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The application of a male-sterile line is an ideal approach for hybrid seed production in non-heading Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying male sterility in B. rapa are still largely unclear. We previously obtained the natural male sterile line WS24-3 of non-heading Chinese cabbage and located the male sterile locus, Bra2Ms, on the A2 chromosome. Cytological observations revealed that the male sterility of WS24-3 resulted from disruption of the meiosis process during pollen formation. Fine mapping of Bra2Ms delimited the locus within a physical distance of about 129 kb on the A2 chromosome of B. rapa. The Bra039753 gene encodes a plant homeodomain (PHD)-finger protein and is considered a potential candidate gene for Bra2Ms. Bra039753 was significantly downregulated in sterile line WS24-3 compared to the fertile line at the meiotic anther stage. Sequence analysis of Bra039753 identified a 369 bp fragment insertion in the first exon in male sterile plants, which led to an amino acid insertion in the Bra039753 protein. In addition, the 369 bp fragment insertion was found to cosegregate with the male sterility trait. This study identified a novel locus related to male sterility in non-heading Chinese cabbage, and the molecular marker obtained in this study will be beneficial for the marker-assisted selection of excellent sterile lines in non-heading Chinese cabbage and other Brassica crops.

Background and objective Malnutrition is commonly associated with poor prognosis in patients with malignant tumors. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an indicator of inflammation in the body and predicts the risk of malnutrition in a variety of diseases; however, its association with malnutrition in lung cancer patients is unclear. The aim of this study is to clarify the association between NLR and nutritional status in stage IV primary lung cancer and to further determine the optimal NLR cut-off that best predicts the risk of malnutrition. Methods A retrospective analysis of 209 patients admitted to the Department of Medical Oncology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital with a primary diagnosis of stage IV lung cancer from May 2019 to February 2021 was performed, and the nutritional risk screening 2002 (NRS 2002) was used to examine their nutritional status. Patient demographic information, pathology, Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score, body mass index (BMI), comorbidities and clinical biochemical indicators were also included. The correlation between NLR and NRS 2002 was investigated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the best NLR cut-off predi cting malnutrition risk. Multivariable Logistic regression was used to assess the association between NLR and malnutrition risk. Results The rate of patients with stage IV primary lung cancer at nutritional risk was 36.36% (76/209). A significant positive correlation was observed between NLR values and NRS 2002 risk score (r=0.765, P3.94 group had a significantly higher risk of malnutrition compared to those in the NLR≤3.94 group (69.49% vs 23.33%, P

Abstract Multi‐layered plasmonic nanostructures are able to highly promote the near‐field confinement and effectively activate analytes, which are of predominate significance but are extremely challenging. Herein, the semi‐open Au core@carved AuAg multi‐shell superstructure nanoparticles (multi‐Au@Ag‐Au NPs, multi = mono, bi, tri, tetra, and penta) are reported with a high designability on electromagnetic field and capability of effectively capturing analytes. By controlling synthetic parameters such as the number of galvanic exchange and Ag growth, multi‐Au@Ag‐Au NPs are successfully obtained, with tunable layer numbers and asymmetric nanoholes. Due to collective plasmon oscillations of multi‐layered built‐in nanogaps, the electromagnetic field strength of a single penta‐Au@Ag‐Au entity reach 48841. More importantly, the penta‐Au@Ag‐Au NPs show a remarkable light‐harvesting capability, which is adaptive to different Raman lasers, supporting high‐diversity detection. Additionally, the structural specificity allows analytes to be sufficiently captured into interior hotspots, and further achieve highly sensitive detection with limit of detection down to 3.22 × 10−12 M. This study not only provides an effective pathway for integrating abundant hotspots and activating target molecules in single plasmonic superstructure, but stimulates advancements in SERS substrates for various applications.

