Selenium Regulates Antioxidant, Photosynthesis, and Cell Permeability in Plants under Various Abiotic Stresses: A Review

Plant growth is affected by various abiotic stresses, including water, temperature, light, salt, and heavy metals. Selenium (Se) is not an essential nutrient for plants but plays important roles in alleviating the abiotic stresses suffered by plants. This article summarizes the Se uptake and metabolic processes in plants and the functions of Se in response to water, temperature, light, salt, and heavy metal stresses in plants. Se promotes the uptake of beneficial substances, maintains the stability of plasma membranes, and enhances the activity of various antioxidant enzymes, thus alleviating adverse effects in plants under abiotic stresses. Future research directions on the relationship between Se and abiotic stresses in plants are proposed. This article will further deepen our understanding of the relationship between Se and plants.

Interaction between selenium and essential micronutrient elements in plants: A systematic review

Nutrient imbalance (i.e., deficiency and toxicity) of microelements is an outstanding environmental issue that influences each aspect of ecosystems. Although the crucial roles of microelements in entire lifecycle of plants have been widely acknowledged, the effective control of microelements is still neglected due to the narrow safe margins. Selenium (Se) is an essential element for humans and animals. Although it is not believed to be indispensable for plants, many literatures have reported the significance of Se in terms of the uptake, accumulation, and detoxification of essential microelements in plants. However, most papers only concerned on the antagonistic effect of Se on metal elements in plants and ignored the underlying mechanisms. There is still a lack of systematic review articles to summarize the comprehensive knowledge on the connections between Se and microelements in plants. In this review, we conclude the bidirectional effects of Se on micronutrients in plants, including iron, zinc, copper, manganese, nickel, molybdenum, sodium, chlorine, and boron. The regulatory mechanisms of Se on these micronutrients are also analyzed. Moreover, we further emphasize the role of Se in alleviating element toxicity and adjusting the concentration of micronutrients in plants by altering the soil conditions (e.g., adsorption, pH, and organic matter), promoting microbial activity, participating in vital physiological and metabolic processes, generating element competition, stimulating metal chelation, organelle compartmentalization, and sequestration, improving the antioxidant defense system, and controlling related genes involved in transportation and tolerance. Based on the current understanding of the interaction between Se and these essential elements, future directions for research are suggested.

Comparative physiological and transcriptome analysis reveals the potential mechanism of selenium accumulation and tolerance to selenate toxicity of Broussonetia papyrifera

Broussonetia papyrifera is an important fodder tree that is widely distributed in China. Enhancing the selenium (Se) content in B. papyrifera may help to improve the nutritional value of the feed. In this study, sodium selenite and selenate were foliar applied to investigate the mechanisms of Se tolerance and accumulation in B. papyrifera. The results showed that both Se forms significantly increased the total Se content, and the proportion of organic Se was significantly higher in the sodium selenite treatment than in the control. In addition, the soluble sugar, phenolic acid and flavonoid contents and antioxidant enzyme activities were increased by exogenous Se. The de novo RNA sequencing results showed that 644 and 1804 differentially expressed genes were identified in the selenite and selenate comparison groups, respectively. Pathway enrichment analysis demonstrated that 24 of the 108 pathways were significantly enriched, of which sulfur assimilation genes in the sodium selenite-treated groups were upregulated, whereas Se conjugation and transporter genes, such as SBP1, PCS, GSTs, ABCs and GPX, were significantly induced under selenate treatment. The hub genes identified by weighted-gene co-expression network analysis further confirmed that sulfur assimilation, conjugation and transporter genes might play a vital role in Se assimilation and tolerance. From this, a model of Se metabolism in B. papyrifera was proposed based on the above physiological and RNA sequencing data. This study is the first study to report that B. papyrifera has a strong ability to accumulate and tolerate exogenous Se, thereby providing a foundation for further characterization of the accumulation and tolerance mechanism of B. papyrifera. Our findings can provide technical support for producing Se-enriched fodder.

Highly Efficient Biotransformation and Production of Selenium Nanoparticles and Polysaccharides Using Potential Probiotic Bacillus subtilis T5

Selenium is an essential microelement required for human health. The biotransformation of selenium nanoparticles has attracted increasing attention in recent years. However, little of the literature has investigated the comprehensive evaluation of the strains for practical application and the effect on the functional properties in the existence of Se. The present study showed the selenite reduction strain Bacillus subtilis T5 (up to 200 mM), which could produce high yields of selenium polysaccharides and selenium nanoparticles in an economical and feasible manner. Biosynthesized selenium nanoparticles by B. subtilis T5 were characterized systematically using UV-vis spectroscopy, FTIR, Zeta Potential, DLS, and SEM techniques. The biosynthesized SeNPs exhibited high stability with small particle sizes. B. subtilis T5 also possessed a tolerance to acidic pH and bile salts, high aggregation, negative hemolytic, and superior antioxidant activity, which showed excellent probiotic potential and can be recommended as a potential candidate for the selenium biopharmaceuticals industry. Remarkably, B. subtilis T5 showed that the activity of α-amylase was enhanced with selenite treatment to 8.12 U/mL, 2.72-fold more than the control. The genus Bacillus was first reported to produce both selenium polysaccharides with extremely high Se-content (2.302 g/kg) and significantly enhance the activity to promote α-amylase with selenium treatment. Overall, B. subtilis T5 showed potential as a bio-factory for the biosynthesized SeNPs and organ selenium (selenium polysaccharide), providing an appealing perspective for the biopharmaceutical industry.

Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly and Multi-Omics Dataset Provide Insights into Isoflavone and Puerarin Biosynthesis in Pueraria lobata (Wild.) Ohwi

Pueraria lobata (wild.) Ohwi is a leguminous plant and one of the traditional Chinese herbal medicines. Its puerarin extract is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. This study reported a chromosome-level genome assembly for P. lobata and its characteristics. The genome size was ~939.2 Mb, with a contig N50 of 29.51 Mbp. Approximately 97.82% of the assembled sequences were represented by 11 pseudochromosomes. We identified that the repetitive sequences accounted for 63.50% of the P. lobata genome. A total of 33,171 coding genes were predicted, of which 97.34% could predict the function. Compared with other species, P. lobata had 757 species-specific gene families, including 1874 genes. The genome evolution analysis revealed that P. lobata was most closely related to Glycine max and underwent two whole-genome duplication (WGD) events. One was in a gamma event shared by the core dicotyledons at around 65 million years ago, and another was in the common ancestor shared by legume species at around 25 million years ago. The collinearity analysis showed that 61.45% of the genes (54,579 gene pairs) in G. max and P. lobata had collinearity. In this study, six unique PlUGT43 homologous genes were retrieved from the genome of P. lobata, and no 2-hydroxyisoflavanone 8-C-glucoside was found in the metabolites. This also revealed that the puerarin synthesis was mainly from the glycation of daidzein. The combined transcriptome and metabolome analysis suggested that two bHLHs, six MYBs and four WRKYs were involved in the expression regulation of puerarin synthesis structural genes. The genetic information obtained in this study provided novel insights into the biological evolution of P. lobata and leguminous species, and it laid the foundation for further exploring the regulatory mechanism of puerarin synthesis.

