Endogenous NO-release multi-responsive hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles for drug encapsulation and delivery

Novel multi-responsive drug delivery vehicles (CDs/PNVCL@HMSNs) were prepared by grafting amino-terminated poly (N-vinyl caprolactam) (PNVCL-NH₂) and amino-rich carbon dots (CDs) on the surface of aldehyde-functionalized HMSNs (HMSNs-CHO) via Schiff base reaction. The CDs were prepared from L-arginine and their surfaces were rich in guanidine. Doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded into the nanoparticles to form drug loaded vehicles (CDs/PNVCL@HMSNs-DOX) and the drug loading efficiency was 58.38%. The drug release behaviors of CDs/PNVCL@HMSNs-DOX showed temperature and pH responsiveness due to the poly (N-vinyl caprolactam) (PNVCL) and Schiff base bond. The high concentration of NO released in high concentration H₂O₂ of tumor site could induce tumor cells apoptosis. The multi-responsive CDs/PNVCL@HMSNs are intriguing drug carriers, which combine drug delivery and NO release in one.

A comprehensive analysis of the chemical composition of Fraxinus mandshurica roots based on HPLC-DAD-MS, GC-MS and UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS

Fraxinus mandshurica is widely distributed around the world, which has significant economic value and pharmacological effects. However, its roots are often overlooked during processing and use. In this study, the preliminary identification of chemical components in F. mandshurica roots was carried out using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS), and a total of 37 characteristic components were identified, including 13 secoiridoids, 7 lignans, 6 coumarins, 4 flavonoids, 4 phenylethanols, 1 terpenoid and 2 other compounds. Meanwhile, to evaluate the 6 lignans content of F. mandshurica roots, the identification, quantitation analysis and methodological validation were performed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS), which showed that the concentration range of standard compounds was 0.5-1000 μg/mL. The standard curve correlation coefficients (R²) were all greater than 0.9991, indicating that the linearity of the fitted curves was good. The highest lignan content in F. mandshurica roots was olivil (461.11 μg/g) and the lowest in buddlenol E (11.14 μg/g), and the total lignan content was 764.63 μg/g. The relative standard deviations (RSD, %) of both intra-day and inter-day precision were less than 1.95%. The RSD (%) of the reproducibility and stability experiments was less than 2.91%. The spiked recoveries of the samples were in the range of 98.29-102.62%, and the RSD (%) was in the range of 0.43-1.73, indicating that the method has high accuracy. In addition, a total of 20 volatile components in F. mandshurica roots were identified and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) in this study, which laid a solid foundation for the comprehensive development and utilization of F. mandshurica resources.

[Quality analysis of Rosae Radix et Rhizoma]

Rosae Radix et Rhizoma is a herbal medicine in a variety of famous Chinese patent medicines, while the quality standard for this medicine remains to be developed due to the insufficient research on the quality of Rosae Radix et Rhizoma from different sources. Therefore, this study comprehensively analyzed the components in Rosae Radix et Rhizoma of different sources from the aspects of extract, component category content, identification based on thin-lay chromatography, active component content determination, and fingerprint, so as to improve the quality control. The results showed that the content of chemical components varied in the samples of different sources, while there was little difference in the chemical composition among the samples. The content of components in the roots of Rosa laevigata was higher than that in the other two species, and the content of components in the roots was higher than that in the stems. The fingerprints of triterpenoids and non-triterpenoids were established, and the content of five main triterpenoids including multiflorin, rosamultin, myrianthic acid, rosolic acid, and tormentic acid in Rosae Radix et Rhizoma was determined. The results were consistent with those of major component categories. In conclusion, the quality of Rosae Radix et Rhizoma is associated with the plant species, producing area, and medicinal parts. The method established in this study lays a foundation for improving the quality standard of Rosae Radix et Rhizoma and provides data support for the rational use of the stem.

Ligation-assisted endoscopic resection to remove a small esophageal lesion (<20 mm) originating from muscularis propria

A 35-year-old female complained of slight dysphagia for 3 months. Her physical examination and laboratory tests were unremarkable. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) revealed a submucosal tumor (SMT) in the lower esophagus. Then, endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) revealed that a hypoechoic echo lesion (10mm*12mm) originated from muscularis propria. Subsequently, ligation-assisted endoscopic resection was performed to remove the esophageal lesion. The steps were briefly described as follows: Marking dots in the SMT, and injecting submucosally beneath the marking dots. Incising apical mucosal surface around the marking dots Assembling an endoloop and ligation device (MAJ-339; Olympus). Ligating the SMT with endoloop. Cold snare the SMT.Ligating the defect using another endoloop. Histopathology confirmed a leiomyoma). After 2 months follow-up, EGD revealed healing of the esophageal lesion.

[Sequence characteristics of Rhipicephalus microplus Enolase gene and prediction of structure and antigenic epitopes of its encoding protein]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the sequence characteristics of Rhipicephalus microplus Enolase gene, and to predict the secondary and tertiary structure and antigenic epitopes of the Enolase protein.

METHODS

Sixty-two engorged female R. microplus were sampled from a yellow cattle breeding farm in Zhijiang County, Huaihua City, Hunan Province in June 25, 2022. Genomic DNA was isolated from R. microplus, and the Enolase gene was amplified using PCR assay, followed by cloning, sequencing and expression of the amplification product. The sequence characteristics of the Enolase gene were analyzed using the software Clustal X, and the gene sequence was translated into amino acid sequences. The secondary and tertiary structures of the Enolase protein were deduced using the software PRABI, and the physicochemical properties of the Enolase protein were analyzed using the software PRABI. In addition, the B- and T-cell epitopes of the Enolase protein were predicted using the software ABCpred Prediction, Scratch, IEDB and NetCTL.

RESULTS

The R. microplus Enolase gene sequence was 1 323 bp in size, and the contents of A, T, G and C bases were 24.5%, 22.5%, 27.0% and 26.0%,with 47.0% of A + T content and 53.0% of G + C content. The R. microplus Enolase gene encoded 434 amino acids, and the Enolase protein had a molecular weight of 47.12 kDa. The secondary structure of the Enolase protein contained 186 α-helixes (42.86%), 32 β-turns (7.37%), 144 random coils (33.18%) and 72 extended strands (16.59%). The Enolase protein was most probably present in cytoplasm (76.7%), followed by in mitochondrion (39.1%) and nucleus (21.7%), and the Enolase protein had no signal peptide or transmembrane domain. In addition, the Enolase protein had 14 B-cell dominant epitopes and 8 T-cell dominant epitopes.

CONCLUSIONS

The R. microplus Enolase gene sequence exhibits a GC preference, and its encoding Enolase protein is an acidic and hydrophilic protein, with α-helixes and random coils as its primary structure, and presenting B- and T-cell dominant epitopes, which is a potential target for development of vaccines against R. microplus.

