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Objective: Neck imbalance negatively affects body aesthetics of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients. The evaluation of neck imbalance is currently limited to radiographic parameters, but lacks visual indicators. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to establish indexes of neck imbalance based on body image and to investigate whether these indexes can truly reflect neck imbalance in AIS patients. Methods: We performed a cross‐sectional study at a single institution between June 2017 and September 2020 and there were 115 subjects involved in this research. All patients were diagnosed with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, Lenke type I/II. Radiographic parameters measured included cervical axis tilt (CAT), T1 tilt, first rib angle (FRA), clavicle angle (CA), radiographic shoulder height (RSH), proximal thoracic curve (PTC), apical vertebra translation of proximal thoracic (AVT of PT), main thoracic curve (MTC), apical vertebra translation of main thoracic (AVT of MT) and coronal balance (CB/C7PL‐CSVL). Neck imbalance indexes were obtained and measured following a standardized manner. Intra‐class correlation coefficient (ICC) analysis was performed for neck imbalance indexes to determine their intra‐observer and inter‐observer reliability, and correlation tests were performed for neck imbalance indexes with the radiographic parameters mentioned above. Results: Strong intraobserver and interobserver reliability were observed in neck imbalance index (NII) 1 (0.91 and 0.88), neck imbalance index 2 (0.85 and 0.81) and NII 3 (0.82 and 0.80), P < 0.05. Significant correlation was found in cervical axis tilt (R = 0.81 for NII 1, R = 0.77 for NII 2 and R = 0.78 for NII 3), T1 tilt (R = 0.43 for NII 1, R = 0.52 for NII 2 and R = 0.48 for NII 3), first rib angle (R = 0.41 for NII 1, R = 0.48 for NII 2 and R = 0.43 for NII 3), proximal thoracic curve (R = 0.36 for NII 2) and apical vertebra translation of proximal thoracic (R = −0.37 for NII 2 and R = −0.35 for NII 3) with neck imbalance indexes. Neck imbalance index 1 showed the highest correlation with cervical axis tilt (R = 0.81, P < 0.01). Conclusions: Neck imbalance indexes established in our study were in good correlation with cervical axis tilt (CAT), At the meantime, they showed significant correlations with T1 tilt and first rib angle (FRA). Our study provides a practical method for measurement of neck imbalance regarding realistic perspective and makes up for the lack of photographic indexes about neck imbalance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To avoid the narrow absorption bandwidth and delamination in uniform honeycomb composites, three‐dimensional (3D) gradient honeycomb composites were prepared through a vacuum‐assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process. The 3D gradient honeycomb woven composite (3D GHWC) was made by using 3D gradient woven fabric with basalt and carbon fibers as reinforcement and epoxy resin mixed with carbon black and carbonyl iron powder as the matrix. For further optimization of the effective absorbing bandwidth and/or reflection loss (RL), especially at a specific incident angle, the type of absorbing agent and gradient honeycomb structure could be altered in the weaving process. The minimum RL value achieved by the 3D GHWC with 18.5‐mm thickness is −47 dB in the C band at a 30° incident angle using an Agilent vector network analyzer. In addition, the bending strength of the 3D GHWC with 18.5‐mm thickness reaches 101.7 MPa by a universal testing machine, which suggests excellent mechanical properties and ultra‐strong environmental adaptability of the 3D GHWC material. This work offers an adjustable method for the fabrication of microwave absorption (MA) composites, showing potential prospects in civilian and military MA applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flagellar motor is an important virulence factor in infection by many bacterial pathogens. Motor function can be modulated by chemotactic proteins and recently appreciated proteins that are not part of the flagellar or chemotaxis systems. How these latter proteins affect flagellar activity is not fully understood. Here, we identified spermidine synthase SpeE as an interacting partner of switch protein FliM in Helicobacter pylori using pull-down assay and mass spectrometry. To understand how SpeE contributes to flagellar motility, a speE-null mutant was generated and its motility behavior was evaluated. We found that deletion of SpeE did not affect flagellar formation, but induced clockwise rotation bias. We further determined the crystal structure of the FliM-SpeE complex at 2.7 Å resolution. SpeE dimer binds to FliM with micromolar binding affinity, and their interaction is mediated through the β1' and β2' region of FliM middle domain. The FliM-SpeE binding interface partially overlaps with the FliM surface that interacts with FliG and is essential for proper flagellar rotational switching. By a combination of protein sequence conservation analysis and pull-down assays using FliM and SpeE orthologues in E. coli, our data suggest that FliM-SpeE association is unique to Helicobacter species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