Treatment of Ginkgo biloba with Exogenous Sodium Selenite Affects Its Physiological Growth, Changes Its Phytohormones, and Synthesizes Its Terpene Lactones

Ginkgolide is a unique terpenoid natural compound in Ginkgo biloba, and it has an important medicinal value. Proper selenium has been reported to promote plant growth and development, and improve plant quality, stress resistance, and disease resistance. In order to study the effects of exogenous selenium (Se) on the physiological growth and the content of terpene triolactones (TTLs) in G. biloba seedlings, the seedlings in this work were treated with Na2SeO3. Then, the physiological indexes, the content of the TTLs, and the expression of the related genes were determined. The results showed that a low dose of Na2SeO3 was beneficial to plant photosynthesis as it promoted the growth of ginkgo seedlings and increased the root to shoot ratio. Foliar Se application significantly increased the content of soluble sugar and protein and promoted the content of TTLs in ginkgo leaves; indeed, it reached the maximum value of 7.95 mg/g in the ninth week, whereas the application of Se to the roots inhibited the synthesis of TTLs. Transcriptome analysis showed that foliar Se application promoted the expression levels of GbMECPs, GbMECT, GbHMGR, and GbMVD genes, whereas its application to the roots promoted the expression of GbDXS and GbDXR genes. The combined analysis results of metabolome and transcriptome showed that genes such as GbDXS, GbDXR, GbHMGR, GbMECPs, and GbCYP450 were significantly positively correlated with transcription factors (TFs) GbWRKY and GbAP2/ERF, and they were also positively correlated with the contents of terpene lactones (ginkgolide A, ginkgolide B, ginkgolide M, and bilobalide). Endogenous hormones (MeJA-ILE, ETH, and GA7) were also involved in this process. The results suggested that Na2SeO3 treatment affected the transcription factors related to the regulation of endogenous hormones in G. biloba, and further regulated the expression of genes related to the terpene synthesis structure, thus promoting the synthesis of ginkgo TTLs.

National emissions inventory and future trends in greenhouse gases and other air pollutants from civil airports in China

Civil aviation is an important source of air pollutants, but this field has received insufficient attention in China. Based on the standard emissions model of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and actual flight information from 241 airports, this study estimated a comprehensive emissions inventory for 2010-2020 by considering the impacts of mixing layer height. The results showed that annual pollutant emissions rapidly trended upward along with population and economic growth; however, the emissions decreased owing to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOX), particulate matter (PM), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and water vapor (H2O) were 34.34, 65.73, 0.10, 0.34, 0.40, 14,706.26, and 5733.11 Gg, respectively. The emissions of total volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from China's civil airports in 2020 were estimated at 17.20 Gg; the major components were formic acid (1.70 Gg), acetic acid (1.62 Gg), 1-butylene (1.03 Gg), acetone (0.96 Gg), and acetaldehyde (0.93 Gg). The distribution of pollutant emissions was consistent with the level of economic development, mainly in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. In addition, we estimated future pollution trends for the aviation industry under four scenarios. Under the comprehensive scenario, which considered the impacts of economic growth, passenger turnover, cargo turnover, COVID-19, and technological efficiency, the levels of typical pollutants were expected to increase by nearly 1.51-fold from 2010 to 2035.

[Characteristics and regulatory mechanisms of lipid metabolism remodeling after malignant transformation of glioma-associated macrophages]

Objective: To observe the lipid metabolism characteristics of tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) after malignant transformation in the glioma micro-environment, and analyze the biological phenotype changes and regulatory mechanisms after inhibiting the lipid metabolism remodeling. Methods: Twelve male Balb/c mice of 6-8 weeks were used in the study. Macrophages (Mφ) were derived from mouse bone marrow, and malignantly transformed macrophages (tMφ₁ and tMφ₂) were cloned from the model of glioma stem cell (GSC) through interaction with Mφ in vivo and in vitro. Intracellular lipid droplet formation and cellular cholesterol content were measured respectively in Mφ, tMφ₁ and tMφ₂. qRT-PCR was performed to detect the genes expression level related with lipid metabolism, including sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP), fatty acid synthase (FASN), and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutarate monoacyl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA). Simvastatin (SIM) was used to analyze the proliferation, immigration and invasiveness ability in tMφ₁ and tMφ₂ after inhibition of the lipid metabolism. Differential expression profiles of miRNAs after SIM treatment were constructed in t-Mφ₁ and bio-informatics analysis was screened and verified for miR449a and its target gene sorting micro-tubule connectin 17 (SNX17) associated with lipid metabolism remodeling. The effect on SNX17 by up-regulated miR-449a were analyzed by qRT-PCR and Western blot, meanwhile, the biological phenotype and cholesterol content were observed after up-regulation of miR449a. Low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) protein levels after SNX17 knockdown and intracellular cholesterol content after LDLR knockdown were detected respectively. Results: The numbers of intracellular lipid droplet formation in tMφ₁ and tMφ₂ were more than that in Mφ (P<0.001). Likewise, the relative contents of cholesterol (3.89±0.68 and 3.56±0.53), SREBP (4.78±0.60 and 2.84±0.41), FASN (4.65±0.70 and 3.01±0.45), and HMG-CoA (5.74±0.55 and 2.97±0.34) were significantly higher in tMφ₁ and tMφ₂ than those of Mφ (1.01 wel, 1.02 wel and 0.99 wel, respectively) (all P<0.001). The proliferation rates of tMφ₁ and tMφ₂ decreased from (47.06±5.88) % and (45.29±5.64)% to (23.53±4.70)% and (18.74±5.76)%, respectively after treatment with SIM (both P<0.05). The numbers of migrated cells decreased from 1 025±138 and 350±47 to 205±63 and 99±25, respectively (both P<0.001). And the numbers of invasiveness cells decreased from 919±45 and 527±34 to 220±23 and 114±21, respectively (both P<0.001). While the relative intracellular cholesterol content decreased to 0.52±0.08 and 0.58±0.07 (both P<0.05), respectively. MiR-449a was screened from tMφ₁ by SIM, and the target gene was analyzed and verified to be SNX17. SNX17 expression was down-regulated, and the proliferation rate, the number of migration and invasiveness was significantly decreased after miR-449a over-expression (all P<0.05). Low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) expression was down-regulated after knock-down of SNX17, while the cholesterol content was decreased after knock-down of LDLR in tMφ₁ and tMφ₂ (all P<0.05). Conclusions: Malignantly transformed TAMs undergo lipid metabolism remodeling characterized with enhanced lipid metabolism. MiR-449a regulates the LDLR by targeting SNX17, thereby affecting the lipid metabolism of malignantly transformed macrophages, and subsequently inhibiting its proliferation, migration, and invasion ability. Precise intervention with miR-449a/SNX17/LDLR axis could provide an experimental basis for reversing its tumor-promoting micro-environment remodeled by GSC through metabolic intervention.

Advances in Research on the Involvement of Selenium in Regulating Plant Ecosystems

Selenium is an essential trace element which plays an important role in human immune regulation and disease prevention. Plants absorb inorganic selenium (selenite or selenate) from the soil and convert it into various organic selenides (such as seleno amino acids, selenoproteins, and volatile selenides) via the sulfur metabolic pathway. These organic selenides are important sources of dietary selenium supplementation for humans. Organoselenides can promote plant growth, improve nutritional quality, and play an important regulatory function in plant ecosystems. The release of selenium-containing compounds into the soil by Se hyperaccumulators can promote the growth of Se accumulators but inhibit the growth and distribution of non-Se accumulators. Volatile selenides with specific odors have a deterrent effect on herbivores, reducing their feeding on plants. Soil microorganisms can effectively promote the uptake and transformation of selenium in plants, and organic selenides in plants can improve the tolerance of plants to pathogenic bacteria. Although selenium is not an essential trace element for plants, the right amount of selenium has important physiological and ecological benefits for them. This review summarizes recent research related to the functions of selenium in plant ecosystems to provide a deeper understanding of the significance of this element in plant physiology and ecosystems and to serve as a theoretical basis and technical support for the full exploitation and rational application of the ecological functions of selenium-accumulating plants.

Genome-wide transcriptome analysis reveals the regulatory network governing terpene trilactones biosynthesis in Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo biloba L. is currently the only remaining gymnosperm of the Ginkgoaceae Ginkgo genus, and its history can be traced back to the Carboniferous 200 million years ago. Terpene trilactones (TTLs) are one of the main active ingredients in G. biloba, including ginkgolides and bilobalide. They have a good curative effect on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases because of their special antagonistic effect on platelet-activating factors. Therefore, it is necessary to deeply mine genes related to TTLs and to analyze their transcriptional regulation mechanism, which will hold vitally important scientific and practical significance for quality improvement and regulation of G. biloba. In this study, we performed RNA-Seq on the root, stem, immature leaf, mature leaf, microstrobilus, ovulate strobilus, immature fruit and mature fruit of G. biloba. The TTL regulatory network of G. biloba in different organs was revealed by different transcriptomic analysis strategies. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed that the five modules were closely correlated with organs. The 12 transcription factors, 5 structural genes and 24 Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) were identified as candidate regulators for TTL accumulation by WGCNA and cytoscape visualization. Finally, 6 APETALA2/ethylene response factors, 2 CYP450s and bHLH were inferred to regulate the metabolism of TTLs by correlation analysis. This study is the comprehensive in authenticating transcription factors, structural genes and CYP450 involved in TTL biosynthesis, thereby providing molecular evidence for revealing the comprehensive regulatory network involved in TTL metabolism in G. biloba.