Basic helix-loop-helix pioneer factors interact with the histone octamer to invade nucleosomes and generate nucleosome-depleted regions

Nucleosomes drastically limit transcription factor (TF) occupancy, while pioneer transcription factors (PFs) somehow circumvent this nucleosome barrier. In this study, we compare nucleosome binding of two conserved S. cerevisiae basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) TFs, Cbf1 and Pho4. A cryo-EM structure of Cbf1 in complex with the nucleosome reveals that the Cbf1 HLH region can electrostatically interact with exposed histone residues within a partially unwrapped nucleosome. Single-molecule fluorescence studies show that the Cbf1 HLH region facilitates efficient nucleosome invasion by slowing its dissociation rate relative to DNA through interactions with histones, whereas the Pho4 HLH region does not. In vivo studies show that this enhanced binding provided by the Cbf1 HLH region enables nucleosome invasion and ensuing repositioning. These structural, single-molecule, and in vivo studies reveal the mechanistic basis of dissociation rate compensation by PFs and how this translates to facilitating chromatin opening inside cells.

Research on Temporal Patterns of Water-Rock Interaction in the Coal Mine Underground Reservoir Based on the Dynamic Simulation Test

The temporal pattern of water-rock interaction is significant in predicting the ion concentration of the effluent in coal mine underground reservoirs. This study used the roof-caved rock samples and main incoming water (mine water and fissure water) of the Daliuta coal underground reservoir as the research object and designed four groups of dynamic simulation experiments of the water-rock interaction. Based on the main ion concentrations in the water sample at different reaction times, Q-type hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was used to classify the stages of water-rock interaction. The types and intensities of water-rock interaction in each stage were identified by combining the ion ratio and principal component analysis (PCA). Q-type HCA shows that the dynamic simulation experimental water samples can be divided into three categories according to the reaction time, representing the early, middle, and late stages of the water-rock interaction process. The influence of water quality on the division of the water-rock interaction stage is greater than that of rock characteristics. The ion ratio and PCA show that the dissolution of pyrite minerals, cation exchange reaction, and mineral adsorption mainly occur in the early stage of water-rock interaction, in which the cation exchange reaction plays a leading role in the change of ions in water. In the middle stage, the cation exchange reaction and the dissolution of carbonate minerals, such as calcite and dolomite, mainly occur, in which mineral dissolution is the main. In the late stage, the water-rock interaction is relatively weak, and the change of ion concentration in water is not obvious. This study proves the temporal patterns of water-rock interaction between caved rock and mine water (or fissure water) and differences in the types and intensities of water-rock interaction in each stage. The results can provide a theoretical basis for the optimization of the operation cycle of coal mine underground reservoirs and the prediction of effluent ion concentration.

Rapid Assembly of Spiroisoxazolidines by [4 + 1] Dearomative Spiroannulation of α-Bromo-β-naphthol and Nitroolefin

A novel [4 + 1] dearomative spiroannulation of α-halo-β-naphthol and nitroolefin has been developed for the direct construction of various spiroisoxazolidines in high chemo- and diastereoselectivity. Notably, halophenols (X = Cl and I) were also tolerated by this reaction. This transformation was realized through a sequence of electrophilic dearomatization/dehalogenation, and mechanistic studies revealed that different routes occurred for C(sp³)-X bond cleavage. Moreover, the potential application of this method was exemplified by several further transformations.

Enhanced Interfacial Magnetization is Responsible for the Negative Capacity Fading of Cobalt Ditelluride Anodes for Lithium Storage

In lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the stabilized capacities of transition metal compound anodes usually exhibit higher values than their theoretical values due to the interfacial charge storage, the formation of reversible electrolyte-derived surface layer, or interfacial magnetization. But the effectively utilizing the mechanisms to achieve novel anodes is rarely explored. Herein, a novel nanosized cobalt ditelluride (CoTe₂ ) anodes with ultra-high capacity and long term stability is reported. Electrochemical tests show that the lithium storage capacity of the best sample reaches 1194.7 mA h g^-1 after 150 cycles at 0.12 A g^-1 , which increases by 57.8% compared to that after 20 cycles. In addition, the sample offers capacities of 546.6 and 492.1 mA h g^-1 at 0.6 and 1.8 A g^-1 , respectively. During cycles, CoTe₂ particles (average size 20 nm) are gradually pulverized into the smaller nanoparticles (<3 nm), making the magnetization more fully due to the larger contact area of Co/Li₂ Te interface, yielding an increased capacity. The negative capacity fading is observed, and verified by ex situ structural characterizations and in situ electrochemical measurements. The proposed strategy can be further extended to obtain other high-performance ferromagnetic metal based electrodes for energy storage applications.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells promote regulatory T cell development and suppressive activity via CD70-CD27 interaction

Despite the intense CD8+ T-cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, anti-PD-1 immunotherapy shows an unsatisfactory response rate in clinical trials, hindered by immunosuppressive signals. To understand how microenvironmental characteristics alter immune homeostasis and limit immunotherapy efficacy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, here we establish a multi-center single-cell cohort based on public data, containing 357,206 cells from 50 patient samples. We reveal that nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells enhance development and suppressive activity of regulatory T cells via CD70-CD27 interaction. CD70 blocking reverts Treg-mediated suppression and thus reinvigorate CD8+ T-cell immunity. Anti-CD70+ anti-PD-1 therapy is evaluated in xenograft-derived organoids and humanized mice, exhibiting an improved tumor-killing efficacy. Mechanistically, CD70 knockout inhibits a collective lipid signaling network in CD4+ naïve and regulatory T cells involving mitochondrial integrity, cholesterol homeostasis, and fatty acid metabolism. Furthermore, ATAC-Seq delineates that CD70 is transcriptionally upregulated by NFKB2 via an Epstein-Barr virus-dependent epigenetic modification. Our findings identify CD70+ nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells as a metabolic switch that enforces the lipid-driven development, functional specialization and homeostasis of Tregs, leading to immune evasion. This study also demonstrates that CD70 blockade can act synergistically with anti-PD-1 treatment to reinvigorate T-cell immunity against nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Pharmacokinetic analysis of 6-O-[18F]FEE for PET imaging of EGFR mutation