Dengue fever has remained a continuing global medical threat that impacts half of the world’s population. Developing a highly effective dengue vaccine, with live-attenuated tetravalent vaccines as leading candidates, remains essential in preventing this disease. For the development of live virus vaccines (LVVs), potency measurements play a vital role in quantifying the active components of vaccine drug substance as well as drug product during various stages of research, development, and post-licensure evaluations. Traditional plaque-based assays are one of the most common potency test methods, but they generally take up to weeks to complete. Less labor and time-intensive potency assays are thus called for to aid in the acceleration of vaccine development, especially for multivalent LVVs. Here, we introduce a fully automated, 96-well format µPlaque assay that has been optimized as a high-throughput tool to evaluate process and formulation development of a live-attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a miniaturized viral plaque method for dengue with full automation via an integrated robotic system. Compared to the traditional manual plaque assay, this newly developed method substantially reduces testing time by approximately half and allows for the evaluation of over ten times more samples per run. The fully automated workflow, from cell culture to plaque counting, significantly minimizes analyst hands-on time and improves assay repeatability. The study presents a pioneering solution for the rapid measurement of LVV viral titers, offering promising prospects for advancing vaccine development through high-throughput analytics.

Glucosinolates (GSLs) and their hydrolytic products contribute to the quality traits of rapeseed flowering stalk tissues, such as taste, flavor and anticarcinogenic properties (Glucoraphanin). However, little is known about the genetic mechanisms of GSL accumulation in rapeseed flowering stalks. In this study, the variation and genetic architecture of GSL metabolites in flowering stalk tissues were investigated for the first time among a panel of 107 accessions. All GSL compounds exhibited continuous and wide variations in the present population. Progoitrin, glucobrassicanapin and gluconapin were the most abundant GSL compounds. Five quantitative trait loci (QTL) significantly associated with three GSL compounds were identified by genome-wide association study. GRA_C04 was under selected during modern breeding, in which the ratio of lower GSL haplotype (HAP2) in the accessions bred before 1990 (52.56%) was significantly lower than that after 1990 (78.95%). Four candidate genes, BnaA01. SOT16, BnaA06. SOT17, BnaA06. MYB51a, and BnaA06. MYB51b, were identified in the GTL_A01 and 4OH_A06 regions. These findings provide new insights into GSL biosynthesis in flowering stalk tissues and facilitate quality improvement in rapeseed flowering stalks.

In the field of real-time image enhancement, image super-resolution (SR) is an important research hotspot. As an image super-resolution method, deep learning can extract more stable and higher level features. However, image super-resolution processing is an ill posed problem. Due to the lack of self-attentional negative feedback mechanism, the existing methods can not better constrain the mapping space from low-resolution image to high-resolution image, so generated high-resolution (HR) image does not conform to human visual perception. Therefore, this paper proposes a self-attention negative feedback network (SRAFBN) for realizing the real-time image SR. The network model constrains the image mapping space and selects the key information of the image through the self-attention negative feedback model, so that higher quality images can be generated to meet human visual perception. Specifically, a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) is firstly utilized to construct multiple negative feedback modules, and each module generates a HR image. Then, the key information of the generated image is extracted by the self-attention mechanism. Finally, the extracted information is fused to generate the final HR image. Experimental results prove the proposed SRAFBN network model not only has higher PSNR and SSIM, but also can reconstruct more realistic and clear real-time images.

Monofluorinated bis-heterocyclic spirocycles: functionalized ethyl 9-fluoro-8-methyl-1,4-dioxo-2,3,6,10-tetraphenyl-2,3,7-triazaspiro[4.5]dec-7-ene-9-carboxylate derivatives were efficiently synthesized from readily available 1,2-diphenylpyrazolidine-3,5-dione, ethyl 2-fluoroacetoacetate, aromatic aldehydes, and ammonium acetate via one-pot four-component reactions in the absence of additional catalyst. In the protocols, ammonium acetate serves not only as the fourth component but also as the catalyst.

