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Key Message: We characterized the WAK gene family in Gossypium barbadense and revealed the potential function of GbWAK5 in regulating salt tolerance by modulating ion homeostasis. Soil salinization is one of the main factors restricting cotton production. Although the role of the wall-associated kinases (WAKs) in plants has been extensively studied, its response to salt stress in sea-island cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.) has not been reported. Here, we conducted a whole-genome analysis of the WAK gene family in G. barbadense, identifying a total of 70 GbWAK genes, which were classified into five clades. Segmental and tandem duplication events have contributed to the expansion of the GbWAK gene family. A large number of cis-acting elements were predicted in the GbWAK promoter region. Through RNA sequencing, 37 GbWAKs that potentially play a role in cotton's response to salt stress were screened out, among which 10 genes with sustained up-regulated expression were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). GbWAK5, a member of Clade II, was significantly up-regulated following NaCl treatment and exhibited a typical WAK structure. Subcellular localization indicated that GbWAK5 is localized on the plasma membrane. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) experiments revealed that the knockdown of GbWAK5 resulted in more severe dehydration and wilting in plants compared to the control under NaCl treatment. RNA-seq analysis revealed that several ion transport-related genes were down-regulated in TRV:GbWAK5 plants under salt stress, while TRV:GbWAK5 plants accumulated more Na + and exhibited a higher Na + /K + ratio compared to TRV:00 plants. These results offer a comprehensive analysis of the G. barbadense WAK gene family for the first time, and conclude that GbWAK5 is a promising gene for improving cotton's resistance to salt stress., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Hypertension is a chronic cardiovascular disease characterized by elevated blood pressure that can lead to a number of complications. There is evidence that the numerous environmental substances to which humans are exposed facilitate the emergence of diseases. In this work, we sought to investigate the relationship between exposure to environmental contaminants and hypertension as well as the predictive value of such exposures. The National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) provided us with the information we needed (2005-2012). A total of 4492 participants were included in our study, and we incorporated more common environmental chemicals and covariates by feature selection followed by regularized network analysis. Then, we applied various machine learning (ML) methods, such as extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), random forest classifier (RF), logistic regression (LR), multilayer perceptron (MLP), and support vector machine (SVM), to predict hypertension by chemical exposure. Finally, SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) were further applied to interpret the features. After the initial feature screening, we included a total of 29 variables (including 21 chemicals) for ML. The areas under the curve (AUCs) of the five ML models XGBoost, RF, LR, MLP, and SVM were 0.729, 0.723, 0.721, 0.730, and 0.731, respectively. Butylparaben (BUP), propylparaben (PPB), and 9-hydroxyfluorene (P17) were the three factors in the prediction model with the highest SHAP values. Comparing five ML models, we found that environmental exposure may play an important role in hypertension. The assessment of important chemical exposure parameters lays the groundwork for more targeted therapies, and the optimized ML models are likely to predict hypertension., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Key Message: The study of the origin, evolution, and diversification of the wall-associated kinase gene family in plants facilitates their functional investigations in the future. Wall-associated kinases (WAKs) make up one subfamily of receptor-like kinases (RLKs), and function directly in plant cell elongation and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. The biological functions of WAKs have been extensively characterized in angiosperms; however, the origin and evolutionary history of the WAK family in green plants remain unclear. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the WAK family to reveal its origin, evolution, and diversification in green plants. In total, 1061 WAK genes were identified in 37 species from unicellular algae to multicellular plants, and the results showed that WAK genes probably originated before bryophyte differentiation and were widely distributed in land plants, especially angiosperms. The phylogeny indicated that the land plant WAKs gave rise to five clades and underwent lineage-specific expansion after species differentiation. Cis-acting elements and expression patterns analyses of WAK genes in Arabidopsis and rice demonstrated the functional diversity of WAK genes in these two species. Many gene gains and losses have occurred in angiosperms, leading to an increase in the number of gene copies. The evolutionary trajectory of the WAK family during polyploidization was uncovered using Gossypium species. Our results provide insights into the evolution of WAK genes in green plants, facilitating their functional investigations in the future., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