Advances in physiological mechanisms of selenium to improve heavy metal stress tolerance in plants

Selenium (Se) is a metalloid mineral nutrient for human and animal health. Plants are the main foodstuff source of the Se intake of humans. For plants, the addition of an appropriate amount of Se could promotes growth and development, and improves the tolerance to environmental stress, especially stress from some of heavy metals (HM) stress, such as cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg). This paper mainly reviews and summarizes the physiological mechanism of Se in enhancing HM stress tolerance in plants. The antagonistic effect of Se on HM is a comprehensive effect that includes many physiological mechanisms. Se can promote the removal of excessive reactive oxygen species and reduce the oxidative damage of plant cells under HM elements stress. Se participates in the regulation of the transportation and distribution of HM ions in plants, and alleviates the damage caused by of HM stress. Moreover, Se combine with HM elements to form Se-HM complexes and promote the production of phytochelatins (PCs), thereby reducing the accumulation of HM ions in plants. Overall, Se plays an important role in plant response to HM stress, but current studies mainly focus on physiological mechanism, and further in-depth study on the molecular mechanism is essential to confirm the participation of Se in plant response to environmental stress. This review helps to comprehensively understand the physiological mechanism of Se in plant tolerance against to HM stress of plants, and provides important theoretical support for the practical application of Se in environmental remediation and agricultural development.

Research Progress on the Effects of Selenium on the Growth and Quality of Tea Plants

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for humans and animals, and it plays an important role in immune regulation and disease prevention. Tea is one of the top three beverages in the world, and it contains active ingredients such as polyphenols, theanine, flavonoids, and volatile substances, which have important health benefits. The tea tree has suitable Se aggregation ability, which can absorb inorganic Se and transform it into safe and effective organic Se through absorption by the human body, thereby improving human immunity and preventing the occurrence of many diseases. Recent studies have proven that 50~100.0 mg/L exogenous Se can promote photosynthesis and absorption of mineral elements in tea trees and increase their biomass. The content of total Se and organic selenides in tea leaves significantly increases and promotes the accumulation of polyphenols, theanine, flavonoids, and volatile secondary metabolites, thereby improving the nutritional quality of tea leaves. This paper summarizes previous research on the effects of exogenous Se treatment on the growth and quality of tea trees to provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the germplasm selection and exploitation of Se-rich tea.

Does Methionine Status Influence the Outcome of Selenomethinione Supplementation? A Comparative Study of Metabolic and Selenium Levels in HepG2 Cells

Methionine restriction and selenium supplementation are recommended because of their health benefits. As a major nutrient form in selenium supplementation, selenomethionine shares a similar biological process to its analog methionine. However, the outcome of selenomethionine supplementation under different methionine statuses and the interplay between these two nutrients remain unclear. Therefore, this study explored the metabolic effects and selenium utilization in HepG2 cells supplemented with selenomethionine under deprived, adequate, and abundant methionine supply conditions by using nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomic and molecular biological approaches. Results revealed that selenomethionine promoted the proliferation of HepG2 cells, the transcription of selenoproteins, and the production of most amino acids while decreasing the levels of creatine, aspartate, and nucleoside diphosphate sugar regardless of methionine supply. Selenomethionine substantially disturbed the tricarboxylic acid cycle and choline metabolism in cells under a methionine shortage. With increasing methionine supply, the metabolic disturbance was alleviated, except for changes in lactate, glycine, citrate, and hypoxanthine. The markable selenium accumulation and choline decrease in the cells under methionine shortage imply the potential risk of selenomethionine supplementation. This work revealed the biological effects of selenomethionine under different methionine supply conditions. This study may serve as a guide for controlling methionine and selenomethionine levels in dietary intake.

New evaluation of the thermodynamics stability for bcc-Fe

The thermodynamic properties for bcc-Fe were predicted by combination of the first-principles calculations, the quasiharmonic approximation, the CALPHAD method and the Weiss molecular field theory. The hybrid method considers the effects of the lattice vibration, electron, intrinsic magnetism and external magnetic fields on the thermodynamic properties at finite temperature. Combined with experimental data, the calculated heat capacity without external magnetic fields was used to verify the validity of the hybrid method. Close to the Fermi level the high electronic density of states leads to a significant electronic contribution to free energy. Near the Curie temperature lattice vibrations dominant the Gibbs free energy. The order of the other three excitation contributions to Gibbs free energy from high to low is: intrinsic magnetism > electron > external magnetic fields. The investigation suggests that all the excitation contributions to Gibbs free energy are not negligible which provides a correct direction for tuning the thermodynamic properties for Fe-based alloy.

A new selenium source from Se-enriched Cardamine violifolia improves growth performance, anti-oxidative capacity and meat quality in broilers

Background

Cardamine violifolia (Cv) is a kind of selenium-enriched plant which contains high levels of organic selenium (Se) such as selenocysteine and methylselenocysteine. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of this new source of Se on the growth performance, anti-oxidative capacity and meat quality in broilers compared with other frequently-used Se sources.

Methods

A total of 240 broilers were allotted into 4 treatments: (1) Control group (Se free diets, CON); (2) Sodium selenite group (0.3 mg/kg Se sourced from Na2SeO3 diets, SeNa); (3) Selenium yeast group (0.3 mg/kg Se sourced from Se-Yeast diets, SeY); (4) Plant Se group (0.3 mg/kg Se sourced from Cv diets, SeCv). The whole study lasted 42 days and was divided into 2 stages (1-21 d as earlier stage and 22-42 d as later stage).

Results

The results showed that the broilers fed SeCv diets had improved average daily gain and the ratio of feed to gain compared to the broilers fed SeNa and SeY diets during the earlier stage. However, there was no significant difference in growth performance of broilers fed these 3 sources of Se diets during the whole period. The broilers fed SeCv diets had improved intestinal mucosal morphology on d 21 and 42. Enhanced liver total anti-oxidative capacity was observed from the broilers fed SeCv diets compared with the other 2 Se sources diets on d 21. Furthermore, lower liver malondialdehyde contents were determined from the broilers fed SeCv and SeY diets compared with SeNa diets. At last, the broilers fed SeCv had increased redness in thigh muscle and decreased cooking loss in both breast and thigh muscle compared with the boilers fed SeNa diets. However, the broilers had similar meat quality between SeCv group and SeY group.

Conclusion

In conclusion, these results demonstrated that SeCv was a well-organic Se source for broilers.

