Search

Background: Exosomes and other secretory membrane vesicles, collectively referred to as extracellular vesicles (EVs), have garnered increasing attention in research due to their biological characteristics. Notably, studies have shown promising results regarding the role of stem cell‐derived extracellular vesicles (SC‐EVs) in skin and plastic surgery applications. This study aims to elucidate current trends in SC‐EVs within the context of skin and plastic surgery and offer insights for future research directions in advancing this critical field. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted for relevant studies on SC‐EVs in skin and plastic surgery spanning from 2003 to 2023, utilizing the Web of Science database. Subsequently, data analysis was performed using VOSviewer and CiteSpace. Results: A total of 1089 studies were identified, with a noticeable annual increase in publications on SC‐EVs' application in skin and plastic surgery. China emerged as the leading contributor to this field, with Shanghai Jiao Tong University being a notable institution. Stem Cell Research & Therapy and the International Journal of Molecular Sciences were the top journals publishing relevant articles. Author Fu Xiaobing from the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital had the highest publication count in this area. Keyword co‐occurrence analysis revealed six distinct clusters, with "exosomes" being the most prevalent keyword in recent years. Wound healing and skin rejuvenation emerged as primary research focuses and hotspots in this field. Conclusion: This comprehensive review offers insights into global trends surrounding SC‐EVs in skin and plastic surgery. Analysis of journals, institutions, references, and keywords provides valuable guidance for researchers in determining future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual gate device with mobility of 20cm2/Vs has been applied to improve power consumption of oxide products, the devices show high on‐state current of more than 45uA, good uniformity of ΔVth 1.03V, PBTS of 2.18V. The optimized pixel design of 14inch WQXGA achieves high aperture ratio of 74% and transmittance of over 9.5%. This 120Hz demo with brightness of 150nit can significantly reduce power consumption by 65%, from 2.1W to 1.27W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This was a prospective, randomized, double‐blind, single‐center placebo‐controlled trial to assess the efficacy and safety of melatonin as an add‐on treatment for infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS). Participants aged 3 months to 2 years with a primary diagnosis of IESS were recruited and assigned to two groups in a 1:1 ratio. Both treatment groups received a combination of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) for 2 weeks, and the treatment group also received melatonin (3 mg) between 20:00 and 21:00 daily, 0.5–1 h before bedtime. The study's primary endpoint was the average reduction rate in spasm frequency assessed by seizure diaries. Secondary endpoints included assessment of the response rate, EEG hypsarrhythmia (Kramer score), and psychomotor development (Denver Developmental Screening Test, DDST). Sleep quality was assessed by using the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire (BISQ), the Infant Sleep Assessment Scale (ISAS), and actigraphy. Safety parameters were also evaluated. Statistical analyses were conducted on intention‐to‐treat and per‐protocol populations. The trial is registered at Clinicaltrials.gov (ChiCTR2000036208). Out of 119 screened patients, 70 were randomized and 66 completed treatments. In the intention‐to‐treat population, there were no significant differences in the average percentage reduction of spasm frequency (median [interquartile range, IQR: Q3–Q1], 100% [46.7%] vs. 66.7% [55.3%], p =.288), the 3‐day response rate (51.4% vs. 37.1%, p =.229), the 28‐day response rate (42.9% vs. 28.6%, p =.212), EEG Kramer scores (2 [3.5] vs. 2 [3], p =.853), or DDST comprehensive months (5 [2.5] vs. 6 [6], p =.239) between the melatonin (n = 35) and placebo (n = 35) groups. However, caregivers reported improved sleep quality after melatonin treatment, with 85.7% reporting regular sleep compared to 42.9% with placebo (42.9%, p <.001). The melatonin group had lower ISAS scores in 4–11‐month‐old patients compared to the placebo (mean ± SD, 29.3 ± 4.4 vs. 35.2 ± 5.9, p <.001). Moreover, the median (IQR) value of sleep‐onset latency was shortened by 6.0 (24.5) min after melatonin treatment, while that in the placebo group was extended by 3.0 (22.0) min (p =.030). The serum melatonin (6:00 h) level (pg/mL) of the children in the melatonin group after treatment was significantly higher than in the placebo group (median [IQR], 84.8 [142] vs. 17.5 [37.6], p <.001). No adverse effects related to melatonin were observed in the study, and there were no significant differences in adverse effects between the melatonin and placebo groups. Although not statistically significant, the results of this randomized clinical trial proved that melatonin supplementation, as an add‐on treatment, can improve spasm control rate in the treatment of IESS. For IESS children treated with ACTH, the addition of melatonin was found to improve sleep quality, shorten sleep onset latency, and increase blood melatonin levels. Moreover, it was observed to be a safe treatment option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hierarchical controller is proposed for achieving high‐accuracy control and the dynamic balance with the presence of multiple faults of actuator, the external disturbance, and the model uncertainties in multicylinder hydraulic press machine (MCHPM). The method divides the controller design into three steps: Virtual fault‐tolerant control law, control allocation algorithm, and actuator control law, which are progressive. First, to precisely compensate the lumped disturbances including the multiple faults of actuator, the external disturbance, and the model uncertainties, a disturbance observer (DO) is developed. By combining the observer with the sliding mode control (SMC), a virtual fault‐tolerant control law is designed. Second, a highly integrated control allocation algorithm for the virtual fault‐tolerant control law is proposed to get the desired driving force, taking into account dynamic control allocation (DCA), multiobjective optimization (MOO) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) simultaneously. Third, taking the driving force obtained from above control allocation algorithm as the desired target, the control law of each cylinder is calculated. The global stability for the whole system is proved by the Lyapunov theory. Lastly, results of simulation and experiment show that the proposed controller can effectively handle different faults and have more superior control performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bird cherry‐oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is a key pest of wheat in China. Chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) has been widely used due to its biocompatibility, antibacterial activity, environmental friendliness and convenient extraction. This study was aimed at determining the acute toxicity of COS on R. padi and transgenerational effects of sublethal concentrations of COS on the biological characteristics of R. padi. The results indicated that COS possessed acute toxicity against R. padi after 48 h of exposure (LC50: 1227.35 mg/L). The sublethal concentration of COS (LC15: 260 mg/L) induced a decrease in adult longevity, adult prereproductive period and fecundity in the first filial generation (F1). Moreover, in F1 progeny, nymphal (1st–3rd), preadult and total prereproductive period significantly enhanced due to sublethal dose. Moreover, finite rate of increase (λ), the intrinsic rate of increase (r) and net reproductive rate (R0) of F1 progeny were significantly decreased, whereas a sublethal COS concentration exposure significantly increased the mean generation time (T) of F1 progeny. Overall, the study shows that sublethal concentration of COS can significantly suppress population growth of R. padi F1 generation, showing the potential of COS as a biorational option to manage aphids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The divergent synthesis of dihydropyrimidouracil and pyrimidouracil derivatives from N‐uracil amidines and tertiaryamines by an oxidative C(sp3)−N cleavage cascade cyclization reaction is first described. This transformation enables the formation of new C(sp3)−N and C(sp2)−N bonds via the selection of different oxidation conditions. The features of this method include tunable product selectivity, excellent chemoselectivity, readily available starting materials, broad substrate scope, good tolerance of functional groups, and moderate to high yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), an indispensable liquid biopsy classifier, can provide extra information for the diagnosis and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: We systematically analyzed the peripheral blood of preoperative HCC patients (n = 270) for CTC number, Ki67 index reflecting the proliferative