6-O-[¹⁸F]Fluoroethylerlotinib (6-O-[¹⁸F]FEE), with a suitable half-life for commercial distribution, may be a good replacement for [¹¹C]erlotinib to identify epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) positive tumors with activating mutations to tyrosine kinase inhibitors therapy. In this study, we explored the fully automated synthesis of 6-O-[¹⁸F]FEE and investigated its pharmacokinetics in tumor-bearing mice. 6-O-[¹⁸F]FEE with high specific activity (28-100 GBq/μmol) and radiochemistry purity (over 99 %) was obtained by two-step reaction and Radio-HPLC separation in PET-MF-2 V-IT-1 automated synthesizer. PET imaging of 6-O-[¹⁸F]FEE in HCC827, A431, and U87 tumor-bearing mice with different EGFR expression and mutation was performed. Uptake and blocking of PET imaging indicated that the probe specifically targeted exon 19 deleted EGFR (the quantitative analysis of tumor-to-mouse ratio for HCC827, HCC827 blocking, U87, A431 was 2.58 ± 0.24, 1.20 ± 0.15, 1.18 ± 0.19, and 1.05 ± 0.13 respectively). Dynamic imaging was used to study the pharmacokinetics of the probe in tumor-bearing mice. Logan plot graphical analysis demonstrated late linearity and a high fitting correlation coefficient (0.998), supporting reversible kinetics. According to the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) rule, the 2-compartment reversible model was more consistent with the metabolic properties of 6-O-[¹⁸F]FEE. The automated radiosynthesis and pharmacokinetic analysis will promote clinically transformation of 6-O-[¹⁸F]FEE.

A small transparent cap, an extensive use

A 92-year-old woman complained of dysphagia and vomit for 4 days without previous disease history. We use the transparent cap empty esophageal solid foods.

Graph Motif Entropy for Understanding Time-Evolving Networks

The structure of networks can be efficiently represented using motifs, which are those subgraphs that recur most frequently. One route to understanding the motif structure of a network is to study the distribution of subgraphs using statistical mechanics. In this article, we address the use of motifs as network primitives using the cluster expansion from statistical physics. By mapping the network motifs to clusters in the gas model, we derive the partition function for a network, and this allows us to calculate global thermodynamic quantities, such as energy and entropy. We present analytical expressions for the number of certain types of motifs, and compute their associated entropy. We conduct numerical experiments for synthetic and real-world data sets and evaluate the qualitative and quantitative characterizations of the motif entropy derived from the partition function. We find that the motif entropy for real-world networks, such as financial stock market networks, is sensitive to the variance in network structure. This is in line with recent evidence that network motifs can be regarded as basic elements with well-defined information-processing functions.

Entropic Dynamic Time Warping Kernels for Co-Evolving Financial Time Series Analysis

Network representations are powerful tools to modeling the dynamic time-varying financial complex systems consisting of multiple co-evolving financial time series, e.g., stock prices. In this work, we develop a novel framework to compute the kernel-based similarity measure between dynamic time-varying financial networks. Specifically, we explore whether the proposed kernel can be employed to understand the structural evolution of the financial networks with time associated with standard kernel machines. For a set of time-varying financial networks with each vertex representing the individual time series of a different stock and each edge between a pair of time series representing the absolute value of their Pearson correlation, our start point is to compute the commute time (CT) matrix associated with the weighted adjacency matrix of the network structures, where each element of the matrix can be seen as the enhanced correlation value between pairwise stocks. For each network, we show how the CT matrix allows us to identify a reliable set of dominant correlated time series as well as an associated dominant probability distribution of the stock belonging to this set. Furthermore, we represent each original network as a discrete dominant Shannon entropy time series computed from the dominant probability distribution. With the dominant entropy time series for each pair of financial networks to hand, we develop an entropic dynamic time warping kernels through the classical dynamic time warping framework, for analyzing the financial time-varying networks. We show that the proposed kernel bridges the gap between graph kernels and the classical dynamic time warping framework for multiple financial time series analysis. Experiments on time-varying networks extracted through New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) database demonstrate that the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Preparation and Evaluation of Polyacrylate Microgels and Their Adjuvant Activities Using Ovalbumin as a Model Antigen

As vaccine adjuvants, polyacrylate materials can induce a specific immune response in the body and have been widely studied in recent years due to their advantages, such as their safety, effectiveness, and low required dosage. In this study, a series of polyacrylates with hydrophobic physical crosslinking and chemical crosslinking were prepared using precipitation polymerization, and their structures were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The optimal reaction conditions were determined according to the effect of reaction time, azodiisobutyronitrile, Span 60, allyl pentaerythritol, and octadecyl methacrylate (OMA) contents on the viscosity of the polyacrylate microgel, combined with the effects of allyl pentaerythritol and OMA contents on the subcutaneous immune safety of the polyacrylate microgel in BALB/c mice. The polyacrylate microgels with different OMA contents showed good biological safety. In addition, in vivo immunity experiments were carried out in mice to analyze the adjuvant properties of ovalbumin as a model antigen. Based on the titer results of the IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies, with 1 wt % OMA content, the polyacrylate microgel vaccine could optimally induce the body to produce an immune response type dominated by Th2-type humoral immune response and supplemented by Th1-type cellular immune response.

Circ_0073228 serves as a competitive endogenous RNA to facilitate proliferation and inhibit apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by the miR-139-5p/DNASE2 axis

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy and has extremely poor prognosis and outcome. Homo sapiens deoxyribonuclease II (DNASE2) has been reported to participate in HCC progression. Here, the role of DNASE2 in HCC cells and the putative upstream circRNA that mediates DNASE2 expression was investigated.

METHODS

The expression of RNAs in liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) samples was analyzed by bioinformatic analysis. The proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, and gene expression in HCC cells were investigated using CCK-8, colony formation, flow cytometry analysis, wound healing, transwell, western blotting, and RT-qPCR. The binding relationship among circ_0073228, miR-139-5p and DNASE2 was measured by RNA pulldown and luciferase reporter assays.

RESULTS

DNASE2 knockdown inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis of HCC cells while DNASE2 overexpression exerted an opposite results. MiR-139-5p targeted DNASE2 and suppressed its expression. Overexpression of miR-139-5p inhibited malignant phenotypes of HCC cells. RPS23-derived circ_0073228, which bound to miR-139-5p, was found upregulated in HCC cells. Inhibition of miR-139-5p or overexpression of DNASE2 counteracted the inhibitory effects of circ_0073228 knockdown on HCC cell progression.

CONCLUSIONS

Circ_0073228 serves as an oncogne to facilitate growth and inhibit apoptosis of HCC cells by regulating the miR-139-5p/DNASE2 axis.

Transformation of chronic disease management: Before and after the COVID-19 outbreak

Adults with chronic diseases often experience a decline in their quality of life along with frequent exacerbations. These diseases can cause anxiety and impose a significant economic burden. Self-management is a crucial aspect of treatment outside of the hospital and can improve quality of life and reduce the financial burden resulting from unexpected hospitalizations. With the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has become a vital tool for both medical professionals and patients; many in-person appointments have been canceled due to the pandemic, leading to increased reliance on online resources. This article aimed to discuss various methods of chronic disease management, both traditional self-management and modern telehealth strategies, comparing before and after the COVID-19 outbreak and highlighting challenges that have emerged.

