Search

Abstract Keyhole imagery documented global surface from 1960 to 1980s and has contributed to earth surface change research, while evaluation of its’ coverage spatial heterogeneity is rare. In this work the boundary vectors with attributes of all freely Keyhole images within China were obtained from USGS website to automatically investigate the spatial coverage characteristics using the ArcPy library in Python. Images were categorized into meter-level (C1), five-meter-level (C2), and ten-meter-level (C3). The resolution and spatial coverage distribution of Keyhole imagery at national and provincial levels were investigated using geostatistical and statistical methods. Combining coverage area of free imagery and the costs of non-free imagery, the cost of Keyhole datasets construction was calculated. The results indicated: (1) the coverage of C1, C2, and C3 across China was 58%, 95%, and 76%, respectively. The average number of coverages were 4.9, 4.5, and 3.6 times, respectively, with variation coefficients of 0.7, 1.3, and 1.3. All of C1, C2, and C3 imageries exhibited significant global and local spatial clustering characteristics. (3) The acquisition costs for datasets with triple coverage of C1, C2, and C3 imagery in China were 103, 103, and 23 thousand dollars, respectively. We demonstrated how the large data amount Keyhole imagery that could not analyzed manually were automatically reorganized using the metadata, to facilitate the spatial distribution and cost estimation analysis.

Abstract Aims Certain critical risk factors of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) patients were significantly different from those of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) patients, resulting in the limitations of existing predictive models in real‐world situations. This study aimed to develop a machine learning model for predicting 90 day readmission for HFpEF patients. Methods and Results Data were extracted from electronic health records from 1 August 2020 to 1 August 2021 and follow‐up records of patients with HFpEF within 3 months after discharge. Feature extraction was performed by univariate analysis combined with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithms. Machine learning models like eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), random forest, neural network and logistic regression were adopted to construct models. The discrimination and calibration of each model were compared, and the Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method was used to explore the interpretability of the model. The cohort included 746 patients, of whom 103 (13.8%) were readmitted within 90 days. XGBoost owned the best performance [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.896, precision‐recall area under the curve (PR‐AUC) = 0.868, sensitivity = 0.817, specificity = 0.837, balanced accuracy = 0.827]. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov (KS) statistic was 0.694 at 0.468 in the XGBoost model. SHAP identified the top 12 risk features, including activities of daily living (ADL), left atrial dimension (LAD), left ventricular end‐diastolic diameter (LVDD), shortness, nitrates, length of stay, nutritional risk, fall risk, accompanied by other symptoms, educational level, anticoagulants and edema. Conclusions Our model could help medical agencies achieve the early identification of 90 day readmission risk in HFpEF patients and reveal risk factors that provide valuable insights for treatments.

Abstract Background Migraine is a common neurological disorder with a strong genetic component. Despite the identification of over 100 loci associated with migraine susceptibility through genome-wide association studies (GWAS), the underlying causative genes and biological mechanisms remain predominantly elusive. Methods The FinnGen R10 dataset, consisting of 333,711 subjects (20,908 cases and 312,803 controls), was utilized in conjunction with the Genotype-Tissue Expression Project (GTEx) v8 EQTls files to conduct cross-tissue transcriptome association studies (TWAS). Functional Summary-based Imputation (FUSION) was employed to validate these findings in single tissues. Additionally, candidate susceptibility genes were screened using Gene Analysis combined with Multi-marker Analysis of Genomic Annotation (MAGMA). Subsequent Mendelian randomization (MR) and colocalization analyses were conducted. Furthermore, GeneMANIA analysis was employed to enhance our understanding of the functional implications of these susceptibility genes. Results We identified a total of 19 susceptibility genes associated with migraine in the cross-tissue TWAS analysis. Two novel susceptibility genes, REV1 and SREBF2, were validated through both single tissue TWAS and MAGMA analysis. Mendelian randomization and colocalization analyses further confirmed these findings. REV1 may reduce the migraine risk by regulating DNA damage repair, while SREBF2 may increase the risk of migraine by regulating cholesterol metabolism. Conclusion Our study identified two novel genes whose predicted expression was associated with the risk of migraine, providing new insights into the genetic framework of migraine.

IntroductionThe prevalence of male infertility has been increasing globally, necessitating the search for safe and nontoxic active compounds to alleviate reproductive dysfunction. Although the precise mechanism remains unknown, Cynomorium songaricum Rupr. (CS) extract has protective effects on the reproductive system. The effect of C. songaricum Rupr. flavonoids (CSF) on reproductive injury and testicular mesenchymal stem cell viability in male mice and TM3 cells was investigated.MethodsWe explored the possible association between these effects and the testosterone (T) synthesis pathway. Mice were administered cyclophosphamide to induce reproductive damage, followed by CSF administration. Body mass and organ index were recorded. Pathological changes in T and the epididymis were observed using hematoxylin-eosin staining. ELISA measured the serum levels of T, luteinizing hormone (LH), gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and estradiol (E2) in mice. Fructose and zinc ion levels in the seminal plasma were measured. TM3 cells were treated with Bisphenol A (BPA) and different concentrations of CSF, followed by proliferative evaluations using the CCK-8 assay and T and LH level assessments using ELISA. Furthermore, the expression of steroidogenic enzyme genes and proteins was investigated using western blotting and RT-PCR.ResultsCSF exhibited a notable reduction in reproductive damage and improved pathological changes in testicular and epididymal tissues. CSF group demonstrated substantially higher levels of seminal plasma fructose and zinc ions; markedly elevated serum levels of T, LH, GnRH, and FSH; and lower levels of E2 than those of the model group. Intracellular T content and secretion of T and LH increase with CSF while effectively mitigating BPA-induced damage to TM3 cells. CSF group exhibited substantially higher gene and protein expression of steroidogenic enzymes than those of the model group, both in vivo and in vitro. CSF ameliorates reproductive impairment by enhancing the expression of pivotal enzymes involved in synthesizing T.DiscussionCSF ameliorates cyclophosphamide-induced reproductive impairment and bisphenol A-induced TM3 cell damage in mice by regulating sex hormone levels in the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis (HPG axis) and upregulating the expression of steroidogenic enzymes. Therefore, CS is a potential treatment for male reproductive impairment.