CTC percentage (PCP), and CTC clusters correlated with the characteristics of malignant HCC tumors. Results: Driver gene mutations were found with high levels of consistency between CTCs and primary tumors (n = 73). CTC number and PCP were associated with tumor size, microvascular invasion (MVI), presence or absence of multiple tumors, and thrombosis significantly. CTC number and PCP robustly separated patients with and without relapse, with a sensitivity of 88.89%/81.48% and a specificity of 72.73%/94.81% in the training set (n = 104) and corresponding values of 80.00%/86.67% and 78.38%/89.19% in the validation set (n = 52), showing a better performance than that associated with the alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) level. CTC number, PCP, CTC clusters, and MVI were independent significant risk factors for HCC recurrence (P = 0.0375, P < 0.0001, P = 0.0017, and P = 0.0157). A nomogram model based on these risk factors showed a considerable prediction ability for HCC recurrence (area under the curve = 0.947). PCP (training: log‐rank P < 0.0001; hazard ratio [HR] 30.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 11.12–81.62; validation: log‐rank P < 0.0001; HR 25.73, 95% CI = 5.28–106.60) and CTC clusters (training: log‐rank P < 0.0001; HR 17.34, 95% CI = 7.46–40.30; validation: log‐rank P < 0.0001; HR 9.92, 95% CI = 2.55–38.58) were more significantly correlated with worse recurrence‐free survival than CTC number (training: log‐rank P < 0.0001; HR 14.93, 95% CI = 4.48–49.78; validation: log‐rank P = 0.0007; HR 9.03, 95% CI = 2.53–32.24). Conclusion: PCP and CTC clusters may predict HCC recurrence and improve the performance of the serum biomarker AFP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using benzylamines as the C4 source of 1,4‐dihydropyridines (1,4‐DHPs), a Cu‐catalyzed oxidative [1+2+1+2] cascade cyclization for the synthesis of 1,4‐DHPs was firstly developed. A broad range of easily available N,N‐dimethyl enaminones and benzylamines are employed smoothly to provide a diverse range of 1,4‐DHPs with high efficiency. This method is performed by a one‐pot cascade C(sp3)−H bond functionalization/C(sp3)−N cleavage/cyclization strategy to form simultaneously two C(sp3)−C(sp2) bonds, two C(sp2)−N bonds, and a 1,4‐DHP ring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An oxidative [3+2+1] cyclization of enaminones and N‐alkenyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone is described for the synthesis of 4‐alkylated 1,4‐dihydropyridines (1,4‐DHPs). By using terminal olefin as the C4 source of the 1,4‐DHP skeleton, this synthetic strategy provides a series of 1,4‐DHPs through a 1,1‐difunctionalization/cyclization process. In this protocol, two C(sp3)−C(sp2) bonds and a C(sp2)−N bond are simultaneously formed, the hydrogen source on the newly formed methyl group of the 1,4‐DHP skeleton is confirmed and a possible mechanism is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a disease with decreased, irreversible renal function. Pruritus is the most common skin symptom in patients with CKD, especially in end‐stage renal disease. The underlying molecular and neural mechanism of CKD‐associated pruritus (CKD‐aP) remains obscure. Our data show that the level of allantoin increases in the serum of CKD‐aP and CKD model mice. Allantoin could induce scratching behavior in mice and active DRG neurons. The calcium influx and action potential reduced significantly in DRG neurons of MrgprD KO or TRPV1 KO mice. U73122, an antagonist of phospholipase C, could also block calcium influx in DRG neurons induced by allantoin. Thus, our results concluded that allantoin plays an important role in CKD‐aP, mediated by MrgprD and TrpV1, in CKD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Symbiotic bacteria affect physiology and ecology of insect hosts. The Sitobion miscanthi L type symbiont (SMLS) is a recently discovered and widely distributed secondary symbiont in the grain aphid Sitobion miscanthi Takahashi in China. Results: In this study, SMLS‐infected (SI) and SMLS‐uninfected (SU) aphid strains were obtained from field population. The artificially SMLS‐re‐infected (SRI) strain was established by injecting SU aphids with the SI strain hemolymph containing SMLS. The SRI and SU strains had identical genetic backgrounds and similar microbial community structures. Compared with the SU strain, adult longevity, survival rate, and fecundity were significantly greater in the SRI strain (biological fitness of 1.48). Moreover, the SRI strain spent more time ingesting phloem than the SU strain. A comparative transcriptome analysis indicated that reproduction‐ and longevity‐related genes were more highly expressed in the SRI strain than in the SU strain. Conclusion: The findings indicated that the infection with SMLS enhanced the Sitobion miscanthi fitness and feeding behavior. The beneficial effect of the SMLS on hosts could explain why it frequently infects the field populations in the grain aphid Sitobion miscanthi Takahashi in China. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emerging evidence indicates that myristoylated alanine‐rich C kinase substrate like 1 (MARCKSL1) is involved in the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the underpinning mechanism is unclear. Here, we investigated the mechanisms involving MARCKSL1 in ESCC progression. Methods: CCK8, Transwell and wound‐healing assays were employed to test the effect of MARCKSL1 on proliferation, invasion and migration in vitro. Next, transcriptome profiling was conducted through RNA sequencing to reveal the underlying mechanism of MARCKSL1 in ESCC progression, which was subsequently verified by western blot and qPCR analysis. Moreover, immunofluorescence and gelatin degradation assays were performed to reveal the ability of MARCKSL1 to mediate invadopodia formation and extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. Finally, the correlation between MARCKSL1 and the clinicopathological features of ESCC patients was assessed based on TCGA database analysis and immunohistochemistry staining of tissue microarrays. Results: Knockdown of MARCKSL1 markedly attenuated the cell motility capacity of ESCC cells in vitro, while MARCKSL1 overexpression had the opposite effect. Transcriptomic analysis showed that MARCKSL1 mediated the mobility and migration of ESCC cells. In addition, overexpression of MARCKSL1 increased the colocalization of F‐actin and cortactin at the frontier edge of migrating cells and ECM degradation. Furthermore, in ESCC patients, the mRNA level of MARCKSL1 in esophageal carcinomas (n = 182) was found to be notably higher than that in adjacent esophageal epithelia (n = 286) and the expression levels of MARCKSL1 in the tumor tissues (n = 811) were significantly increased compared to those in noncancerous esophageal tissues (n = 442) with a large sample size. Higher expression of MARCKSL1 was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis and associated with worse survival rates of patients with ESCC. Conclusion: MARCKSL1 promotes cell migration and invasion by interacting with F‐actin and cortactin to regulate invadopodia formation and ECM degeneration. High MARCKSL1 expression is positively correlated with poor prognosis in ESCC patients with lymph node metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to give epoxy resin good flame retardance, a novel bio‐based flame retardant based on 2‐aminopyrimidine (referred to as VAD) was synthesized from renewable vanillin as one of the starting materials. Its structure was confirmed by NMR and mass spectra. The epoxy resins containing VAD were prepared by utilizing 4,4‐diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM) as a co‐curing agent, and their flame‐retardant, mechanical and thermal properties and corresponding mechanisms were studied. VAD accelerated the cross‐linking reaction of DDM and E51 (diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A). 12.5 wt% VAD made the epoxy resin achieve UL‐94 V‐0 rating and its limited oxygen index (LOI) value increase from 22.4% to 32.3%. The cone calorimetric testing results revealed the decline in the values of total heat release (THR) and peak of heat release rate (pk‐HRR) and the obvious enhancement of residue yield. A certain amount of VAD enhanced the flame inhibition, charring and barrier effects, resulting in good flame retardance of the epoxy resin. Furthermore, the tensile strength, flexural strength and flexural modulus of the epoxy resin with 12.5 wt% loading of VAD were 6.5%, 14.9%, 15.2% higher than those of EP, indicating the strengthening effect of VAD. This work guarantees VAD to be a promising flame retardant for enhancing the fire retardancy of epoxy resin without compromising its mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A silver‐catalyzed protocol for the synthesis of 3‐(1H‐isochromen)‐chromones is described. The method involves an initial 6‐endo‐dig cyclization of o‐alkynylbenzaldehydes and domino C−H alkylation and chromone annulation of the o‐hydroxyarylenaminones, which enables the installation of 1H‐isochromen and chromone in a single structure. This synthetic strategy is advantageous for the