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Abstract Background Recognizing the predictors of poor short-term prognosis after first-line immunotherapy in patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis is essential for individualized treatment strategy. The objective of this study was to ascertain the factors that forecast short-term prognosis in patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis, develop a prognostic prediction model, and authenticate its efficacy in an external validation cohort. Further, all patients were followed-up long-term to assess the factors of long-term outcome and relapses. Methods A prospective enrollment of patients diagnosed with anti-NMDAR encephalitis was conducted across five clinical centers in China from June 2014 to Mar 2022. The enrolled patients were divided into the derivation and validation sets based on enrollment time. The short-term prognostic model was visualized using a nomogram. Further, all patients were followed-up long-term to assess the factors of long-term outcome. Results This study found that poor short-term prognosis was a risk factor for poor long-term outcome (6-month prognosis, OR 29.792, 95%CI 6.507-136.398, p

Abstract Association of circulating glycoprotein acetyls (GlycA), a systemic inflammation biomarker, with lung function and respiratory diseases remain to be investigated. We examined the genetic correlation, shared genetics, and potential causality of GlycA (N = 115,078) with lung function and respiratory diseases (N = 497,000). GlycA showed significant genetic correlation with FEV1 (rg = −0.14), FVC (rg = −0.18), asthma (rg = 0.21) and COPD (rg = 0.31). We consistently identified ten shared loci (including chr3p21.31 and chr8p23.1) at both SNP and gene level revealing potential shared biological mechanisms involving ubiquitination, immune response, Wnt/β-catenin signaling, cell growth and differentiation in tissues or cells including blood, epithelium, fibroblast, fetal thymus, and fetal intestine. Genetically elevated GlycA was significantly correlated with lung function and asthma susceptibility (354.13 ml decrement of FEV1, 442.28 ml decrement of FVC, and 144% increased risk of asthma per SD increment of GlycA) from MR analyses. Our findings provide insights into biological mechanisms of GlycA in relating to lung function, asthma, and COPD.

BackgroundLymph node metastasis is the major cause of increased recurrence and death in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). We evaluate the clinicopathologic factors affecting excellent response (ER) in patients with PTC with lymph node metastasis following operation and 131I ablation therapy.MethodsA total of 423 patients with PTC with lymph node metastasis who underwent thyroidectomy and postoperative 131I ablation therapy were enrolled. The relationship between clinicopathological factors affecting ER achievement was analyzed.ResultsMultivariate analysis showed that the foci diameter (≤1 cm), unifocal, combination with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT), lymph node metastases rate (LR) (≤40%), no postoperative lymph node metastasis, low preablative stimulated thyroglobulin (ps-Tg) level (≤3.87 ng/mL), and the time of 131I ablation therapy (one time) were positively correlated with the ER achievement [odds ratio (OR): 1.744, 3.114, 3.920, 4.018, 2.074, 9.767, and 49.491, respectively; all p < 0.05]. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed that the cutoff values of ps-Tg and LR were 4.625 ng/mL and 50.50%, respectively. The AUC of ROC of ps-Tg and LR for predicting ER achievement was 0.821 and 0.746, respectively. The Tg and the cumulative risk of non-ER elevated with the increase of LR, especially for the high-level ps-Tg (>4.625 ng/mL) group.ConclusionThe foci diameter and number, combination with HT, LR, and ps-Tg level are independent factors for ER. Ps-Tg level and LR are valid predictive factors for the efficacy of 131I therapy in patients with PTC. The predictive value of the cumulative risk of non-ER can be improved by the combination of ps-Tg and LR.

BackgroundResearch on the relationship between mild COVID-19 and the subsequent development of isolated optic neuritis (ON) with antibodies specific to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG-ON) and aquaporin 4 (AQP4-ON) is limited, particularly case–control studies that directly compare these conditions within the same affected population.MethodsA retrospective analysis of initial MOG-ON and AQP4-ON cases during the COVID-19 peak and subsequent months. Patients were classified as possible COVID-19 related ON (PCRON) or non-COVID-19 related ON (NCRON). The study compared epidemiology, comorbidities, and clinical features between these groups.ResultsPatients with MOG-ON tended to develop ON symptoms closer in time to a mild COVID-19 infection compared to those with AQP4-ON (6.87 ± 6.25 weeks vs. 11.06 ± 5.84 weeks; p = 0.038), a significantly higher proportion of patients with MON-ON developing symptoms within 6 weeks after COVID-19 compared to those with AQP4-ON (15/23 [65.2%] vs. 5/17 [29.4%]; p = 0.025). Comparing MOG-ON and AQP4-ON patients, MOG-ON patients were more likely to have a recent infection before ON onset (73.1% vs. 30%; p = 0.007) and had better peak and post-treatment visual acuity (p = 0.01; p

Background: There is no consensus on the timing of immunotherapeutic strategies for the first-episode anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-IgG (MOG-IgG) associated disorders (MOGAD) presenting with isolated optic neuritis (ON). Objective: To investigate the optimal timing of intravenous methylprednisolone therapy (IVMP) and necessity of immunosuppressive therapy for the first-episode isolated MOG-IgG associated ON (iMOG-ON). Methods: Adult patients with the first-episode iMOG-ON were enrolled. Primary outcomes were best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at last follow-up (i.e. final BCVA) and relapse, and their predictors were assessed by multivariate analysis. Results: 62 patients were included. Logistic regression analysis revealed BCVA at the time of IVMP (odds ratio: 0.463 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.310-0.714) was a factor predictive of regaining a final BCVA of 0.0 logMAR vision, and its Youden optimal criterion was

Abstract Soil moisture (SM) is a critical element of the hydrological cycle, land surface processes, and surface energy balance. However, the low spatial resolution of commonly used SM products limits the application of SM in agriculture and eco‐hydrology in cold and arid regions. In this study, the normalized difference soil index (NDSI) and bare soil index (BSI) were added to traditional downscaling factors including land surface temperature, normalized difference vegetation index, digital elevation mode, apparent thermal inertia, Albedo, and temperature vegetation dryness index, as they are more strongly correlated with surface SM in the bare soil‐vegetation alternation zone of such region. Using the random forest algorithm, a downscaling model of SM was constructed for such region. The accuracy of the downscaled SM estimates was validated by comparing them with the original SM data collected from May to September 2021, which is the non‐freezing period of the soil. The findings indicate that the newly added NDSI and BSI have good correlation with SM. Incorporating NDSI and BSI to construct the downscaled model enhances the accuracy by over 19% compared to excluding them, while also providing a more comprehensive representation of SM information. NDSI and BSI can be well applied to the downscaled research of SM in the bare soil‐vegetation alternation zone, which is of great value for the study of eco‐hydrology and agricultural drought monitoring in cold and arid regions.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) holds a significant position as the fifth most vital cereal crop globally. Its drought resistance and robust biomass production, coupled with commendable nutritional value, make sorghum a promising choice for animal feed. Nevertheless, the utilization of sorghum in animal production faces hurdles of dhurrin (a cyanogenic glycoside) poisoning. While dhurrin serves as a protective secondary metabolite during sorghum growth, the resulting highly toxic hydrogen cyanide poses a significant threat to animal safety. This review extensively examines the biometabolic processes of dhurrin, the pivotal genes involved in the regulation of dhurrin biosynthesis, and the factors influencing dhurrin content in sorghum. It delves into the impact of dhurrin on animal production and explores measures to mitigate its content, aiming to provide insights for advancing research on dhurrin metabolism regulation in sorghum and its rational utilization in animal production.

