issue for wheat production. Although sexual reproduction of the fungus on barberry plants under field conditions in the spring in China has been reported, the diversity of the pathogen on barberry plants and the relationship to the population in wheat fields have not been determined. In the present study, two P. striiformis f. sp. tritici populations collected in western Shaanxi Province in May 2016, one from barberry plants (103 isolates) and the other from nearby wheat crops (107 isolates), were phenotyped for virulence and genotyped with simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The phenotypic and genotypic data of the two populations were compared to determine their relationships. A total of 120 races, including 29 previously known races (seven were shared by the two populations) and 91 new races (35 from barberry and 56 from wheat), were identified. Similarly, a total of 132 multilocus genotypes, including 51 only from barberry, 77 only from wheat, and four from both, were detected using the SSR markers. Analyses of molecular variance identified high (93%) genetic variance within populations and low but still significant variance (7%) between the populations. Nonparametric multivariate discriminant analysis of principal components and STRUCTURE analysis showed that the two populations had a close relationship with little genetic differentiation ( F ST = 0.038) and strong gene flow ( Nm = 6.34, P = 0.001) between them. Although the analysis of linkage disequilibrium indicated clonal populations, the isolation of P. striiformis f. sp. tritici from barberry plants and the high genetic diversities in the barberry and wheat populations suggest that barberry plants provide aeciospores to infect wheat crops in the area. The information is useful for understanding stripe rust epidemiology and management of the disease.