excellent regioselectivity, step economy, concise one‐pot methodology, gram‐scale synthesis, as well as high bond‐forming efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The C(sp2)−H phosphorothiolation involving cyclization process through a transition‐metal‐free strategy is reported. It provides an attractive approach for the construction valuable S‐3‐chromon phosphorothioates from o‐hydroxyarylenaminones and P(O)SH compounds in the presence of 1.0 equiv. of iodine at 60 °C. This novel protocol shows readily available chemicals, broad substrate scope, and mild reaction conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper(II)‐mediated unprecedented intermolecular radical [3+2] annulation of N,N‐dimethyl enaminones has been developed. The protocol is promoted simply by copper(II) chloride to access 5‐acyl‐3‐furancarboxaldehydes with acceptable to good yields and broad substrate scope. This reaction allows the formation of multiple new bonds, including C(sp2)−O bond between two nucleophilic sites, C(sp2)−C(sp2) bond and C=O bond, through a radical cyclization process. Moreover, gram‐synthesis and application research show the potential application value of this transformation in industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In whole slide imaging (WSI), normally only a one layer imaging of the slide is performed. Autofocus at multiple positions is usually required. But defocus blur still exists due to tissue folding or specimen thickness. Repeated Z‐stack scan be applied here, which, however, is too time consuming. Here, a high throughput slanted scanning WSI system is reported. In this system, the slide surface was slanted 1° relative to the focal plane. Thus, the focal plane spanned multiple layers of the sample. By moving the slide, multi‐layer image data of the sample can be acquired simultaneously at a time frame comparable to conventional 1‐layer imaging. With image fusion, defocus blur can be avoided. High quality and fast imaging of both cytological and histological slide specimens was demonstrated without applying aberration correction. The system can be a highly efficient way for the application of WSI in digital pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Suberin is a complex hydrophobic polymer of aliphatic and phenolic compounds which controls the movement of gases, water, and solutes and protects plants from environmental stresses and pathogenic infection. The synthesis and regulatory pathways of suberin remain unknown in Brachypodium distachyon. Here we describe the identification of a B. distachyon gene, BdFAR4, encoding a fatty acyl‐coenzyme A reductase (FAR) by a reverse genetic approach, and investigate the molecular relevance of BdFAR4 in the root suberin synthesis of B. distachyon. BdFAR4 is specifically expressed throughout root development. Heterologous expression of BdFAR4 in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) afforded the production of C20:0 and C22:0 fatty alcohols. The loss‐of‐function knockout of BdFAR4 by CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated gene editing significantly reduced the content of C20:0 and C22:0 fatty alcohols associated with root suberin. In contrast, overexpression of BdFAR4 in B. distachyon and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) resulted in the accumulation of root suberin‐associated C20:0 and C22:0 fatty alcohols, suggesting that BdFAR4 preferentially accepts C20:0 and C22:0 fatty acyl‐CoAs as substrates. The BdFAR4 protein was localized to the endoplasmic reticulum in Arabidopsis thaliana protoplasts and Nicotiana benthamiana leaf epidermal cells. BdFAR4 transcript levels can be increased by abiotic stresses and abscisic acid treatment. Furthermore, yeast one‐hybrid, dual‐luciferase activity, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicated that the R2R3‐MYB transcription factor BdMYB41 directly binds to the promoter of BdFAR4. Taken together, these results imply that BdFAR4 is essential for the production of root suberin‐associated fatty alcohols, especially under stress conditions, and that its activity is transcriptionally regulated by the BdMYB41 transcription factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metastasis to regional lymph nodes or distal organs predicts the progression of the disease and poor prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Previous studies demonstrated that BTB and CNC homology 1 (BACH1) participates in various types of tumor metastasis. However, the function of BACH1 in ESCC was rarely reported. The present study demonstrated that BACH1 protein was