Objective: To establish a mouse model of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis and assess the potential therapeutic benefits of D-serine supplementation in mitigating synaptic plasticity impairments induced by anti-NMDAR antibodies. Methods: Anti-NMDAR antibodies were purified from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of patients diagnosed with anti-NMDAR encephalitis and verified using a cell-based assay. CSF from patients with non-inflammatory neurological diseases served as the control. These antibodies were then injected intraventricularly into C57BL/6 mice. Forty-eight hours following the injection, mice were administered either D-serine (500 mg/kg) or sterile saline intraperitoneally for three consecutive days. Subsequent analyses included Western blotting, immunofluorescence, electrophysiological studies, and a series of behavioral tests to assess pathological changes caused by anti-NMDAR antibodies. Results: Mice injected with anti-NMDAR antibodies exhibited a significant reduction in hippocampal long-term potentiation compared to controls, which was notably ameliorated by D-serine treatment. Additionally, these mice displayed decreased levels of hippocampal membrane NMDAR1 protein and postsynaptic NMDAR1 density. However, D-serine administration did not significantly alter these conditions. Notably, no significant behavioral differences were observed between mice injected with anti-NMDAR antibodies and controls in open fields, elevated plus maze, novel object recognition, or Morris water maze tests. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that exogenous D-serine can improve hippocampal plasticity impairments caused by anti-NMDAR antibodies but does not reverse the decreased expression of NMDAR. Furthermore, a single intraventricular injection of patients’ antibodies was insufficient to induce anti-NMDAR encephalitis-related behaviors in mice.

Abstract Early postnatal alcohol exposure can have negative impacts on neonatal rat brain development and function. Our research explored the impacts of alcohol exposure from postnatal day 4 to PD9 on Sprague‒Dawley rat pups. Pups were intragastrically administered with either an alcohol milk solution or a pure milk solution twice daily. On PD10, brains were analyzed via histological and biochemical methods. Alcohol exposure led to growth impairment, behavioral abnormalities, and cognitive deficits. It also reduced microglial numbers in the hippocampus while activating the remaining microglia to secrete IL‐6. In addition, alcohol induced the upregulation of pro‐apoptotic factors and downregulation of the anti‐apoptotic protein BCL‐2 in the hippocampus by activating the JAK/STAT/SOCS3 signaling pathway. Similar effects were observed in vitro when BV‐2 cells were exposed to ethanol and HT‐22 cells were exposed to IL‐6. The drug AG490, a STAT3 inhibitor, mitigated IL‐6‐induced JAK/STAT activation and neuronal apoptosis in HT‐22 cells. Overall, these findings demonstrate that early‐life alcohol exposure triggers an inflammatory microglial response involving the release of IL‐6, which activates JAK/STAT signaling, leading to hippocampal neuronal apoptosis and developmental/cognitive impairments. AG490 may disrupt this inflammatory signaling cascade and cause neuronal damage.

Activating tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1) with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) is one of the key pathological mechanisms resulting in the exacerbation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) immune response. Despite various types of drugs being available for the treatment of RA, a series of shortcomings still limits their application. Therefore, developing novel peptide drugs that target TNFα-TNFR1 interaction is expected to expand therapeutic drug options. In this study, the detailed interaction mechanism between TNFα and TNFR1 was elucidated, based on which, a series of linear peptides were initially designed. To overcome its large conformational flexibility, two different head-to-tail cyclization strategies were adopted by adding a proline-glycine (GP) or cysteine-cysteine (CC) to form an amide or disulfide bond between the N-C terminal. The results indicate that two cyclic peptides, R1_CC4 and α_CC8, exhibit the strongest binding free energies. α_CC8 was selected for further optimization using virtual mutations through in vitro activity and toxicity experiments due to its optimal biological activity. The L16R mutant was screened, and its binding affinity to TNFR1 was validated using ELISA assays. This study designed a novel cyclic peptide structure with potential anti-inflammatory properties, possibly bringing an additional choice for the treatment of RA in the future.

Fusarium head blight (FHB), a disease inflicted by Fusarium graminearum and F. asiaticum, poses a growing threat to wheat in China, particularly in the face of climate change and evolving agricultural practices. This study unveiled the discovery of the victorivirus FgVV2 from the F. asiaticum strain F16176 and comprehensively characterized the function of the two victoriviruses FaVV1 and FaVV2 in virulence. Through comparative analysis with a virus-free strain, we established that these mycoviruses markedly repress the sexual reproduction and pathogenicity of their fungal hosts. Furthermore, we synthesized the coat protein (CP) genes CP1 from FaVV1 and CP2 from FaVV2, which were fused with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene and successfully expressed in Fusarium strains in wild-type isolates of F. asiaticum and F. graminearum. Similar to virus-infected strains, the transformed strains expressing CPs showed a significant decrease in perithecia formation and pathogenicity. Notably, CP2 exhibited a stronger inhibitory effect than CP1, yet the suppression of sexual reproduction in F. graminearum was less pronounced than that in F. asiaticum. Additionally, the pathogenicity of the F. asiaticum and F. graminearum strains expressing CP1 or CP2 was substantially diminished against wheat heads. The GFP-tagged CP1 and CP2 revealed distinct cellular localization patterns, suggesting various mechanisms of interaction with the host. The findings of this study provide a significant research foundation for the study of the interaction mechanisms between FaVV1 and FaVV2 with their hosts, as well as for the exploration and utilization of fungal viral resources.

Extended exposure to UVB (280–315 nm) radiation results in oxidative damage and inflammation of the skin. Previous research has demonstrated that pilose antler extracts have strong anti-inflammatory properties and possess antioxidant effects. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanism of pilose antler protein in repairing photodamage caused by UVB radiation in HaCaT cells and ICR mice. Pilose antler protein (PAP) was found to increase the expression of type I collagen and hyaluronic acid in HaCaT cells under UVB irradiation while also inhibiting reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and oxidative stress in vitro. In vivo, the topical application of pilose antler protein effectively attenuated UVB-induced skin damage in ICR mice by reducing interleukin-1β (IL-β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and inhibiting skin inflammation while alleviating UVB-induced oxidative stress. It was shown that pilose antler protein repaired UVB-induced photodamage through the MAPK and TGF-β/Smad pathways.

The efficient fault detection (FD) of traction control systems (TCSs) is crucial for ensuring the safe operation of high-speed trains. Transient faults (TFs) can arise due to prolonged operation and harsh environmental conditions, often being masked by background noise, particularly during dynamic operating conditions. Moreover, acquiring a sufficient number of samples across the entire scenario presents a challenging task, resulting in imbalanced data for FD. To address these limitations, an unsupervised transfer learning (TL) method via federated Cycle-Flow adversarial networks (CFANs) is proposed to effectively detect TFs under various operating conditions. Firstly, a CFAN is specifically designed for extracting latent features and reconstructing data in the source domain. Subsequently, a transfer learning framework employing federated CFANs collectively adjusts the modified knowledge resulting from domain alterations. Finally, the designed federated CFANs execute transient FD by constructing residuals in the target domain. The efficacy of the proposed methodology is demonstrated through comparative experiments.