ObjectiveImproving the detection capability and efficiency of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA specimens is very important for the prevention and control of the outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, we evaluated the detection capability and efficiency of two outbreaks of COVID-19 before and after the process re-engineering in April and July 2022.MethodsThis retrospective cross-sectional study involved 359,845 SARS-CoV-2 RNA specimens 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after the two outbreaks of COVID-19 in April and July. The number, transportation time and detection time of specimens, and the number of reports of more than 24 h were analyzed by SPSS software.ResultsWhile 16.84% of people chose nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) specimens, 83.16% chose oropharyngeal swabs (OPS) specimens to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA. There were significant upward trends in the percentage of 10 sample pooling (P-10) from April before process re-engineering to July after process re-engineering (p

SET-domain group histone methyltransferases (SDGs) are known to play crucial roles in plant responses to abiotic stress. However, their specific function in cotton’s response to drought stress has not been well understood. This study conducted a comprehensive analysis of the SDG gene family in Gossypium hirsutum, identifying a total of 82 SDG genes. An evolutionary analysis revealed that the SDG gene family can be divided into eight subgroups. The expression analysis shows that some GhSDG genes are preferentially expressed in specific tissues, indicating their involvement in cotton growth and development. The transcription level of some GhSDG genes is induced by PEG, with GhSDG59 showing significant upregulation upon polyethylene glycol (PEG) treatment. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis showed that the accumulation of transcripts of the GhSDG59 gene was significantly upregulated under drought stress. Further functional studies using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) revealed that silencing GhSDG59 reduced cotton tolerance to drought stress. Under drought conditions, the proline content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) enzyme activities in the GhSDG59-silenced plants were significantly lower than in the control plants, while the malondialdehyde (MDA) content was significantly higher. Transcriptome sequencing showed that silencing the GhSDG59 gene led to significant changes in the expression levels of 1156 genes. The KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that these differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly enriched in the carbon metabolism and the starch and sucrose metabolism pathways. The functional annotation analysis identified known drought-responsive genes, such as ERF, CIPK, and WRKY, among these DEGs. This indicates that GhSDG59 is involved in the drought-stress response in cotton by affecting the expression of genes related to the carbon metabolism and the starch and sucrose metabolism pathways, as well as known drought-responsive genes. This analysis provides valuable information for the functional genomic study of SDGs and highlights potential beneficial genes for genetic improvement and breeding in cotton.

Background Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a 2‐ to 10‐fold increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the biological mechanisms and existence of causality underlying such associations remain to be investigated. We aimed to investigate the genetic associations and underlying mechanisms between RA and CVD by leveraging large‐scale genomic data and genetic cross‐trait analytic approaches. Methods and Results Within UK Biobank data, we examined the genetic correlation, shared genetics, and potential causality between RA (Ncases=6754, Ncontrols=452 384) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD, Ncases=44 238, Ncontrols=414 900) using linkage disequilibrium score regression, cross‐trait meta‐analysis, and Mendelian randomization. We observed significant genetic correlations of RA with myocardial infarction (rg:0.40 [95% CI, 0.24–0.56), angina (rg:0.42 [95% CI, 0.28–0.56]), coronary heart diseases (rg:0.41 [95% CI, 0.27–0.55]), and CVD (rg:0.43 [95% CI, 0.29–0.57]) after correcting for multiple testing (P

Abstract Background Central sensitization is one of the important mechanisms underlying neuropathic and radicular pain due to cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR). Recent studies have shown that the calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII)/cAMP‐response element binding protein (CREB)/brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling pathway mediates central sensitization through its involvement in spinal cord synaptic plasticity. Our group has previously found that electroacupuncture (EA) has a good analgesic effect on CSR. However, the central analgesic mechanism of EA for CSR is not yet clear. Methods The rats were randomly divided into Blank group, Sham‐operated group, CSR group, and EA group. We prepared the CSR rat model using the fish wire extrusion method. The behavioral and mechanical pain thresholds of the rats in each group were measured 5 days after successful modeling and 7 days after the intervention. The first intervention was started 5 days after successful modeling, and the EA group was treated by acupuncture at the bilateral LI4 and LR3 points on the same side as one group, connected to a G6805‐I electroacupuncture apparatus with continuous waves at 1.5 Hz. The remaining groups were not subjected to EA intervention. The treatment was administered once a day for 7 consecutive days and then executed. We used WB, immunofluorescence, and qRT‐PCR to detect the expression of CaMKII/CREB/BDNF signaling pathway‐related factors in the synaptic of rat spinal cord in each group. Results EA improved pain threshold and motor function in CSR rats, inhibited the expression of BDNF, P‐TrkB, CAMKII, and P‐CREB in spinal cord synapses, reduced the expression of pain factor c‐fos and postsynaptic membrane protein molecule neuroligin2, exerted a modulating effect on spinal cord synaptic plasticity in CSR rats, and suppressed the overactive synaptic efficacy. Conclusion EA mediates central sensitization and exerts analgesic effects on CSR by modulating spinal synaptic plasticity, which may be related to the inhibition of CaMKII/CREB/BDNF signaling pathway.

Background: Non-optimum temperatures are associated with increased risk of respiratory diseases, but the effects of apparent temperature (AT) on respiratory diseases remain to be investigated. Methods: Using daily data from 2016 to 2020 in Ganzhou, a large city in southern China, we analyzed the impact of AT on outpatient and inpatient visits for respiratory diseases. We considered total respiratory diseases and five subtypes (influenza and pneumonia, upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]). Our analysis employed a distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) combined with a generalized additive model (GAM). Results: We recorded 94,952 outpatients and 72,410 inpatients for respiratory diseases. We found AT significantly non-linearly associated with daily outpatient and inpatient visits for total respiratory diseases, influenza and pneumonia, and URTI, primarily during comfortable AT levels, while it was exclusively related with daily inpatient visits for LRTI and COPD. Moderate heat (32.1 °C, the 75.0th centile) was observed with a significant effect on both daily outpatient and inpatient visits for total respiratory diseases at a relative risk of 1.561 (1.161, 2.098) and 1.276 (1.027, 1.585), respectively (both P < 0.05), while the results of inpatients became insignificant with the adjustment for CO and O3. The attributable fractions in outpatients and inpatients were as follows: total respiratory diseases (24.43% and 18.69%), influenza and pneumonia (31.54% and 17.33%), URTI (23.03% and 32.91%), LRTI (37.49% and 30.00%), asthma (9.83% and 3.39%), and COPD (30.67% and 10.65%). Stratified analyses showed that children ≤5 years old were more susceptible to moderate heat than older participants. Conclusions: In conclusion, our results indicated moderate heat increase the risk of daily outpatient and inpatient visits for respiratory diseases, especially among children under the age of 5.

The measurement of atmospheric parameters is fundamental for scientific research using stellar spectra. The Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST), scheduled to be launched in 2024, will provide researchers with hundreds of millions of slitless spectra for stars during a 10 yr survey. And machine learning has unparalleled efficiency in processing large amounts of data compared to manual processing. Here we studied the stellar parameters of early-type stars (effective temperature T _eff > 15,000 K) based on the design indicators of the CSST slitless spectrum and the machine learning algorithm, Stellar LAbel Machine. We used the Potsdam Wolf–Rayet (POWR) synthetic spectra library for cross validation. Then we tested the reliability of machine learning results by using the Next Generation Spectrum Library (NGSL) from Hubble Space Telescope observation data. In an ideal case for full-wavelength spectra without any noise, the average absolute value of the relative deviation is 2.7% (800 K) for T _eff , and 3.5% (0.11 c.g.s) for surface gravity $\mathrm{log}\ g$ . We use the spectra with the impact of interstellar extinction (AV = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 mag) and radial velocity (RV = −50, −30, 0, 30, 50 km s ^−1 ) from the POWR library as the test set. When RV = 0 km s ^−1 and AV = 0 mag, the average value and standard deviation for 3 wavelength ranges (2550–4050 Å ( R = 287); 4050–6300 Å ( R = 232); 6300–10000 Å ( R = 207)) are –66 ± 3351 K, 550 ± 3536 K, and 356 ± 3616 K for T _eff , and 0.004 ± 0.224 c.g.s, –0.024 ± 0.246 c.g.s, and 0.01 ± 0.212 c.g.s for $\mathrm{log}\ g$ . When using the observed data from NGSL as the testing samples, the deviation of T _eff is less than 5% (1500 K), and the deviation of $\mathrm{log}\ g$ is less than 11% (0.33 c.g.s). In addition, we also test the influence of shifting of spectra on the parameters’ accuracy. The deviation of T _eff for the case with a shift of 5 Å and 10 Å are 3.6% (1100 K) and 4.3% (1300 K), respectively; the deviation of $\mathrm{log}\ g$ are 4.2% (0.13 c.g.s) and 5.1% (0.15 c.g.s). These results demonstrate that we can obtain relatively accurate stellar parameters of a population of early-type stars with the CSST slitless spectra and a machine-learning method.