This study aims to explore the association of combined exposure to cooking fuel type and ambient ozone (O 3 ) levels with hepatic fibrosis indices among rural adults. A total of 21,010 participants were derived from the Henan Rural Cohort. Information regarding cooking fuel type was collected through a questionnaire, and the concentration of ground-level O 3 for each subject was obtained from the Tracking Air Pollution in China (TAP) dataset. A generalized linear model was used to examine the independent association of cooking fuel type or O 3 exposure with hepatic fibrosis indices (FIB-4, APRI, and AST/ALT), and their possible interactions with advanced fibrosis were conducted. Compared to clean fuel users, solid fuel users had increased the risk of advanced fibrosis, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) of its assessment by FIB-4 1.240 (1.151, 1.336), by APRI 1.298 (1.185, 1.422), and by AST/ALT 1.135 (1.049, 1.227), respectively. Compared to low O 3 exposure, the adjusted ORs of advanced fibrosis assessed by FIB-4, APRI, and AST/ALT in women with high O 3 exposure were correspondingly 1.219 (1.138, 1.305), 1.110 (1.017, 1.212), and 0.883 (0.822, 0.949). The adjusted ORs of advanced fibrosis assessed by FIB-4, APRI, and AST/ALT for solid fuel users with high O 3 exposure relative to clean fuel users with low O 3 exposure in women were 1.557 (1.381, 1.755), 1.427 (1.237, 1.644), and 0.979 (0.863, 1.108), respectively. Significant additive effect of O 3 exposure and solid fuel use on FIB-4-defined advanced fibrosis was observed in women, which was quantified by RERI (0.265, 95%CI: 0.052, 0.477), AP (0.170 95%CI: 0.045, 0.295), and SI (1.906, 95%CI: 1.058, 3.432). Solid fuel users with high O 3 exposure were significantly associated with elevated hepatic fibrosis indices among rural women, suggesting that poor air quality may induce hepatocellular injury, and women might be more vulnerable to air pollution. The findings indicate that using cleaner fuels in cooking is an effective measure to maintain sustainable development of the environment and gain beneficial effect on human health. Clinical trial registration: The Henan Rural Cohort Study has been registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Register (registration number: ChiCTR-OOC-15006699). Date of registration: 06 July 2015. http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=11375., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

While noise pollution from transportation has become an important public health problem, the relationships between different sources of traffic noise and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain inconclusive. A comprehensive meta-analysis was therefore conducted to quantitatively assess the effects of long-term exposure to road traffic, railway, and aircraft noise on CVDs and relevant subtypes. We systematically retrieved PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for articles published before April 4, 2022. Summary relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by the fixed- or random-effects models. In total, 23 articles were included in our meta-analysis. The risk of CVDs increased by 2% (RR 1.020, 95% CI 1.006-1.035) and 1.6% (RR 1.016, 95% CI 1.000-1.032) for every 10 dB increment of road traffic and aircraft noise. For CVD subtypes, the risk increased by 3.4% (1.034, 1.026-1.043) for stroke and 5% (1.050, 1.006-1.096) for heart failure with each 10 dB increment of road traffic noise; the risk of atrial fibrillation increased by 1.1% (1.011, 1.002-1.021) with each 10 dB increment of railway noise; and the risk increased by 1% (1.010, 1.003-1.017) for myocardial infarction, 2.7% (1.027, 1.004-1.050) for atrial fibrillation, and 2.3% (1.023, 1.016-1.030) for heart failure with each 10 dB increment in aircraft noise. Further, effects from road traffic, railway, and aircraft noise all followed positive linear trends with CVDs. Long-term exposure to traffic noise is positively related to the incidence risk of cardiovascular events, especially road traffic noise which significantly increases the risk of CVDs, stroke, and heart failure., (© 2023. The New York Academy of Medicine.)