R2710 --> 717.2 --> Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is an emerging global health care crisis. However, underlying mechanisms are not understood well enough to translate to precision medicine. There is increasing evidence suggesting that AD is associated with brain hypoperfusion. However, it is unclear whether amyloid‐beta (Aβ) accumulation is a cause or consequence of AD, and how it contributes to cerebral hypoperfusion. The present study examined if Aβ accumulation induces cerebral hypoperfusion in AD by affecting cerebral vascular function via both anterograde (arteriole‐to‐capillary) and retrograde (capillary‐to‐arteriole) pathways in the TgF344‐AD rat model of Alzheimer's disease. We first confirmed that AD rats displayed hippocampal‐based cognitive dysfunction at 6 months of age using an eight‐arm water maze. We then found that AD rats exhibited impaired myogenic response (MR) of middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) and penetrating and parenchymal arterioles (PAs) two months earlier than the onset of cognitive deficits using a Living System pressure myograph. AD rats displayed poor surface and deep cortical cerebral blood flow (CBF) autoregulation recorded by laser Doppler flowmetry, and reduced functional hyperemic response induced by whisker stimulation. Moreover, cell contractile capabilities, detected by collagen gel based‐cell contraction kit, were reduced in Aβ‐treated cerebral VSMCs isolated from F344 rats, similar as seen in VSMCs isolated from AD rats. Furthermore, we found that the productions of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial superoxide in cerebral VSMCs isolated from AD rats were elevated using DHE staining and MitoSOX staining. Moreover, AD cells exhibited reduced mitochondrial respiration and ATP production detected by the Seahorse Cell Mito Stress Test kit. AD cerebral VSMCs also exhibited disrupted actin cytoskeleton and contractile units utilizing immunohistochemistry. Oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and actin cytoskeleton disorganization are all factors that are associated with the reduced contractile capabilities of cerebral VSMCs mediated MR and CBF autoregulation. In other studies, we found that capillary endothelial cell‐derived inward rectifier potassium (Kir2.1) activity, which is responsible for retrograde CBF regulation, was reduced in the brain of AD rats using Western blot. PAs with capillaries isolated from AD rats dilated to a lesser degree than WT rats in response to moderately elevated extracellular K+ (10 mM) applied to capillaries. Inhibition of Kir2.1 channels with ML133 diminished the vasodilatory response to a greater extent in WT rats. These findings indicate that Aβ accumulation is associated with cerebral hypoperfusion in AD by affecting cerebral vascular function via both anterograde and retrograde pathways and provide novel insight into the vascular contribution to AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Phenolic compounds are the predominant ingredients in apple pomace. However, polyphenols from industrial apple pomace, which usually consists of several cultivars, have not been studied in detail. The present work focused on the antioxidant assay and HPLC analysis of polyphenol-enriched extracts from industrial apple pomace. RESULTS Six fractions of apple polyphenols, API to APVI, were acquired through extraction and purification using absorbent macroporous resin. Fraction APIII, eluted by 40% aqueous ethanol, had the highest content of total phenolics (1.48 ± 0.03 g gallic acid equivalents g−1 dry apple pomace), which consisted of chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, syrigin, procyanidin B2, (−)-epicatechin, cinnamic acid, coumaric acid and quercetin. Antioxidant assays showed that APIII had the strongest antioxidant activity of DPPH radical scavenging rate (90.96% ± 10.23%), ABTS radical inhibition rate (89.78% ± 6.54%) and the strongest reducing power (8.30 ± 0.71 µmol Trolox equivalents kg−1 dry apple pomace). It also indicated that procyanidin B2, chlorogenic acid, (−)-epicatechin and quercetin had stronger antioxidant capacity than other phenols. CONCLUSION Our data suggested that extracts from industrial apple pomace were rich in phenols and exhibited potent antioxidant activity. Extraction of polyphenols from industrial apple pomace would bring a great benefit and improve development of apple juice and cider industries. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