BackgroundPrevious studies showed an increase in HIV prevalence among young men who have sex with men aged 25 years or younger in China. ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess HIV prevalence and associated factors among young men who have sex with men in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. MethodsThis study was conducted in 4 cities (Guilin, Liuzhou, Beihai, and Nanning) in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region between June 2014 and May 2016. Participants were reached through web-based and site recruitment approaches. Laboratory tests were performed to detect HIV and syphilis infections. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 632 eligible young men who have sex with men. ResultsThe prevalence of HIV and syphilis was 9.3% (59/632) and 11.4% (72/632), respectively. Multivariable logistic analysis showed that ethnic minority (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] for Han Chinese vs other minorities 0.28, 95% CI 0.11-0.71, P=.007), receptive sexual positioning in the past 6 months (AOR 2.94, 95% CI 1.32-6.53, P=.008), current syphilis infection (AOR for individuals without vs those with infection 0.38, 95% CI 0.19-0.75, P=.005), inconsistent condom use in the past 6 months (AOR 1.91, 95% CI 1.06-3.45, P=.03), and psychotropic drug use before last anal intercourse (AOR 16.70, 95% CI 2.34-119.18, P=.005) were independently associated with HIV infection. ConclusionsThere is an urgent need to scale up HIV and syphilis interventions in young men who have sex with men. Some subgroups might need specific attention for HIV prevention, including ethnic minority men, individuals with a history of sexually transmitted infections, and individuals who have been engaging in receptive anal sex.

Abstract Data association is a crucial part of target tracking systems with clutter measurements. In general, its complexity increases sharply with a number of targets and measurements. Recently, high‐resolution sensors have given rise to extended target tracking problems and more than one measurements can emerge from each target, making the association problems more complex. In this study, a tractable algorithm based on the Gaussian process measurement model and truncated joint probabilistic data association technique is proposed for multiple extended target tracking in the presence of measurement origin uncertainty. Based on the marginal association probabilities, the calculation amount is effectively reduced by truncating the association events with low probabilities in the shortest path problem. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified by the test of multiple extended targets tracking and compared with the linear‐time joint probabilistic data association as well as the algorithm on random finite sets. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can track multiple extended targets accurately, which is significant in high‐resolution radar tracking systems.

The red color in radish taproots is an important quality index and is mainly affected by anthocyanins. However, the metabolite components and gene expression underlying dark red taproot color formation in radish remain elusive. In this study, the metabolites and gene expression patterns affecting anthocyanin biosynthesis were monitored in the dark red taproots. Comparative analysis of anthocyanin metabolites between dark red taproots and white taproots indicated that pelargonin and pelargonidin 3-O-beta-D-glucoside were the most promising dark red pigments responsible for the coloration of the taproots. Transcriptomic analysis of gene expression between dark red taproots and white taproots revealed that most of genes involved in the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway were up-regulated in dark red taproots. In particular, RsCHS and RsDFR were the two most up-regulated genes in the dark red taproots. Moreover, the higher coexpression of two R2R3-Myb transcription factors, RsMYB1 and RsMYB2, may contribute to dark red color formation. Our work documents metabolomic and transcriptomic changes related to the dark red color formation in taproots radish and provides valuable data for anthocyanin-rich radish breeding.

A novel lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) with a pseudo-equilibrium potential is proposed for electromagnetic wave propagation in one-dimensional (1D) plasma photonic crystals. The final form of the LBM incorporates the dispersive effect of plasma media with a pseudo-equilibrium potential in the equilibrium distribution functions. The consistency between the proposed lattice Boltzmann scheme and Maxwell’s equations was rigorously proven based on the Chapman–Enskog expansion technique. Based on the proposed LBM scheme, we investigated the effects of the thickness and relative dielectric constant of a defect layer on the EM wave propagation and defect modes of 1D plasma photonic crystals. We have illustrated that several defect modes can be tuned to appear within the photonic bandgaps. Both the frequency and number of the defect modes could be tuned by changing the relative dielectric constant and thickness of the defect modes. These strategies would assist in the design of narrowband filters.