Plasmodiophora brassicae is an obligate intracellular parasitic protist that causes clubroot disease on cruciferous plants. So far, some low-molecular-weight secreted proteins from P. brassicae have been reported to play an important role in plant immunity regulation, but there are few reports on its high-molecular-weight secreted proteins. In this study, 35 putative high-molecular-weight secreted proteins (>300 amino acids) of P. brassicae (PbHMWSP) genes that are highly expressed during the infection stage were identified using transcriptome analysis and bioinformatics prediction. Then, the secretory activity of 30 putative PbHMWSPs was confirmed using the yeast signal sequence trap system. Furthermore, the genes encoding 24 PbHMWSPs were successfully cloned and their functions in plant immunity were studied. The results showed that ten PbHMWSPs could inhibit flg22-induced reactive oxygen burst, and ten PbHMWSPs significantly inhibited the expression of the SA signaling pathway marker gene PR1a. In addition, nine PbHMWSPs could inhibit the expression of a marker gene of the JA signaling pathway. Therefore, a total of 19 of the 24 tested PbHMWSPs played roles in suppressing the immune response of plants. Of these, it is worth noting that PbHMWSP34 can inhibit the expression of JA, ET, and several SA signaling pathway marker genes. The present study is the first to report the function of the high-molecular-weight secreted proteins of P. brassicae in plant immunity, which will enrich the theory of interaction mechanisms between the pathogens and plants.

In recent years, small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have emerged as a new player in the realm of cancer therapeutics. Their unique capacity to directly modulate genetic networks and target oncogenes positions them as valuable complements to existing small-molecule drugs. Concurrently, the advancement of small ncRNA-based therapeutics has rekindled the pursuit of efficacious in vivo delivery strategies. In this review, we provide an overview of the most current clinical and preclinical studies in the field of small ncRNA-based cancer therapeutics. Furthermore, we shed light on the pivotal challenges hindering the successful translation of these promising therapies into clinical practice, with a specific focus on delivery methods, aiming to stimulate innovative approaches to address this foundational aspect of cancer treatment.

Background: The development of anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis following viral encephalitis, such as Japanese encephalitis, has received increasing attention in recent years. However, the mechanism of anti-NMDAR antibody production following Japanese encephalitis has not been explored. Methods: A peptide from the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), which shares a similar amino acid sequence with GluN1, was identified by sequence comparison. We then explored whether active subcutaneous immunization with the JEV peptide could induce the production of anti-NMDAR antibodies and related pathophysiological and behavioral changes in mice. In addition, a published active immune model of anti-NMDAR encephalitis using a GluN1 peptide was used as the positive control. Results: A 6-amino-acid sequence with 83 % similarity between the envelope protein of the JEV (HGTVVI) and GluN1 (NGTHVI) was identified, and the sequence included the N368/G369 region. Active immunization with the JEV peptide induced a substantial and specific immune response in mice. However, anti-NMDAR antibodies were not detected in the serum of mice immunized with the JEV peptide by ELISA, CBA, and TBA. Moreover, mice immunized with the JEV peptide presented no abnormities related to anti-NMDAR antibodies according to western blotting, patch clamp, and a series of behavioral tests. In addition, active immunization with a recently reported GluN1 peptide failed to induce anti-NMDAR antibody production in mice. Conclusions: In this study, the attempt of active immunization with the JEV peptide to induce the production of anti-NMDAR antibodies via molecular mimicry failed. The pathogenesis of anti-NMDAR encephalitis following Japanese encephalitis remains to be elucidated.

Abstract Background High-order chromatin structure plays important roles in gene regulation. However, the diversity of the three-dimensional (3D) genome across plant accessions are seldom reported. Results Here, we perform the pan-3D genome analysis using Hi-C sequencing data from 27 soybean accessions and comprehensively investigate the relationships between 3D genomic variations and structural variations (SVs) as well as gene expression. We find that intersection regions between A/B compartments largely contribute to compartment divergence. Topologically associating domain (TAD) boundaries in A compartments exhibit significantly higher density compared to those in B compartments. Pan-3D genome analysis shows that core TAD boundaries have the highest transcription start site (TSS) density and lowest GC content and repeat percentage. Further investigation shows that non-long terminal repeat (non-LTR) retrotransposons play important roles in maintaining TAD boundaries, while Gypsy elements and satellite repeats are associated with private TAD boundaries. Moreover, presence and absence variation (PAV) is found to be the major contributor to 3D genome variations. Nevertheless, approximately 55% of 3D genome variations are not associated with obvious genetic variations, and half of them affect the flanking gene expression. In addition, we find that the 3D genome may also undergo selection during soybean domestication. Conclusion Our study sheds light on the role of 3D genomes in plant genetic diversity and provides a valuable resource for studying gene regulation and genome evolution.

Abstract Purpose Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) has been considered to be related to metabolic related diseases, such as hyperuricemia, obesity, and diabetes mellitus. However, whether nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is related to RBP4 is unclear. Previous studies on the relationship between NAFLD and RBP4 levels have yielded inconsistent results. Hence, this meta-analysis was aimed to clarify whether circulating RBP4 levels are in relation to the risk of NAFLD. Methods A meta-analysis was performed by applying observational studies to evaluate circulating RBP4 levels and NAFLD. Eligible studies published up to September 23, 2022, were searched in Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane databases. Results In this study, 17 cross-sectional studies involving 8423 participants were included. Results from a random effects model showed that circulating RBP4 levels were higher in NAFLD patients than non-NAFLD (standardized mean difference (SMD) 0.28; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.11–0.46, I2: 89.8%). This association was confirmed in the Yellow race. However, no significant association was noted in the Caucasian race. After excluding the morbidly obese Population from the weight loss study (n = 2), the results of the comparison remained largely unchanged (SMD 0.28; 95% CI: 0.10–0.47, I2: 90.8%). Remarkable publication bias was not found. Although considerable heterogeneity was observed among the studies, no potential sources of heterogeneity were found in the subgroup analysis. Diagnostic methods for NAFLD were determined to be a potential source of statistical heterogeneity in meta-regression. Conclusion The findings provide evidence that NAFLD patients exhibit higher levels of circulating RBP4 compared with controls, but high heterogeneity was observed. Thus, a high RBP4 level is probably a potential risk factor for NAFLD. To confirm the causal link between NAFLD and RBP4 level of causality, further prospective cohort studies are needed.