R1943 --> We recently reported that cerebral vascular dysfunction precedes cognitive impairment in TgF344‐AD (AD) rat model of Alzheimer's disease. However, whether abnormalities in cerebral vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play a direct role has not been studied. In the present study, we first confirmed that the AD rats started to develop learning and memory deficits at 24‐week of age using an eight‐arm water maze. AD rats (n = 11) took a longer time to escape and displayed more errors than age‐matched wildtype (WT) rats (n = 6). We also completed a longitudinal comparison of the myogenic response (MR) of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and found that the MR was similar in AD and WT rats at 8‐ to 12‐week of age when perfusion pressure was increased from 40 to 180 mmHg. However, the MR started first became significantly reduced in 16‐week old AD rats (n = 6) as the inner diameter of the MCA only decreased by 8.2 ± 2.4% when perfusion pressure was increased from 40 to 180 mmHg compared with 14.5% ± 2.0% in age‐matched WT rats (n = 6). The impaired MR of the MCA was exacerbated in AD rats with aging. Consistent with the exvivo MR studies, in vivo experiment using a laser‐Doppler flowmeter demonstrated that the cerebral blood flow (CBF) autoregulation of AD rats (n = 4) was impaired in the surface and deep cortex at 24‐week of age compared to age‐matched WT rats (n = 4). Furthermore, we found an endogenous reduced cell contractile capability in the cerebral VSMCs isolated from AD (n = 4) compared with WT rats (n = 4), detected by a maximal gel size reduction by 15.7 ± 0.9% vs. 25.4 ± 1.0% using a collagen gel‐based assay kit. These results provide evidence that cerebral VSMC dysfunction, impaired MR and autoregulation of CBF correlates, which precedes the development of memory and learning deficits in the TgF344‐AD rats. However, the underlying mechanisms causing the loss of VSMCs contractility in this AD model expressing mutant human amyloid precursor protein (APPsw) and presenilin 1 (PS1ΔE9) genes remains to be determined. Nevertheless, these results provide novel insight into vascular contribution to AD, which will lay the foundation for the discovery of new biomarkers in AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

R1636 --> 20‐HETE is a metabolite of arachidonic acid produced by enzymes of CYP4A and CYP4F families. We previously reported that Dahl S rats have a genetic deficiency in the production of 20‐HETE and the expression of CYP4A enzymes and exhibit impaired myogenic response of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and autoregulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) but the mechanism is unknown. The present study explored whether 20‐HETE has direct effects on the regulation of cerebral mural cell contractility that may play an essential role in autoregulation of CBF in the surface and deep cortex. We found that CYP4A was expressed in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and pericytes along parenchymal arteries and capillaries isolated from the MCA territory of SD rats. Gel size was reduced to a lesser extent in VSMCs treated with the 20‐HETE synthesis inhibitor, HET0016 (10 μM) versus vehicle (17.9 ± 0.5 % vs. 28.3 ± 0.5 %; n = 9), indicating loss of contractility. Similarly, constriction of cerebral pericytes treated with HET0016 was reduced relative to controls. Cell contractile capability of cerebral VSMC and pericyte collaboratively play a role in regulating CBF in the superficial and deep cortex of the brain by modulation of the myogenic response of the MCA and arterioles, respectively. CBF was well autoregulated in the surface and deep cortex in SD rats and only increased by 12.9 ± 1.7 % and 13.3 ± 1.9 %, respectively, when pressure was elevated from 100 to 140 mmHg. In contrast, CBF increased by 34.6 ± 3.2 % and 28.5 ± 2.3 %, respectively after the rats were given HET0016 (2 mg/kg). These results demonstrate that CYP4A is expressed both in VSMC and pericytes of parenchymal arteries and capillaries, that blockade of 20‐HETE reduces the contractile activity of these cells and attenuates autoregulation of CBF in the superficial and deep cortex of the brain. They provide novel insight into human genetic studies indicating that inactivate variants of 20‐HETE producing enzymes are associated with a higher incidence of hypertension, stroke, and AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We recently reported that KO of Dual‐specificity protein phosphatase 5 (Dusp5) enhances myogenic reactivity and blood flow autoregulation in the cerebral and renal circulations in association with increased levels of pPKC and pERK1/2 in the cerebral and renal arteries and arterioles. In the kidney, hypertension‐related renal damage was significantly attenuated in Dusp5 KO rats. Elevations in pPKC and pERK1/2 promote calcium influx in VSMC and facilitate vasoconstriction. However, whether DUSP5 plays a role in altering the passive mechanical properties of cerebral and renal arterioles has never been investigated. In this study, we found that KO of Dusp5 did not alter body weights, kidney and brain weights, plasma glucose, and HbA1C levels. The expression of pERK is higher in the nucleus of primary VSMC isolated from Dusp5 KO rats. Dusp5 KO rats exhibited eutrophic vascular hypotrophy with smaller intracerebral parenchymal arterioles and renal interlobular arterioles without changing the wall‐to‐lumen ratios. These arterioles from Dusp5 KO rats displayed higher myogenic tones, better distensibility, greater compliance, and less stiffness compared with arterioles from WT control rats. VSMC of Dusp5 KO rats exhibited a stronger contractile capability. These results demonstrate, for the first time, that DUSP5 contributes to the regulation of the passive mechanical properties of cerebral and renal arterioles and provide new insights into the role of DUSP5 in vascular function, cancer, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Sorghum is an important crop for food, forage, wine and biofuel production. To enhance its transformation efficiency without negative developmental by‐effects, we investigated the impact of GRF4‐GIF1 chimaera and GRF5 on sorghum transformation. Both GRF4‐GIF1 and GRF5 effectively improved the transformation efficiency of sorghum and accelerated the transformation process of sorghum to less than 2 months which was not observed when using BBM‐WUS. As agrobacterium effectors increase the ability of T‐DNA transfer into plant cells, we checked whether ternary vector system can additively enhance sorghum transformation. The combination of GRF4‐GIF1 with helper plasmid pVS1‐VIR2 achieved the highest transformation efficiency, reaching 38.28%, which is 7.71‐fold of the original method. Compared with BBM‐WUS, overexpressing GRF4‐GIF1 caused no noticeable growth defects in sorghum. We further developed a sorghum CRISPR/Cas9 gene‐editing tool based on this GRF4‐GIF1/ternary vector system, which achieved an average gene mutation efficiency of 41.36%, and null mutants were created in the T0 generation. Significance Statement: An accelerated and efficient transformation strategy of sorghum was established which has 38.28% efficiency in less than 2 months. The regenerated plants showed no growth defect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension is the second leading cause of end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) after diabetes mellitus. The significant differences in the incidence of hypertensive ESRD between different patient populations worldwide and patients with and without family history indicate that genetic determinants play an important role in the onset and progression of this disease. Recent studies have identified genetic variants and pathways that may contribute to the alteration of renal function. Mechanisms involved include affecting renal hemodynamics (the myogenic and tubuloglomerular feedback responses); increasing the production of reactive oxygen species in the tubules; altering immune cell function; changing the number, structure, and function of podocytes that directly cause glomerular damage. Studies with hypertensive animal models using substitution mapping and gene knockout strategies have identified multiple candidate genes associated with the development of hypertension and subsequent renal injury. Genome‐wide association studies have implicated genetic variants in UMOD, MYH9, APOL‐1, SHROOM3, RAB38, and DAB2 have a higher risk for ESRD in hypertensive patients. These findings provide genetic evidence of potential novel targets for drug development and gene therapy to design individualized treatment of hypertension and related renal injury.GWAS identified sequence variants in several genes could alter genetic susceptibility of hypertension‐induced kidney disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatment of flue‐gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum, a common solid waste material that is often affected by chloride ions, typically occupies large amounts of land, causes resource waste, and results in environmental pollution. An emission reduction process involving the dechlorination of FGD gypsum and reducing its emissions has been proposed to solve these problems. Laboratory experiments were conducted