Runaway stars are OB-type stars ejected from their birthplace with large peculiar velocities. The leading hypothesis addressed in their formation includes the supernova ejection mechanism and the dynamic ejection scenario. Identification of runaway populations is the first step to investigating their formation and evolution. Here we present our work of searching for Galactic runaway candidate stars from the Large sky Area Multi-Object fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) Medium Resolution Survey Data Release 8 (DR8) database. After studying the kinematic properties for a collection of 4432 early-type stars, predominantly B-type stars, using radial velocity measurements from LAMOST DR8 and astrometric solutions made by Gaia Data Release 3, we identified 229 runaway candidate stars. They span a wide distribution in projected rotational velocities. We investigated the Galactic spatial distribution of the runaway population and noticed that most of them likely reside within the Galactic thin disk. Based upon analyzing the Doppler shifts of the candidate stars, we found two binary runaway candidates displaying velocity variations with estimated orbital periods of 40 and 61 days.

We observe systematic profile changes in the visible pulsar of the compact double neutron star system PSR J1946+2052 using observations with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). The interpulse of PSR J1946+2052 changed from a single-peak to a double-peak shape from 2018–2021. We attribute this evolution as the result of the relativistic spin precession of the pulsar. With the high sensitivity of FAST, we also measure significant polarization for the first time, allowing us to model this with the precessional rotating vector model. Assuming, to the first order, a circular hollow-cone-like emission beam pattern and taking the validity of general relativity (GR), we derive the binary’s orbital inclination angle ( ${{63}^{\circ }}_{-{3}^{\circ }}^{+{5}^{\circ }}$ ) and pulsar’s spin geometry. The pulsar’s spin vector and the orbital angular momentum vector are found to be only slightly misaligned ( ${{0.}^{\circ }21}_{-{0.}^{\circ }10}^{+{0.}^{\circ }28}$ ). The quoted uncertainties do not reflect the systematic uncertainties introduced by our model assumptions. By simulating future observations of profile and polarization evolution, we estimate that we could constrain the precession rate within a 43% uncertainty in 9 yr. Hence, we suggest that the system’s profile evolution could be combined with precise pulsar timing to test GR in the future.

Introduction: Although capsaicin has long been used as food additive and medication worldwide, its actions on gastrointestinal tract as its most delivery pathway have not been well addressed. Objectives: In the present study, we aimed to study GI actions of capsaicin on mesenteric arterioles in normal and colitis mice and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Vasorelaxation of human submucosal arterioles and the mesenteric arterioles from wide-type (WT) mice, TRPV1−/− and TRPV4−/− (KO) mice were measured. The expression and function of TRPV channels in endothelial cells were examined by q-PCR, immunostaining, Ca2+ imaging and membrane potential measurements. Results: Capsaicin dose-dependently induced vasorelaxation of human submucosal arterioles and mouse mesenteric arterioles in vitro and in vivo through endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization (EDH), nitric oxide (NO), and prostacyclin (PGI2). Using TRPV1 and TRPV4 KO mice, we found that capsaicin-induced vasorelaxation was predominately through TRPV4/EDH, but marginally through TRPV1/NO/PGI2. Capsaicin induced hyperpolarization through activation of endothelial TRPV4 channels and intermediate-conductance of Ca2+-activated K+ channels to finally stimulate vasorelaxation. Importantly, capsaicin exerted anti-colitis action by rescuing the impaired ACh-induced vasorelaxation in WT colitis mice but not in TRPV4 KO colitis mice. Conclusions: Capsaicin increases intestinal mucosal blood perfusion to potentially prevent/treat colitis through a novel TRPV4/EDH-dependent vasorelaxation of submucosal arterioles in health and colitis. This study further supports our previous notion that TRPV4/EDH in mesenteric circulation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of colitis.

ObjectiveCollapsin response mediator protein 5-associated optic neuropathy (CRMP5-ON) is a rare entity of autoimmune optic neuropathy. This study aimed to review the neuro-ophthalmic findings and outcomes in a series of patients with CRMP5-ON to further characterize its clinical phenotype, radiologic clues, and outcomes.MethodsThis was a retrospective case series and a single-center medical chart review of all patients with CRPM5-seropositive ON at the Department of Neurology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, from December 1, 2020, to March 31, 2023. The main outcome measures were neuro-ophthalmic manifestations, radiologic characteristics, and clinical outcomes of CRMP5-ON; coexisting neural autoantibody, paraneoplastic associations, and the impact of immunosuppressant therapy.ResultsFive patients were identified. Four (80%) were female, and the average age at onset was 59.4 years (range 53–69 years), with an average follow-up of 15.3 months (range 1.4–28.7 months). The average best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at nadir was 20/120 (range 20/20 to count fingers). Seven of ten affected eyes (70%) showed diffuse defects of the central field. Painless bilateral involvement and optic disk edema occurred in 100% of patients, combined with vitritis, uveitis, or retinitis in four (80%). Four patients (80%) had MRI abnormalities along the optic nerve (one patient with optic nerve enhancement and three patients had optic nerve sheath enhancement or peribulbar fat enhancement). Three patients (60%) had optic neuropathy with other neurologic symptoms. Four patients (80%) had confirmed cancer (two were small-cell lung carcinoma, one was papillary thyroid carcinoma and another was thymoma and invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma). All cancers were identified after the presentation of the optic neuropathy. The intervention included IVIG, IVMP, surgery and chemotherapy. The average BCVA at the last follow-up was 20/50 (range 20/20 to count fingers). Three patients had surgery during the initial hospitalization, and were stable during the follow-up. Among two patients who received IVMP, both had improvement after treatment, although one patient had worsening non-ocular neurologic symptoms during the steroid taper.ConclusionCRMP5-ON presented with optic disc edema, often bilateral involved and combined with vitreitis, retinitis, or uveitis. CRMP5-ON can present with MRI optic nerve or perineural optic nerve enhancement, especially in the optic nerve sheath. CRMP5-ON is closely related to paraneoplastic neurologic syndrome. Cancer screening and intervention are crucial to prognosis.

Drought stress imposes severe constraints on crop growth and yield. The NAC transcription factors (TF) play a pivotal role in regulating plant stress responses. However, the biological functions and regulatory mechanisms of many cotton NACs have not been explored. In this study, we report the cloning and characterization of GhNAC2-A06, a gene encoding a typical cotton NAC TF. The expression of GhNAC2-A06 was induced by PEG treatment, drought stress, and ABA treatment. Furthermore, we investigated its function using the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) method. GhNAC2-A06 silenced plants exhibited a poorer growth status under drought stress conditions compared to the controls. The GhNAC2-A06 silenced cotton plants had a lower leaf relative water and chlorophyll content and a higher MDA content compared to the controls under the drought treatment. The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) enzyme activity in the GhNAC2-A06 silenced plants were found to be lower compared to the controls when exposed to drought stress. Additionally, the downregulation of the drought stress-related genes, GhSAP12-D07, GhNCED1-A01, GhLEA14-A11, GhZAT10-D02, GhPROT2-A05, GhABF3-A03, GhABF2-D05, GhSAP3-D07, and GhCPK1-D04, was observed in the GhNAC2-A06 silenced cotton. Together, our research reveals that GhNAC2-A06 plays a role in the reaction of cotton to drought stress by affecting the expression of genes related to drought stress. The data obtained from this study lay the theoretical foundation for further in-depth research on the biological function and regulatory mechanisms of GhNAC2-A06.