Predicting nucleosome positioning using statistical equilibrium models in budding yeast

We present a protocol using thermodynamic models to predict nucleosome positioning with transcription factors (TFs) and chromatin remodelers. We describe step-by-step approaches to annotate genome-wide nucleosome-depleted regions (NDRs), compute nucleosome and TF occupancy, optimize parameters, and evaluate model performance. These models identify nucleosome-displacing TFs in the budding yeast genome and predict the locations and sizes of NDRs solely based on DNA sequence and TF motifs. The protocol can be applied to all organisms with prior knowledge of TF motifs. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Kharerin and Bai (2021).1.

Hydrothermally Derived Green Carbon Dots from Broccoli Water Extracts: Decreased Toxicity, Enhanced Free-Radical Scavenging, and Anti-Inflammatory Performance

Biomass carbon dots (CDs) derived from natural plants possess the advantages of low cost, photostability, and excellent biocompatibility, with potential applications in chemical sensing, bioimaging, and nanomedicine. However, the development of biomass CDs with excellent antioxidant activity and good biocompatibility is still a challenge. Herein, we propose a hypothesis for enhancing the antioxidant capacity of biomass CDs based on precursor optimization, extraction solvent, and other conditions with broccoli as the biomass. Compared to broccoli water extracts, broccoli powders, and broccoli organic solvent extracts, CDs derived from broccoli water extracts (BWE-CDs) have outstanding antioxidant properties due to the abundant C═C, carbonyl, and amino groups on their surface. After optimization of the preparation condition, the obtained BWE-CDs exhibit excellent free-radical scavenging activity with an EC₅₀ of 68.2 μg/mL for DPPH^• and 22.4 μg/mL for ABTS^•+. Cytotoxicity and zebrafish embryotoxicity results indicated that BWE-CDs have lower cytotoxicity and better biocompatibility than that of CDs derived from organic solvents. In addition, BWE-CDs effectively scavenged reactive oxygen species (ROS) in A549 cells, 293T cells, and zebrafish, as well as eliminating inflammation in LPS-stimulated zebrafish. Mechanistic studies showed that the anti-inflammatory effect of BWE-CDs was dependent on the direct reaction of CDs with free radicals, the regulation of NO levels, and the upregulation of the expression of SOD and GPX-4. This work indicates that the antioxidant activity of CDs could be enhanced by using solvent extracts of biomass as precursors, and the obtained BWE-CDs exhibit characteristics of greenness, low toxicity, and excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, which suggests the potential promising application of BWE-CDs as an antioxidant nanomedicine for inflammatory therapy.

Hydrogen sulfide alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced myocardial injury through TLR4-NLRP3 pathway

To investigate the effect of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on myocardial injury in sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction (SIMD), male C57BL/6 mice were intraperitoneally injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (10 mg/kg, i.p.) to induce cardiac dysfunction without or with the H2S donor sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) (50 µmol/kg, i.p.) administration 3 h after LPS injection. Six hours after the LPS injection, echocardiography, cardiac hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, myocardial damage and inflammatory biomarkers and Western blot results were analyzed. In mice, the administration of LPS decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by 30 % along with lowered H2S levels (35 % reduction). It was observed that cardiac troponin I (cTnI), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) levels were all increased (by 0.22-fold, 2000-fold and 0.66-fold respectively). HE staining revealed structural damage and inflammatory cell infiltration in the myocardial tissue after LPS administration. Moreover, after 6 h of LPS treatment, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) expressions were up-regulated 2.7-fold and 1.6-fold respectively. When compared to the septic mice, NaHS enhanced ventricular function (by 0.19-fold), decreased cTnI, TNF-alpha, and IL-1beta levels (by 11 %, 33 %, and 16 % respectively) and downregulated TLR4 and NLRP3 expressions (by 64 % and 31 % respectively). Furthermore, NaHS did not further improve cardiac function and inflammation in TLR4-/- mice or mice in which NLRP3 activation was inhibited by MCC950, after LPS injection. In conclusion, these findings imply that decreased endogenous H2S promotes the progression of SIMD, whereas exogenous H2S alleviates SIMD by inhibiting inflammation via the TLR4-NLRP3 pathway suppression.

Effects of testis testosterone deficiency on gene expression in the adrenal gland and skeletal muscle of ducks

1. Testosterone has an anabolic effect on skeletal muscle. The testes produce most of the testosterone in vivo, while the adrenal glands contribute smaller amounts. When testis testosterone is deficient the adrenal gland increases steroid hormone synthesis, which is referred to as compensatory testicular adaptation (CTA).2. To reveal the effects of testis testosterone deficiency on adrenal steroid hormones synthesis and skeletal muscle development, gene expression related to adrenal steroid hormones synthesis and skeletal muscle development were determined by RNA-seq.3. The results showed that castrating male ducks had significant effects on their body weight but no significant impact on cross-sectional area (CSA) or density of pectoral muscle fibres. In skeletal muscle protein metabolism, expression levels of the catabolic gene atrogin1/MAFbx and the anabolic gene eEF2 were significantly higher, with concomitant increases after castration. The adrenal glands' alteration of the steroid hormone 11β-hydroxylase (CYP11B1) was significantly lower following castration.4. Expression pattern analysis showed that the adrenal glands' glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1/GR) had a potential regulatory relationship with the skeletal muscle-related genes (Pax7, mTOR, FBXO32, FOXO3, and FOXO4).5. The data showed that castration affected muscle protein metabolism, adrenal steroid and testosterone synthesis. In addition, it was speculated that, after castration, steroid hormones produced by the adrenal gland could have a compensatory effect, which might mediate the changes in skeletal muscle protein metabolism and development.

Lacticaseibacillus parakribbianus sp. nov., isolated from a pig farm faeces dump

A lactic acid bacterium isolated from pig faeces was characterized using a polyphasic approach. The strain was Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, and facultative anaerobic. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that the isolate belonged to the genus Lacticaseibacillus. The multi-locus sequence tree revealed that the strain formed a sub-cluster adjacent to Lacticaseibacillus kribbianus. The main fatty acids were C_16 : 0 and C_18 : 1ω9c. The average nucleotide identity value, average amino acid identity, and genome-to-genome distance for YH-lacS6^T and its most closely related strain, L. kribbianus, were 85.4, 85.2 and 29.2 %, respectively. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 61.6 mol%. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, aminophospholipids and phospholipids. The cell-wall peptidoglycan did not contain meso-diaminopimelic acid. Thus, YH-lacS6^T (=KCTC 21186^T=JCM 34954^T) represents a novel species. The name Lacticaseibacillus parakribbianus sp. nov. is proposed.