To obtain novel prebiotic candidates, maltitol derivatives were obtained through alternansucrase-catalyzed reaction between sucrose and maltitol and their structural characteristics and in vitro fermentation were investigated. The reaction parameters, including the ratio of sucrose to maltitol, substrate concentration and reaction time, were optimized with the yield of 44.9% as well as 89.6 mg/mL of maltitol derivatives. These maltitol derivatives included α-D-Glcp-(1 → 6)-α-D-Glcp-(1 → 4)-D-Gol (DP3-H), α-D-Glcp-(1 → 3)-α-D-Glcp- (1 → 6)-α-D-Glcp-(1 → 4)-D-Gol (DP4-H) and α-D-Glcp-(1 → 6)-α-D-Glcp-(1 → 3)-α- D-Glcp-(1 → 6)-α-D-Glcp-(1 → 4)-D-Gol (DP5-H). Similar to fructooligosaccharides, they showed the prebiotic activity. Specifically, the highest increase of Bifidobacteria was observed in the cultures supplemented with both DP4-H and DP5-H, whereas the most significant proliferation of Lactobacillus occurred in the culture supplemented with DP3-H. Moreover, fermentation of DP4-H resulted in the highest contents of butyrate and total short-chain fatty acids, which might be related to the highest α-(1 → 3) bond content. These results suggested that the maltitol-receptor products via alternansucrase-catalyzed acceptor reaction were the prebiotic ingredient candidates and the prebiotic activity of maltitol derivatives depended on the type of the glycosidic bond.

Abstract Background Alloplasmic lines, in which the nuclear genome is combined with wild cytoplasm, are often characterized by cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), regardless of whether it was derived from sexual or somatic hybridization with wild relatives. In this study, we sequenced and analyzed the mitochondrial genomes of five such alloplasmic lines in Brassica juncea. Results The assembled and annotated mitochondrial genomes of the five alloplasmic lines were found to have virtually identical gene contents. They preserved most of the ancestral mitochondrial segments, and the same candidate male sterility gene (orf108) was found harbored in mitotype-specific sequences. We also detected promiscuous sequences of chloroplast origin that were conserved among plants of the Brassicaceae, and found the RNA editing profiles to vary across the five mitochondrial genomes. Conclusions On the basis of our characterization of the genetic nature of five alloplasmic mitochondrial genomes, we speculated that the putative candidate male sterility gene orf108 may not be responsible for the CMS observed in Brassica oxyrrhina and Diplotaxis catholica. Furthermore, we propose the potential coincidence of CMS in alloplasmic lines. Our findings lay the foundation for further elucidation of male sterility gene.

Abstract Background Intra-operative urinary catheterization frequently causes postoperative catheter related bladder discomfort (CRBD) during recovery. We conducted this study to evaluate the efficacy of tramadol, which with muscarinic receptor antagonist property, as a treatment for CRBD. Methods Ninety patients who underwent elective gynecological surgery and complained of CRBD in the (PACU) were randomized into three groups of 30 each. Group A received normal saline, group B 1 mg/kg tramadol, and group C 1.5 mg/kg tramadol. The medication was administered from the Murphy’s dropper with a slow drip, and the severity of CRBD (none, mild, moderate, and severe) and postoperative pain were assessed after 0, 0.5, 1, 2 and 6 h. Results The severity of CRBD was reduced in group C compared with that in groups A and B at 1 h, and in groups C and B compared with that in group A at 2 h. The incidence of CRBD was reduced in group C compared with that in groups A and B at 2 h, and in group C compared with that in group A at 6 h. The visual analog scale (VAS) was reduced in group C compared with that in groups A and B at all time intervals. No differences in adverse effects were observed. Conclusions Tramadol 1.5 mg/kg was more effective than tramadol 1 mg/kg in treating CRBD and reducing postoperative pain, without significant side effects. Trial registration ChiCTR1800016390. Registered on 30 May 2018.

Most flowering plants have evolved a self-incompatibility (SI) system to maintain genetic diversity by preventing self-pollination. The Brassica species possesses sporophytic self-incompatibility (SSI), which is controlled by the pollen- and stigma-determinant factors SP11/SCR and SRK. However, the mysterious molecular mechanism of SI remains largely unknown. Here, a new class II S haplotype, named BrS-325, was identified in a pak choi line ‘325’, which was responsible for the completely self-compatible phenotype. To obtain the entire S locus sequences, a complete pak choi genome was gained through Nanopore sequencing and de novo assembly, which provided a good reference genome for breeding and molecular research in B. rapa. S locus comparative analysis showed that the closest relatives to BrS-325 was BrS-60, and high sequence polymorphism existed in the S locus. Meanwhile, two duplicated SRKs (BrSRK-325a and BrSRK-325b) were distributed in the BrS-325 locus with opposite transcription directions. BrSRK-325b and BrSCR-325 were expressed normally at the transcriptional level. The multiple sequence alignment of SCRs and SRKs in class II S haplotypes showed that a number of amino acid variations were present in the contact regions (CR II and CR III) of BrSCR-325 and the hypervariable regions (HV I and HV II) of BrSRK-325s, which may influence the binding and interaction between the ligand and the receptor. Thus, these results suggested that amino acid variations in contact sites may lead to the SI destruction of a new class II S haplotype BrS-325 in B. rapa. The complete SC phenotype of ‘325’ showed the potential for practical breeding application value in B. rapa.