Purpose: Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important cause of high mortality in breast cancer. Twist1 is one of the EMT transcription factors (EMT-TFs) with a noticeably short half-life, which is regulated by proteasome degradation pathways. Recent studies have found that USP13 stabilizes several specific oncogenic proteins. As yet, however, the relationship between Twist1 and USP13 has not been investigated., Methods: Co-Immunoprecipitation, GST-pulldown, Western blot, qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence assays were used to investigate the role of USP13 in de-ubiquitination of Twist1. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and Luciferase reporter assays were used to investigate the role of Twist1 in inhibiting USP13 reporter transcription. Scratch wound healing, cell migration and invasion assays, and a mouse lung metastases assay were used to investigate the roles of USP13 and Twist1 in promoting breast cancer metastasis., Results: We found that Twist1 can be de-ubiquitinated by USP13. In addition, we found that the protein levels of Twist1 dose-dependently increased with USP13 overexpression, while USP13 knockdown resulted in a decreased expression of endogenous Twist1. We also found that USP13 can directly interact with Twist1 and specifically cleave the K48-linked polyubiquitin chains of Twist1 induced by FBXL14. We found that the effect of USP13 in promoting the migration and invasion capacities of breast cancer cells can at least partly be achieved through its regulation of Twist1, while Twist1 can inhibit the transcriptional activity of USP13., Conclusions: Our data indicate that an interplay between Twist1 and USP13 can form a negative physiological feedback loop. Our findings show that USP13 may play an essential role in breast cancer metastasis by regulating Twist1 and, as such, provide a potential target for the clinical treatment of breast cancer., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background and Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the relationships of serum testosterone with dyslipidemia and blood lipid levels and test whether obesity mediated these associations by gender in Chinese rural population., Methods and Results: A total of 6150 subjects were finally analyzed in this study. Serum testosterone for each subject was detected by liquid chromatography equipped with tandem mass spectrometry. Logistic regression and linear regression were employed to evaluate the associations of serum testosterone with the prevalence of dyslipidemia and blood lipid levels. Mediation analysis was conducted to identify the mediation effects of obesity on the relationship between serum testosterone and dyslipidemia. After adjusting for multiple confounders, per unit change in serum ln-testosterone levels was associated with a decreased prevalent dyslipidemia in men (odds ratio (OR): 0.785, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.708, 0.871)). Males with the levels of serum testosterone in the third or fourth quartiles had a 49.4% (OR: 0.506, 95% CI 0.398, 0.644) or 67.1% (OR: 0.329, 95% CI 0.253, 0.428) significantly lower odds of prevalence of dyslipidemia. In addition, a onefold increase in ln-testosterone was related to a 0.043 mmol/L (95% CI 0.028, 0.059) increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in men. Results of the mediation analysis suggested that obesity played a partial role in the association of testosterone with dyslipidemia in men., Conclusions: These findings suggested that serum testosterone levels were negatively associated with lipid levels and prevalent dyslipidemia, and obesity mediated the effects of serum testosterone on dyslipidemia in men, implying that obesity prevention should be highlighted to decrease the prevalence of dyslipidemia related to changes in testosterone levels., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Italian Society of Endocrinology (SIE).)