to verify the feasibility of the emission reduction process and study any differences from the conventional process. The test results indicated that the average dechlorination rate of the emission reduction process was 80.4%, which is equivalent to 97.5% of the conventional process. The average dechlorination wastewater volume of the emission reduction process was 0.22 L, which is equivalent to 4.9% of the conventional process. The results show that the emission reduction process can effectively reduce the chlorine content of FGD gypsum and its related wastewater discharge. This novel gypsum dechlorination process effectively reduces the chlorine content of FGD gypsum and related wastewater. In addition, the emission reduction process can lead to greater recovery of renewable resources and can result in a cleaner energy conversion process. This process is an alternative method for recovering residues and resources without secondary pollution. Therefore, if this technology is integrated into existing FGD facilities, costly chemical processes could be replaced by those that recover a renewable resource and incorporate a clean energy conversion process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cells use self‐assembled biomaterials such as lipid membranes or proteinaceous shells to coordinate thousands of reactions that simultaneously take place within crowded spaces. However, mimicking such spatial organization for synthetic applications in engineered systems remains a challenge, resulting in inferior catalytic efficiency. In this work, we show that protein cages as an ideal scaffold to organize enzymes to enhance cascade reactions both in vitro and in living cells. We demonstrate that not only enzyme‐enzyme distance but also the improved Km value contribute to the enhanced reaction rate of cascade reactions. Three sequential enzymes for lycopene biosynthesis have been co‐localized on the exterior of the engineered protein cages in Escherichia coli, leading to an 8.5‐fold increase of lycopene production by streamlining metabolic flux towards its biosynthesis. This versatile system offers a powerful tool to achieve enzyme spatial organization for broad applications in biocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cells use self‐assembled biomaterials such as lipid membranes or proteinaceous shells to coordinate thousands of reactions that simultaneously take place within crowded spaces. However, mimicking such spatial organization for synthetic applications in engineered systems remains a challenge, resulting in inferior catalytic efficiency. In this work, we show that protein cages as an ideal scaffold to organize enzymes to enhance cascade reactions both in vitro and in living cells. We demonstrate that not only enzyme‐enzyme distance but also the improved Km value contribute to the enhanced reaction rate of cascade reactions. Three sequential enzymes for lycopene biosynthesis have been co‐localized on the exterior of the engineered protein cages in Escherichia coli, leading to an 8.5‐fold increase of lycopene production by streamlining metabolic flux towards its biosynthesis. This versatile system offers a powerful tool to achieve enzyme spatial organization for broad applications in biocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of exercise on weight loss varies significantly among individuals, and genes play a critical role. This study aims to explore whether the FTO gene variant (rs8050136) affects the influence of exercise on weight. The study initially recruited 240 Han Chinese adults with obesity, and 178 of them (101 men, 77 women, aged from 21 to 60) completed a 12-week moderate aerobic exercise programme. The participants were genotyped and obesity-related data were collected before and after the intervention. The intensity and the amount of exercise were precisely monitored. After the intervention, most obesity-related parameters of the participants showed a significant decrease. For muscle and lean body mass, significant change was only observed in males (P < 0.001) but not females (P = 0.205, P = 0.200 respectively). Importantly, for weight and BMI loss, we observed a genotype-by-gender interaction (P = 0.041, P = 0.042 respectively, adjusted for age, exercise time and baseline value). In the further analysis, after stratified for gender, the exercise-induced weight loss (P = 0.008), BMI loss (P = 0.010), muscle mass loss (P = 0.005) and lean body mass loss (P = 0.004) showed greater decrease in male subjects carrying at least one A allele compared to non-carriers. In conclusion, our study suggests that in Han Chinese population with obesity, carrying "obese risk gene" FTO (rs8050136) does not lead to the resistance to weight management intervention. More importantly, in male