Quantitation study on VOC emissions and their reduction potential for coking industry in China: Based on in-situ measurements on treated and untreated plants

Currently, the characteristics of volatile organic compounds (VOC) released from coking industry are still vague, and the widely used VOC emission factors (EFs) were still from the measurements of 1990s. Hence, focusing on coking industry, we conducted an in-situ measurement campaign in several typical plants, developed a set of VOC EFs for various release units, and estimated the current emission amounts and future reduction potentials of VOC in China. The measurements show that the levels of VOC in stationary units were 63.82-9563.93 μg·m^-3, and those surrounding fugitive units were 111.37-1436.36 μg·m^-3. VOC emissions from stationary units were directly calculated, which deducing EFs of 11.57, 15.51, 127.13, 0.28, 0.16 g·t^-1 coke respectively for coke charging, coke pushing, coke oven chimney, dry quenching, and wastewater treatment processes. Meanwhile, VOC emissions from fugitive units were simulated following the inverse dispersion method, which achieving EFs of 443.34 ± 66.31, 352.12 ± 65.81, and 718.56 ± 132.69 g·t^-1 coke respectively for the coke oven leakage, byproduct recovery with VOC treatment system, and byproduct recovery without VOC treatment system. Generally, the coking plants installing VOC treatment system had total VOC EF of 953.76 g·t^-1 coke, about 37.1% lower than those never considering VOC treatment (1516.25 g·t^-1 coke). According to these developed EFs, the VOC emission amount from coking industry in China were estimated, slightly decreasing from 623.54 to 578.17 Gg per year, although the coke production increasing from 410.86 to 418.26 Tg during 2015-2019. In future, according to the national industrial policies, regulations and standards, technical guidelines, the VOC reduction potential of this industry in China could reach 336.9 Gg, to which headstream adjustment, process improvement, and end-of-pipe control contributed about 21.4%, 31.6%, and 47.0%, respectively.

[Role of type 2 innate lymphoid cells in helminth infections: a review]

Helminth infections may trigger host innate and adaptive immune responses. Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) are an important factor involved in type 2 immune responses, and produce a large number of T helper 2 cell (Th2) cytokines following stimulation by interleukin (IL)-25, IL-33 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), which play a critical role in parasite clearance and tissue repair. Following helminth infections, autocrine factors, mast cells, enteric nervous system and Th2 cells have been recently found to be involved in regulation of ILC2. Unraveling the role of ILC2 in immune response against helminth infections is of great value for basic research and drug development. This review summarizes the research progress on ILC2 and its role in helminth infections.

Selenium-enriched Cardamine violifolia improves growth performance with potential regulation of intestinal health and antioxidant function in weaned pigs

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different Selenium (Se) sources on growth performance, intestinal function and antioxidant status of weaned piglets. A total of 300 weaned pigs were randomly allocated to 5 treatment groups with 5 replicates of 12 pigs/pen. The control group was corn-soybean basal diet without any additional Se supplement. The experimental diets were supplemented with 0.3 mg/kg of Se from sodium selenite (SS), Se-enriched yeast (SEY), Se-enriched Cardamine violifolia (SEC) and 0.3+0.3 mg/kg of Se from SEY and SEC, respectively. The trial lasted for 4 weeks. The results showed that diets supplementation with SEY, SEC or SEY+SEC could improve average daily gain and reduce feed/gain ratio during the entire study. Compared with the control group, SEC or SEY+SEC improved intestinal morphology, indicated by greater villus height and villus height/ crypt depth ratio. In addition, SEC or SEY+SEC also increased maltase and lactase activities as well as tight junction protein expression. Different Se sources decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and improved superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in serum. In the jejunum, SEY or SEC reduced MDA concentration and increased total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) compared with the control group. Moreover, SEY+SEC increased the antioxidant parameters including SOD and T-AOC in the jejunum. Dietary SEY or SEC supplementation significantly increased the mRNA expression of selenoproteins including thioredoxin reductase 1 (TXNRD1), selenoprotein I (SELENOI), selenoprotein S (SELENOS), and selenoprotein P (SELENOP) in the jejunum. In conclusion, organic Se sources, especially Cardamine violifolia, improve growth performance, potentially by regulating intestinal function, antioxidant capacity and selenoprotein expression in piglets.

Production of Cardamine violifolia selenium-enriched peptide using immobilized Alcalase on Fe3O4 modified by tannic acid and polyethyleneimine

Enzymatic synthesis of selenium (Se)-enriched peptides is vital for their application in supplementing organic Se. However, the poor stability and reusability of the free enzyme impedes the reaction. In this work, a highly stable immobilized Alcalase was synthesized by immobilizing Alcalase on tannic acid (TA) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) modified Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs). The optimal immobilization conditions for immobilized Alcalase were found at a TA/PEI (v/v) ratio of 1 : 1, pH of 10, and temperature of 40 °C, and the results from scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization confirmed the successful immobilization of Alcalase. The results of an enzyme property test showed that immobilized Alcalase had higher thermal and pH stability than free Alcalase, and retained 61.0% of the initial enzyme activity after 10 repetitions. Furthermore, the organic Se content of Se-enriched peptide prepared through enzymatic hydrolysis of Cardamine violifolia (CV) protein with immobilized Alcalase was 2914 mg kg⁻¹, and the molecular weight was mainly concentrated in 924.4 Da with complete amino acid components. Therefore, this study proposes the feasibility of immobilized enzymes for the production of Se-enriched peptides.

Preparation of Se-enriched peptides by enzymatic hydrolysis of Se-enriched protein of CV with immobilized Alcalase.

MR Imaging of Pediatric Low-Grade Gliomas: Pretherapeutic Differentiation of BRAF V600E Mutation, BRAF Fusion, and Wild-Type Tumors in Patients without Neurofibromatosis-1

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The prognosis and treatment of pediatric low-grade gliomas is influenced by their molecular subtype. MR imaging remains the mainstay for initial work-up and surgical planning. We aimed to determine the relationship between imaging patterns and molecular subtypes of pediatric low-grade gliomas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a retrospective bi-institutional study for patients diagnosed from 2004 to 2021 with pathologically confirmed pediatric low-grade gliomas molecularly defined as BRAF fusion, BRAF V600E mutant, or wild-type (which is neither BRAF V600E mutant nor BRAF fusion). Two neuroradiologists, blinded, independently reviewed imaging parameters from diagnostic MRIs, and discrepancies were resolved by consensus. Bivariate analysis was used followed by pair-wise comparison of the Dwass-Steel-Critchlow-Fligner method to compare the 3 molecular subtypes. Interreader agreement was assessed using κ.

RESULTS

We included 70 patients: 30 BRAF fusion, 19 BRAF V600E mutant, and 21 wild-type. There was substantial agreement between the readers for overall imaging variables (κ = 0.75). BRAF fusion tumors compared with BRAF V600E and wild-type tumors were larger (P = .0022), and had a greater mass effect (P = .0053), increased frequency of hydrocephalus (P = .0002), and diffuse enhancement (p <.0001). BRAF V600E mutant tumors were more often hemispheric (P < .0001), appeared more infiltrative (P = .0002), and, though infrequent, were the only group demonstrating diffusion restriction (qualitatively; P = .0042) with a lower ADC ratio (quantitatively) (P = .003).

CONCLUSIONS

BRAF fusion and BRAF V600E mutant pediatric low-grade gliomas have unique imaging features that can be used to differentiate them from each other and wild-type pediatric low-grade glioma using a standard radiology review with high interreader agreement. In the era of targeted therapy, these features can be useful for therapeutic planning before surgery.

[Clinical research progress and implications of therapeutic vaccines for cervical cancer and precancerous lesions: a qualitative systematic review]

