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Background: The CRISPR/dCas9 system is a powerful tool to activate the transcription of target genes in eukaryotic or prokaryotic cells, but lacks assays in complex conditions, such as the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Results: In this study, to improve the transcription of the heterologously expressed biosynthetic genes for the production of epothilones, we established the CRISPR/dCas9-mediated activation technique in Myxococcus xanthus and analyzed some key factors involving in the CRISPR/dCas9 activation. We firstly optimized the cas9 codon to fit the M. xanthus cells, mutated the gene to inactivate the nuclease activity, and constructed the dCas9-activator system in an epothilone producer. We compared the improvement efficiency of different sgRNAs on the production of epothilones and the expression of the biosynthetic genes. We also compared the improvement effects of different activator proteins, the ω and α subunits of RNA polymerase, and the sigma factors σ54 and CarQ. By using a copper-inducible promoter, we determined that higher expressions of dCas9-activator improved the activation effects. Conclusions: Our results showed that the CRISPR/dCas-mediated transcription activation is a simple and broadly applicable technique to improve the transcriptional efficiency for the production of secondary metabolites in micro-organisms. This is the first time to construct the CRISPR/dCas9 activation system in myxobacteria and the first time to assay the CRISPR/dCas9 activations for the biosynthesis of microbial secondary metabolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of thalassemia and to analyze the need for public health services for migrant populations in different cities in Guangdong Province, China.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 21 cities of Guangdong Province. Twenty-three types of a- and β-globin gene mutations were detected in a total of 14,230 pregnant women and 14,249 husbands.Results: There was a 16.45% prevalence of thalassemia among the 28,479 individuals, and the prevalences of α-, β-, and combined α-/β- thalassemia were 12.03%, 3.80%, and 0.63%, respectively. Compared with the native city residents in the province, the migrants from within the province and the immigrants from outside the province had lower prevalences of thalassemia, but the prevalence values were >11%.Conclusions: The prevalence values for thalassemia gene mutations were high in all three population groups studied in Guangdong Province. The results indicate that all segments of the Guangdong population should be screened for thalassemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Exercise is an effective treatment in chronic low back pain (CLBP), but there are few studies on CLBP in the elderly, and the intervention effect is controversial. We aimed to compare the efficacy of different exercises therapy on CLBP, dysfunction, quality of life, and mobility in the elderly., Methods: We searched Web of Science, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, EMBASE, and PubMed from the database inception till December 31, 2022. The publication languages were Chinese and English. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of exercise intervention in the elderly (≥ 60 years) with CLBP were included. Two reviewers independently extracted the data and evaluated them using the Revised Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for Randomized Trials 2 (RoB2). The pooled effect sizes on different aspects of outcome measures were calculated., Results: Sixteen articles (18 RCTs) were included, comprising a total of 989 participants. The quality of included studies was relatively high. Meta-analysis results indicated that exercise therapy could improve visual analog scale (VAS) (WMD = - 1.75, 95% CI - 2.59, - 0.92, p < 0.05), Oswestry disability index (ODI) (WMD = - 9.42, 95% CI - 15.04, - 3.79, p < 0,005), short-form 36-item health survey physical composite summary (SF-36PCS) (WMD = 7.07, 95% CI 1.01, 13.14, p < 0.05), short-form 36-item health survey mental composite summary (SF-36MCS) (WMD = 7.88, 95% CI 0.09, 15.67, p < 0.05), and timed up and go test (TUG) (WMD = - 0.92, 95% CI - 2.22, 0.38, p < 0.005)., Conclusion: Exercise therapy effectively improved VAS, ODI, and SF-36 indexes in the elderly. Based on the subgroup, when designing the exercise therapy regimen, aerobics, strength, and mind-body exercise (≥ 12 weeks, ≥ 3 times/week, ≥ 60 min) should be considered carefully, to ensure the safety and effectiveness for the rehabilitation of CLBP patients. More high-quality trials are needed in future to confirm the effect of exercise on SF-36 and TUG indexes., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Exercises are an effective treatment in Parkinson's disease (PD), but there is still controversy over which types should be used. We aimed to compare and rank the types of exercise that improve PD symptoms by quantifying information from randomised controlled trials., Methods: We performed a systematic review and network meta-analysis and searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) from their inception date to June 30, 2022. We included randomized controlled trials of 24 types of exercise for the interventional treatment of adults (≥ 50 years old) with PD. Effect size measures were standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% credible intervals (CrIs). The confidence of evidence was examined using Confidence in Network Meta-Analysis (CINeMA)., Results: We identified 10 474 citations and included 250 studies involving 13 011 participants. Results of NMA