This paper presents a novel method for registering panoramic images and 3D point clouds using the shape of the overall ground object in the scene as registration primitives. Firstly, a semantic segmentation method is applied to the panoramic image to extract the ground object and remove the sky. Next, the cloth simulation filtering algorithm (CSF) is employed to eliminate the ground points in the 3D point cloud. The remaining 3D ground objects are then projected onto a two-dimensional plane using the imaging model of the panoramic camera to obtain the registration primitives. Finally, we adopt the whale algorithm to perform a coarse-to-fine registration, utilizing overlap degree and mutual information as the similarity measures. The proposed method is evaluated in four different scenes and compared with the other four registration methods. The results demonstrate that the proposed method is accurate and effective, with an average registration error of 11.48 pixels (image resolution is $11000\times 5500$ pixels) compared to the EOPs of the system of 101.67 pixels.

GDP-mannose transporters (GMTs) have been implicated in the virulence of some important pathogenic fungi, and guanosine diphosphate (GDP) mannose transporters transport GDP-mannose from the cytosol to the Golgi lumen prior to mannosylation, where mannose attaches to the modified protein. GMTs could be potential targets for new antifungal drugs, as disruption of any step in GDP-mannose biosynthesis can affect fungal viability, growth, or virulence. To date, the GDP-mannose transporter has been extensively studied in yeast, but its biological function in fungi, particularly F. graminearum, is still unclear. In this experimental study, the role of the GDP-mannose transporter in F. graminearum was investigated by analysing the VRG4 gene. FgGmtA and FgGmtB were blastp-derived from their Scvrg4 protein sequences and proved to be their functional homologues. The mutant and complementary strains of FgGmtA, FgGmtB and FgGmtA&B genes were generated and used to evaluate the effect of the two GMTs genes on mycelial growth, asexual reproduction, sexual reproduction, cell wall sensitivity, glyphosate synthesis and drug susceptibility. Only in the FgGmtB and FgGmtA&B mutants was the rate of mycelial growth slowed, conidium production increased, sexual reproduction impaired, cell wall sensitivity increased, glycemic content decreased, and drug sensitivity reduced. The results of the pathogenicity assessment of GMTs showed that only FgGmtB affects the patogenicity of F. graminearum. At the same time, the effect of GMTs on the ability of rhinoceros to synthesise DON toxins was investigated and the results showed that the ability of ΔFgGmtB and ΔFgGmtA&B mutants to produce the DON toxin was significantly reduced, and the expression of toxin-related genes was also reduced.

Tourist maps provide tourists with destination information that reflects their unique characteristics and cultural connotations and play an important role in attracting tourists and serving marketing purposes. However, existing designs of tourist maps often ignore the importance of cultural resource selection and the relationship between maps and structural linguistics, thereby affecting the narrative function and representativeness of tourist maps. This study utilizes the local chronicle as a data source and proposes a novel visual narrative framework (VNF) for tourist maps. The VNF combines Todorov’s narrative hierarchy and Roth’s visual storytelling tropes to establish a mapping between map elements and narrative elements. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the VNF, the Songshan Scenic Area was selected as a case study. By applying the VNF, highly characteristic and meaningful colors, figurative hand-painted symbols, and scene symbols are selected and integrated into the map design to enhance the artistic value and narrative of the map. This framework reveals the potential cultural value of local chronicles and can serve as a reference for other historical tourist cities, contributing to the preservation of local cultural heritage.

Abstract Reasonable districting plays an important role in the patrolling process. In this paper, workload attributes are considered, and a mixed integer programming model is developed to solve the street patrol districting problem (SPDP). The improved spectral clustering algorithm named spectral clustering algorithm based on the road network (SCRn) and simulated annealing algorithm (SA) are combined. This results in a hybrid algorithm called SCRn-SA. The SCRn-SA algorithm is tested on small examples and real instances in Zhengzhou, China. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is effective for solving SPDP. It has better performance when compared to other advanced algorithms.

Abstract ERBB3, a member of the ERBB family of receptor tyrosine kinases, plays an important role in cancer, despite its lack of intrinsic carcinogenic mechanism of cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC). Research on bioinformatics methods through multi-omics, this work proves that ERBB3 gene mutation, methylation modification have extensive regulatory mechanisms on the CESC microenvironment. We found that ERBB3 is involved in carcinogenesis of cervical cancer and is not associated with its prognosis. The carcinogenic mechanism is mainly related to the suppression of the immune system between tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and the methylation of the RNA level. Our study indicated ERBB3 is more likely to be a carcinogenic factor than a key prognostic factor for cervical cancer. Methylation of ERBB3 may work as a checkpoint immunotherapy target in CESC, DNA methylation modification of the 4480 base pair downstream of ERBB3 transcription initiation site was the highest.

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that exposure to air particulate matter (PM) increases the incidence of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and exerts a significant neurotoxic effect on the nervous system, especially on the immature nervous system. Here, we selected PND28 rats to simulate the immature nervous system of young children and used neurobehavioral methods to examine how exposure to PM affected spatial learning and memory, as well as electrophysiology, molecular biology, and bioinformatics to study the morphology of hippocampus and the function of hippocampal synapses. We discovered that spatial learning and memory were impaired in rats exposed to PM. The morphology and structure of the hippocampus were altered in the PM group. In addition, after exposure to PM, the relative expression of synaptophysin (SYP) and postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95) proteins decreased dramatically in rats. Furthermore, PM exposure impaired long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampal Schaffer-CA1 pathway. Interestingly, RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis revealed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were rich in terms associated with synaptic function. Five hub genes (Agt, Camk2a, Grin2a, Snca, and Syngap1) that may play a significant role in the dysfunctionality of hippocampal synapses were identified.Our findings implied that exposure to PM impaired spatial learning and memory via exerting impacts on the dysfunctionality of hippocampal synapses in juvenile rats and that Agt, Camk2a, Grin2a, Snca, and Syngap1 may drive PM-caused synaptic dysfunction.

Cervical cancer is still an important problem perplexing health management in developing countries. Previous studies have shown that cervical cancer cells show markers of aerobic glycolysis, suggesting that these tumors may secrete lactic acid. Through the biological characterization of lactate gene in tumor and its relationship with immune cells in tumor microenvironment, a lactate scoring system capable of evaluating cancer prognosis was constructed to explore the molecular mechanism of lactate metabolism disorder affecting prognosis. 29 hub genes in this study were differentially expressed in cervical cancer, including 24 genes related to lactate metabolism, LDHA in Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) group, SLC16A3 in Monocarboxylate transporters (MCT) group and three Histone lactation modification related genes (EP300, ACAT1, ACACA). More importantly, we found that from an epigenetic point of view, histone lactation plays an important role in the pathogenesis and prognosis of cervical cancer. Mainly affect the prognosis of the disease through changes in the infiltration of plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell (pDC) and Central Memory T cell (Tcm) in the tumor immune microenvironment. Lactate inhibition may be a useful tool for anticancer therapy.