Objective: To systematically summarize and analyze the clinical research progress of therapeutic vaccines for cervical cancer or precancerous lesions. Methods: English databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane library, Proquest, and ClinicalTrails.gov) and Chinese databases (SinoMed, CNKI, WanFang, and VIP Database) were systematically searched to collect literature on therapeutic vaccines for cervical cancer or precancerous lesions from inception to February 18, 2021. After screening, we evaluated the risk of bias of included studies, and combed the basic information of the literature, research designs, information of vaccines, study patients, outcome indicators and so on, qualitatively summarized the clinical research progress. Results: A total of 71 studies were included in this systematic review, including 14 random controlled trials, 15 quasi-random controlled trials, 4 cohort studies, 1 case-control study, 34 case series studies and 3 case reports. The study patients included women aged 15~79 with cervical cancer or precancerous lesions in 18 countries from 1989 to 2021. On the one hand, there were 40 studies on therapeutic vaccines for cervical precancerous lesions (22 867 participants), involving 21 kinds of vaccines in 6 categories. Results showed 3 marketed vaccines (Cervarix, Gardasil, Gardasil 9) as adjuvant immunotherapies were significant effective in preventing the recurrence of precancerous lesions compared with the conization only. In addition, MVA E2 vaccine had been in phase Ⅲ clinical trials as a specific therapeutic vaccine, with relative literature showing it could eliminate most high-grade precancerous lesions. Therapeutic vaccines for precancerous lesions all showed good safety. On the other hand, there were 31 studies on therapeutic vaccines for cervical cancer (781 participants), involving 19 kinds of vaccines in 7categories, with none had been marketed. 25 studies were with no control group, showing the vaccines could effectively eliminate solid tumors, prevent recurrence, and prolong the median survival time. However, the vaccines effectiveness couldn't be statistically calculated due to the lack of a control group. As for the safety of therapeutic vaccines for cervical cancer, 9 studies showed that patients experienced serious adverse events after treatments, where 7 studies reported that serious adverse events occurred in patients couldn't be ruled out as the results of therapeutic vaccines. Conclusions: The literature review shows that the literature evidence for the therapeutic vaccines for cervical precancerous lesions is relatively mature compared with the therapeutic vaccines for cervical cancer. The four kinds of vaccines on the market are all therapeutic vaccines for precancerous lesions, but they are generally used as vaginal infection treatments or adjuvant immunotherapies for cervical precancerous lesions, not used for the specific treatments of cervical precancerous lesions. Other specific therapeutic vaccines are in the early stage of clinical trials, mainly phase Ⅰ/Ⅱ clinical trials with small sample size. The effectiveness and safety data are limited, and further research is still needed.

COVID 19 pandemic: Impact of changes experienced on social workers' professional quality of life in Singapore

COVID-19 has impacted all spheres of life massively. Among the emerging studies on the psychosocial impact of the pandemic, few studies look specifically at how social workers are impacted. To understand this gap, this study surveyed 337 social workers. The findings showed that changes experienced in the workplace were enormous and caused secondary traumatic stress while engendering compassion satisfaction among social workers, but the presence of social support moderated to keep the secondary traumatic stress at bay. Resilience mediated association between social and workplace support and compassion fatigue. Social support seemed to have the largest effect on reducing stress through resilience. Workplace support also helped mitigate burnout. In conclusion, continued social and workplace support will be key to supporting social workers during a pandemic.

Differences in cardiometabolic risk profiles between Chinese and Finnish older adults with glucose impairment and central obesity

BACKGROUND

Obesity and ethnicity play important roles in cardiovascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to compare cardiometabolic risk profiles between Chinese and Finnish older adults of central obesity with prediabetes or T2DM.

METHODS

Study subjects were 60-74 years old and originated from two population samples. The Finnish subjects came from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease (KIHD) study (n = 1089), and the Chinese subjects came from the Shanghai High-risk Diabetic Screen (SHiDS) study (n = 818). The KIHD and SHiDS studies used similar questionnaires to determine participants' baseline characteristics regarding the history of medication use and diseases and lifestyle factors. All study subjects participated in glucose tolerance tests and anthropometry assessments, including waist circumference measurements.

RESULTS

Among study subjects of central obesity with prediabetes (n = 298), fasting and 2-h glucose, and fasting insulin and insulin resistance were significantly higher in Chinese than in Finnish (p < 0.0001-0.016). In addition, triglyceride (TG) level was higher and the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and LDL to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) ratio were lower in Chinese than in Finnish (p < 0.0001-0.003). Among subjects of central obesity with T2DM (n = 251), Chinese subjects had significantly less proportions of antihypertensive, glycaemic control medication, and statin users as well as lower level of physical activity (p < 0.0001 for all), while higher blood pressure (p = 0.002 for systolic blood pressure and p < 0.0001 for diastolic blood pressure), TG levels (p < 0.05) and HDL (p = 0.002) than the Finnish counterparts. There were no differences in β-cell function (HOMA-β) between Chinese and Finnish both in prediabetes and T2DM.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicated that Chinese and Finnish older adults of central obesity with prediabetes and T2DM had similar β-cell function. However, Chinese individuals with prediabetes are prone to insulin resistance. Meanwhile, lipid metabolism dysfunction is also different between Chinese and Finnish. Chinese older adults of central obesity with prediabetes showed higher TG, but Finnish showed higher LDL and LDL/HDL. Strategic for T2DM prevention and treatment should be ethnically specific.

JAZ1-3 and MYC2-1 Synergistically Regulate the Transformation from Completely Mixed Flower Buds to Female Flower Buds in Castanea mollisima

Chestnut (Castanea mollisima) is an important woody food crop, but its yield has been low in cultivation, mainly due to the problems of fewer female flowers and more male flowers. Therefore, regulating the transition of chestnut flowers and effectively balancing the proportion of male and female to improve the yield are key factor to be solved in production. In this study, the chestnut floral buds in pre- and post-winter were used as materials. The data of metabolites, hormones, and gene expression during flower bud differentiation of chestnut were analyzed by transcriptomics and metabolomics to preliminarily reveal the possible reason of male and female flower bud transformation in pre- and post-winter. The analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) showed that there were 6323 DEGs in the Complete mixed flower bud (CMF) group in pre- and post-winter, of which 3448 genes were up-regulated and 2875 genes were down-regulated. There were 8037 DEGs in the Incomplete mixed flower bud (IMF) in pre- and post-winter, of which 4546 genes were up-regulated and 3491 genes were down-regulated. A total of 726 genes from the two flower buds were enriched into 251 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways in post winter, of which plant hormone signal transduction accounted for 4.13%. The analysis results of differential metabolites showed that the differential metabolites of the two flower buds were mainly concentrated in the secondary metabolic synthesis pathway. The difference of hormone content showed that the content of Gibberellin 9 (GA9) and GA19 in CMF was higher than that in IMF in pre-winter, but the opposite in post-winter. Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) content was only very high in CMF in pre-winter, while Jasmonoyl-(l)-Isoleucine (JA-ILE) showed high content in CMF in post-winter. In post-winter, higher concentration of JA-ILE was positively correlated with the expression of Flowering Locus T (CmFT), and CmFT gene was significantly positively correlated with the expression levels of MYC2-1, MYC2-2 and LFY 3 (LEAFY 3). The higher concentration of JA-ILE was negatively correlated with the transcription level of JAZ1-3. In vitro experiments further verified that Jasmonate-Zim 1–3 (JAZ 1–3) combined with MYC2-1 inhibited the transcription of CmFT gene, while MYC2-1 alone promoted the expression of FT. The results suggested that a higher concentration of GA is conducive to breaking the dormancy of flower buds and promoting the development of male flower buds, while a lower concentration of GA and a higher concentration of JA-ILE are conducive to the differentiation and formation of female flower buds in post-winter, in which JAZ1-3 and MYC2-1 play a key role in the differentiation of female flower buds of chestnut.

POS1080 CHARACTERIZATION OF JOINT DISTRIBUTION AND DISEASE BURDEN IN PATIENTS WITH EARLY OLIGOARTICULAR PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS: RESULTS FROM THE ONGOING FOREMOST STUDY

Background

Oligoarticular psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is commonly reported in early disease. Although fewer joints are involved, there may be significant impact on patients’ (pts) quality of life. The ongoing FOREMOST study (NCT03747939) is investigating the efficacy of apremilast vs placebo for treatment of early oligoarticular PsA (>1 but ≤4 tender and swollen joints involved).

Objectives

To characterize disease burden in pts with early oligoarticular PsA and disease phenotype including location and size of involved joints and presence of certain baseline clinical PsA manifestations in FOREMOST pts.

Methods

Baseline swollen and tender joint distribution was analyzed. Baseline disease burden was assessed in the overall group and a subgroup with small joint involvement only (for context) using clinical disease activity measures, pt-reported outcomes, and additional PsA manifestations.