IntroductionCyanogenic glycosides (CNglcs) are bioactive plant products involving in plant defense against herbivores by virtue of their abilities to release toxic hydrogen cyanide (HCN). Aspergillus niger has been shown to be effective in producing β-glucosidase, which could degrade CNglcs. However, whether A. niger could remove CNglcs under ensiling conditions is still unknown.MethodsIn this study, we first investigated the HCN contents in ratooning sorghums for two years, then the sorghums were ensiled with or without the addition of A. niger.ResultsTwo years’ investigation indicated that the contents of HCN in fresh ratooning sorghum were larger than 801 mg/kg FW (fresh weight), which could not be reduced by silage fermentation under safety threshold (200 mg/kg FW). A. niger could produce β-glucosidase over a range of pH and temperature, which degraded the CNglcs and removed the hydrogen cyanide (HCN) at early days of ratooning sorghum fermentation. The addition of A. niger (2.56 × 107 CFU/ml) altered the microbial community, increased bacterial diversity, improved the nutritive qualities, and reduced the HCN contents in ensiled ratooning sorghum lower than 100 mg/kg FW after 60 days of fermentation. Overall, the addition of 150 ml A. niger + 50 ml sterile water per 3 kg silage could efficiently remove CNglcs from ratooning sorghum silage.ConclusionIn conclusion, A. niger could produce β-glucosidase which degraded the CNglcs during the early days of fermentation, benefiting the ensiling process and improving the utilization of ratooning sorghum.

Abstract The treatment of sepsis remains a major challenge worldwide. Aminophylline has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects; however, the role of aminophylline in sepsis, a disease characterized by immune dysregulation, is unknown. In this study, we combined microbiome sequencing and metabolomic assays to investigate the effect of aminophylline administration on the intestinal flora and metabolites in septic rats. Sixty SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: a sham-operated (SC) group, a sepsis model (CLP) group and a CLP + aminophylline treatment (Amino) group. The intestinal flora and metabolic profile of rats in the CLP group were significantly different than those of the SC group, while aminophylline administration resulted in a return to a state similar to healthy rats. Differential abundance analysis showed that aminophylline significantly back-regulated the abundance of Firmicutes, unidentified_Bacteria, Proteobacteria, Lactobacillus, Escherichia-Shigella and other dominant bacteria (P 1, P

In this study, our objective is to investigate the anisotropic deformation behavior and the indentation size effect (ISE) of monocrystalline barium fluoride (BaF2) using nanoindentation experiments with a diamond Berkovich indenter. BaF2 is known for its anisotropy, which results in significant variations in its mechanical properties. This anisotropy poses challenges in achieving high processing quality in ultra-precision machining. Through our experiments, we observed numerous pop-in events in the load–displacement curves, indicating the occurrence of plastic deformation in BaF2 crystals, specifically in the (100), (110), and (111) orientations; these pop-in events were observed as the indentation depth increased to 56.9 nm, 58.2 nm, and 57.8 nm, respectively. The hardness–displacement and elastic modulus–displacement curves were obtained from the tests exhibiting the ISE. The nanoindentation hardness of BaF2 is found to be highly dependent on its crystallographic orientation. Similarly, for BaF2 in the (100) orientation, the range is from 2.43 ± 0.74 and 1.24 ± 0.12 GPa. For BaF2 in the (110) orientation, the values range from 2.15 ± 0.66 to 1.18 ± 0.15 GPa. For BaF2 in the (111) orientation, the values range from 2.12 ± 0.53 GPa to 1.19 ± 0.12 GPa. These results highlight the significant influence of crystallographic orientation on the mechanical properties of BaF2. To better understand the ISE, we employed several models including Meyer’s law, the Nix–Gao model, the proportional specimen resistance (PSR) model, and the modified PSR (mPSR) model, and compared them with our experimental results. Among these models, the mPSR model demonstrated the best level of correlation (R2>0.9999) with the experimental measurements, providing a reliable description of the ISE observed in BaF2. Our reports provide valuable insights into the anisotropic mechanical characteristics of BaF2 materials and serve as a theoretical guide for the ultra-precision machining of BaF2.

Carbonization of agricultural and forestry wastes is the main use of biochar application in agriculture. In this study, the effects of biochar on the physical and chemical properties of soil and diversity in rhizosphere microorganisms, leaf nutrients and fruit quality of acid red soil in “Shatangju” (Citrus reticulate cv.) orchard were studied using organic wastes and small-scale carbonization furnaces from orchards were used to produce biochar. The results showed that the finished rate of biochar produced from the organic wastes in the orchard was approximately 37%, and the carbon content of the finished product was as high as 80%. The results suggested that the biochar produced in the orchard could meet the annual consumption of the orchard. Applying biochar can improve the physical and chemical properties of acid soil in the “Shatangju” orchard by enhancing the availability of various mineral nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and boron. The species and quantity of root and rhizosphere microbial communities (fungi, bacteria and archaea) increased, and the dominant bacterial group changed, manifested in the increase in microbial diversity. Biochar directly affected the soil pH value and increased the soil organic carbon content, which may be the main reason for the change in microbial diversity in the soil and rhizosphere of “Shatangju” in the orchard and pot tests. The fruit quality of each treatment group with biochar was also better than that of the control group and improved fruit coloring. In the pure soil test, whether or not chemical fertilizer was applied, 3% biochar amendments can provide a suitable pH value for “Shatangju” growth and are relatively stable. Regardless of whether or not fertilizer was applied, 1.5%-3% biochar improved the soil in the pot test. In the field, the biochar at a rate of 2.4 kg/plant to 3.6 kg/plant, respectively, was the best in improving soil physical and chemical properties, foliar nutrition and fruit quality. Therefore, the amount of biochar added in the open environment (if the garden) can be slightly adjusted according to the results of the closed environment test (pure soil test and pot test). In this experiment, we explored the self-recycling of organic carbon, mainly through the preparation of a simple small-scale biochar furnace suitable for the use by orchards, and selected the appropriate amount of biochar to improve the physical and chemical conditions of “Shatangju” orchard soil and increase fruit quality.

Abstract Well dispersible and stable single atom catalysts (SACs) with hydrophilic features are highly desirable for selective hydrogenation reactions in hydrophilic solvents towards important chemicals and pharmaceutical intermediates. A general strategy is reported for the fabrication of hydrophilic SACs by cation‐exchange approach. The cation‐exchange between metal ions (M = Ni, Fe, Co, Cu) and Na+ ions introduced in the skeleton of metal oxide (TiO2 or ZrO2) nanoshells plays the key role in forming M1/TiO2 and M1/ZrO2 SACs, which efficiently prevents the aggregation of the exchanged metal ions. The as‐obtained SACs are highly dispersible and stable in hydrophilic solvents including alcohol and water, which greatly facilitates the catalysis reaction in alcohol. The Ni1/TiO2 SACs have been successfully utilized as catalysts for the selective C=C hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde to produce phenylpropanal with 98% conversion, over 90% selectivity, good recyclability, and a turnover frequency (TOF) of 102 h−1, overwhelming most reported catalysts including noble metal catalysts.

Epicuticular wax, as secondary metabolites (hydrophobic compounds) covering plant surface, plays important roles in protecting plants from abiotic and biotic stresses. However, whether these compounds will influence fermentation process of silage is still not clear. In this study, two sweet sorghum cultivars with varying epicuticular wax on sheath (bloom), Yajin 2 (YJ, less bloom), and Jintian (JT, dense bloom), were harvested at flowering and maturing stages, and ensiled with or without bloom, aiming to evaluate the effects of bloom on fermentation quality, feed nutrition and microbial community. The bloom was collected manually with de-waxed cotton and extracted with chloroform. The results showed that the bloom reduced the concentrations of water-soluble carbohydrate and crude protein of the two cultivars at both stages, reduced lactic acid (LA) for YJ at both stages and for JT at flowering stage, and increased LA for JT at mature stage. The α-diversity of bacterial communities of the silage fermentation with bloom was significantly lower than that without bloom. Bloom increased the abundance of Lactobacillus, reduced that of Bacillus and Weissella, and significant correlations were observed between fermentative qualities and bacterial abundances. However, decreased diversity of bacterial community and the contents of LA implied that shifts in bacterial community might exert negative effects on silage fermentation. Our results suggest that bloom wax could alter the microbial community composition of ensiled sweet sorghums, which thus influence the fermentation qualities.