subjects, carrying FTO risk allele would even lose more weight than non-carriers after exercise intervention. Highlights For Han Chinese adults with obesity, carrying "obese risk gene" FTO could still achieve weight loss through exercise. Males carrying FTO risk allele would lose more weight than non-carriers after a 12-weeks exercise programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inhibition of amyloid‐β peptide (Aβ) aggregation is a promising therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease (AD), as Aβ aggregation is generally believed to trigger AD pathology. Pre‐fibril Aβ‐oligomers induce membrane disruption and are crucial to neurotoxicity. We have previously designed a short peptide called cyclic helical amyloid surface inhibitor (cHASI) that can selectively bind to the Aβ fibril surface. Here, we use cHASI to efficiently inhibit the surface‐catalysed secondary nucleation process of Aβ in a lipid membrane environment. By incubating Aβ monomers with lipid vesicles, we show that during the assembly of Aβ into amyloid fibrils, oligomers are formed that markedly disrupt the lipid bilayer. Remarkably, when Aβ monomers are incubated with cHASI, although Aβ forms amyloid fibrils via primary nucleation and elongation, this pathway to fibrils does not damage the lipid bilayer. This indicates that only oligomers produced during secondary surface nucleation disrupt membrane integrity. The protective effect of cHASI is confirmed by cytotoxicity assays. Our study highlights the therapeutic potential for inhibiting the secondary nucleation process in Aβ aggregation, rather than inhibiting all pathways to fibril formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Viruses cause many severe diseases in both plants and animals, urging us to explore new antiviral strategies. In their natural reservoirs, viruses live and replicate while causing mild or no symptoms. Some animals, such as bats, are the predicted natural reservoir of multiple viruses, indicating that they possess broad‐spectrum antiviral capabilities. Mechanisms of host defenses against viruses are generally studied independently in plants and animals. In this article, we speculate that some antiviral strategies of natural reservoirs are conserved between kingdoms. To verify this hypothesis, we created null mutants of 10‐formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase (AtTHFS), an Arabidopsis thaliana homologue of methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase, cyclohydrolase and formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase 1 (MTHFD1), which encodes a positive regulator of viral replication in bats. We found that disruption of AtTHFS enhanced plant resistance to three different types of plant viruses, including the tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), the cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and the beet severe curly top virus (BSCTV). These results demonstrate a novel antiviral strategy for plant breeding. We further discuss the approaches used to identify and study natural reservoirs of plant viruses, especially those hosting many viruses, and highlight the possibility of discovering new antiviral strategies from them for plant molecular breeding and antiviral therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The incidence of thyroid cancer has significantly increased in the last few decades. However, diagnosis of the thyroid nodules is labor and time intensive for radiologists and strongly depends on the personal experience of the radiologists. In this pursuit, the present study envisaged to develop a deep learning‐based computer‐aided diagnosis (CAD) method that enabled the automatic detection and classification of suspicious thyroid nodules in order to reduce the unnecessary fine‐needle aspiration biopsy. Methods: The CAD method consisted of two main parts: detecting the location of thyroid nodules using a multiscale detection network and classifying the detected thyroid nodules by an attention‐based classification network. Results: The performance of the proposed method was evaluated and compared with that of other state‐of‐the‐art deep learning methods and experienced radiologists. The proposed detection method outperformed three other detection architectures (average precision, 82.1% vs. 78.3%, 77.2%, and 74.8%). Moreover, the classification method showed a superior performance compared with four other state‐of‐the‐art classification networks (accuracy, 94.8% vs. 91.2%, 85.0%, 80.8%, and 72.1%) and that by experienced radiologists (mean value of area under the curve, 0.941 vs. 0.833). Conclusions: Our study verified the high efficiency of the proposed detection method. The findings can help improve the diagnostic performance of radiologists. However, the