Results

At data cut-off for analysis, 220 pts of 285 planned were enrolled. In the overall group, disease duration was <1 year and joint distribution for swollen or tender joints involved predominantly small joints, with ~48% of joint involvement observed in finger proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints and <2% in temporomandibular and clavicular joints across swollen or tender joints (Figure 1). Mean Physician’s and Patient Global Assessment of Disease Activity (PhGA and PtGA, respectively) scores were 43.9 and 51.3; mean pt pain assessment score was 50.7. Mean Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) functional assessment score was 1.0; 25.5% of pts had HAQ-DI ≤0.5. Pts reported an average PsA Impact of Disease (PsAID-12) domain score of 4.7. Additional manifestations of PsA at baseline included dactylitis (14.5%), enthesitis (32.7%), nail involvement (67.3%), and skin disease (47.7% with body surface area [BSA] ≥3%). Within the overall group, 59% had >1 joint size involved (small [metacarpophalangeal, metatarsophalangeal, distal interphalangeal, PIP, hand carpometacarpal and mid-tarsal]; intermediate [wrist, elbow, ankle, temporomandibular, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular]; large [shoulder, hip, knee]). Of those with only 1 joint size involved (41% of pts), the majority had small joint involvement predominantly in PIPs (n=84 for small joints; n=1 for intermediate joints; n=5 for large joints). The overall pattern of clinical and disease presentation indicated elevated burden for pts with early oligoarticular PsA, including those pts with only small joints involved (Table 1).

Table 1.CharacteristicsOverall Population (PBO + APR), N=220Small Joints Only (PBO + APR), N=84Age, mean, y49.651.3Men, n (%)98 (44.5)40 (47.6)Europe/Russia, n (%)47 (21.4)/66 (30.0)22 (26.2)/11 (13.1)Canada/United States, n (%)8 (3.6)/99 (45.0)1 (1.2)/50 (59.5)Body mass index, mean, kg/m230.429.3Duration of disease, mean, y0.690.71Previous cDMARD use, n (%)143 (65.0)48 (57.0)Tender joint count (0–68), mean3.23.1Swollen joint count (0–66), mean2.62.8PhGA (VAS 0–100)a, mean43.939.0PtGA (VAS 0–100)a, mean51.345.6Patient’s Assessment of Pain (VAS 0–100)a, mean50.746.3Dactylitis present, n (%)32 (14.5)14 (16.7)Enthesitis present, n (%)72 (32.7)21 (25.0)BSA ≥3%, n (%)105 (47.7)34 (40.5)Nail involvement present, n (%)148 (67.3)53 (63.1)HAQ-DI (0–3)a, mean1.020.84HAQ-DI ≤0.5, n (%)56 (25.5)31 (36.9)PsAID-12 (0–10)a, mean4.733.98

cDMARD, conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; VAS, visual analog scale.

aHigher scores indicate greater burden/worse status. Early oligoarticular = ≤2 years in the initial protocol; ≤5 years in the current protocol for inclusion.

Figure 1.

FOREMOST population: baseline demographics and disease burden in the overall population and pts with involvement in small joints only

Conclusion

In FOREMOST, despite few joints involved, pts with early oligoarticular PsA experienced high disease burden and impaired quality of life. Small joint involvement, although less commonly expected in oligoarticular PsA, was the most frequently observed pattern.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the patients, their families, and all investigators involved in this study. This study was funded by Amgen Inc. Writing support was funded by Amgen Inc. and provided by Kristin Carlin, BSPharm, MBA, of Peloton Advantage, LLC, an OPEN Health company, and Cathryn M. Carter, MS, employee of and stockholder in Amgen Inc.

Disclosure of Interests

Dafna D Gladman Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB – grant/research support or consulting fees, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB – grant/research support or consulting fees, Laura Coates Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene Corporation, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Medac, Moonlake, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB –grant/research support, consulting fees, and/or speaker/honoraria, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene Corporation, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Medac, Moonlake, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB –grant/research support, consulting fees, and/or speaker/honoraria, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene Corporation, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Medac, Moonlake, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB –grant/research support, consulting fees, and/or speaker/honoraria, Laure Gossec Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene Corporation, Galapagos, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Samsung Bioepis, Sanofi-Aventis, and UCB, Grant/research support from: Amgen, Galapagos, Lilly, Pfizer, and Sandoz, Jacob Aelion Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Celgene, Eli Lilly and Regeneron – speakers bureau. AbbVie, Ardea Biosciences, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, Centocor, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Human Genome Sciences, Janssen, Merck, Mesoblast, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, Takeda, UCB, and Vertex, Jitendra Vasandani: None declared, Sue Cheng Shareholder of: Stock ownership in Amgen Inc., Employee of: Employment by Amgen Inc., Lihua Tang Shareholder of: Stock ownership in Amgen Inc., Employee of: Employment by Amgen Inc., Shauna Jardon Shareholder of: Stock ownership in Amgen Inc., Employee of: Employment by Amgen Inc., Sven Richter Shareholder of: Stock ownership in Amgen at time of study, Employee of: Employment by Amgen at time of study., Philip J Mease Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun, and UCB – grant/research support and consultant; Boehringer Ingelheim and GlaxoSmithKline – consultant, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun, and UCB

Regional collaboration to simultaneously mitigate PM2.5 and O3 pollution in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and the surrounding area: Multi-model synthesis from multiple data sources

Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and the surrounding area (BTHSA) shows the poorest air quality in China, reflected in sub-standard PM_2.5 and increasingly pronounced O₃ pollution, stressing the urgency for regional cooperation and collaborative control of PM_2.5 and O₃. With the aim to explore the cooperative regions and response mechanisms of PM_2.5 and O₃ in BTHSA, this study applied multiple mathematical models and analytical indicators to multiple data sources, including applying self-organizing map (SOM), response surface model (RSM), random forest (RF), distributed lag nonlinear models (DLNMs), and meta-analysis, on ground observations of air quality and meteorology, ozone monitoring instrument (OMI) observations, and air pollutant emission inventory. The results revealed that BTHSA exhibited clear regional characteristics of air pollution and can be divided into four clusters for enhanced intercity cooperation. Over 2015-2020, anthropogenic factors played more important roles than meteorological ones on the alleviation of PM_2.5 and the deterioration of O₃. RSM based on observations and RF based on emissions both suggested that, in the near future, strengthened abatement of SO₂, PM_2.5 and VOC can be beneficial for controlling PM_2.5 and O₃ pollution, while intensive NOx reduction in PM_2.5-dominant months and mitigatory NOx reduction in O₃-dominant months should be formulated before certifying an obvious transition of O₃-NOx-VOC sensitivity. This study, with multi-model and multi-data fusion, can be expected to provide synthesized fact- and science-based guidance for the next-stage collaborative control of PM_2.5 and O₃ in BTHSA.

Transcriptome mining of genes in Zanthoxylum armatum revealed ZaMYB86 as a negative regulator of prickly development

Zanthoxylum armatum DC. is an important economic tree species. Prickle is a type of trichome with special morphology, and there are a lot of prickles on the leaves of Z. armatum, which seriously restricts the development of Z. armatum industry. In this study, the leaves of Z. armatum cv. Zhuye (ZY) and its budding variety 'Rongchangwuci' (WC) (A less prickly mutant variety) at different developmental stages were used as materials, and the transcriptome sequencing data were analyzed. A total of 96,931 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified among the samples, among which 1560 were candidate DEGs that might be involved in hormone metabolism. The contents of JA, auxin and CK phytohormones in ZY leaves were significantly higher than those in WC leaves. Combined with weighted gene co-expression network analysis, eight genes (MYC, IAA, ARF, CRE/AHK, PP2C, ARR-A, AOS and LOX) were identified, including 25 transcripts, which might affect the metabolism of the three hormones and indirectly participate in the formation of prickles. Combining with the proteins successfully reported in other plants to regulate trichome formation, ZaMYB86, a transcription factor of R2R3 MYB family, was identified through local Blast and phylogenetic tree analysis, which might regulate prickle formation of Z. armatum. Overexpression of ZaMYB86 in mutant A. thaliana resulted in the reduction of trichomes in A. thaliana leaves, which further verified that ZaMYB86 was involved in the formation of pickles. Yeast two-hybrid results showed that ZaMYB86 interacted with ZaMYB5. Furthermore, ZaMYB5 was highly homologous to AtMYB5, a transcription factor that regulated trichomes development, in MYB DNA binding domain. Taken together, these results indicated that ZaMYB86 and ZaMYB5 act together to regulate the formation of prickles in Z. armatum. Our findings provided a new perspective for revealing the molecular mechanism of prickly formation.