Immune modulation has been recognized as an effective anti-osteoporosis strategy since the pivotal role of the RANK/RANKL/OPG signaling in bone metabolism and remodeling was discovered. To investigate the potential preventive and/or therapeutic effects of immune modulator protein Ling Zhi-8 (LZ-8) on osteoporosis, the osteoporosis animal model was established in Wistar rats by intramuscular injection of dexamethasone (DEX), namely glucocorticoids-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) rat model. To investigate the potential preventive effect of rLZ-8 on GIOP, we co-treated the rats with DEX and rLZ-8 intraperitoneally during the GIOP modeling stage and analyze the bone mass measured by bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD), as well as levels of phosphorus (Pi), calcium (Ca2+) and hydroxyproline (HOP) in femur of GIOP rats. Consistently, all results suggested that rLZ-8 could prevent bone loss in the femurs of GIOP rats. Through analyzing the trabeculae morphology and the trabeculae amount by H&E staining, we found rLZ-8 could also improve the structural deterioration in femurs of GIOP rats. In order to further verify the results and its mechanism obtained from bone analysis, multiple biomarkers, including minerals metabolism (Pi and Ca2+), bone formation markers (osteocalcin, ALP and IGF-1), bone resorption markers (TRACP5b, CTX-1 and HOP), cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α), oxidative stress indicators (GSH-px, SOD and MDA) and hormone molecules (testosterone, estradiol, calcitonin and parathyroid hormone) have been detected in serum or urine of rats. Results of these biomarkers in serum or urine confirmed rLZ-8’s protective effect in GIOP. Through analyzing the relative expression level of OPG and RANKL in femurs via western blot, we foundrLZ-8 could increase OPG/RANKL ratio which could impede osteoclastogenesis process. To test the potential therapeutic effect of rLZ-8 on successfully generated GIOP rats, we administrated rLZ-8 to rats for three weeks starting from the ending day of 7 weeks treatment of DEX. We found rLZ-8 could also reverse the bone loss in GIOP rats. Through the BWs and organ coefficient analysis, we found rLZ-8 has little toxicity to the rats. Our results suggested that rLZ-8 may be developed into promising anti-osteoporosis drug with both preventive and therapeutic properties.

Chinese five-pattern and Eysenck’s personality traits are two types of personality theories based on different cultural backgrounds. The former is an indigenous theory, and the latter is a cross-cultural theory. In order to verify the relationship between two different personality traits from theory and neuropsychology, the current study recruited 170 healthy adults to calculate their five-Pattern Personality Inventory (FPPI) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ) scales and to scan their brains using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Then, we performed stepwise-regression analysis and mediation-effect analysis to explore the association between brain regional homogeneity (ReHo) and two types of personality traits. The results showed that the ReHo of the right superior temporal gyrus (STG) positively correlated with TaiYang traits for FPPI and that there was a significant linear relationship with extraversion and neuroticism for EPQ. Besides, the ReHo of the right medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) positively correlated with TaiYin for FPPI, and it also showed a significant linear relationship with neuroticism for EPQ. Furthermore, we found that extroversion and neuroticism partially mediated the relationship between five-pattern personality traits and the regional brain function, based on the mediation-effect analysis. Our findings suggest that Chinese five-pattern personality traits have a close relationship with Eysenck’s personality traits and that both may be engaged in similar neurobiological mechanisms in common brain regions to some extent. Hence, these findings first reveal a relationship between Chinese traditional personality traits and Western Eysenck’s personality traits in terms of both theoretical and neurobiological contexts.