developed CAD system requires more training and evaluation in a large‐population study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apple stem grooving virus ( ASGV) is one of the economically important latent viruses that are distributed in apple production areas worldwide. The presence of ASGV in apple trees was studied by serological assay and molecular biology methods. A total of 550 apple leaf samples from 14 different areas in Shaanxi were tested by DAS- ELISA, and the results revealed an ASGV infection level of 55%. Those samples were also examined by RT- PCR, and an infection level of 67% was found. Fourteen complete coat protein gene sequences of ASGV were obtained; phylogenetic analysis revealed that these 14 sequences separated into two clusters regardless of the geographic origin or host plants. To our knowledge, this is the first report of molecular variability analysis of ASGV in apple trees in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naphthyridinone has been reported exhibiting strong antibacterial activity. Now, this study describes a series of novel hydrochloride salts of 5,6,7,8‐tetrahydro‐1,6‐naphthyridin‐2‐(1H)‐one derivatives (10 a–10 l) as potential antibacterial agents and corresponding synthetic routes. The majority of analogues exhibit antibacterial activity against Gram‐negative bacteria (E. coli) and Gram‐positive bacteria (S. aureus). Several of them (10 a, 10 b, 10 h and 10 i) showed strongly antibacterial activity towards E. coli. Compound 10 l is also the first reported compound to exhibit quorum sensing inhibitory activity against C. violaceum ATCC 12472. The presence of quorum sensing inhibitory compound indicates its potential use in the treatment of bacterial infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Chemically durable and effective absorbent materials for selenite (SeO32−) remain highly desirable for contamination remediation. Now a bismuth‐based metal–organic framework (Bi‐MOF, CAU‐17) was used as adsorbent to capture SeO32− anions from aqueous solution with ultrahigh adsorption capacity of 255.3 mg g−1 and fast kinetics. Furthermore, the adsorbent showed excellent selectivity for SeO32− and was able to work steadily in a broad pH range of 4–11. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation, XANES modeling, and EXAFS fitting suggested that SeO32− anions were immobilized by forming Bi−O−Se bonds (T‐3 structural model) though splitting the O−Bi−O bond in the crystal structure, leading to a structural transformation of CAU‐17 in the solid state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Chemically durable and effective absorbent materials for selenite (SeO32−) remain highly desirable for contamination remediation. Now a bismuth‐based metal–organic framework (Bi‐MOF, CAU‐17) was used as adsorbent to capture SeO32− anions from aqueous solution with ultrahigh adsorption capacity of 255.3 mg g−1 and fast kinetics. Furthermore, the adsorbent showed excellent selectivity for SeO32− and was able to work steadily in a broad pH range of 4–11. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation, XANES modeling, and EXAFS fitting suggested that SeO32− anions were immobilized by forming Bi−O−Se bonds (T‐3 structural model) though splitting the O−Bi−O bond in the crystal structure, leading to a structural transformation of CAU‐17 in the solid state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: GW2 is emerging as a key genetic determinant of grain weight in cereal crops; it has three homoeologs (TaGW2‐A1, ‐B1 and ‐D1) in hexaploid common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Here, by analyzing the gene editing mutants that lack one (B1 or D1), two (B1 and D1) or all three (A1, B1 and D1) homoeologs of TaGW2, several insights are gained into the functions of TaGW2‐B1 and ‐D1 in common wheat grain traits. First, both TaGW2‐B1 and ‐D1 affect thousand‐grain weight (TGW) by influencing grain width and length, but the effect conferred by TaGW2‐B1 is stronger than that of TaGW2‐D1. Second, there exists functional interaction between TaGW2 homoeologs because the TGW increase shown by a double mutant (lacking B1 and D1) was substantially larger than that of their single mutants. Third, both TaGW2‐B1 and ‐D1 modulate cell number and length in the outer pericarp of developing grains, with TaGW2‐B1 being more potent. Finally, TaGW2 homoeologs also affect grain protein content as this parameter was generally increased in the mutants, especially in the lines lacking two or three homoeologs. Consistent with this finding, two wheat end‐use quality‐related parameters, flour protein content and gluten strength, were considerably elevated in the mutants. Collectively, our data shed light on functional difference between and additive