BackgroundThe CorA / MGT / MRS2 family proteins are an important group of magnesium transporter proteins that maintain magnesium ion homeostasis in plant cells. However, little is known about the MGT functions in wheat.MethodsThe known MGT sequences were used as queries to BlastP against wheat genome IWGSC RefSeq v2.1 assembly (E-value

Few studies have examined the association between dietary quality and the risk of developmental disabilities (DDs). This study aimed to investigate the association between dietary quality and the risk of DDs in US children aged 5 to 15. We employed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2018. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between HEI-2015 score, HEI component score, and the likelihood of DDs. Restricted cubic splines (RCS) were utilized to investigate nonlinear links between HEI-2015 score and the likelihood of DDs. Interaction analysis was utilized to explore differences between subgroups. HEI-2015 score was negatively linked with the risk of DDs after adjusting covariates [odds ratio (OR) = 0.99; 95% confidence interval (CI) = (0.98, 1.00)]. HEI-2015 score was separated by quartile into Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4. Q1 represents the lowest HEI scores, while Q4 represents the highest HEI scores. Children in the fourth quartile of the HEI-2015 exhibited a decreased prevalence of DDs compared to those in the first quartile [(OR = 0.69; 95% CI = (0.53, 0.89)]. The association between HEI-2015 score and the risk of DDs was modified by race/ethnicity. The higher HEI-2015 score was associated with a lower risk of DDs, suggesting that better dietary quality may reduce the risk of DDs in children.

Sharp eyespot is a crucial disease affecting cereal plants, such as bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare), and is primarily caused by the pathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia cerealis. As disease severity has increased, it has become imperative to find an effective and reasonable control strategy. One such strategy is the use of the trehalose analog, validamycin, which has been shown to have a potent inhibitory effect on several trehalases found in both insects and fungi, and is widely used as a fungicide in agriculture. In this study, we demonstrated that 0.5 μg/mL validamycin on PDA plates had an inhibitory effect on R. cerealis strain R0301, but had no significant impact on Fusarium graminearum strain PH-1. Except for its inhibiting the trehalase activity of pathogenic fungi, little is known about its mechanism of action. Six trehalase genes were identified in the genome of R. cerealis, including one neutral trehalase and five acidic trehalase genes. Enzyme activity assays indicated that treatment with 5 μg/mL validamycin significantly reduces trehalase activity, providing evidence that validamycin treatment does indeed affect trehalase, even though the expression levels of most trehalase genes, except Rc17406, were not obviously affected. Transcriptome analysis revealed that treatment with validamycin downregulated genes involved in metabolic processes, ribosome biogenesis, and pathogenicity in the R. cerealis. KEGG pathway analysis further showed that validamycin affected genes related to the MAPK signaling pathway, with a significant decrease in ribosome synthesis and assembly. In conclusion, our results indicated that validamycin not only inhibits trehalose activity, but also affects the ribosome synthesis and MAPK pathways of R. cerealis, leading to the suppression of fungal growth and pesticidal effects. This study provides novel insights into the mechanism of action of validamycin.

In parallel with the rapid rise in breast cancer incidence, there is also a noticeable rise in the number of patients who experience persistent negative body image cognition after breast cancer surgery. This study aimed to explore the differences in illness perception, social support, and body image cognition among breast cancer patients with different surgical methods, and the correlation, regression, and mediation among the three variables. The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ), the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) and the Body Image Cognition after Breast Cancer Questionnaire (BIBCQ) were used to evaluate breast cancer patients’ illness perception, social support and body image cognition. Data analyses were performed by descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation, and linear regression. The mediation was explored by the PROCESS V3.3. The study found that breast cancer patients undergoing radical mastectomy (RM) and modified radical mastectomy (MRM) demonstrated more negative illness perception, body image cognition, and lower social support compared with the patients receiving nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM; p

As one of the crucial targets of epigenetics, histone lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) is significant in the occurrence and development of various tumors. Although several irreversible covalent LSD1 inhibitors have entered clinical trials, the large size and polarity of the FAD-binding pocket and undesired toxicity have focused interest on developing reversible LSD1 inhibitors. In this study, targeting the substrate-binding pocket of LSD1, structure-based and ligand-based virtual screenings were adopted to expand the potential novel structures with molecular docking and pharmacophore model strategies, respectively. Through drug-likeness evaluation, ADMET screening, molecular dynamics simulations, and binding free energy screening, we screened out one and four hit compounds from the databases of 2,029,554 compounds, respectively. Generally, these hit compounds can be divided into two categories, amide (Lig2 and Comp2) and 1,2,4-triazolo-4,3-α-quinazoline (Comp3, Comp4, Comp7). Among them, Comp4 exhibits the strongest binding affinity. Finally, the binding mechanisms of the hit compounds were further calculated in detail by the residue free energy decomposition. It was found that van der Waals interactions contribute most to the binding, and FAD is also helpful in stabilizing the binding and avoiding off-target effects. We believe this work not only provides a solid theoretical foundation for the design of LSD1 substrate reversible inhibitors, but also expands the diversity of parent nucleus, offering new insights for synthetic chemists.

Geographically weighted regression (GWR) is a classical method for estimating nonstationary relationships. Notwithstanding the great potential of the model for processing geographic data, its large-scale application still faces the challenge of high computational costs. To solve this problem, we proposed a computationally efficient GWR method, called K-Nearest Neighbors Geographically weighted regression (KNN-GWR). First, it utilizes a k-dimensional tree (KD tree) strategy to improve the speed of finding observations around the regression points, and, to optimize the memory complexity, the submatrices of neighbors are extracted from the matrix of the sample dataset. Next, the optimal bandwidth is found by referring to the spatial clustering relationship explained by K-means. Finally, the performance and accuracy of the proposed KNN-GWR method was evaluated using a simulated dataset and a Chinese house price dataset. The results demonstrated that the KNN-GWR method achieved computational efficiency thousands of times faster than existing GWR algorithms, while ensuring accuracy and significantly improving memory optimization. To the best of our knowledge, this method was able to run hundreds of thousands or millions of data on a standard computer, which can inform improvement in the efficiency of local regression models.