Abstract Gold nanorods (Au NRs) based localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensors have been widely employed in various fields including biology, environment and food safety detection, but their size- and shape-dependent sensitivity limits their practical applications in sensing and biological detection. In our present work, we proposed an approach to maximally amplify the signal of Au NRs based LSPR sensing by coating an optimized thickness of mesoporous silica onto Au NRs. The plasmonic peaks of Au NRs@SiO2 with different shell thickness showed finely linear response to the change of surrounding refractive index. The optimized thickness of mesoporous silica of Au NRs@SiO2 not only provided high stability for LSPR sensor,but also displayed much higher sensitivity (390 nm/RIU) than values of Au NRs from previous reports. The obtained Au NRs@SiO2 based LSPR sensor was further used in practical application for selectively detection of the E. coli O157:H7, and the detection limit achieved 10 CFU, which is much lower than conventional methods such as electrochemical methods and lateral-flow immunochromatography.

Abstract The uniqueness of the solution for the definite problem of a parabolic variational inequality is proved. The problem comes from the study of the optimal exercise strategies for the perpetual executive stock options with unrestricted exercise in financial market. Because the variational inequality is degenerate and the obstacle condition contains the partial derivative of an unknown function, it makes the theoretical study of the definite problem of the variational inequality problem very difficult. Firstly, the property which the value function satisfies is derived by applying the Jensen inequality. Then the uniqueness of the solution is proved by using this property and maximum principles.

Gray mold of tomato is caused by the pathogen Botrytis cinerea. MicroRNAs play a crucial role in the biotic and abiotic stress responses of plants and regulate their targets by gene silencing. miR394 is an ancient and conserved miRNA in plants, and it participates in the regulation of plant development and stress responses. In our previous study, miR394 was found to respond to B. cinerea infection in tomato, but the roles and regulatory mechanisms of miR394 in B. cinerea-infected tomato remain unclear. miR394 was down-regulated in tomato in response to B. cinerea infection, showing an expression pattern opposite to the previous finding that miR394 was up-regulated in tomato cv. Jinpeng 1 infected by B. cinerea. We obtained transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing miR394, which resulted in low expression levels of its target LEAF CURLING RESPONSIVENESS (LCR). Leaf lesion size and trypan blue staining showed that miR394 overexpression led to increased sensitivity of transgenic Arabidopsis to B. cinerea compared to wild type. We also detected changes in the expression levels of stress-related miRNAs, including miR159, miR156, miR168, and miR172. In the transgenic plants, it indicated potential cross talk between these miRNAs and miR394, except for miR159. miR394 also enhanced the expression of ARGONAUTE 1 (AGO1), DSRNA-BINDING PROTEIN 4 (DRB4) and the RNA-binding protein gene DAWDLE (DDL), which are involved in the pathways of miRNA biosynthesis and regulation, suggesting that miR394 overexpression has a feedback effect on these genes. Our data indicate that overexpression of miR394 in Arabidopsis increased the susceptibility of plants to B. cinerea by affecting the expression of its target gene LCR along with a number of key genes involved in plant miRNA metabolism (AGO1). Thus, miR394 is a negative regulator of Arabidopsis resistance to B. cinerea infection by targeting LCR.

Background/Aims: MicroRNA (miRNA) is a small non-coding RNA molecule that functions in regulation of gene expression by targeting mRNA to affect its stability and/or translation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the miRNAs involvement in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a well known risk factor for fetal overgrowth. Methods: Differential microRNA expression in placental tissues of normal controls and women with GDM were identified by miRNA micorarray analysis and further confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) on an independent set of normal and GDM placental tissues. Target genes of microRNAs were bioinformatically predicted and verified in vitro by Western blotting. Results: Our results uncovered 9 miRNAs that were significantly deregulated in GDM samples: miR-508-3p was up-regulated and miR-27a, miR-9, miR-137, miR-92a, miR-33a, miR-30d, miR-362-5p and miR-502-5p were down-regulated. Bioinformatic approaches revealed that the microRNAs signature identifies gene targets involved in EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor)-PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-Kinase)-Akt (also known as protein kinase B) pathway, a signal cascade which plays important roles in placental development and fetal growth. We found that the protein levels of EGFR, PI3K and phospho-Akt were up-regulated and PIKfyve (a FYVE finger-containing phosphoinositide kinase), a negative regulator of EGFR signaling, was down-regulated significantly in GDM tissues. We also confirmed PIKfyve was a direct target of miR-508-3p. Conclusion: Our data identified a miRNA signature involvement in GDM which may contribute to macrosomia through enhancing EGFR signaling.