Evidence on the potential risk factors of normocytic anemia, the most prevalent morphology subtype of anemia, was scarce to date. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association of cooking fuel use or daily cooking duration with normocytic anemia and further explore the modification effect of mechanical ventilation. Participants totaling 29,448 from the Henan Rural Cohort were included in this study. Normocytic anemia was defined by hemoglobin (based on the World Health Organization criteria) and mean corpuscular volume. Cooking-related data was collected by questionnaire, and the average daily cooking duration was calculated by the weekly cooking frequency and the cooking duration of each meal. Logistic regression models were employed to derive the combined and independent associations of cooking fuel type and daily cooking duration with normocytic anemia and the modification effect of ventilation. Compared with people who never cooked, both clean fuel and solid fuel users were significantly associated with increased prevalent normocytic anemia [OR (95% CI) = 1.196 (1.014, 1.411) and 1.335 (1.105, 1.614), respectively], and the effect estimates on normocytic anemia risk were 1.260 (1.043, 1.523), 1.320 (1.104, 1.578), and 1.310 (1.081, 1.587) in participants who daily cooked < 1 h/day, 1-2 h/day, and ≥ 2 h/day, respectively. These relationships were attenuated in subjects with mechanical ventilation (All P < 0.05). Cooking with solid fuel or for a long duration are independently associated with prevalent normocytic anemia in rural population, and mechanical ventilation could attenuate these associations. Future efforts to reduce the burden of anemia could target the universal use of ventilation and solid fuel use or cooking duration reduction.Clinical trial registration: The Henan Rural Cohort Study has been registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Register (Registration number: ChiCTR-OOC-15006699). Date of registration: 06 July, 2015. http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=11375., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The association of ozone with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is uncertain. Moreover, the moderating effect of physical activity on this association is largely unknown. This study aims to evaluate the independent and combined effects of ozone and physical activity on T2DM and fasting blood glucose (FBG) in a Chinese rural adult population. A total of 39,192 participants were enrolled in the Henan Rural Cohort Study. Individual ozone exposure was assessed by using a satellite-based random forest model. The logistic regression and generalized linear models were used to evaluate the associations of ozone and physical activity with T2DM and FBG, respectively. Interaction plots were used to visualize the interaction effects of ozone and physical activity on T2DM or FBG. An interquartile range (IQR) increase in ozone exposure concentration was related to a 53.3% (odds ratio (OR),1.533; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.426, 1.648) increase in odds of T2DM and a 0.292 mmol/L (95%CI, 0.263, 0.321) higher FBG level, respectively. The effects of ozone on T2DM and FBG generally decreased as physical activity levels increased. Negative additive interactions between ozone and physical activity on T2DM risk were observed (relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), -0.261; 95%CI, -0.473, -0.048; attributable proportion due to interaction (AP), -0.203; 95%CI, -0.380, -0.027; synergy index (S), 0.520; 95%CI, 0.299, 0.904). The larger effects of ozone were observed among elderly and men on T2DM and FBG than young and women. Long-term exposure to ozone was associated with higher odds of T2DM and higher FBG levels, and these associations might be attenuated by increasing physical activity levels. In addition, there was a negative additive interaction (antagonistic effect) between ozone exposure and physical activity level on T2DM risk, suggesting that physical activity might be an effective method to reduce the burden of T2DM attributed to ozone exposure. Trail registration: The Henan Rural Cohort Study has been registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Register (registration number: ChiCTR-OOC-15006699). Date of registration: 06 July 2015, http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=11375., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Kidney stones are regarded as common malignant diseases in the developed world. As a result, significant research examining their formation is ongoing, with microRNAs (miRs) recently being linked with kidney stone formation. Here, we aim to define the potential role of miR-484 in regulating renal tubular epithelial cell (RTEC) viability and the attachment of calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals to RTECs via vitamin D receptor (VDR)/forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1) axis. The pathological condition of CaOx crystallization was induced and examined in Sprague-Dawley rats, while RTECs were isolated and cultured in vitro. Loss- and gain-function assays were performed to study the effects that miR-484, VDR, and FoxO1 on RTEC functions and CaOx crystallization in vitro and on kidney stone formation in vivo. The interaction between miR-484 and VDR was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter gene assays. Downregulation of miR-484 and FoxO1 as well as overexpression of VDR were identified in kidney stone modelled rats. VDR was confirmed as a target gene of miR-484, while knockdown of VDR upregulated the FoxO1 expression. miR-484 overexpression or VDR suppression reduced RTEC cytotoxicity and crystal attachment to RTECs in vitro and reduced the CaOx crystallization in vivo. Taken together, these findings suggest that miR-484 overexpression