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Drought and hot stresses are the primary limiting factors for the growth and seed production of yellow-horn (Xanthoceras sorbifolia Bunge), especially in Xinjiang Province of China. A better understanding of its physiological and biochemical characteristics under drought–hot stress is requisite for its efficient cultivation in the arid and semi-arid areas. In this study, the physiological and biochemical responses of 3-month-old yellow-horn seedlings were evaluated after 7 days of treatments of five temperatures (25 °C/20 °C, 30 °C/25 °C, 35 °C/25 °C, 40 °C/25 °C and 45 °C/25 °C) under two watering conditions [adequate water supply (HW): 80 ± 5% FC (field capacity); low water supply (LW): 40 ± 5% FC] by a pot experiment. The increased temperature (above to 35 °C) markedly aggravated the damage on biomass accumulation and membrane integrity of yellow-horn seedlings under the LW. The accumulation of soluble sugars and proteins exhibited a growing trend as the temperature increased from 25 to 40 °C, which declined when the temperature was higher than 40 °C except for the soluble protein accumulation under HW. In addition, captured responsive characteristics of the gas-exchange parameters and chlorophyll fluorescence have indicated that the combinations of high temperature (above to 35 °C) and LW induced significant decrease in photosynthetic activities of yellow-horn seedlings. All these results showed that the hot stress significantly aggravated the drought damage on yellow-horn plant growth, especially when the temperature increased above 35 °C under drought stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A significant shift in meal pattern with frequent eating out was closely associated with multiple chronic outcomes, but with limited evidence on hyperuricemia. We aimed to explore the associations between eating out and serum uric acid (SUA) as well as hyperuricemia. Methods: A total of 29,597 participants were recruited from the Henan Rural Cohort Study. A validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to collect dietary data, including the frequency of eating out. Linear regression models were used to examine the association of eating-out frequency with SUA and BMI. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline were performed to assess the association and dose–response relationship between eating-out frequency and hyperuricemia. The mediation effect of BMI between eating out and the risk of hyperuricemia was evaluated. Results: Eating out was significantly associated with higher SUA levels in the total population and males (P < 0.001). Multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (CIs) of hyperuricemia were 1.26 (1.09, 1.46) for the total population and 1.18 (1.00, 1.40) for males (≥ 7 times/week vs 0 time/week). A non-linear positive dose–response relationship between eating-out frequency and hyperuricemia was observed. Furthermore, BMI played a partial mediating role in the relationship between eating out frequency and hyperuricemia, which explained 30.7% in the total population and 44.8% in males. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that eating out was associated with increased SUA levels and elevated hyperuricemia risk in rural China, especially in males. Moreover, the relationship was partly mediated by BMI. Clinical trials: ChiCTR-OOC-15006699 (2015-07-06). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To detect incidences and the types of chromosomal abnormalities in Chinese men with infertility and determine chromosomal factors association with various phenotypes. Methods: Semen analysis and karyotype analysis by G-banding were carried out in 4,659 idiopathic infertile males; additionally, multiplex PCR using nine specific sequence-tagged sites (STSs) was used to detect azoospermia factor (AZF) microdeletions in 412 patients with Y chromosomal abnormalities. Results: Male infertility was divided into pregestational infertility, characterized by failure to produce a fertilized ovum, and gestational infertility, characterized by embryo loss after fertilization. The former can result from azoospermia, oligozoospermia or oligoasthenozoospermia syndrome, while the latter is associated with developmental early pregnancy loss, habitual miscarriage and stillbirth. Among 4,659 male patients, 412 (8.84 %) showed abnormal chromosomal karyotypes, including 314 (6.74 %) with sex chromosomal abnormalities and 98 (2.10 %) with autosomal abnormalities. The prevalences of numerical and structural abnormalities among patients with chromosomal abnormalities were 259/412 (62.86 %) and 153/412 (37.14 %), respectively. Furthermore, structural sex chromosomal abnormalities were represented by various phenotypic profiles (46,XX, 47,XYY and 45,X/46,XY), and a prevalence of AZF microdeletions of 19/79 (24.05 %). AZF microdeletions were highly associated with Y chromosomal abnormalities ( P = 0.018). Conclusion: Various chromosomal abnormalities that result in male infertility could affect spermatogenesis or embryonic development at different levels. Sex chromosomal and autosomal abnormalities were highly associated with pregestational and gestational infertility, respectively. AZF microdeletions may play an important role in lowering the stability of the Y chromosome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]