The current status of thermocouple temperature measurement technology and development is reviewed, the applications of the thermocouples in temperature measurements of aircraft engine compressor are introduced, and ways to improve the accuracy of temperature measurement are analyzed by looking at sources of measurement error. It is found that the effect of thermal inertia on temperature measurement accuracy and other shortcomings can be overcome by using temperature measurement method of multi-thermocouples; thermocouple accuracy is the main factor affecting the measurement accuracy of the compressor and the development of a high accuracy thermocouple is an effective way to improve temperature measurement accuracy; Au/Pt thermocouple is a kind of high-precision thermocouple with the best thermoelectric properties currently known, and can be applied to the aircraft engine temperature measurements.

At present, most of released wheat cultivars or breeding lines in China are susceptible to powdery mildew (Pm) (caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, Bgt), so there is an urgent need to rapidly transfer effective and broad-spectrum Pm resistance genes into elite cultivars/lines. Near-isogenic lines (NILs) with short target gene region are very important in molecular breeding and map-based cloning and can be developed by combining marker-assisted selection and conventional phenotypic identification. However, no Pm gene NILs were reported by using this method in the previous studies. A new broad-spectrum dominant resistance gene Pm2b, derived from the Chinese wheat breeding line KM2939, conferred high resistance to Pm at both the seedling and adult stages. In this study, with the aid of forward and background selection (FS and BS) using molecular markers, the Pm2b gene was introgressed into three elite susceptible commercial cultivars Shimai 15, Shixin 828, and Kenong 199 through the back-crossing procedure. With the appropriate backcrossing generations, selected population sizes and marker number for BS, the homozygous resistant BC3F2:3 NILs of Pm2b gene in the three genetic backgrounds with the highest recipient genome composition of about 99%, confirmed by simple sequence repeat markers and 660K single nucleotide polymorphic array, were developed and evaluated for the powdery mildew resistance and agronomic traits. The different resistance and similar or improved agronomic performance between Pm2b NILs and their corresponding recurrent parents indicated their potential value in the marker-assisted breeding of the Pm2b gene. Moreover, the development of four flanked diagnostic markers (CFD81, BWM25, BWM20, and BWM21) of the Pm2 gene can effectively assist the forward selection and accelerate the transfer and use of this resistance gene.

Sapphire fiber thermometers have become a new potential option in the field of high-temperature measurements. Recent research progress of sapphire fiber sensors is summarized; operational principles, advantages, disadvantages, and applications of sapphire fiber sensors are introduced. Research has shown that sapphire fiber sensors can be used to accurately measure very high temperatures in harsh environments and has been widely applied in fields such as aviation, metallurgy, the chemical industry, energy, and other high temperature measurement areas. Sapphire optical fiber temperature measurement technology will move toward miniaturization, intelligence following the advances in materials, micro-fabrication and communication technologies.

Background: Rituximab, a mouse Fab and human Fc chimeric antibody, has been widely used to treat Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). However, only 48% of patients respond to the treatment and complete response rate is below 10%. Also, immunogenicity was reported in 17-20% patients receiving the treatment, making it unsuitable for long term diseases such as autoimmune disorders. It has been a hot research field to “humanize” rituximab toward improved efficacy and reduced immunogenicity. Methods: In this study, an advanced antibody humanization technology was applied to the sequence of the anti-CD20 antibody 2B8, its sequence of which was based on the original murine monoclonal antibody of rituximab in Roche. The complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) of the humanized antibodies were further optimized through computer-aided molecular dock. Results: Five novel humanized anti-CD20 antibodies 1-5(1635, 1534, 3637, 1634 and 1536) were generated and their immunogenicity was significantly decreased when compared to rituximab. The novel humanized anti-CD20 antibodies 1-5 retained the binding activity of their murine counterpart, as demonstrated by the fluorescence-activated cell-sorting analysis (FACS). When compared to rituximab, the humanized antibodies still have the similar properties on both complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). Furthermore, its anti-tumor efficacy in xenograft model is comparable to that of rituximab. Conclusion: The humanized anti-CD20 antibodies 1-5 have lower immunogenicity than rituximab. And at the same time, they still retain the anti-tumor effect both in vitro and vivo.