showed that power training (PT) had the best benefits for motor symptoms compared with the control group (CON), with SMDs (95% CrI) (-1.46, [-2.18 to -0.74]). Body weight support treadmill training (BWS&#95;TT) showed the best improvement in balance (1.55, [0.72 to 2.37]), gait velocity (1.15 [0.57 to 1.31]) and walking distance (1.96, [1.18 to 2.73]), and robotic assisted gait training (RA&#95;GT) had the most benefits for freezing of gait (-1.09, [-1.80 to -0.38]). For non-motor symptoms, Dance showed the best benefits for depression (-1.71, [-2.79 to -0.73]). Only Yoga significantly reduced anxiety symptom compared with CON (-0.53, [0.96 to -0.11]). Only resistance training (RT) significantly enhanced sleep quality and cognition (-1.42, [-2.60 to -0.23]; 0.51, [0.09 to 0.94]). For muscle strength, PT showed the best advance (1.04, [0.64 to 1.44]). For concern of falling, five types of exercise were more effective than CON., Conclusions: There is low quality evidence that PT, Yoga, BWS&#95;TT, Dance, and RT are the most effective treatments, pending outcome of interest, for adults with PD., Trial Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42021220052)., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Prior studies have indicated the link between the Big Five personality traits and aggression. Based on the general aggression model, the purpose of this study is to reveal the formation mechanism of aggression from the people's internal emotional perspective. Envy is a typical negative emotion that can be divided into benign/malicious envy. Therefore, we aim to explore the intrinsic role of benign/malicious envy within the Big Five personality traits in its connection to aggression., Methods: We recruited 839 participants [229 men (27.29%) and 610 women (72.71%); mean age ± SD = 19.45 ± 2.39] who we tested with the NEO Personality Inventory, the Benign and Malicious Envy Scale, and the Aggression Questionnaire., Results: The results of suggested that neuroticism was significantly and positively associated with aggression, while agreeableness was negatively related to aggression. Moreover, mediation analysis revealed that malicious envy works both in the relationship of neuroticism-aggression and agreeableness-aggression., Conclusions: The current study advanced knowledge of the general aggression model. Most importantly, it reveals that malicious envy, as a type of envy, plays an important mediating role between neuroticism, agreeableness and aggression. Meanwhile, the cross-gender path analysis supports the stability of the mediating role of malicious envy. This finding provides new insights into the intervention of aggression from the perspective of envy., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between 16-slice spiral CT perfusion imaging and tumor angiogenesis and VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) expression in patients with benign and malignant pulmonary nodules, and differential diagnosis between benign and malignant pulmonary nodules., Methods: Sixty-four patients with benign and malignant pulmonary nodules underwent 16-slice spiral CT perfusion imaging. The CT perfusion imaging was analyzed for TDC (time density curve), perfusion parametric maps, and the respective perfusion parameters. Immunohistochemical findings of MVD (microvessel density) measurement and VEGF expression was evaluated., Results: The shape of the TDC of peripheral lung cancer was similar to those of inflammatory nodule. PH (peak height), PHpm/PHa (peak height ratio of pulmonary nodule to aorta), BF (blood flow), BV (blood volume) value of peripheral lung cancer and inflammatory nodule were not statistically significant (all P > 0.05). Both showed significantly higher PH, PHpm/PHa, BF, BV value than those of benign nodule (all P < 0.05). Peripheral lung cancer showed significantly higher PS (permeability surface) value than that of inflammatory nodule and benign nodule (all P < 0.05). BV, BF, PS, MTT, PH, PHpm/PHa, and MVD among three groups of peripheral lung cancers were not significantly (all P > 0.05). In the case of adenocarcinoma, BV, BF, PS, PHpm/PHa, and MVD between poorly and well differentiation and between poorly and moderately differentiation were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). The peripheral lung cancers with VEGF positive expression showed significantly higher PH, PHpm/PHa, BF, BV, PS, and MVD value than those of the peripheral lung cancer with VEGF negative expression, and than those of benign nodule with VEGF positive expression (all P < 0.05). When investigating VEGF negative expression, it is found that PH, PHpm/PHa, and MVD of inflammatory nodule were significantly higher than those of peripheral lung cancer, PS of inflammatory nodule were significantly lower than that of peripheral lung cancer (all P < 0.05). PH, PHpm/PHa, BF, and BV of benign nodule were significantly lower than those of inflammatory nodule (all P < 0.05), rather than PS and MTT (mean transit time) (all P > 0.05). PH, PHpm/PHa, BV, and PS of benign nodule were significantly lower than those of peripheral lung cancer (all P < 0.05). In the case of VEGF positive expression, MVD was positively correlated with PH, PHpm/PHa, BF, BV, and PS of peripheral lung cancer and PS of benign nodule (all P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Multi-slice spiral CT perfusion imaging closely correlated with tumor angiogenesis and reflected MVD measurement and VEGF expression. It provided not only a non-invasive method of quantitative assessment for blood flow patterns of peripheral pulmonary nodules but also an applicable diagnostic method for peripheral pulmonary nodules.