Identification of a Rice Leaf Width Gene Narrow Leaf 22 (NAL22) through Genome-Wide Association Study and Gene Editing Technology

Rice leaf width (RLW) is a crucial determinant of photosynthetic area. Despite the discovery of several genes controlling RLW, the underlying genetic architecture remains unclear. In order to better understand RLW, this study conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 351 accessions from the rice diversity population II (RDP-II). The results revealed 12 loci associated with leaf width (LALW). In LALW4, we identified one gene, Narrow Leaf 22 (NAL22), whose polymorphisms and expression levels were associated with RLW variation. Knocking out this gene in Zhonghua11, using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology, resulted in a short and narrow leaf phenotype. However, seed width remained unchanged. Additionally, we discovered that the vein width and expression levels of genes associated with cell division were suppressed in nal22 mutants. Gibberellin (GA) was also found to negatively regulate NAL22 expression and impact RLW. In summary, we dissected the genetic architecture of RLW and identified a gene, NAL22, which provides new loci for further RLW studies and a target gene for leaf shape design in modern rice breeding.

Predicting monthly hospital outpatient visits based on meteorological environmental factors using the ARIMA model

Accurate forecasting of hospital outpatient visits is beneficial to the rational planning and allocation of medical resources to meet medical needs. Several studies have suggested that outpatient visits are related to meteorological environmental factors. We aimed to use the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model to analyze the relationship between meteorological environmental factors and outpatient visits. Also, outpatient visits can be forecast for the future period. Monthly outpatient visits and meteorological environmental factors were collected from January 2015 to July 2021. An ARIMAX model was constructed by incorporating meteorological environmental factors as covariates to the ARIMA model, by evaluating the stationary [Formula: see text], coefficient of determination [Formula: see text], mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and normalized Bayesian information criterion (BIC). The ARIMA [Formula: see text] model with the covariates of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] was the optimal model. Monthly outpatient visits in 2019 can be predicted using average data from past years. The relative error between the predicted and actual values for 2019 was 2.77%. Our study suggests that [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] concentration have a significant impact on outpatient visits. The model built has excellent predictive performance and can provide some references for the scientific management of hospitals to allocate staff and resources.

Hypermethylation of Smad7 in CD4+ T cells is associated with the disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis

Background

Smad7 is protective in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis. Here we investigated whether Smad7-expressing CD4⁺ T cells and the methylation of Smad7 gene in CD4⁺ T cells contribute to the disease activity of RA in patients.

Methods

Peripheral CD4⁺ T cells were collected from 35 healthy controls and 57 RA patients. Smad7 expression by CD4⁺ T cells were determined and correlated with the clinical parameters of RA including RA score and serum levels of IL-6, CRP, ESR, DAS28-CRP, DAS28-ESR, Swollen joints and Tender joints. Bisulfite sequencing (BSP-seq) was used to determine the DNA methylation in Smad7 promoter (-1000 to +2000) region in CD4⁺ T cells. In addition, a DNA methylation inhibitor, 5-Azacytidine (5-AzaC), was added to CD4⁺ T cells to examine the possible role of Smad7 methylation in CD4⁺ T cell differentiation and functional activity.

Results

Compared to the heath controls, Smad7 expression was significantly decreased in CD4⁺ T cells from RA patients and inversely correlated with the RA activity score and serum levels of IL-6 and CRP. Importantly, loss of Smad7 in CD4⁺ T cell was associated with the alteration of Th17/Treg balance by increasing Th17 over the Treg population. BSP-seq detected that DNA hypermethylation occurred in the Smad7 promoter region of CD4⁺ T cells obtained from RA patients. Mechanistically, we found that the DNA hypermethylation in the Smad7 promoter of CD4⁺ T cells was associated with decreased Smad7 expression in RA patients. This was associated with overreactive DNA methyltransferase (DMNT1) and downregulation of the methyl-CpG binding domain proteins (MBD4). Inhibition of DNA methylation by treating CD4⁺ T cells from RA patients with 5-AzaC significantly increased Smad7 mRNA expression along with the increased MBD4 but reduced DNMT1 expression, which was associated with the rebalance in the Th17/Treg response.

Conclusion

DNA hypermethylation at the Smad7 promoter regions may cause a loss of Smad7 in CD4⁺ T cells of RA patients, which may contribute to the RA activity by disrupting the Th17/Treg balance.

One-step preparation of lignin-based magnetic biochar as bifunctional material for the efficient removal of Cr(VI) and Congo red: Performance and practical application

The lignin-based magnetic biochar (LMB) was fabricated with a facile one-step solvothermal method. The spherical Fe₃O₄ was successfully loaded on the lignin-based biochar. LMB could efficiently remove Cr(VI) and Congo red (CR) synergistically with the adsorption of biochar and the catalytic/reduction of Fe₃O₄. LMB showed a removal efficiency of 100 % for Cr(VI) (100 mg/L) at 30 min. The LMB could be a catalyst to activate persulfate (PS) to degrade CR. The LMB + PS system showed a removal efficiency of 94.3 % for CR at 60 min. Moreover, LMB could simultaneously remove 41.5 % of Cr(VI) and 91.5 % of CR in the mixed Cr(VI) and CR solution. The simulated wastewater studies showed that LMB exhibited superior high Cr(VI) (100 %) and CR (82 %) removal efficiencies with the coexistent of anions, cations, and organic matter. LMB can be effectively applied to remove Cr(VI) and CR and purify different contaminated water bodies.

Scintillation of the orbital angular momentum of a Bessel Gaussian beam and its application on multi-parameter multiplexing

The scintillation of the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of a Bessel Gaussian beam was derived based on the Rytov method to characterize the performance of the OAM communication. Moreover, a multi-parameter demultiplexing method was also proposed which could decode the OAM state, the amplitude and two additional beam width information dimensions. The advantages of the OAM states as the communication carrier over the beam intensity were that the minimum scintillation of the fundamental mode was smaller, and its corresponding radius also diverged slower. The coefficient of variation of the decoding amplitude was approximated to the square root of the radial minimum scintillation, and it provided an estimated decoding precision for the input sample selection. This study not only provided theoretical basis for communication link design, but also had a promising application on the large capacity beam multiplexing in free-space laser communication.

MMP11 is associated with the immune response and immune microenvironment in EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma

Background

High expression of matrix metalloproteinase-11 (MMP11) is associated with various tumors and immune microenvironments. Conversely, poor response to immunotherapy in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients is closely related to the characteristics of immune microenvironment.