We discuss how the results of presteady-state and steady-state kinetic analysis of the polymerizing and excision activities of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) DNA polymerase have led to a better understanding of the mechanisms controlling fidelity of this important model replication polymerase. Despite a poorer misincorporation frequency compared to other replicative polymerases with intrinsic 3′ to 5′ exonuclease (exo) activity, HSV-1 DNA replication fidelity is enhanced by a high kinetic barrier to extending a primer/template containing a mismatch or abasic lesion and by the dynamic ability of the polymerase to switch the primer terminus between the exo and polymerizing active sites. The HSV-1 polymerase with a catalytically inactivated exo activity possesses reduced rates of primer switching and fails to support productive replication, suggesting a novel means to target polymerase for replication inhibition.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) provides a highly versatile natural nanoplatform for delivery of visible or near-infrared fluorescent optical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents and photodynamic therapy and chemotherapeutic agents to normal and neoplastic cells that overexpress low-density lipoprotein receptors (LDLRs). Extension to other lipoproteins ranging in diameter from about 10 nm (high-density lipoprotein [HDL]) to over a micron (chylomicrons) is feasible. Loading of contrast or therapeutic agents onto or into these particles has been achieved by protein loading (covalent attachment to protein side chains), surface loading (intercalation into the phospholipid monolayer), and core loading (extraction and reconstitution of the triglyceride/cholesterol ester core). Core and surface loading of LDL have been used for delivery of optical imaging agents to tumor cells in vivo and in culture. Surface loading was used for delivery of gadolinium-bis-stearylamide contrast agents for in vivo MRI detection in tumor-bearing mice. Chlorin and phthalocyanine near-infrared photodynamic therapy agents (≤ 400/LDL) have been attached by core loading. Protein loading was used to reroute the LDL from its natural receptor (LDLR) to folate receptors and could be used to target other receptors. A semisynthetic nanoparticle has been constructed by coating magnetite iron oxide nanoparticles with carboxylated cholesterol and overlaying a monolayer of phospholipid to which apolipoprotein A1 or E was adsorbed for targeting HDL or adsorbing synthetic amphipathic helical peptides ltargeting LDL or folate receptors. These particles can be used for in situ loading of magnetite into cells for MRI-monitored cell tracking or gene expression.

In the title compound, C17H15N5O3S, the plane of the triazolo–thiadiazole system forms dihedral angles of 15.68 and 4.46° with the planes of the pyridine and furan rings, respectively. In the molecule, there is an intramolecular C—H...N interaction. The crystal structure also contains other intermolecular interactions, such as C—H...O hydrogen bonds, π–π stacking (centroid–centroid distances = 3.746 and 3.444 Å), non-bonded S...N [3.026 (2) Å] and C—H...π interactions.

Dengue fever has remained a continuing global medical threat that impacts half of the world’s population. Developing a highly effective dengue vaccine, with live-attenuated tetravalent vaccines as leading candidates, remains essential in preventing this disease. For the development of live virus vaccines (LVVs), potency measurements play a vital role in quantifying the active components of vaccine drug substance as well as drug product during various stages of research, development, and post-licensure evaluations. Traditional plaquebased assays are one of the most common potency test methods, but they generally take up to weeks to complete. Less labor and time-intensive potency assays are thus called for to aid in the acceleration of vaccine development, especially for multivalent LVVs. Here, we introduce a fully automated, 96-well format µPlaque assay that has been optimized as a high-throughput tool to evaluate process and formulation development of a live-attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a miniaturized viral plaque method for dengue with full automation via an integrated robotic system. Compared to the traditional manual plaque assay, this newly developed method substantially reduces testing time by approximately half and allows for the evaluation of over ten times more samples per run. The fully automated workflow, from cell culture to plaque counting, significantly minimizes analyst hands-on time and improves assay repeatability. The study presents a pioneering solution for the rapid measurement of LVV viral titers, offering promising prospects for advancing vaccine development through highthroughput analytics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]