Exploring the causes for co-pollution of O3 and PM2.5 in summer over North China

Co-pollution of surface O₃ and PM_2.5 has become the most predominant type of air pollutions in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in the hot season since 2017, particularly in May-July. Analysis based on observational data showed that co-pollution was always accompanied by high temperature, moderate relative humidity, extremely high SO₂, and higher NO₂. We also found that the meteorology and precursor dependence of O₃ was similar between co-pollution and O₃- single pollution. While PM_2.5 in co-pollution was more related to temperature, relative humidity, and precursors, that in PM_2.5-singe pollution were more related to small winds. These results indicate that co-pollution seemed to be more affected by atmospheric chemistry. According to the PM_2.5 components, secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA) composed 44.3-48.7% of PM_2.5 in co-pollution, while those accounting for 42.1-46.5% and 41.2-44.3%, respectively, in O₃- and PM_2.5-single pollution, which further confirmed the relatively stronger atmospheric chemistry processes in co-pollution. And the high proportion of SIA in co-pollution was mainly attributed to SO₄^2-, which was observed to rapidly boom in non-refractory submicron aerosol (NR-PM₁) on the condition of high level of O₃ at daytime. Additionally, we further explored the interactions of O₃ and PM_2.5 in co-pollution. It was found that most (~61.9%) co-pollution episodes were initiated by high O₃ at daytime; while for other episodes, high PM_2.5 firstly occurred under the more stable meteorological conditions, and then accumulation of precursors further induced high O₃. A higher SIA concentration was observed in O₃-initiated co-pollution, indicating that the atmospheric oxidation in co-pollution caused by chemical processes was stronger than that by physical processes, which was further approved by the higher values of SOR and NOR in O₃-initiated co-pollution. This observational study revealed that controlling O₃ and precursor SO₂ is the key to abating co-pollution in the hot season.

Attenuated sensitivity of ozone to precursors in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region with the continuous NOx reduction within 2014-2018

Facing the elevated surface summer O₃ over North China in recent years with the continuous NO_x reduction, we conducted the ozone-precursor sensitivity study in summer (July) in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region (BTH) under the 2018 and 2014 emissions, based on WRF-Chem model. On 2018 emission condition, 30% precursor reduction simulations presented the positive contribution of VOCs and the negative contribution of NO_x to daytime O₃. The occurrence probabilities of VOCs-sensitive, NO_x-titration, mixed sensitive, NO_x-sensitive, and non-sensitive regimes respectively reached 3-49%, 2-82%, 0-7%, 0-6% and 14-82% in the urban grids, and 2-32%,1-19%, 1-6%, 0-5% and 54-86% in the rural grids. For several widely used photochemical indicators, their values in VOCs-sensitive regime were well separated from those in NO_x-sensitive regime, but the NO_x-sensitive values were very similar to the non-sensitive values, which implied the inefficiency of these indicators in indicating NO_x-sensitive regime. Finally, VOCs-sensitive regime was discerned based on the indicator HCHO/NO₂, occupying about a third of areas in morning and dusk but shrinking to about a tenth of areas in 11:00-16:00 in BTH. And these areas apparently decreased from 2014 emission to 2018 emission. However, the rest areas of this region were under non-sensitive regime but not NO_x-sensitive regime, for the noticeable O₃ drop never happened in NO_x reduction scenario. Meanwhile, the modeled O₃/PAN in the areas under non-sensitive regime exceeded 60, which also implied the minor impact of local photochemistry on O₃ there. Additionally, the responses of daytime O₃ to precursor emissions in the urban grids were calculated, declining by 20.8% for NO_x and 6.9% for VOCs from 2014 to 2018. Therefore, to solve the ozone pollution problem of BTH, the cross-region strategy coupled with the VOCs and NO_x co-control will be essential.

Comparative study of the effects of selenium yeast and sodium selenite on selenium content and nutrient quality in broccoli florets (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica)

BACKGROUND

Approximately 0.5-1 billion people worldwide face the risk of selenium (Se) deficiency because of the low Se concentration in their diets. Broccoli can accumulate Se and comprises a source of daily Se supplement for humans. Se biofortification is an effective strategy for enhancing Se content in crops. In the present study, the effects of Se yeast and selenite application on the Se content and nutrient quality of broccoli were investigated.

RESULTS

Broccoli growth was promoted by Se yeast but inhibited by selenite. The total Se content of broccoli florets remarkably increased with increasing exogenous Se fertilizer concentrations. The main Se species in broccoli florets were methyl-selenocysteine and selenomethionine, and their contents were significantly higher under Se yeast treatments than under selenite treatments. Se(VI) was detected only under selenite treatments. Se yeast and selenite had different influences on soluble sugar, soluble protein, vitamin C and free amino acid contents in broccoli florets. The total phenolic acid and glucosinolate contents were substantially increased by Se yeast and selenite, although the total flavonoid content was reduced by Se yeast. Tests on antioxidant enzyme activities revealed that several antioxidant enzymes (catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) responded to Se yeast and selenite treatments.

CONCLUSION

Se yeast is preferred over selenite for maximizing Se uptake and nutrient accumulation in Se-rich broccoli cultivation. However, an extremely high Se content in broccoli florets cannot be directly consumed by humans, although they can be processed into Se supplements. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Emission characteristics and reactivity of volatile organic compounds from typical high-energy-consuming industries in North China

To effectively reduce the compound pollution of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and ozone (O₃), volatile organic compound (VOC) emission sources are being extensively studied. Studies on VOC emission characteristics have mainly focused on solvent-using and technological sources, while research on the combustion processes of high-energy-consuming industries remains limited. Here, we investigate the emission characteristics of 102 VOC species emitted from eight sources (sintering, pelletizing, steel smelting, a coke oven chimney, the topside of a coke oven, thermal power, and two types of cement kilns) used in four types of high-energy-consuming industries. Our results show significant differences among these sources. The average VOC mass concentrations varied from 0.14 to 7.08 mg/m³. Alkanes had the highest percentage contribution to VOCs from sintering (45.9%) and thermal power (44.6%), while aromatics had the highest percentage contribution from steel smelting (47.8%) and the topside of the coke oven (52.9%). Alkenes were abundant in the coke oven chimney (49.1%), and oxygenated VOCs accounted for 65.3% of the total VOCs from pelletizing. We also observed notable differences between the two types of cement kilns. In general, ethane, ethene, benzene, propane, acetaldehyde, and chloromethane were the dominant VOC species in all sources. The differences between the sources were due to factors such as the applied raw materials, calcination temperature, and end-of-pipe treatment. By reviewing studies from the past 20 years, we found that differences in the number of VOC species and the implementation of ultra-low emissions affect VOC emission characteristics. The coke oven chimney and cement kiln chimney-1 had the highest ozone formation potential and secondary organic aerosol potential, respectively. The VOC emissions from coking, iron and steel, thermal power, and cement industries were 1162.1, 289.9, 311.0, and 470.2 Gg, respectively. Our results highlight the need for more effective control measures to minimize VOC emissions from high-energy-consuming industries.