Humans have consumed lard for thousands of years, but in recent decades, it has become much less popular because it is regarded as saturated fat. Animal studies showed that lard plus soybean oil (blend oil) was more advantageous for liver health than using either oil alone. This study aims to assess the effects of blend oil on liver function markers in healthy subjects. The 345 healthy subjects were randomized into 3 isoenergetic diet groups with different edible oils (30 g/day) (soybean oil, lard, and blend oil (50% lard and 50% soybean oil)) for 12 weeks. The reductions in both aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were greater in the blend oil group than in the two other groups (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001) or lard group (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the other liver function markers between the groups. Thus, blend oil was beneficial for liver function markers such as AST and ALT compared with soybean oil and lard alone, which might help prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in the healthy population.

Genetic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (gCJD) characterized by mutations in the prion protein (PrP) gene (PRNP) contributes to approximately 10–15% of the overall human prion diseases. Here, we report a rare mutation in the PRNP gene in a Han-Chinese family. A 36-year-old man initiated with anxiety and depression followed by progressive dementia, cogwheel-like rigidity combined with tremors, and he was diagnosed with frontotemporal lobar dementia in the first 2 years. The disease progression was relatively slow, and the patient developed into akinetic mutism in 4 years. To characterize the disease, following the pedigree studies, neuropsychological examination, neuroimaging studies, real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) examination, and so on were conducted. We eventually identified a rare mutation of G114V combined with one octapeptide repeats deletion (1-ORPD) in the PrP in the patient by DNA sequencing. In addition, the same mutation and deletion were subsequently identified in the patient's mother without any syndromes. His maternal grandmother had a late onset of the disease in her 60s. Given that 1-OPRD has never been reported in human prion disease before, our first report that both G114V mutation and 1-OPRD appear in the family would forward our understanding of the etiological mechanisms of the gCJD.

As a typical neuropeptide richly distributed in central and peripheral nervous systems, α-calcitonin-gene-related peptide (αCGRP) has recently been found to play a crucial role in bone development and metabolism, but the mechanisms involved are not fully uncovered. Here, this study aimed to investigate the effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of αCGRP in regulating the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Using microarray technology, gene ontology (GO) and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analyses revealed that osteogenic properties of BMSCs were facilitated and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway was upregulated by αCGRP in this process. Through western blot assay, we proved that αCGRP led to an increased phosphorylation level of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and p38 MAPK signaling cascades in a time-dependent manner. And αCGRP could promote differentiative capacity of BMSCs, showing upregulated mRNA and protein expression level of alkaline phosphatase (Alp), collagen type 1 (Col-1), osteopontin (Opn), and runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), as well as increased ALP activity and calcified nodules. The addition of ERK1/2 or p38 MAPK inhibitor—U0126 or SB203580, resulted in an impaired osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Besides, inactivation of this signal transduction had negative impacts on proliferative activity and apoptotic process of αCGRP-mediated BMSCs. Our findings demonstrated that MAPK signaling pathway, at least in part, was responsible for the enhanced BMSCs’ osteogenesis induced by αCGRP, which might offer us promising strategies for bone-related disorders.

Acrylamide (ACR) exposure and consequent health hazards are alarming public health issues that attract worldwide concern. The World Health Organization urges more researches into health hazards from ACR exposure. However, whether and how ACR exposure increases cardiovascular risk remain unclear, and we sought to address these issues in this prospective cohort study conducted on 3024 general adults with 3-year follow-up (N = 871 at follow-up). Individual urinary ACR metabolites (N-Acetyl-S-(2-carbamoylethyl)-L-cysteine [AAMA] and N-Acetyl-S-(2-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteine [GAMA]) as credible biomarkers of ACR exposure were detected to assess their cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships with 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, a well measure of overall cardiovascular risk. Besides, biomarkers of oxidative stress (urinary 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine [8-OHdG] and 8-iso-prostaglandin-F2α [8-iso-PGF2α]) and inflammation (circulating mean platelet volume [MPV] and plasma C-reactive protein [CRP]) as well as plasma transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were measured to assess their mediating/mechanistic roles in the relationships of ACR metabolites with 10-year CVD risk. We found AAMA, GAMA, and ΣUAAM (AAMA + GAMA) were cross-sectionally and longitudinally related to increased 10-year CVD risk with odds ratios (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) of 1.32 (1.04, 1.70), 1.81 (1.36, 2.40), and 1.40 (1.07, 1.82), respectively, and risk ratios (95% CIs) of 1.99 (1.10, 3.60), 2.48 (1.27, 4.86), and 2.13 (1.15, 3.94), respectively. Furthermore, 8-OHdG, 8-iso-PGF2α, MPV, CRP, and TGF-β1 were found to significantly mediate 8.06–48.92% of the ACR metabolites-associated 10-year CVD risk increment. In summary, daily ACR exposure of general adults was cross-sectionally and longitudinally associated with increased cardiovascular risk, which was partly mediated by oxidative stress, inflammation, and TGF-β1, suggesting for the first time that ACR exposure may well increase cardiovascular risk of general adult population partly by mechanisms of inducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and TGF-β1. Our findings have important public health implications that provide potent epidemiological evidence and vital mechanistic insight into cardiovascular risk increment from ACR exposure.

IntroductionHuman gut dysbiosis has been implicated with the onset of many neurodegenerative disorders. However, the current data focused on the gut microbiota of patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) are still lacking. In our study, we explored the gut microbiota alteration in patients with CJD.MethodWe performed 16S ribosomal RNA MiSeq sequencing in stool samples of patients with CJD and controls. Functional analysis of the gut microbiota between these two groups was based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States 2. Clinical rating scales were used to evaluate the association between cognitive impairment and gut microbiota alteration.ResultWe identified a significant alteration in both the structure and the richness of the CJD group. Function analysis revealed that the gut microbiota of patients with CJD enriched in immune signaling molecule interactions and xenobiotics biodegradation. MoCA and survival times were found to be associated with gut microbiota in patients with CJD.ConclusionWe demonstrated an altered gut microbiota in patients with CJD, which was associated with the cognitive impairment and the survival time of these patients.

Cuticular waxes are mixtures of hydrophobic compounds covering land plant surfaces and play key roles in plant resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. However, it is still not clear whether the epicuticular wax could protect the plants from infection by anthracnose, one of the most important plant diseases worldwide, which seriously infects sorghum and causes great yield loss. In this study, Sorghum bicolor L., an important C4 crop with high wax coverage, was selected to analyze the relationship between epicuticular wax (EW) and anthracnose resistance. In vitro analysis indicated that the sorghum leaf wax significantly inhibited the anthracnose mycelium growth of anthracnose on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium, with the plaque diameter smaller than that grown on medium without wax. Then, the EWs were removed from the intact leaf with gum acacia, followed by the inoculation of Colletotrichum sublineola. The results indicated that the disease lesion was remarkably aggravated on leaves without EW, which showed decreased net photosynthetic rate and increased intercellular CO2 concentrations and malonaldehyde content three days after inoculation. Transcriptome analysis further indicated that 1546 and 2843 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were regulated by C. sublineola infection in plants with and without EW, respectively. Among the DEG encoded proteins and enriched pathways regulated by anthracnose infection, the cascade of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling pathway, ABC transporters, sulfur metabolism, benzoxazinoid biosynthesis, and photosynthesis were mainly regulated in plants without EW. Overall, the EW increases plant resistance to C. sublineola by affecting physiological and transcriptome responses through sorghum epicuticular wax, improving our understanding of its roles in defending plants from fungi and ultimately benefiting sorghum resistance breeding.