Methods

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-LUAD database and our gathered clinical LUAD samples were used to examine the relationship between MMP11 expression and EGFR mutation. Then the correlation between MMP11 and immune response and the difference of immune cell infiltration in different groups were analyzed. Compared the differences in the immune microenvironment between the MMP11-positive and MMP11-negative expression groups using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and multiplex immunohistochemistry.

Results

The expression of MMP11 in samples with exon 19 deletions, exon 21 L858R or de novo exon 20 T790M mutations was higher than wild type, but there was no difference between the samples with uncommon mutation and the wild-type. The high MMP11 expression group had a higher Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) score. Pathways associated with enrichment in the extracellular matrix (ECM) were the main biological functions of differential genes between the high and low MMP11 groups. The IHC score of MMP11 in the EGFR-mutant group was higher than in the EGFR-wild group. In TCGA-LUAD, the high MMP11 group had a lower proportion of T cell CD8+ and NK cells activated. In the clinical samples, the infiltration levels of T cell CD8+ and NK cells in the tumor parenchyma of EGFR-mutant LUAD was lower in the MMP11-positive than in the MMP11-negative group. The expression levels of tumor cell PD-L1 were higher in the MMP11-positive expression group than in the MMP11-negative expression group, and the proportion of PD1+CD8+ T cells infiltrated was reduced in the MMP11-positive group compared to the MMP11-negative group.

Conclusions

High expression of MMP11 was associated with EGFR mutations. Patients with EGFR-mutant LUAD with high expression of MMP11 responded poorly to immunotherapy, and the percentage of T cell CD8+ and NK cells in immune cell infiltration was lower in MMP11. Consequently, MMP11 is related to the immunological microenvironment of EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma, which may be a predictor of possible immunotherapeutic response.

Guvermectin Biosynthesis Revealing the Key Role of a Phosphoribohydrolase and Structural Insight into the Active Glutamate of a Noncanonical Adenine Phosphoribosyltransferase

Guvermectin is a novel plant growth regulator that has been registered as a new agrochemical in China. It is an adenosine analogue with an unusual psicofuranose instead of ribose. Herein, the gene cluster responsible for guvermectin biosynthesis in Streptomyces caniferus NEAU6 is identified using gene interruption and heterologous expression experiments. A key intermediate psicofuranine 6'-phosphate (PMP) is chemically synthesized, and the functions of GvmB, C, D, and E are verified by individual stepwise enzyme reactions in vitro. The results also show that the biosynthesis of guvermectin is coupled with adenosine production by a single cluster. The higher catalytic efficiency of GvmB on PMP than AMP ensures the effective biosynthesis of guvermectin. Moreover, a phosphoribohydrolase GvmA is employed in the pathway that can hydrolyze AMP but not PMP and shows higher catalytic efficiency for the AMP hydrolysis than that of the AMP dephosphorylation by GvmB, leading to shunting of adenosine biosynthesis toward the production of guvermectin. Finally, the crystal structure of GvmE in complex with the product PMP has been solved. Glu160 at the C-terminal is identified as the acid/base for protonation/deprotonation of N7 of the adenine ring, demonstrating that GvmE is a noncanonical adenine phosphoribosyltransferase.

Integrated metabolomics and lipidomics evaluate the alterations of flavor precursors in chicken breast muscle with white striping symptom

White striping (WS) is the most common myopathy in the broiler chicken industry. To reveal flavor changes of WS meat objectively, flavor precursors of WS breast muscle were evaluated systematically with integrated metabolomics and lipidomics. The results showed that WS could be distinguished from normal controls by E-nose, and four volatile compounds (o-xylene, benzene, 1,3-dimethyl, 2-heptanone and 6-methyl and Acetic acid and ethyl ester) were detected as decreased compounds by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Lipidomic analysis showed that WS breast fillets featured increased neutral lipid (83.8%) and decreased phospholipid molecules (33.2%). Targeted metabolomic analysis indicated that 16 hydrophilic metabolites were altered. Thereinto, some water-soluble flavor precursors, such as adenosine monophosphate, GDP-fucose and L-arginine increased significantly, but fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and L-histidine significantly decreased in the WS group. These results provided a systematic evaluation of the flavor precursors profile in the WS meat of broiler chickens.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection for early cancers or precancerous lesions of the upper gastrointestinal tract in cirrhotic patients with esophagogastric varices: Ten-year experience from a large tertiary center in China

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Treatment strategies for early cancers or precancerous lesions of the upper gastrointestinal tract in cirrhotic patients with esophagogastric varices (EGV) are complicated and risky. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in the treatment of such patients and explore optimal treatment strategies.

METHODS

We retrospectively enrolled 15 cirrhotic patients with EGV who underwent ESD for early cancers or precancerous lesions of the upper gastrointestinal tract from January 2012 to December 2021 at our center. Clinical features, endoscopic findings, treatment methods, adverse events and follow-up data were analyzed.

RESULTS

Of the 15 patients, 1 had a platelet count <30×1000/mm³. Five were untreated for EGV, 1 was treated after ESD, 6 were treated before ESD, 1 was treated before and during ESD, and 2 were treated during ESD. The R0 resection rate was 100%. Of the 16 mucosal lesions, 15 were ERB-0 or ERB-c1, and 1 was ERB-c2. No patient experienced deterioration in liver function. The only adverse events were fever in 2 patients and postoperative bleeding (PB) in 2 patients. During a median follow-up of 27 months, 1 patient's esophageal HGD recurred at 19 months. No death resulted from the ESD procedure, liver function injury or gastrointestinal tumor itself.

CONCLUSION

ESD is an effective and safe treatment for early cancers or precancerous lesions of the upper gastrointestinal tract in cirrhotic patients with EGV. The incidence of severe adverse events is very low due to the development of individualized clinical treatment strategies.

Efficient feature extraction from highly sparse binary genotype data for cancer prognosis prediction using an auto-encoder

Genomics involving tens of thousands of genes is a complex system determining phenotype. An interesting and vital issue is how to integrate highly sparse genetic genomics data with a mass of minor effects into a prediction model for improving prediction power. We find that the deep learning method can work well to extract features by transforming highly sparse dichotomous data to lower-dimensional continuous data in a non-linear way. This may provide benefits in risk prediction-associated genotype data. We developed a multi-stage strategy to extract information from highly sparse binary genotype data and applied it for cancer prognosis. Specifically, we first reduced the size of binary biomarkers via a univariable regression model to a moderate size. Then, a trainable auto-encoder was used to learn compact features from the reduced data. Next, we performed a LASSO problem process to select the optimal combination of extracted features. Lastly, we applied such feature combination to real cancer prognostic models and evaluated the raw predictive effect of the models. The results indicated that these compressed transformation features could better improve the model's original predictive performance and might avoid an overfitting problem. This idea may be enlightening for everyone involved in cancer research, risk reduction, treatment, and patient care via integrating genomics data.