may be a potential inhibitor of RTEC proliferation and CaOx crystallization through a VDR/FoxO1 regulatory axis, providing a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of kidney stone., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Famine exposure or air pollution is linked to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, their combined effects on T2DM remain largely unknown. A total of 11,640 individuals were obtained from the Henan Rural Cohort Study. According to their birthdate, participants were divided into three famine exposure subgroups: fetal exposed, childhood exposed, and unexposed groups. The air pollutants (particles with aerodynamics diameters ≤ 1.0 µm (PM 1 ), ≤ 2.5 µm, and ≤ 10 µm, and nitrogen dioxide) concentrations of each individual were estimated by a spatiotemporal model. Participants were divided into low or high air pollution exposure groups taking the 1st quartile value of air pollutants as the cut-off point. Logistic regression model was used to analyze independent and joint associations between air pollution exposure, famine exposure, and T2DM. Positive associations of air pollution and famine exposure with T2DM were found. Participants who experienced fetal or childhood famine and also were exposed to high concentrations of any kind of the air pollutants had a much higher risk for T2DM than those with no famine and low air pollutants exposure (taking PM 1.0 for example, the odds ratio [OR]: 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.25, 2.47 for fetal famine, and OR: 1.64, 95%CI: 1.13, 2.40 for childhood famine). After stratified analysis, similar results were observed in women. The results indicated that both famine exposure in early life and air pollution exposure in adulthood are related to increased risk for prevalent T2DM, and they have combined effects on T2DM., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Long-term exposure to air pollutants and residential greenness related to advanced fibrosis have been sparsely studied in low- and middle-income countries. A total of 29883 participants were selected from a cross-sectional survey of the Henan Rural Cohort. Concentrations of air pollutants (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 1.0 μm (PM 1 ), ≤ 2.5 μm (PM 2.5 ), ≤ 10 μm (PM 10 ) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 )) for participants were predicted by using a spatiotemporal model. Residential greenness of each participant was indicated by Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Independent and joint associations of air pollutants and residential greenness indices with prevalent advanced fibrosis reflected by fibrosis-4 score (FIB4), aspartate-to-platelet-ratio index (APRI) and ALT/AST ratio were analyzed by generalized linear mixed models and their interactive effect on prevalent advanced fibrosis were visualized by using the interplot method. Long-term exposure to PM 1 , PM 2.5 , PM 10 and NO 2 were positively related to FIB4 or APRI as well as prevalent intermediate-high advanced fibrosis; EVI was negatively related to FIB4 or APRI as well as prevalent intermediate-high advanced fibrosis. Negative associations of residential greenness indices (EVI or NDVI) with prevalent advanced fibrosis were decreased as increased air pollutants (PM 1 , PM 2.5 , PM 10 or NO 2 ) (P < 0.05 for all). This study indicated that residential greenness may partially attenuate negative effect of long-term exposure to air pollutants related to increased prevalent intermediate-high advanced fibrosis, implying that residential greenness may be an effective strategy to reduce the burden of prevalent hepatic fibrosis and its related disease in association with exposure high levels of air pollutants. The Henan Rural Cohort study has been registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Register (Registration number: ChiCTR-OOC-15006699, http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=11375 )., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Aims: To evaluate the associations of morning serum cortisol levels with obesity defined by different indices in Chinese rural populations., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed including 6198 participants (2566 males and 3632 females). Serum cortisol was collected in morning and quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Obesity was defined by body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (BFP), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), waist circumference (WC), visceral fat index (VFI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Both multivariable liner regression, logistic regression and restrictive cubic splines models were used to estimate the gender-specific relationships between cortisol levels and obesity defined by different indices, respectively., Results: After adjusting for potential confounders, serum cortisol was negatively associated with different obesity measures, except obese females defined by BFP (for instance, overall obesity defined by BMI, Quartile 4 vs. Quartile 1, odds ratio (OR) = 0.25, 95% confidence interval (CI):0.15, 0.41 in males, and OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.42,0.80 in females, central obesity defined by WC, OR = 0.52, 95% CI:0.39,0.69 in males and OR = 0.63, 95% CI:0.51,0.77 in females). Similarly, restrictive cubic splines showed the nonlinear relationship between high levels of cortisol and different obesity indices. Furthermore, ROC curve analysis indicated that cortisol could improve the discrimination of model with common biomarkers., Conclusion: Morning serum cortisol were negatively related to obesity defined by different indices in Chinese rural populations. In addition, cortisol could be as a biomarker for prediction of obesity in males., (© 2021. Italian Society of Endocrinology (SIE).)