overexpressed in ESCC tissues compared with paired esophageal epithelial tissues according to immunohistochemical staining (IHC). Higher levels of BACH1 mRNA were associated with decreased overall survival (OS) and shorter disease‐free survival (DFS) of ESCC patients based on an analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets. BACH1 significantly enhanced the migration and invasion of ESCC in vitro. Mechanistically, BACH1 promoted the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) by directly activating the transcription of CDH2, SNAI2, and VIM, as determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction (ChIP‐qPCR). BACH1 overexpression significantly enhanced CDH2 promoter activity according to the results of a luciferase assay. The results of subsequent experiments indicated that BACH1 enhanced the growth of tumor xenografts. The density of CD31+ blood vessels and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGFC) in tumor xenografts were significantly associated with BACH1 levels according to the results of IHC and immunofluorescence (IF) analyses performed in vivo. Moreover, ChIP‐qPCR analysis demonstrated that the transcriptional activity of VEGFC was also upregulated by BACH1. Thus, BACH1 contributes to ESCC metastasis and tumorigenesis by partially facilitating the EMT and angiogenesis, and BACH1 may be a promising therapeutic target or molecular marker in ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flame retardants endow epoxy resins (EP) with flame retardance, however, their introduction often lead to the decrease in the glass transition temperature (Tg), which is an important property for EP. Therefore, it is significant to design and synthesize a high‐efficiency flame retardant that enhances flame retardance and Tg of EP. To achieve this goal, a hyperbranched polyamide oligomer containing DOPO (HPD) was successfully synthesized by A4 + B2 polymerization and its structure was confirmed by FTIR, 1H NMR, and 30P NMR spectra and GPC. HPD was used as an additive flame retardant in epoxy resin, and its effect on the flame retardance and thermal properties of epoxy resin was studied. The epoxy resin with 7.5 wt% HPD reached UL‐94V‐0 rating and a higher LOI value of 29.6%, and its Tg was 176.2°C, which is higher than the pure epoxy resin. Moreover, the results of cone calorimetry testing (CCT) and TG‐FTIR analysis suggested that the gas‐phase and condensed‐phase flame‐retarded roles of HPD delayed the time to ignition, and reduced the value of relevant combustion parameters, including the peak of heat release rate, average of heat release rate, total heat release, smoke production rate, and total smoke production. The analysis results of Py‐GC/MS test of HPD further confirmed that HPD was able to play the flame‐retarded role in the gaseous and condensed phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Alkylresorcinols are bioactive compounds produced in diverse plant species, with chemical structures combining an aliphatic hydrocarbon chain and an aromatic ring with characteristic hydroxyl substituents. Here, we aimed to isolate and characterize the enzyme that forms the alkylresorcinols accumulating in the cuticular wax on the surface of all above‐ground organs of rye. Based on sequence homology with other type‐III polyketide synthases, a candidate alkylresorcinol synthase was cloned. Yeast heterologous expression showed that the enzyme, ScARS, is highly specific for the formation of the aromatic resorcinol ring structure, through aldol condensation analogous to stilbene synthases. The enzyme accepts long‐chain and very‐long‐chain acyl‐CoA starter substrates, preferring saturated over unsaturated chains. It typically carries out three rounds of condensation with malonyl‐CoA prior to cyclization, with only very minor activity for a fourth round of malonyl‐CoA condensation and cyclization to 5‐(2′‐oxo)‐alkylresorcinols or 5‐(2′‐hydroxy)‐alkylresorcinols. Like other enzymes involved in cuticle formation, ScARS is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum. ScARS expression patterns were found correlated with alkylresorcinol accumulation during leaf development and across different rye organs. Overall, our results thus suggest that ScARS synthesizes the cuticular alkylresorcinols found on diverse rye organ surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To protect above‐ground plant organs from excessive water loss, their surfaces are coated by waxes. The genes involved in wax formation have been investigated in detail in Arabidopsis but scarcely in crop species. Here, we