Evaluating the dynamic distribution process and potential exposure risk of chlorinated paraffins in indoor environments of Beijing, China

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are typical semi-volatile chemicals (SVOCs) that have been used in copious quantities in indoor material additives. SVOCs distribute dynamically between the gas phase and various condensate phases, especially organic films. Investigating the dynamic behaviors of existing CPs in indoor environments is necessary for understanding their potential risk to humans from indoor exposure. We investigate the distribution profiles of CPs in both gas phase and organic films in indoor environments of residential buildings in Beijing, China. The concentrations of CPs were in the range of 32.21-1447 ng/m³ in indoor air and in the range of 42.30-431.1 μg/m² and in organic films. Cooking frequency was identified as a key factor that affected the distribution profiles of CPs. Furthermore, a film/gas partitioning model was constructed to explore the transportation and fate of CPs. Interestingly, a re-emission phenomenon from organic films was observed for chemical groups with lower log K_oa components, and, importantly, their residue levels in indoor air were well predicted. The estimated exposure risk of CPs in indoor environment was obtained. For the first time, these results produced convincing evidence that the co-exposure risk of short-chain CPs (SCCPs), medium-chain CPs (MCCPs), and long-chain CPs (LCCPs) in indoor air could be further increased by film/gas distribution properties, which is relevant for performing risk assessments of exposure to these SVOCs in indoor environments.

Bibliometric Analysis of 100 Most Highly Cited Publications on Acupuncture for Migraine

Background

Migraine is a serious global health concern that imposed a huge economic burden on social health care. Over the past few decades, the analgesic effects of acupuncture have been widely recognized, and there is a growing body of research on acupuncture for migraine. Citation analysis is a branch of bibliometrics that helps researchers analyze and identify historical or landmark studies within the scientific literature. Currently, there is no analysis of the 100 most highly cited publications on acupuncture for migraine.

Methods

The 100 most highly cited publications on acupuncture for migraine were screened using the Science Citation Index Expanded of the Web of Science Core Collection database. CiteSpace and VOSviewer programs were used for bibliometric analysis.

Results

A total of 493 publications on acupuncture for migraine were identified. 100 of the most highly cited publications on acupuncture for migraine were published from 1984-2020. These publications were cited 6142 times with an h-index of 44 and 84% were original articles. The highest frequency of citations was 416. A total of 335 authors were involved in the study with 37 lead authors. 212 institutions from 20 countries contributed to the 100 most highly cited publications. The most published studies came from the United States (n=36), followed by China (n=27) and Germany (n=26). The Technical University of Munich published the largest number of papers (n = 15). Top-cited publications mainly came from the Headache (n=13, citations=582). Neuroimaging is gradually emerging as a hot topic of research.

Conclusion

This is the first bibliometric analysis to offer a thorough list of the 100 most highly cited papers on acupuncture for migraine, demonstrating significant progress and emerging trends in this field to assist researchers in determining the direction for further research.

Unmanipulated haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for pediatric de novo acute megakaryoblastic leukemia without Down syndrome in China: A single-center study

Background

AMKL without DS is a rare but aggressive hematological malignant disease in children, and it is associated with inferior outcomes. Several researchers have regarded pediatric AMKL without DS as high-risk or at least intermediate-risk AML and proposed that upfront allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in first complete remission might improve long-term survival.

Patients and method

We conducted a retrospective study with twenty-five pediatric (< 14 years old) AMKL patients without DS who underwent haploidentical HSCT in the Peking University Institute of Hematology, Peking University People's Hospital from July 2016 to July 2021. The diagnostic criteria of AMKL without DS were adapted from the FAB and WHO: ≥ 20% blasts in the bone marrow, and those blasts expressed at least one or more of the platelet glycoproteins: CD41, CD61, or CD42. AMKL with DS and therapy related AML was excluded. Children without a suitable closely HLA-matched related or unrelated donor (donors with more than nine out of 10 matching HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, HLA-DR, and HLA-DQ loci), were eligible to receive haploidentical HSCT. Definition was adapted from international cooperation group. All statistical tests were conducted with SPSS v.24 and R v.3.6.3.

Results

The 2-year OS was 54.5 ± 10.3%, and the EFS was 50.9 ± 10.2% in pediatric AMKL without DS undergoing haplo-HSCT. Statistically significantly better EFS was observed in patients with trisomy 19 than in patients without trisomy 19 (80 ± 12.6% and 33.3 ± 12.2%, respectively, P = 0.045), and OS was better in patients with trisomy 19 but with no statistical significance (P = 0.114). MRD negative pre-HSCT patients showed a better OS and EFS than those who were positive (P < 0.001 and P = 0.003, respectively). Eleven patients relapsed post HSCT. The median time to relapse post HSCT was 2.1 months (range: 1.0-14.4 months). The 2-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) was 46.1 ± 11.6%. One patient developed bronchiolitis obliterans and respiratory failure and died at d + 98 post HSCT.

Conclusion

AMKL without DS is a rare but aggressive hematological malignant disease in children, and it is associated with inferior outcomes. Trisomy 19 and MRD negative pre-HSCT might contribute to a better EFS and OS. Our TRM was low, haplo-HSCT might be an option for high-risk AMKL without DS.

Upper Limb Position Tracking with a Single Inertial Sensor Using Dead Reckoning Method with Drift Correction Techniques

Inertial sensors are widely used in human motion monitoring. Orientation and position are the two most widely used measurements for motion monitoring. Tracking with the use of multiple inertial sensors is based on kinematic modelling which achieves a good level of accuracy when biomechanical constraints are applied. More recently, there is growing interest in tracking motion with a single inertial sensor to simplify the measurement system. The dead reckoning method is commonly used for estimating position from inertial sensors. However, significant errors are generated after applying the dead reckoning method because of the presence of sensor offsets and drift. These errors limit the feasibility of monitoring upper limb motion via a single inertial sensing system. In this paper, error correction methods are evaluated to investigate the feasibility of using a single sensor to track the movement of one upper limb segment. These include zero velocity update, wavelet analysis and high-pass filtering. The experiments were carried out using the nine-hole peg test. The results show that zero velocity update is the most effective method to correct the drift from the dead reckoning-based position tracking. If this method is used, then the use of a single inertial sensor to track the movement of a single limb segment is feasible.