Introduction and Hypothesis: As a notable chronic disorder, the incidence of interstitial cystitis (IC) has been documented to have increased among the female population with activity in microRNA-495 (miR-495) implicated in this disease. The current study was aimed at elucidating the effects associated with miR-495 on the inflammatory response and bladder fibrosis in rats with ulcerative IC via the JAK-STAT pathway by targeting JAK3., Methods: Ulcerative IC rat models were established. The targeting relationship between JAK3 and miR-495 was evaluated using luciferase reporter assay. After gain- or loss-of-function assays, mast-cell infiltration was assessed using toluidine blue staining, bladder fibrosis using Masson staining, and NO content using nitrate reductase method. JAK3 protein expression was detected by immunohistochemistry, JAK3, STAT1, STAT3, TGFβ-1, Col-I, Col-III, JAK1, JAK2, p-STAT1, and p-STAT3 expression by RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis, and serum IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17, and TNF-α levels in rats by ELISA., Results: Following transfection of overexpressed miR-495 or siRNA-JAK3, a diminished degree of mast-cell infiltration, number of mast cells, bladder fibrosis, NO content, JAK3-positive expression, mRNA expression of JAK3, STAT1, STAT3, TGFβ-1, Col-I, Col-III, protein expression of JAK1, JAK2, JAK3, p-STAT1, p-STAT3, and expression of IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17, and TNF-α were identified., Conclusions: Collectively, our key findings provide evidence supporting the notion that the overexpression of miR-495 ameliorates inflammatory response and bladder fibrosis in ulcerative IC rat models via inactivation of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway by inhibiting JAK3.

Although solid-fuel use or smoking is associated with obesity measured by body mass index (BMI), research on their interactive effects on general and central obesity is limited. Data of 20,140 individuals in the Henan Rural Cohort Study was examined the independent and combined associations of solid-fuel use and smoking with prevalent obesity, which was measured by BMI, waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), body fat percentage (BFP), and visceral fat index (VFI). Multiple adjusted logistic regression models showed that the OR (95% CI) of prevalent obesity measured by BMI associated with exposure to solid fuels alone or with smoking was 0.78 (0.70, 0.86) or 0.46 (0.32, 0.66), compared with neither smoking nor solid-fuel exposure. Similar results had been found in other obese anthropometric indices and in the results of linear regression analysis. The results indicated that solid-fuel use and smoking have a synergistic effect on reduction in obesity indices. The effects of household air pollution from solid-fuel use and smoking on obesity should be considered when exploring the influencing factors of obesity.