Flavonoids possess the latent ability to protect against sleep disorders. We examined the correlation between daily flavonoid intake and sleep duration, and sleep disorders. We enrolled 8216 participants aged ≥ 20 from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2007–2010), carrying out a cross-sectional study. Flavonoid intake was collected by dietary intake interview recalls. Logistic regression was utilized to evaluate the association between flavonoid intake sleep duration, and sleep disorders. We used subgroup and interaction analysis to explore differences between subgroups. When adjusting covariates in model 2, anthocyanidins, flavan-3-ols, flavones, flavonols, and the sum of flavonoids were considerably related to insufficient sleep duration (odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval (CI)); 0.83 (0.72, 0.95); 0.91 (0.83, 0.98); 0.63 (0.41, 0.98); 0.78 (0.64, 0.94); 0.85 (0.76, 0.95), respectively); the converse association was observed between flavanones, and flavones and the risk of sleep disorders (OR (95% CI); 0.85 (0.77, 0.95); 0.61 (0.41, 0.90), respectively). In relation to insufficient sleep, there were statistically significant interactions between flavonoid consumption and race/ethnicity, and education level. In relation to insufficient sleep, there were statistically significant interactions between flavonoid consumption and working status. In this study, we found that certain flavonoids were linked to increased sleep duration and a lower risk of sleep problems. Our research indicated that flavonoids might be a preventive factor for sleep disorders.

By blocking the DEK protein, DEK-targeted aptamers (DTAs) can reduce the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) to reveal a strong anti-inflammatory efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis. However, the poor stability of DTA has greatly limited its clinical application. Thus, in order to design an aptamer with better stability, DTA was modified by methoxy groups (DTA_OMe) and then the exact DEK–DTA interaction mechanisms were explored through theoretical calculations. The corresponding 2′-OCH3-modified nucleotide force field was established and the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed. It was proved that the 2′-OCH3-modification could definitely enhance the stability of DTA on the premise of comparative affinity. Furthermore, the electrostatic interaction contributed the most to the binding of DEK–DTA, which was the primary interaction to maintain stability, in addition to the non-specific interactions between positively-charged residues (e.g., Lys and Arg) of DEK and the negatively-charged phosphate backbone of aptamers. The H-bond network analysis reminded that eight bases could be mutated to probably enhance the affinity of DTA_OMe. Therein, replacing the 29th base from cytosine to thymine of DTA_OMe was theoretically confirmed to be with the best affinity and even better stability. These research studies imply to be a promising new aptamer design strategy for the treatment of inflammatory arthritis.

Parallel evolution of reproductive isolation (PERI) provides strong evidence for natural selection playing a fundamental role in the origin of species. However, PERI has been rarely demonstrated for well established species drawn from different genera. In particular, parallel molecular signatures for the same genes in response to similar habitat divergence in such different lineages is lacking. Here, based on whole-genome sequencing data, we first explore the speciation process in two sister species of Carpinus (Betulaceae) in response to divergence for temperature and soil-iron concentration in habitats they occupy in northern and southwestern China, respectively. We then determine whether parallel molecular mutations occur during speciation in this pair of species and also in another sister-species pair of the related genus, Ostryopsis, which occupy similarly divergent habitats in China. We show that gene flow occurred during the origin of both pairs of sister species since approximately 9.8 or approximately 2 million years ago, implying strong natural selection during divergence. Also, in both species pairs we detected concurrent positive selection in a gene (LHY) for flowering time and in two paralogous genes (FRO4 and FRO7) of a gene family known to be important for iron tolerance. These changes were in addition to changes in other major genes related to these two traits. The different alleles of these particular candidate genes possessed by the sister species of Carpinus were functionally tested and indicated likely to alter flowering time and iron tolerance as previously demonstrated in the pair of Ostryopsis sister species. Allelic changes in these genes may have effectively resulted in high levels of prezygotic reproductive isolation to evolve between sister species of each pair. Our results show that PERI can occur in different genera at different timescales and involve similar signatures of molecular evolution at genes or paralogues of the same gene family, causing reproductive isolation as a consequence of adaptation to similarly divergent habitats.

Pyxinol skeleton is a promising framework of anti-inflammatory agents formed in the human liver from 20S-protopanaxadiol, the main active aglycone of ginsenosides. In the present study, a new series of amino acid-containing derivatives were produced from 12-dehydropyxinol, a pyxinol oxidation metabolite, and its anti-inflammatory activity was assessed using an NO inhibition assay. Interestingly, the dehydrogenation at C-12 of pyxinol derivatives improved their potency greatly. Furthermore, half of the derivatives exhibited better NO inhibitory activity than hydrocortisone sodium succinate, a glucocorticoid drug. The structure–activity relationship analysis indicated that the kinds of amino acid residues and their hydrophilicity influenced the activity to a great extent, as did R/S stereochemistry at C-24. Of the various derivatives, 5c with an N-Boc-protected phenylalanine residue showed the highest NO inhibitory activity and relatively low cytotoxicity. Moreover, derivative 5c could dose-dependently suppress iNOS, IL-1β, and TNF-α via the MAPK and NF-κB pathways, but not the GR pathway. Overall, pyxinol derivatives hold potential for application as anti-inflammatory agents.

In this paper we study the climate change characteristics of rainstorm and risk assessment of rainstorm rainfall in Jinshan of Shanghai in recent 60 years with the daily rain data at Jinshan meteorological station from 1959 to 2016 by the methods of abrupt change test, morlet wavelet and so on. The results are as follows. (1) The rainstorm days had been increasing and rainstorm intensity had been increasing indistinctively in Jinshan in recent 60 years. The mutation of rainstorm days from low to high occurred in 1988. The first date of rainstorm had tended to occur early in the recent 60 years. Jinshan had been into the early occurrence stage of rainstorm since 1990s. The last date of rainstorm had tended to occur lately since the 21st century. (2) The risk probability and disaster intensity were the highest for typhoon rainstorm, followed by low pressure rainstorm. The high risk levels of warm sector rainstorm, stationary front rainstorm, low pressure rainstorm and typhoon rainstorm were 50-75 mm, 50-75 mm, 50-90 mm and 50-100 mm, respectively. The corresponding risk probabilities were 28.4%-100%, 28.9%-100%, 32.3%-100% and 33.6%-100%, respectively.