[Application of limiting antigen avidity enzyme immunoassay for estimating HIV-1 incidence in men who have sex with men]

Objective: To estimate the incidence of HIV-1 infection in men who have sex with men (MSM) in key areas of China through HIV-1 limiting antigen avidity enzyme immunoassay (LAg-Avidity EIA), analyze the deviation from the actual results and identify influencing factors, and provided reference for improving the accuracy of estimation results. Methods: Based on the principle of the cohort randomized study design, 20 cities were selected in China based on population size and the number of HIV-positive MSM. The sample size was estimated to be 700 according to the HIV-1 infection rate in MSM. MSM mobile phone app. was used to establish a detection appointment and questionnaire system, and the baseline cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to November 2019. LAg-Avidity EIA was used to identify the recent infected samples. The incidence of HIV-1 infection was calculated and then adjusted based on the estimation formula designed by WHO. The influencing factors were identified by analyzing the sample collection and detection processes. Results: Among the 10 650 blood samples from the participants, 799 were HIV-positive in initial screening, in which 198 samples (24.78%) missed during confirmation test. Only 621 samples were received by the laboratory. After excluding misreported samples, 520 samples were qualified for testing. A total of 155 samples were eventually determined as recent infection through LAg-Avidity EIA; Based on the estimation formula , the incidence of HIV-1 infection in MSM in 20 cities was 4.06% (95%CI:3.27%-4.85%), it increased to 5.53% (95%CI: 4.45%-6.60%)after the adjusting for sample missing rate. When the sample missing rate and misreporting rate were both adjusted, the incidence of HIV-1 infection in the MSM increased to 5.66% (95%CI:4.67%-6.65%). The actual incidence of HIV-1 infection in MSM in the 20 cities might be between 4.06% and 5.66%. Conclusions: Sample missing and misreporting might cause the deviation of the estimation of HIV-1 infection incidence. It is important to ensure the sample source and the quality of sample collection and detection to reduce the deviation in the estimation of HIV-1 infection incidence.

Understanding the Complex Interactions between Coffee, Tea Intake and Neurologically Relevant Tissues Proteins in the Development of Anxiety and Depression

OBJECTIVES

Coffee and tea intake might be associated with psychiatry diseases. However, it is unclear whether the effect of coffee/tea on anxiety and depression depending on the different types of proteins.

DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Our datasets were downloaded from online.

PARTICIPANTS

Phenotypic and genotypic data for coffee intake(N=376,196) and tea intake (N=376,078) were derived from UK Biobank. GWAS data of proteins (N=1,537) from neurologically relevant tissues (brain, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma) were obtained from a recently published study.

MEASUREMENTS

Multivariate linear analysis was then used to evaluate the potential interaction effect between coffee/tea intake and proteins polygenetic risk score (PRS) on the risks of anxiety and depression controlling for age, sex, Townsend deprivation index (TDI), smoke, drinking and education level.

RESULTS

34 coffee intake-proteins interactions and 15 tea intake-proteins interactions were observed in anxiety individuals, such as coffee intake-c-Jun interaction (β=0.0169, P=4.131×10-3), coffee intake-Fas interaction (β=-0.0190, P=8.132×10-4), tea intake-sL-Selectin interaction (β=0.0112, P=5.412×10-3) and tea intake-IL-1F6 (β=0.0083, P=4.471×10-2). 25 coffee intake-proteins and 14 tea intake-proteins interactions were observed in depression individuals, including coffee intake- IL-1 sRI (β=0.0171, P=4.888×10-3) and coffee intake-NXPH1 interaction (β=0.0156, P=9.819×10-3), tea intake-COLEC12 interaction (β=0.0127, P=3.280×10-3), and tea intake-Layilin interaction (β=0.0117, P=7.926×10-3).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggested the important role of multiple proteins in neurologically relevant tissues in the associations between coffee/tea intake and psychiatry diseases, providing entry points to explore the mechanisms underlying anxiety and depression.

Agricultural ammonia emissions and its impact on PM2.5 concentrations in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from 2000 to 2018

Ammonia (NH₃) discharged from agricultural activities to the atmosphere plays a crucial role in the formation of secondary inorganic aerosols. This study analyzed the temporal-spatial development of agricultural NH₃ emissions from 2000 to 2018 in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region and assessed the effects of reducing PM_2.5 by removing agricultural NH₃ using an air quality model. The results showed that the interannual agricultural NH₃ emissions in the BTH region exhibited a stairs trend from 2000 to 2018, with an average of 971.63 Gg. In particular, agricultural NH₃ emissions in the BTH region reached a maximum in summer when the temperature was high and were more concentrated in the southern plains compared to the northern areas. Under the reduction scenario (RS), the agricultural NH₃ emissions in the BTH region in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 were reduced by 2.95%, 4.10%, 18.75%, and 10.21%, resulting in a reduction of 0.5%, 0.5%, 2.5%, and 1.2% of annual mean PM_2.5 concentration, respectively, compared with the baseline scenario (BS). Furthermore, agricultural NH₃ emissions contributed 12.6, 12.1, 11.9, and 11.3 μg m^-3 to PM_2.5 concentrations in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 under the zero-emission scenario (ZS), respectively. However, the contribution rates exhibited a slightly increasing trend from 20.5% in 2015 to 24.6% in 2018. These findings could provide a new understanding of agricultural NH₃ emission trends and their impacts on PM_2.5 concentration based on actual NH₃ mitigation ratios in recent years, thereby guiding the formulation of future control strategies.

Efficacy and Toxicity of Alternative Radiation Treatment Schemes for Patients With Hematologic Malignancies: A Collaborative ILROG COVID Era Report

Purpose/Objective(s)

The COVID19 pandemic required radiation oncologists (ROs) to consider shorter treatment courses to minimize patient and staff exposure and conserve healthcare resources. Hematologic ROs adopted hypofractionated radiation therapy (hRT) regimens according to guidelines published by the International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group (ILROG). We report for the first time the preliminary efficacy and toxicity of these novel hypofractionated regimens in the treatment of hematologic malignancies.

Materials/Methods

We conducted a multicenter, multinational retrospective study under the direction of the ILROG. All patients receiving hRT according to ILROG guidelines from 1/1/2020 to 8/31/2020 were included. Patient and treatment details were abstracted from separate institutional databases. Toxicity was graded using CTCAE v5.0.

Results

Ninety-three patients from 4 institutions treated with 114 RT courses were included. Patient and treatment details are displayed in Table 1. Median follow up for the cohort was 179 days, and 77 patients (82%) were alive at last follow up. Maximal toxicity experienced by patients included Grade 1 (n = 16), Grade 2 (n = 1) and Grade 3 (n = 1) toxicities. Of 80 sites with response assessment within the RT field, 69% of patients achieved a complete response (n = 55), 20% partial response (n = 16), 9% stable disease (n = 7), and 2% progressive disease (n = 2). No COVID19 infections during or after RT have been documented in this patient cohort.

Conclusion

HRT according to ILROG guidelines resulted in low rates of acute toxicity and reasonable short-term treatment efficacy. Longer follow up and comparison with control groups is needed to draw more definitive conclusions and will be presented at the Annual Meeting.

[Analysis of factors related to the online social interaction and causal sexual behaviors among foreigners in Guangzhou]

Objective: To understand the social support, social network, and sexual behavior characteristics of foreigners living in Guangzhou, analyze factors relating to aspects of online social interactions and sexual behaviors of foreigners in Guangzhou, and provide references for targeted HIV intervention services for foreigners. Methods: A cross-sectional survey (both online and offline), among those who met the inclusion criteria was conducted between November 2019 and January 2020. Data were collected on demographics, social support, online social interactions, sexual behaviors, and so on. Statistics were compiled to analyze the factors that may influence casual sexual behaviors. Results: A total of 434 participants were included in the study (241 offline and 193 online). The majority of the participants were male 68.4% (297/434), age (31.0±8.8) years old, African 79.0% (343/434), business people 46.5% (202/434), students 48.2% (209/434), who have business partners and family members in China were 59.4% (258/434) and 28.1% (122/434) separately. They also had the following features: less than 10 close friends 57.1% (248/434); spend 1-3 hours on social applications per day 43.3% (188/434), had casual sexual behaviors in the last 3 months 15.2% (55/363). Multiple logistic regression model analysis showed that compared with those who used social applications for less than 1 hour per day, participants who used social applications for more than 6 hours per day were more likely to have casual sexual behaviors in the last 3 months (OR=3.63, 95%CI: 1.31-10.08). Conclusions: Participants who used social applications for a longer period every day were more likely to have casual sexual behaviors among foreigners in Guangzhou. Good use of social applications for health promotion and education of HIV can increase the health awareness of foreigners in China.