Understanding the transport processes of soil moisture and heat is critical for vegetation restoration in karst rocky desertification areas where serious soil erosion and extensive exposure of carbonate rocks occur. Numerical simulation can provide an important approach to explore the transport processes of soil moisture and heat, but few studies employing this technique have been carried out in karst rocky desertification areas of southwest China. In this study, a model of coupled soil moisture and heat transport was established using HYDRUS-1D based on the high-resolution data of soil moisture, soil temperature, and meteorological parameters obtained throughout a year in a typical karst rocky desertification area in Yunnan province, southwest China. The modeling results reflect the rainfall-infiltration-evaporation processes in rocky desertification areas well. The frequently rainfall events in small intensity in the study site often induced great variations of soil moisture in the near-surface soil layer (< 1-cm depth). However, soil moisture in deep soil layer (> 10-cm depth) kept stable during light rainfall events, implying that the deep soil was only influenced by heavy rainfall events. The variations of soil temperature showed a high sinusoidal fitting trend. At the annual scale, variations of soil temperature were distinct apparent evident below the depth of 40 cm, but no evident daily variations were observed. The simulated fluxes of soil water showed that the vapor fluxes were lower than the liquid water fluxes by 3-6 orders of magnitude, suggesting the control of soil thermal gradients. Our results also indicate that the vapor flux has great significance for plant water utilization in the drought periods. The simulation errors are small for soil temperature but slightly more significant for the soil moisture in deep soil layer. This primary failure may result from the occurrence of preferential flows at the rock-soil interface, which needed to be further investigated in the future.

Polyethylene oxide (PEO)-based solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) is considered to have great application prospects in all-solid-state li-ion batteries. However, the application of PEO-based SPEs is hindered by the relatively low ionic conductivity, which strongly depends on its crystallinity and density of grain boundaries. In this work, a simple and effective press-rolling method is applied to reduce the crystallinity of PEO-based SPEs for the first time. With the rolled PEO-based SPE, the LiFePO 4 /SPE/Li all-solid li-ion battery delivers a superior rechargeable specific capacity of 162.6 mAh g -1 with a discharge-charge voltage gap of 60 mV at a current density of 0.2 C with a much lower capacity decay rate. The improvement of electrochemical properties can be attributed to the press-rolling method, leading to a doubling conductivity and reduced activation energy compared with that of electrolyte prepared by traditional cast method. The present work provides an effective and easy-to-use grain reforming method for SPE, worthy of future application.

Differences in cellular cadmium (Cd) distribution between Cd-tolerant and Cd-sensitive lines of amaranth (Amaranthus mangostanus L.) may reveal mechanisms involved in Cd tolerance and hyperaccumulation. We compared the cellular distribution and accumulation of Cd in roots, stems, and leaves between a low-Cd accumulating cultivar (Zibeixian, L-Cd) and a high-Cd accumulating cultivar (Tianxingmi, H-Cd) in a hydroponic experimental system. In all treatments, H-Cd grew better than L-Cd and accumulated more Cd. As the Cd concentration increased, the H-Cd plants grew normally and their biomass increased, except in the 60 μM Cd treatment. The biomass of L-Cd decreased with increasing Cd concentrations. The highest Cd concentration in the roots, stems, and leaves of H-Cd was 950 mg/kg, 305 mg/kg, and 205 mg/kg, respectively, compared with 269 mg/kg, 62.9 mg/kg, and 74.8 mg/kg, respectively, in L-Cd. The Cd distribution differed between the two cultivars. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectrometry analyses showed that Cd was distributed across the entire cross section of H-Cd roots but largely restricted to the epidermal cells and the exodermis of L-Cd roots. The main Cd storage sites were the root apoplast, cell walls, and intercellular spaces in H-Cd and the root epidermal cells and the exodermis in L-Cd. In H-Cd leaves, Cd accumulated mainly in vacuoles of epidermal cells and, at high external Cd concentrations, in the vacuoles of mesophyll cells.

As a universal environmental contaminant, the herbicide cyhalofop-butyl is considered to have infested effects on the embryonic development of aquatic species. The present study focused on an assessment of the impacts of cyhalofop-butyl on Yellow River carp embryos. It was found that cyhalofop-butyl inhibited the hatching of the embryos, and the hatching rate decreased with higher concentrations of the herbicide. The mortality rate was increased on exposure to cyhalofop-butyl and was significantly higher in the 1.6 and 2 mg/L treatment groups over 48 h. All of the embryos of the 2 mg/L treatment group died within the 48 h post-hatching stage. And the transcription of several embryos related to apoptosis was also influenced by cyhalofop-butyl exposure. Further, cyhalofop-butyl exposure leads to a series of morphological changes (pericardial edema, tail deformation, and spine deformation) in embryos, which were consistent with significant modifications in the associated genes. These results provided a scientific basis for further studies into the effects of cyhalofop-butyl on aquatic organisms.