We discover three new weak pulse components in two known pulsars, one in PSR J0304+1932 and two in PSR J1518+4904. These components are emitted about halfway between the main emission beam and the interpulse beam (beam from the opposite pole). They are separated from their main pulse peak by 99° ± 3° for J0304+1932 and 123.°6 ± 0.°7 (leading) and 93° ± 0.°4 (trailing) for J1518+4904. Their peak-intensity ratios to main pulses are ∼ 0.06% for J0304+1932 and ∼0.17% and ∼0.83% for J1518+4904. We also analyzed the flux fluctuations and profile variations of the emissions for the two pulsars. The results show correlations between the weak pulses and their main pulses, indicating that these emissions come from the same pole. We estimated the emission altitude of these weak pulses and derived a height of about half of the pulsar’s light-cylinder radius. These pulse components are a unique sample of high-altitude emissions from pulsars, and challenge the current pulsar emission models.

Abstract Background Mature cotton fiber secondary cell wall comprises largely of cellulose (> 90%) and small amounts of xylan and lignin. Little is known about the cotton fiber xylan biosynthesis by far. Results To comprehensively survey xylan biosynthetic genes in cotton fiber, we identified five IRX9, five IRX10, one IRX14, six IRX15, two FRA8, one PARVUS, eight GUX, four GXM, two RWA, two AXY9, 13 TBL genes by using phylogenetic analysis coupled with expression profile analysis and co-expression analyses. In addition, we also identified two GT61 members, two GT47 members, and two DUF579 family members whose homologs in Arabidopsis were not functionally characterized. These 55 genes were regarded as the most probable genes to be involved in fiber xylan biosynthesis. Further complementation analysis indicated that one IRX10 like and two FRA8 related genes were able to partially recover the irregular xylem phenotype conferred by the xylan deficiency in their respective Arabidopsis mutant. We conclude that these genes are functional orthologs of respective genes that are implicated in GX biosynthesis. Conclusion The list of 55 cotton genes presented here provides not only a solid basis to uncover the biosynthesis of xylan in cotton fiber, but also a genetic resource potentially useful for future studies aiming at fiber improvement via biotechnological approaches.

The association between blood pressure (BP) and migraine is poorly understood. Here, the authors explore this relationship using summary-level GWAS data for BP and migraine. Cross-trait meta-analysis reveals shared loci between BP and migraine, while Mendelian randomization suggests that diastolic BP specifically plays a key role in migraine susceptibility.

OBJECTIVES: Shift work is associated with metabolic disorders as it disturbs circadian rhythms. However, the potential association of shift work with knee osteoarthritis (KOA), a metabolic-related disease, has not been confirmed. The objective of this study was to quantify the association of shift work with the risk of KOA. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study comprising 13 741 retired workers from the Dongfeng Motor Corporation. KOA was defined by knee pain and clinical X-ray radiographs. Occupational history, including job description and shift work, was collected from face-to-face interviews using questionnaires. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate exposure–response relationships. RESULTS: During the 590 085 person-years of follow-up, a total of 847 cases of KOA (incidence of KOA was 143.5 per 100 000 person-years) were identified. After adjusting for potential confounders, shift work was independently associated with an elevated risk of KOA [hazard ratio (HR) 1.19, 95% confidence interval 1.03–1.36]. Compared with daytime workers, the risk of KOA increased with prolonged periods of shift work; the HR of KOA for participants with 1–9 years, 10–19 years, and ≥20 years shift work were 1.03 (95% CI 0.84–1.26), 1.19 (95% CI 0.98–1.46), and 1.42 (95% CI 1.15–1.76), respectively. The HR for KOA associated with shift work gradually decreased as the period after finishing shift work increased. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that shift work could be an independent risk factor for KOA.

This paper proposes a method for visibility detection based on the recognition of the preceding vehicle's taillight signals using in-vehicle camera and millimeter-wave (mm-W) radar. First, we design two methods of vehicle identification. One is to use Haar-like features and an AdaBoost algorithm to train the vehicle classifier, which is mainly used to identify vehicles without turning on the taillights. The other is to identify vehicles with taillights on by means of taillight segmentation. The two identification methods are combined with a Discriminative Scale Space Tracker (DSST) to track the vehicle in the image acquired by vehicle camera and to measure anthropic visibility with mm-W radar. In addition, we drove a test vehicle on a foggy highway and collected experimental data through in-vehicle camera and mm-W radar. The experimenter observed the movement of the vehicle in front until it disappeared from the field of vision and recorded the distance of the vehicle in front measured by radar at that time as human visibility, which was also used as the ground truth to verify the accuracy of the proposed visibility detection method. The experimental results show that the visibility measured by the proposed algorithm is essentially consistent with the visibility obtained by human eyes, that is, the visibility of vehicles with no taillights, clearance lamp, emergency flasher, or fog lamp tends to rise, with an average accuracy of 88%, 91%, 90%, and 95%, respectively. In contrast to the traditional visibility measurement, this method mainly measures the maximum distance that the driver can observe when the front vehicle is not turned on or different taillights are turned on.

Abstract Cuticular wax covering the leaf surface plays important roles in protecting plants from biotic and abiotic stresses. Understanding the way in which plant leaf cuticles reflect their growing environment could give an insight into plant resilience to future climate change. Here, we analyzed the variations of cuticular waxes among 59 populations of Leymus chinensis in a common garden experiment, aiming to verify how environmental conditions influence the chemical profiles of cuticular waxes. In total, eight cuticular wax classes were identified, including fatty acids, aldehydes, primary alcohols, alkanes, secondary alcohols, ketones, β‐diketones, and alkylresorcinols, with β‐diketones the predominant compounds in all populations (averaged 67.36% across all populations). Great intraspecific trait variations (ITV) were observed for total wax coverage, wax compositions, and the relative abundance of homologues within each wax class. Cluster analysis based on wax characteristics could separate 59 populations into different clades. However, the populations could not be separated according to their original longitudes, latitudes, annual temperature, or annual precipitation. Redundancy analysis showed that latitude, arid index, and the precipitation from June to August were the most important parameters contributing to the variations of the amount of total wax coverage and wax composition and the relative abundance of wax classes. Pearson's correlation analysis further indicated that the relative abundance of wax classes, homologues in each wax class, and even isomers of certain compound differed in their responses to environmental factors. These results suggested that wax deposition patterns of L. chinensis populations formed during adaptations to their long‐term growing environments could inherit in their progenies and exhibit such inheritance even these progenies were exported to new environments.

ObjectiveMultiple studies have confirmed that diet restrictions can effectively realize glycemic control and reduce metabolic risks in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In 2018, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) stated that individuals can select a low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) according to their needs and preferences. Owing to the influence of Chinese traditional eating habits, only a small portion of patients in China have achieved their blood glucose goals. As a result, the Chinese government will incur huge expenditures.MethodThis study recruited 134 T2DM participants and randomly assigned them to the LCD group (n = 67) or the low-fat diet (LFD) group (n = 67). All of the patients had a fixed amount of exercise and were guided by clinicians. After a period of dietary washout, all of the patients received corresponding dietary education according to group. The follow-up time was 6 months. The indicators for anthropometry, glycemic control, and medication application parameters were collected and compared between the two groups.ResultsThere were 121 participants who finally entered the study. The proportions of calories from three major nutrients the participants consumed met the requirements of LCD and LFD. Compared with baseline, the pre-postdifferences of body weight, BMI, and several other indicators were significant except for dosages of insulin used in the LCD group and MES in the LFD group. After the intervention, body weight, body weight index (BMI), fasting blood glucose (FBG), postprandial 2-h blood glucose (PPG), and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in the LCD group decreased significantly (p

Background and AimA growing body of evidence suggests that preadmission metformin use could decrease the mortality of septic patients with diabetes mellitus (DM); however, the findings remain controversial. Therefore, this meta-analysis was conducted on available studies to confirm the relationship between preadmission metformin use and mortality in patients with sepsis and DM.MethodsA comprehensive search of the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases was performed for studies published before August 8, 2021. Observational studies assessing the correlation between metformin use and mortality in patients with sepsis and DM were considered eligible studies. We used the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) to assess the outcome quality of each included article. Furthermore, the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were analyzed using the inverse variance method with random effects modeling.ResultsEleven articles including 8195 patients were analyzed in this meta-analysis. All the included articles were scored as low risk of bias. Our results showed that preadmission metformin use had a lower mortality rate (OR, 0.74; 95% CIs, 0.62–0.88, P < 0.01) in patients with sepsis and DM. Surprisingly, there was no statistically significant difference in the levels of serum creatinine (weighted mean difference (WMD), 0.36; 95% CIs, −0.03–0.75; P = 0.84) and lactic acid (WMD, −0.16; 95% CIs, −0.49–0.18; P = 0.07) between preadmission metformin use and non-metformin use.ConclusionsThis study is the most comprehensive meta-analysis at present, which shows that preadmission metformin use may reduce mortality and not increase the levels of serum creatinine and lactic acid in adult patients with sepsis and DM. Therefore, these data suggest that the potential efficacy of metformin could be assessed in future clinical studies.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://inplasy.com/?s=INPLASY2021100113, identifier INPLASY2021100113.