This study was initiated to determine the interaction between two infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) strains in the early stages of infection by detection and quantification of IBDV RNA in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues. SPF chickens were inoculated with single infection or dual infection by the mild strain B87 followed by the pathogenic strain BC6/85 at 0, 1, 2, and 3 days post-inoculation (dpi) with B87. Real-time RT-PCR assays were developed to examine the viral loads of the tissues collected at various time intervals. The results reveal that B87 could delay the time point of positive detection of the BC6/85 strain in the bursa of Fabricius from 1 dpi to 3 dpi, indicating that B87 interfered with the replication of BC6/85. The interference occurred when BC6/85 was inoculated at 2 dpi and 3 dpi with the B87 strain. Moreover, BC6/85 could affect the proliferation and duration of B87 in SPF chickens. The rates of positive detection for B87 decreased significantly during dual infection. The investigation of the interaction between the two strains is important for the implementation of appropriate control measures.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), which is defined as a condition causing the gradual loss of kidney function, shows renal lipid droplet (LD) accumulation that is associated with oxidative damage. There is a possibility that an LD abnormality in quality plays a role in CKD development. This study aimed to explore the chemical composition of LDs that are induced in human kidney cells during exposure to free fatty acids as an LD source and oxidized lipoproteins as oxidative stress. The LDs were aspirated directly from cells using nanotips, followed by in-tip microextraction, and the LD lipidomic profiling was conducted using nanoelectrospray mass spectrometry. As a result, the free fatty acids increased the LD lipid content and, at the same time, changed their composition significantly. The oxidized lipoproteins caused distorted proportions of intact lipids, such as triacylglycerols (TG), phosphatidylcholines (PC), phosphatidylethanolamines (PE), and cholesteryl esters (CE). Notably, the oxidized lipids, including the hydroperoxides of TG, PC, and PE, exhibited significant elevations in dose-dependent manners. Furthermore, the dysregulation of intact lipids was paralleled with the accumulation of lipid hydroperoxides. The present study has revealed that the oxidation of lipids and the dysregulation of the lipid metabolism coexisted in LDs in the kidney cells, which has provided a potential new target for diagnosis and new insights into CKD.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a neuromodulator in the central nervous system. However, the physiological role of H2S in the nucleus ambiguus (NA) has rarely been reported. This research aimed to elucidate the role of H2S in the regulation of gastrointestinal motility in rats. Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS; 4 and 8 nmol) groups, physiological saline (PS) group, capsazepine (10 pmol) + NaHS (4 nmol) group, L703606 (4 nmol) + NaHS (4 nmol) group, and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC, 4 nmol) + NaHS (4 nmol) group. Gastrointestinal motility curves before and after the injection were recorded using a latex balloon attached with a pressure transducer, which was introduced into the pylorus through gastric fundus. The results demonstrated that NaHS (4 and 8 nmol), an exogenous H2S donor, remarkably suppressed gastrointestinal motility in the NA of rats (P < 0.01). The suppressive effect of NaHS on gastrointestinal motility could be prevented by capsazepine, a transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) antagonist, and PDTC, a NF-κB inhibitor. However, the same amount of PS did not induce significant changes in gastrointestinal motility (P > 0.05). Our findings indicate that NaHS within the NA can remarkably suppress gastrointestinal motility in rats, possibly through TRPV1 channels and NF-κB-dependent mechanism.

A new species Carpinus tibetana Z. Qiang Lu & J. Quan Liu from southeast Tibet is described and illustrated. The specimens of this new species were previously identified and placed under C. monbeigiana Hand.-Mazz. or C. mollicoma Hu. However, the specimens from southeast Tibet differ from those of C. monbeigiana from other regions with more lateral veins (19–24 vs 14–18) on each side of the midvein and dense pubescence on the abaxial leaf surface, while from those of C. mollicoma from other regions differ by nutlet with dense resinous glands and glabrous or sparsely villous at apex. Principal Component Analyses based on morphometric characters recognise the Tibetan populations as a separate group. Nuclear ribosomal ITS sequence variations show stable and distinct genetic divergences between the Tibetan populations and C. monbeigiana or C. mollicoma by two or three fixed nucleotide mutations. Phylogenetic analysis also identified three respective genetic clusters and the C. mollicoma cluster diverged early. In addition, the Tibetan populations show a disjunct geographic isolation from the other two species. Therefore, C. tibetana, based on the Tibetan populations, is here erected as a new species, distinctly different from C. monbeigiana and C. mollicoma.

To prevent the pollution generated during charcoal roasting of tamarix lamb, environmental-friendly electric is gradually applied in meat processing. The profile and formation of flavor in roasted tamarix lamb were evaluated using HS-SPME/GC-MS combined with E-nose/-tongue. Results indicated that charcoal-roasted tamarix lamb exhibited the higher taste of umami and sourness in E-tongue and had higher contents of alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, alkanes, and aromatics in E-nose, while the electric ones exhibited the higher taste of sweetness and bitterness and had higher contents of nitrogen oxides, terpenes, aromatics, and organic sulfur. Compared with charcoal, application of the electric significantly decreased the numbers of key volatile compounds with VIP > 1 (markers) and the contents of most markers.

Electrical drive systems are the core of high-speed trains, providing energy transmission from electric power to traction force. Therefore, their safety and reliability topics are always active in practice. Among the current research, fault injection (FI) and fault diagnosis (FD) are representative techniques, where FI is an important way to recur faults, and FD ensures the recurring faults can be successfully detected as soon as possible. In this paper, a tutorial on a hardware-implemented (HIL) platform that blends FI and FD techniques is given for electrical drive systems of high-speed trains. The main contributions of this work are fourfold: (1) An HIL platform is elaborated for realistic simulation of faults, which provides the test and verification environment for FD tasks. (2) Basics of both the static and dynamic FD methods are reviewed, whose purpose is to guide the engineers and researchers. (3) Multiple performance indexes are defined for comprehensively evaluating the FD approaches from the application viewpoints. (4) It is an integrated platform making the FI and FD work together. Finally, a summary of FD research based on the HIL platform is made.

The complete chloroplast genome of Tetradoxa omeiensis, which is endemic and endangered to the Hengduan Mountains, was sequenced and characterized in this study. The chloroplast genome is 157,502 bp in length, and it is consisted of four distinct regions: a large single-copy region (LSC, 86,526 bp), a small single-copy region (SSC, 18,682 bp) and a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRs, 26,147 bp). A total of 134 genes were annotated, including 86 protein-coding genes (80 PCG species), 40 tRNA genes (33 tRNA species) and 8 ribosomal RNA genes (4 rRNA species). We also reconstructed a comprehensive phylogenetic relationship of the family Adoxaceae, which demonstrated that the three Adoxaceae species clustered into two well-supported clades, and T. omeiensis is most closely related to the Adoxa moschatellina.

Based on the first-principles of density functional theory and Boltzmann transport theory, we report two-dimensional (2D) α -Se _2 Te monolayer to be a high-performance medium temperature p-type thermoelectric material with low lattice thermal conductivity ( κ _l ), high power factor ( PF ) and high dimensionless figure of merit ( ZT ). At the temperature of 700 K, PF is up to 3.77 and 11.5 mW m ^−1 K ^−2 , ZT is up to 0.55 and 1.91 in appropriate doping level for n- and p-types, respectively, and k _l is as low as 2.09 W m ^−1 K ^−1 . We also examine the effect of spin-orbital coupling (SOC) on the carrier transport and find that with SOC, PF and hence ZT will be reduced significantly due to the reduced band gap. The higher PF of p-type than that of n-type is evidently due to the flatter valence band edge than conduction band edge. Low k _l is inevitably attributed to the strong lattice anharmonicity.