aimed to isolate and characterize a CER1 enzyme responsible for formation of the very long‐chain alkanes present in high concentrations especially during late stages of wheat development. On the basis of comparative wax and transcriptome analyses of various wheat organs, we selected TaCER1‐1A as a primary candidate and demonstrated that it was located to the endoplasmic reticulum, the subcellular compartment for wax biosynthesis. A wheat nullisomic‐tetrasomic substitution line lacking TaCER1‐1A had significantly reduced amounts of C33 alkane, whereas rice plants overexpressing TaCER1‐1A showed substantial increases of C25–C33 alkanes relative to wild type control. Similarly, heterologous expression of TaCER1‐1A in Arabidopsis wild type and the cer1 mutant resulted in increased levels of unbranched alkanes, iso‐branched alkanes and alkenes. Finally, the expression of TaCER1‐1A was found activated by abiotic stresses and abscisic acid treatment, resulting in increased production of alkanes in wheat. Taken together, our results demonstrate that TaCER1‐1A plays an important role in wheat wax alkane biosynthesis and involved in responding to drought and other environmental stresses. In this paper, the function of TaCER1‐1A involved in wheat alkane biosynthesis was tested using gain‐of‐function (transgenic plants) and loss‐of‐function plants (gene deletion wheat line), and the role of alkanes in drought resistance was assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flame‐retarded epoxy resin with improved thermal properties based on environmentally friendly flame retardants is vital for industrial application. Hereby, a novel reactive‐type halogen‐free flame retardant, 10‐(3‐(4‐hydroxy phenyl)‐3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐benzo[e] [1,3] oxazin‐4‐yl)‐5H‐phenophosphazinine 10‐oxide (DHA‐B) was synthesized via a two‐step reaction route. Its structure was characterized using 1H, 13C, and 31P NMR and HRMS spectra. For 4,4′‐diaminodipheny ethane (DDM) and diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA)‐cured systems, the epoxy resin with only 2 wt% loading of DHA‐B passed V‐0 rating of UL‐94 test. Significantly, its glass transition temperature (Tg) and initial decomposition temperature (T5%) were as high as 169.6°C and 359.6°C, respectively, which were even higher than those of the corresponding original epoxy resin. Besides, DHA‐B decreased the combustion intensity during combustion. The analysis of residues after combustion suggested that DHA‐B played an important role in the condensed phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In plants, the calmodulin‐binding transcription activators (CAMTAs) are required for transcriptional regulation of abiotic and biotic stress responses. Among them, CAMTA3 in Arabidopsis has been intensively studied and shown to function redundantly with CAMTA1 and CAMTA2 to negatively regulate plant immunity. The camta1/2/3 triple mutant accordingly exhibits severe dwarfism due to autoimmunity. Here, through a suppressor screen using camta1/2/3 triple mutant, we found that a mutation in Cyclin‐Dependent Kinase 8 (CDK8) partially suppresses the dwarfism and constitutive resistance phenotypes of camta1/2/3. CDK8 positively regulates steady‐state salicylic acid (SA) levels and systemic required resistance (SAR). The expression of SA biosynthesis genes such as ICS1 and EDS5 is down‐regulated in cdk8 mutants under uninfected conditions, suggesting that CDK8 contributes to the transcriptional regulation of these SA pathway genes. Knocking out another Mediator kinase module member MED12 yielded similar defects including decreased steady‐state SA level and compromised SAR, suggesting that the whole Mediator kinase module contributes to the transcriptional regulation of SA levels and SAR. Significance Statement: Knockout analysis of cdk8 and med12 mutants revealed that both mutants accumulate less defense hormone salicylic acid (SA), revealing the positive contribution of the kinase module of Mediator to the transcriptional regulation of SA accumulation and systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Such mechanisms helps us to better understand the complex regulatory roles of Mediator in plant immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Stathmin‐1 is a microtubule depolymerization protein that regulates cell division, growth, migration, and invasion. Overexpression of stathmin‐1 has been observed to be associated with metastasis, poor prognosis, and chemoresistance in various human cancers. Our previous studies found that serum stathmin‐1 was significantly