Novel Plant Growth Regulator Guvermectin from Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Boosts Biomass and Grain Yield in Rice

Food is a fundamental human right, and global food security is threatened by crop production. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) play an essential role in improving crop yield and quality, and this study reports on a novel PGR, termed guvermectin (GV), isolated from plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, which can promote root and coleoptile growth, tillering, and early maturing in rice. GV is a nucleoside analogue like cytokinin (CK), but it was found that GV significantly promoted root and hypocotyl growth, which is different from the function of CK in Arabidopsis. The Arabidopsis CK receptor triple mutant ahk2-2 ahk3-3 cre1-12 still showed a GV response. Moreover, GV led different growth-promoting traits from auxin, gibberellin (GA), and brassinosteroid (BR) in Arabidopsis and rice. The results from a four-year field trial involving 28 rice varieties showed that seed-soaking treatment with GV increased the yields by 6.2 to 19.6%, outperforming the 4.0 to 10.8% for CK, 1.6 to 16.9% for BR, and 2.2 to 7.1% for GA-auxin-BR mixture. Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that GV induced different transcriptome patterns from CK, auxin, BR, and GA, and SAUR genes may regulate GV-mediated plant growth and development. This study suggests that GV represents a novel PGR with a unique signal perception and transduction pathway in plants.

Giant Second Harmonic Generation from Membrane Metasurfaces

Metasurfaces have emerged as a fascinating framework for nonlinear optics, which have advantages of a compact footprint and unprecedented flexibility in manipulating light. But their nonlinear responses are generally limited by the short interaction lengths with light. Therefore, further enhancement is highly desired for building high-efficiency nonlinear devices. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a record high second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of 2.0 × 10^-4 using lithium niobate (LN) membrane metasurfaces. Benefiting from the large refractive index contrast in the vertical direction and high fabrication quality, distinct spectral resonances and tight field confinements in the LN layer were achieved. Strong SHG peaks resulting from pump resonances of the metasurfaces were observed. Our nonlinear efficiency is more than 2 orders of magnitude larger than previously reported LN metasurfaces. The results inspire a way to improve the efficiency of nonlinear metasurfaces for ultracompact nonlinear light sources in applications of nonlinear holography, Li-Fi, beam shaping, etc.

[Molecular characteristics of ciprofloxacin-cefotaxime-azithromycin co-resistant Salmonella enterica Serovar Thompson in foodborne diseases in Hunan Province]

Objective: To investigate the molecular characteristics of ciprofloxacin-cefotaxime-azithromycin co-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Thompson (S. Thompson) isolates from sporadic cases of foodborne diseases and aquatic foods in Hunan province. Methods: Ciprofloxacin-cefotaxime-azithromycin co-resistant S. Thompson isolates were selected from samples, and broth microdilution method was used to determine the resistance to 11 antibiotics of these isolates in vitro. Whole genome sequencing was used for investigating antimicrobial resistance gene patterns and phylogenetic relationships of strains. Results: Nine ciprofloxacin-cefotaxime-azithromycin co-resistant isolates were recovered from 19 S. Thompson isolates. Among nine ciprofloxacin-cefotaxime-azithromycin co-resistant isolates, eight of them harbored IncC plasmids, simultaneously carrying plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes qepA and qnrS1, β-lactamase resistance gene bla_CMY-2, azithromycin resistance gene mph(A), and one isolate harbored IncR plasmid, and carried PMQR genes qnrB4 and aac(6')-Ib-cr, bla_OXA-10 and mph(A). Genetic environment analysis showed that qnrS1, qepA, mph(A) and bla_CMY-2 genes might be integrated on genomes of strains by ISKra4, IS91, IS6100 and ISEcp1, respectively. Phylogenetic core genome comparisons demonstrated that ciprofloxacin-cefotaxime-azithromycin co-resistant isolates from patients and aquatic foods were genetically similar and clustered together. Conclusion: Ciprofloxacin-cefotaxime-azithromycin co-resistant S. Thompson isolates have been isolated from both human and aquatic food samples, suggesting that the spread of multidrug resistant Salmonella between human and aquatic animals.

Analysis of Volatile Compounds in Jinhua ham Using Three Extraction Methods Combined with Gas Chromatography-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

The volatile compounds in Jinhua ham samples after different aging times were characterized using solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE), solid-phase microextraction (SPME), and needle trap (NT) extraction methods combined with gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF/MS). Hundreds of aroma compounds were identified, including aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, furans, esters, acids, pyrazines, and sulfides. The results showed that NT extracted the greatest number of volatile compounds, whereas the extraction efficiency of SPME headspace adsorption was highest among the three sample preparation methods. Principal component analysis of SPME effectively distinguished the variation in the aroma of the Jinhua hams specific to aging time. Butyrolactone, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, phenylacetaldehyde, and acetic acid were considered as the main volatile compounds in the Jinhua ham samples at three years of aging. The results showed that SPME-GC-TOF/MS effectively discriminated among samples by age. By comparing the three extraction methods, this study provides a theoretical basis for the selection of extraction methods of volatile aroma compounds in Jinhua ham.

Evaluating the time of HIV infection, diagnosis and treatment delays based on HIV notification data in Northwest China, 2008–19

BACKGROUND

Timely diagnosis and treatment are crucial for reducing HIV transmission;therefore, estimating the time from HIV infection to antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation becomes particularly important for people living with HIV.

METHODS

We used a well-characterised CD4 depletion model to estimate the time from HIV infection to initiation of ART and the rate of delayed HIV diagnosis (infection to diagnosis >1year) and treatment initiation (diagnosis to treatment >1year), based on HIV notification data for adults (aged ≥18years) in Xi'an city, China, during 2008-19.

RESULTS

Overall, 7402 reported HIV diagnoses were included. We estimated more than two-thirds of HIV infections remained undiagnosed (66.1%, 9489/14 345). The estimated proportion of HIV diagnoses that were delayed (>1year) was 80.3% (5941/7402) during 2008-19, and it increased from 72.7% (32/44) in 2008 to 83.5% (908/1088) in 2019. In contrast, the proportion of cases with delayed treatment (>1year) was 13.1% (971/7402) during 2008-19, and it reduced from 75.0% (33/44) in 2008 to 1.5% (16/1088) in 2019. The estimated median time from HIV infection to diagnosis increased from 5.05 (IQR, 0.27-8.15) years to 5.81 (IQR, 2.31-10.28) years, whereas the time from diagnosis to ART initiation reduced from 3.06 (IQR, 1.01-5.20) years in 2008 to 0.07 (IQR, 0.04-0.12) year in 2019.

CONCLUSIONS

Early treatment after diagnosis has significantly improved, but timely diagnosis of HIV infections may still require further improvement. The estimated proportion of undiagnosed HIV cases remains high in 2019 in Xi'an city and is likely to impede effective control.