Under the background of government-oriented environmental governance in China, the environmental effect of local official turnover has become an important issue. How to improve governmental governance is an important issue that profoundly affects local environmental governance. Based on a literature analysis, this paper establishes an environmental-effect identification equation to deeply analyze the environmental effect of local official turnover on private enterprises. Then, this paper empirically analyzes the effect of local personnel turnover on the environmental pollution control of private enterprises and the persistence of this effect. The results show that the turnover of local officials has a positive effect on the pollution control investment of private enterprises, but the effect is not persistent. The interest collusion between local officials and private enterprises tends to be one main reason to explain the environmental effect, and two different types of interest collusions are determined: priority to self-interest and economic development. The reasons why the positive effect cannot last for long may be attributed to a lack of systematic and effective institutions or temporary administrative measures. It is important to make local officials fully realize the “green wealth” value of the ecosystems, to change their economic priorities. Finally, this paper proposes countermeasures for local governments on personnel affairs to promote environmental governance.

Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in geriatric population. At present, no effective treatments exist to reverse the progress of AD, however, early diagnosis and intervention might delay its progression. The search for biomarkers with good safety, repeatable detection, reliable sensitivity and community application is necessary for AD screening and early diagnosis and timely intervention. Electroencephalogram (EEG) examination is a non-invasive, quantitative, reproducible, and cost-effective technique which is suitable for screening large population for possible AD. The power spectrum, complexity and synchronization characteristics of EEG waveforms in AD patients have distinct deviation from normal elderly, indicating these EEG features can be a promising candidate biomarker of AD. However, current reported deviation results are inconsistent, possibly due to multiple factors such as diagnostic criteria, sample sizes and the use of different computational measures. In this study, we collected two neurological tests scores (MMSE and MoCA) and the resting-state EEG of 30 normal control elderly subjects (NC group) and 30 probable AD patients confirmed by Pittsburgh compound B positron emission tomography (PiB-PET) inspection (AD group). We calculated the power spectrum, spectral entropy and phase synchronization index features of these two groups’ EEG at left/right frontal, temporal, central and occipital brain regions in 4 frequency bands: δ oscillation (1–4 Hz), θ oscillation (4–8 Hz), α oscillation (8–13 Hz), and β oscillation (13–30 Hz). In most brain areas, we found that the AD group had significant differences compared to NC group: (1) decreased α oscillation power and increased θ oscillation power; (2) decreased spectral entropy in α oscillation and elevated spectral entropy in β oscillation; and (3) decrease phase synchronization index in δ, θ, and β oscillation. We also found that α oscillation spectral power and β oscillation phase synchronization index correlated well with the MMSE/MoCA test scores in AD groups. Our study suggests that these two EEG features might be useful metrics for population screening of probable AD patients.

Cuticular waxes covering the plant surface play pivotal roles in helping plants adapt to changing environments. However, it is still not clear whether the responses of plant cuticular waxes to their growing environments are inheritable. We collected seeds of Medicago ruthenica (a perennial legume) populations from 30 growing sites in northern China and examined the variations of leaf cuticular waxes in a common garden experiment. Four wax genes, MrFAR3-1, MrFAR3-2, MrCER1, and MrKCS1, involved in biosynthesis of predominant wax classes (primary alcohol and alkane) and wax precursors, were isolated to test the contributions of genetic variations of the coding sequences (CDS) and the promoter sequences and epigenetic modifications. The plasticity responses of the cuticular waxes were further validated by two stress-modeling experiments (drought and enhancing ultraviolet B). Great variations in total wax coverage and abundance of wax classes or wax compounds were observed among M. ruthenica populations in a common garden experiment. Stress-modeling experiments further validated that M. ruthenica would alter leaf wax depositions under changed growing conditions. The transcriptional levels of the wax genes were positively or negatively correlated with amounts of cuticular waxes. However, the analysis of promoter methylation showed that the methylation level of the promoter region was not associated with their expressions. Although both promoter sequences and CDS showed a number of polymorphic sites, the promoters were not naturally selected and insignificant difference could be observed in the numbers and types of acting elements of the four wax genes among populations. In contrast, the CDS of the wax genes were naturally selected, with a number of missense mutations resulting in alterations of the amino acid as well as their isoelectric points and polarities, which could impact on enzyme function/activity. We conclude that long-term adaptation under certain environments would induce genetic mutation of wax biosynthesis genes, resulting in inheritable alterations of cuticular wax depositions.

Abstract Background LIM kinase 1 (LIMK1) expression levels are closely associated with microRNA (miRNA) processing. Higher levels of LIMK1 are reported during the progression of many cancers. Our study explored the interaction between LIMK1 and miR-106a in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods Quantitative RT-PCR was performed to detect the levels of LIMK1 and miR-106a in OSCC tissues and cell lines. The rates of cell proliferation and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) were assessed to determine the biological functions of miR-106a and LIMK1 in OSCC cells. The mRNA and protein levels of LIMK1 were measured using quantitative RT-PCR and western blotting. Luciferase assays were performed to validate LIMK1 as an miR-106a target in OSCC cells. Results We found that the level of miR-106a significantly decreased and the expression of LIMK1 significantly increased in OSCC tissues and cell lines. There was a close association between these changes. Knockdown of LIMK1 significantly inhibited the proliferation and EMT of OSCC cells. The bioinformatics analysis predicted that LIMK1 is a potential target gene of miR-106a and the luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-106a could directly target LIMK1. Introduction of miR-106a to OSCC cells had similar effects to LIMK1 silencing. Overexpression of LIMK1 in OSCC cells partially reversed the inhibitory effects of the miR-106a mimic. Conclusion MiR-106a inhibited the cell proliferation and EMT of OSCC cells by directly decreasing LIMK1 expression.

Abstract Background The potential effects of pulmonary dysfunction on cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are receiving attention. We aimed to investigate and quantify the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between lung function and overall cardiovascular risk among Chinese general population. Methods We studied 4019 participants from the Wuhan-Zhuhai cohort, with a follow-up of 3 years. A multivariable risk algorithm generated from the Framingham study was used to calculate individuals’ overall cardiovascular risk i.e. 10-Year CVD Risk, which was further classified into 2 categories: low (

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), accounting for two-thirds of head and neck cancer, is characterized by poor prognosis and a high rate of mortality. Exosomes have emerged as potential molecule-shuttle in intercellular communication, thereby regulating the physiological processes of recipient cells. To date, the effect of exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) on the progression of OSCC has not been fully investigated. In this study, we found that the protein, but not mRNA expression of Phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) was decreased in OSCC. The results revealed that miR-130b-3p was an important negative regulator for PTEN expression. Additionally, overexpression and knockdown of miR-130b-3p enhanced and inhibited angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), respectively. Also, miR-130b-3p was transferred by exosomes to HUVECs and then promoted angiogenesis and inhibit the expression of PTEN. Furthermore, exosomal miR-130b-3p derived from OSCC cells promoted tumor growth and blood vessel formation in the xenograft mice model. Taken together, we demonstrated that exosome-mediated miR-130b-3p promoted progression and tubular formation in OSCC in vitro and in vivo. These results would provide new insight into exploring biomarkers and effective therapeutic strategies for OSCC.