Prostate carcinoma is the most common cancer for men and among the leading cancer-related causes. Many evidences have shown that tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) potently induces apoptosis in cancer cells, and thus, is a promising biologic agent for prostate carcinoma therapy. However, TRAIL expression mediated by the current vectors lacks tumor specificity, thereby exerting cytotoxicity to normal cells. To solve this problem, we inserted miRNA response elements (MREs), miR-143 and miR-145, expression levels of which were reduced in prostate carcinoma, as well as that of miR-122, which is specifically expressed in hepatic cells, into adenoviral vectors to control TRAIL expression (Ad-TRAIL-M3). qPCR data confirmed that miR-143, miR-145, and miR-122 levels were all decreased in prostate carcinoma cell lines and prostate cancer samples from patients. Luciferase assays showed that MREs-regulated luciferase expression was potently suppressed in normal cells, but not in prostate cancer cells. Ad-TRAIL-M3, which expresses TRAIL in a MREs-regulated manner, produced high level of TRAIL and suppressed the survival of prostate cancer cells by inducing apoptosis, while Ad-TRAIL-M3 had no TRAIL expression in normal cells and thus exerted no cytotoxicity to them. The studies on PC-3 tumor xenograft in mice further confirmed that Ad-TRAIL-M3 was able to inhibit the growth of tumors and possessed high biosafety. In conclusion, we successfully generated an adenoviral vector that expresses TRAIL in miRNA-regulated mechanism. This miRNA-based gene therapy may be promising for prostate carcinoma treatment.

This study was aimed to investigate the impact of subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) on the diversity of liquid (LAB) and solid-associated bacteria (SAB) following high-grain feeding. Six ruminally cannulated goats were divided into two groups: one group was fed a hay diet (COD), and the other group was fed a high grain diet (SAID). Rumen liquids and rumen solids were sampled after 2 weeks adaption. SARA was diagnosed with a pH below 5.8 for 8 h. SAID decreased ruminal pH (P < 0.001) and increased the acetate (P = 0.017), propionate (P = 0.001), butyrate (P < 0.001) and total volatile fatty acid (P < 0.001) concentration in rumen compared with the COD. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis fingerprints analysis revealed a clear separation between both the diet and the fraction of rumen digesta in bacterial communities. Pyrosequencing analysis showed that the proportion of phylum Bacteroidetes in the SAID-LAB and SAID-SAB communities was less than in the COD group, whereas the SAID group had a greater percentage of Firmicutes in both the LAB and SAB libraries. UniFrac analyses and a Venn diagram revealed a large difference between the two diets in the diversity of rumen bacterial communities. Overall, our findings revealed that SARA feeding did alter the community structure of rumen liquids and rumen solids. Thus, manipulation of dietary factors, such as ratio of forage to concentrate may have the potential to alter the microbial composition of rumen liquid and rumen solid.

Ahead of Print article withdrawn by Publisher. Kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), a recently discovered transmembrane protein, is expressed in dedifferentiated renal proximal tubular epithelial cells in damaged regions. Many studies have confirmed that KIM-1 is a specific marker of renal proximal tubular damage. Recently, more attention has been paid to its potential pathophysiological functions in renal injury or repair. A number of studies have illustrated the different functions of KIM-1 in various renal diseases, including its protective functions in acute kidney injury and damaging functions in chronic kidney disease. Although the exact functions of KIM-1 still remain unclear, some scientists speculate that KIM-1 may be a therapeutic target for kidney injury. In this review, some of the known features and functions of KIM-1 are highlighted.