elevated in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) by ELISAs. Here, we constructed high‐affinity monoclonal antibodies and then developed a competitive AlphaLISA for rapid, accurate quantitation of stathmin‐1 in serum. Compared to ELISA, our homogeneous AlphaLISA showed better sensitivity and accuracy, a lower limit of detection, and a wider linear range. The measurements of nearly 1000 clinical samples showed that serum stathmin‐1 level increased dramatically in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), especially in ESCC, with a sensitivity and a specificity of 81% and 94%, respectively. Even for early stage ESCC, stathmin‐1 achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.88. Meanwhile, raised concentrations of stathmin‐1 were associated with lymph node metastasis and advanced cancer stage. Notably, various types of SCC showed significantly higher AUCs in serum stathmin‐1 detection compared to adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, we confirmed that stathmin‐1 was enriched in the oncogenic exosomes, which can explain the reason why it enters into the blood to serve as a tumor surrogate. In conclusion, this large‐scale and systematic study of serum stathmin‐1 measured by our newly established AlphaLISA showed that stathmin‐1 is a very promising diagnostic and predictive marker for SCC in the clinic, especially for ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most lethal cancer in humans, with a 5-year survival rate of <5%. Recently, glypican-1 (GPC1)-expressing circulating exosomes were found to be a promising diagnostic tool for PDAC. However, the aberrant expression of GPC1 has not been systematically evaluated in large-scale clinical samples of PDAC. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of GPC1 mRNA and protein expression features. Included in this study were 178 PDAC patients from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) and 186 subjects whose tissues were used in immunohistochemical staining assays. We demonstrated that GPC1 mRNA was silenced in normal pancreata; however, it was re-expressed in PDAC tissues probably because of the promoter hypomethylation. The GPC1 protein was barely expressed in the normal and adjacent noncancerous pancreata. In tumor tissues, 59.7% (111/186) of the detected samples showed positive expression. Notably, GPC1 was elevated in 63.6% (34/55) of early stage cases. High levels of GPC1 were associated with poorer differentiation and larger tumor diameters. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a significant difference in overall survival between the groups categorized by GPC1 expression ( P = 0.0028). Multivariate analyses indicated that GPC1 was a significant risk factor for poor overall survival with a 1.82-fold increase in the hazard ratio ( P = 0.0022). In conclusion, during pancreatic tumorigenesis, GPC1 was ectopically expressed and served as an independent poor prognostic factor. Our findings highlighted the alluring prospect of GPC1 as an early diagnostic and prognostic marker as well as a therapeutic target for PDAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐molecular biodegradable and bioresorbable polymers are widely used in tissue engineering applications. In this work, a high‐resolution 3D printing technique, thermally assisted electrohydrodynamic jet (TAEJ) printing, is developed for patterning high‐molecular weight biopolymer 3D structures. Boiling point graded polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and PVP/polycaprolactone biopolymer inks are prepared. The resultant effects of electrohydrodynamic force and thermal field are applied on these polymer ink, to form a stable and controllable sub‐micrometer scale jet at the needle tip. Fine jet 2D period patterns and 3D high aspect ratio structures of the biopolymer inks are directly printed using fine jet at a typical feature size of sub‐micrometer. Furthermore, TAEJ printing of 3D heterogeneous high‐molecular weight biopolymer scaffold is demonstrated. Cell culture shows high biocompatibility and cartilage regeneration in vitro, which provides a great potential for tissue engineering applications. Thermally assisted electrohydrodynamic jet (TAEJ) printing is developed for direct writing high‐molecular weight biopolymer sub‐micrometer (700 nm) 2D period patterns and 3D high aspect ratio (15) structures. The printed scaffold exhibits high biocompatibility and cartilage regeneration in vitro. This novel additive manufacturing technique provides a powerful way for tissue engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]