This paper establishes a fully automatic real-time image segmentation and recognition system for breast ultrasound intervention robots. It adopts the basic architecture of a U-shaped convolutional network (U-Net), analyses the actual application scenarios of semantic segmentation of breast ultrasound images, and adds dropout layers to the U-Net architecture to reduce the redundancy in texture details and prevent overfitting. The main innovation of this paper is proposing an expanded training approach to obtain an expanded of U-Net. The output map of the expanded U-Net can retain texture details and edge features of breast tumours. Using the grey-level probability labels to train the U-Net is faster than using ordinary labels. The average Dice coefficient (standard deviation) and the average IOU coefficient (standard deviation) are 90.5% (±0.02) and 82.7% (±0.02), respectively, when using the expanded training approach. The Dice coefficient of the expanded U-Net is 7.6 larger than that of a general U-Net, and the IOU coefficient of the expanded U-Net is 11 larger than that of the general U-Net. The context of breast ultrasound images can be extracted, and texture details and edge features of tumours can be retained by the expanded U-Net. Using an expanded U-Net can quickly and automatically achieve precise segmentation and multi-class recognition of breast ultrasound images.

Abstract Cuticular waxes play important eco‐physiological roles in protecting plants against abiotic and biotic stresses and show high sensitivity to environmental changes. In order to clarify the responses of cuticular waxes on faba bean (Vicia faba L.) leaves to different light wavelengths, the phenotypic plasticity of cuticular waxes was analyzed when plants were subjected to white, red, yellow, blue, and purple light. Leaf samples from yellow, purple, and white lights were further analyzed, and candidate genes of wax biosynthesis were selected by RNA‐seq technology and transcriptome processing. Yellow light increased the total wax coverage and changed the crystal structure compared with leaves under white light. Light wavelengths changed the relative abundance of dominant primary alcohol from C24 under white, yellow, and red lights to C26 under blue and purple lights. In total, 100,194 unigenes were obtained, and 10 genes were annotated in wax biosynthesis pathway, including VLCFAs elongation (KCS1, KCS4, LACS2 and LACS9), acyl reduction pathway (FAR3 and WSD1), and decarboxylation pathway (CER1, CER3 and MAH1). qRT‐PCR analysis revealed that yellow and purple lights significantly influenced the expression levels of these genes. Yellow light also increased the water loss rate and decreased the photosynthesis rate. Light at different wavelengths particularly yellow light induced the changes of phenotypic plasticity of cuticular waxes, which thus altered the leaf eco‐physiological functions. The expression levels of genes related to wax biosynthesis were also altered by different light wavelengths, suggesting that light at different wavelengths may also be applied in selecting candidate genes involved in wax biosynthesis in other crops.

Background: Essential metals have been reported to be associated with metabolic diseases. However, the relationships between essential metals exposure and Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is still uncertain, and the underlying mechanisms of the association remain unclear. Objectives: To investigate the associations of urinary essential metals with MetS prevalence; and further to explore potential role of systemic inflammation biomarker, C-reactive protein (CRP), in relationships between essential metals exposure and MetS prevalence in a cross-sectional study. Methods: Concentrations of 8 urinary essential metals and plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) were quantified in 3272 adults from Wuhan-Zhuhai cohort. Urinary essential metals were adjusted by the corresponding urinary creatinine concentrations and reported as μg/mmol creatinine. Multivariable logistic regression and linear regression models were used to evaluate dose–response relationships between essential metals, plasma CRP, and MetS prevalence. Mediation analysis was performed to investigate the role of plasma CRP in the associations between urinary essential metals and MetS prevalence. Results: In the single-metal models, we observed positive dose-dependent relationships of urinary copper and zinc with MetS prevalence. Compared with the lowest quartiles of urinary metals, the ORs (95% CI) of MetS in the highest quartiles were 1.40 (1.03, 1.91) for urinary copper and 2.07 (1.51, 2.84) for zinc, respectively. The dose-dependent relationships of zinc and copper with MetS remained significant in the multiple-metal models and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models. No significant associations were observed between others essential metals (e.g. manganese, iron, cobalt, selenium, chromium, molybdenum) and MetS in this general population (all P value > 0.05). In addition, urinary copper and zinc increased monotonically with plasma CRP elevation, and plasma CRP was positively associated with the MetS prevalence. Mediation analysis indicated that plasma CRP mediated 5.2% and 3.2% in the associations of urinary copper and zinc with MetS prevalence, respectively. Conclusions: Elevated concentrations of urinary copper and zinc were associated with increased prevalence of MetS. Systemic inflammation may play an important role in the associations of copper and zinc exposure with MetS.

Macrophages have been described as a critical cell population regulating bone regeneration and osseointegration, and their polarization phenotype is of particular importance. Several studies have shown that calcitonin gene-related peptide-α (CGRP) might modulate macrophage polarization in inflammatory response and bone metabolism. This study aimed to investigate the effect of CGRP on macrophage polarization in titanium osseointegration. In vitro, bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) from C57BL/6 or CGRP–/– mice were obtained and activated for M1 and M2 polarization. Flow cytometry and real-time PCR were used to evaluate the M1/M2 polarization and inflammatory function. In vivo, mice were divided into 3 groups: wild-type, CGRP–/–, and CGRP–/– mice with CGRP lentivirus. After extraction of the maxillary first molar, 0.6 mm × 1.25 mm titanium implants were emplaced. Bone formation and inflammation levels around implants were then observed and analyzed. The results of flow cytometry demonstrated that CGRP deficiency promoted M1 polarization and inhibited M2 polarization in BMDMs, which was consistent with pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine expression levels in real-time PCR. In vivo, compared with the CGRP–/– group, the CGRP gene transfection group displayed better osseointegration and lower inflammation levels, close to those of the wild-type group. These results revealed that CGRP might play roles in macrophage polarization. In addition, CGRP deficiency could inhibit osseointegration in murine maxillae, while CGRP recovery by lentivirus transfection could improve osseointegration and regulate macrophage phenotype expression.

Alzheimer disease (AD) has an insidious onset and heterogeneous clinical symptoms. The well-accepted biomarkers for clinical diagnosis of AD include β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition and pathologic tau level within cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and imaging AD pathology such as positive emission tomography (PET) imaging of the amyloid-binding agent Pittsburgh compound B (PET-PiB). However, the high expense and invasive nature of these methods highly limit their wide usage in clinic practice. Therefore, it is imperious to develop less expensive and invasive methods, and plasma biomarkers are the premium targets. In the current study, we utilized a single-blind comparison method; all the probable AD cases met the core clinical National Institute on Aging and Alzheimer’s Association (NIA-AA) criteria and validated by PET-PiB. We used ultrasensitive immunomagnetic reduction (IMR) assays to measure plasma Aβ42 and total-tau (t-tau) levels, in combination with different variables including Aβ42 × t-tau value, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). We used logistic regression to analyze the effect of all these variables in the algorism. Our results showed that (1) plasma Aβ42 and t-tau are efficient biomarkers for AD diagnosis using IMR platform, whereas Aβ42 × t-tau value is more efficient for discriminating control and AD; (2) in the control group, Aβ42 level and age demonstrated strong negative correlation; Aβ42 × t-tau value and age demonstrated significant negative correlation; (3) in the AD group, t-tau level and MMSE score demonstrated strong negative correlation; (4) using the model that Aβ42, Aβ42 × t-tau, and MoCA as the variable to generate receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, cutoff value = 0.48, sensitivity = 0.973, specificity = 0.982, area under the curve (AUC) = 0.986, offered better categorical efficacy, sensitivity, specificity, and AUC. The multifactor model of plasma Aβ42 and t-tau in combination with MoCA can be a viable model separate health and AD subjects in clinical practice.