interaction of TaGW2 homoeologs in the genetic control of grain weight and protein content traits in common wheat, which may accelerate further research on this important gene and its application in wheat improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abscisic acid ( ABA) and gibberellins ( GAs) are plant hormones which antagonistically mediate numerous physiological processes, and their optimal balance is essential for normal plant development. However, the molecular mechanism underlying ABA and GA antagonism still needs to be determined. Here, we report that ABA- INSENSITIVE 4 ( ABI4) is a central factor in GA/ ABA homeostasis and antagonism in post-germination stages. ABI4 overexpression in Arabidopsis ( OE- ABI4) leads to developmental defects including a decrease in plant height and poor seed production. The transcription of a key ABA biosynthetic gene, NCED6, and of a key GA catabolic gene, GA2ox7, is significantly enhanced by ABI4 overexpression. ABI4 activates NCED6 and GA2ox7 transcription by directly binding to the promoters, and genetic analysis revealed that mutation in these two genes partially rescues the dwarf phenotype of ABI4 overexpressing plants. Consistently, ABI4 overexpressing seedlings have a lower GA/ ABA ratio than the wild type. We further show that ABA induces GA2ox7 transcription while GA represses NCED6 expression in an ABI4-dependent manner; and that ABA stabilizes the ABI4 protein whereas GA promotes its degradation. Taken together, these results suggest that ABA and GA antagonize each other by oppositely acting on ABI4 transcript and protein levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt stress is a detrimental factor for plant growth and development. The response to salt stress has been shown to involve components in the intracellular trafficking system, as well as components of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). In this article, we have identified in Arabidopsis thaliana a little reported ubiquitin ligase involved in salt-stress response, which we named STRF1 ( Salt Tolerance RING Finger 1). STRF1 is a member of RING-H2 finger proteins and we demonstrate that it has ubiquitin ligase activity in vitro. We also show that STRF1 localizes mainly at the plasma membrane and at the intracellular endosomes. strf1-1 loss-of-function mutant seedlings exhibit accelerated endocytosis in roots, and have altered expression of several genes involved in the membrane trafficking system. Moreover, protein trafficking inhibitor, brefeldin A (BFA), treatment has increased BFA bodies in strf1-1 mutant. This mutant also showed increased tolerance to salt, ionic and osmotic stresses, reduced accumulation of reactive oxygen species during salt stress, and increased expression of AtRbohD, which encodes a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase involved in H2O2 production. We conclude that STRF1 is a membrane trafficking-related ubiquitin ligase, which helps the plant to respond to salt stress by monitoring intracellular membrane trafficking and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency and safety of combination therapy of ursodeoxycholic acid ( UDCA) and bezafibrate for primary biliary cirrhosis. A meta-analysis of all long-term randomized controlled trials comparing the combination of UDCA and bezafibrate with UDCA monotherapy was performed via electronic searches. Seven trials, which included 177 patients, were assessed. Combination therapy with UDCA and bezafibrate was more effective than UDCA monotherapy in improving liver biochemistry, alkaline phosphatase (mean difference [ MD], −146.15 IU/L; 95% confidence interval [ CI], −193.58 to −98.72; P < 0.00001), γ-glutamyltransferase ( MD, −20.64 IU/L; 95% CI, −30.86 to −10.43; P < 0.0001), immunoglobulin M ( MD, −90.96 mg/dL; 95% CI, −137.36 to −44.56; P = 0.0001) and triglycerides ( MD, −15.49 mg/dL; 95% CI, −30.25 to −0.74; P = 0.04). However, their effects on pruritus (odds ratio [ OR], 0.82; 95% CI, 0.30-2.24; P = 0.70) and alanine aminotransferase ( MD, −8.41 IU/L; 95% CI, −22.57 to 5.75; P = 0.24) did not differ significantly. This meta-analysis revealed no significant differences in the incidence of all-cause mortality ( OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.10-5.49; P = 0.75) and adverse events ( OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.07-1.84; P = 0.22) between patients treated with combination therapy and those treated with monotherapy. In this meta-analysis, combination therapy with UDCA and bezafibrate was more effective than UDCA monotherapy. Combination therapy improved liver biochemistry, but did not improve clinical symptoms, incidence of death or adverse events more effectively than monotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]