Casuarina glauca, commonly known as swamp oak, belongs to Casuarinaceae. Herein, we reported the complete chloroplast genome of C. glauca. To our knowledge, this is the first reported complete chloroplast genome of Casuarinaceae species. The complete chloroplast genome of C. glauca is 155,669 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure, consisting of a large single-copy region (LSC, 85,823 bp), a single-copy region (SSC, 25,694 bp) and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs, 18,461 bp). There are 130 genes annotated, including 85 protein-coding genes, eight ribosomal RNA genes, and 36 transfer RNA genes. To investigate the evolution status of C. glauca, as well as Casuarinaceae, we constructed a phylogenetic tree with C. glauca and other 16 species based on their complete chloroplast genomes. According to the phylogenetic topologies, C. glauca was closely related to Betulaceae.

In this study, we determined the complete chloroplast genome of Cycas szechuanensis (Cycadaceae, Cycas) using the Illumina sequencing data. The genome is 162,083 bp in length, including a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 25,003 bp each, which are separated by a large single-copy region (LSC) and a small single-copy region (SSC) with the size of 88,970 and 23,108 bp, respectively. The genome comprises 131 encoded genes in total, including 86 protein-coding genes (82 PCG species), 8 ribosomal RNA genes (4 rRNA species), and 37 transfer RNA genes (30 tRNA species). The overall GC content of the C. szechuanensis chloroplast genome is 39.42%, while the LSC, SSC, and IRs occupy 38.70, 42.03 and 36.52%, respectively. Based on complete chloroplast genome sequences from 13 species, we reconstructed the phylogenetic relationship of the 13 species and found that C. szechuanensis is closely related to C. debaoensis.

Antiaris toxicaria (Antiaris, Moraceae) is a medicinal and extremely toxic species. To facilitate species identification and provide genetic information, we determined the complete chloroplast genome of A. toxicaria using the Illumina platform. The genome was 161,412 bp in length, comprising a large single-copy region (LSC) of 89,883 bp, a small single-copy region (SSC) of 20,375 bp, and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 25,577 bp each. The genome contained 130 encoded genes in total, including 85 protein-coding genes, 8 ribosomal RNA genes, and 37 transfer RNA genes. The overall GC content of the A. toxicaria chloroplast genome is 35.87%. The phylogenetic analysis revealed A. toxicaria was closely related to the genus Ficus within the family Moraceae.

Pterospermum kingtungense (Pterospermum, Sterculiaceae) is a Critically Endangered species. In this study, we reported a complete chloroplast genome of P. kingtungense based on high-throughput sequencing data. The size of chloroplast genome was 162,929 bp, including a large single-copy region (LSC: 91,535 bp) and a small single-copy region (SSC: 20,464 bp), separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRa and IRb: 25,465 bp). The genome encoded 126 genes in total, including 81 protein-coding genes, 8 ribosomal RNA genes, and 37 transfer RNA genes. The overall GC content of the P. kingtungense chloroplast genome is 36.39%. The phylogenetic tree showed P. kingtungense clustered together with the family Sterculiaceae.

Mimosa pudica, a typical sensitive plant, belongs to Mimosa (Fabaceae). It is well known for the rapid plant movement. In this study, we determined the complete chloroplast genome of M. pudica using the Illumina reads. The complete chloroplast genome of M. pudica is 163,237 bp in length, comprising a large single-copy region (LSC) of 92,045 bp, a small single-copy region (SSC) of 18,786 bp, and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 26,203 bp each. The genome contained 129 encoded genes in total, including 84 protein-coding genes, eight ribosomal RNA genes, and 37 transfer RNA genes. The overall GC content of the M. pudica chloroplast genome is 35.53%. We reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships for 19 mimosoid species. It was revealed that M. pudica was closely related to Piptadenia communis.

Tumour antigens have attracted much attention because of their importance to cancer diagnosis, prognosis and targeted therapy. With the development of cancer genomics, the identification of tumour-specific neoantigens became possible, which is a crucial step for cancer immunotherapy. In this study, we developed software called the tumour-specific neoantigen detector for detecting cancer somatic mutations following the best practices of the genome analysis toolkit and predicting potential tumour-specific neoantigens, which could be either extracellular mutations of membrane proteins or mutated peptides presented by class I major histocompatibility complex molecules. This pipeline was beneficial to the biologist with little programmatic background. We also applied the software to the somatic mutations from the International Cancer Genome Consortium database to predict numerous potential tumour-specific neoantigens. This software is freely available from https://github.com/jiujiezz/tsnad.

Exosomes are nanoscale lipid-bound vesicles secreted by various types of parent cells into the extracellular environment. They carry a wide range of bioactive molecules and serve as a crucial role in intercellular communication and tumor progression. Here, we develop an integrated microfluidic system for on-chip exosome isolation and quantum dot-based tumor marker analysis. This system integrates exosome processing and marker abundance analysis within a centimeter-scaled microfluidic chip, eliminating the need for additional off-chip treatments. We also implement YOLO v8-based image identification for sensitive and automatic detection, reducing the limit of detection (LOD) to 8.65 per microliter while minimizing manual measurement errors. Using this system, two tumor markers among four cell lines were profiled in parallel, revealing unique tumor burdens and demonstrating strong consistency with approved serological marker testing. These results highlight the potential of this technique for sensitive, precise, and automatic exosome tumor detection, paving the way for early cancer diagnosis and analysis.

Since 2014, highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N6 viruses have been responsible for outbreaks in poultry. In this study, four H5N6 virus strains were isolated from faecal samples of sick white ducks and dead chickens in Shandong in 2019. These H5N6 viruses were triple-reassortant viruses that have not been previously characterized. Their HA genes were derived from the H5 viruses and were closely related to the vaccine strain Re-11. Their NA genes all fell into the N6-like lineage and the internal gene were derived from H5N1 and H9N2 viruses. They all showed high pathogenicity in mice and caused lethal infection with high rates of transmission in chickens. Moreover, the SPF chickens inoculated with the currently used H5 (Re-11 and Re-12 strains)/H7 (H7-Re-2 strain) trivalent inactivated vaccines in China were completely protected from these four H5N6 viruses. Our study indicated the necessity of continued surveillance for H5 influenza A viruses and the importance of timely update of vaccine strains in poultry industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]