Precision genome editing of crops for improved disease resistance

Genome editing (GE) technologies allow rapid trait manipulation in crop plants. Disease resistance is one of the best test cases for this technology because it is usually monogenic and under constant challenge by rapidly evolving pathogens. Classical methods suffer from severe bottlenecks in discovery of new resistance (R) genes and their incorporation into elite varieties, largely because they are identified in landraces and species with limited sexual compatibility, and may last only a few years before losing effectiveness. Most plant R genes encode receptors located externally on the plasma membrane (receptor proteins and receptor kinases) or internally as NOD-like receptors (NLR). Both have well defined molecular interactions with activating pathogen ligands which are virulence proteins known as effectors. As structural data for R-effector interactions accumulate, promising strategies for rational manipulation of binding specificities are emerging. This offers the potential to change elite varieties directly rather than through 10-20 years of crossing. Successful application of GE is already evident in mutation of susceptibility (S) genes required for infection. GE is in its infancy with only four modified organisms grown currently in the US. The Anglosphere and Japan seem more open to deployment of these technologies, with the European Union, Switzerland and New Zealand being notably more conservative. Consumers are not well informed on the differences between GE and classical genetic modification (GM). The possibility that minor GE changes will not be regulated as GM offers the hope that current bottlenecks to resistance breeding can be eased.

Dung treated by high-temperature composting is an optimal bedding material for suckling calves according to analyses of microbial composition, growth performance, health status, and behavior

Bedding materials are important for suckling buffalo calves. Treated dung has been used as a bedding material for dairy cows but the lack of an appropriate safety assessment limits its application. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of treated dung (TD) as a bedding material for suckling calves by comparing TD with rice husk (RH) and rice straw (RS) bedding materials. The TD was prepared through high-temperature composting by Bacillus subtilis. Thirty-three newborn suckling buffalo calves (Bubalus bubalis, 40.06 ± 5.79 kg) were randomly divided into 3 bedding material groups (TD, RH, and RS) and bedded with 1 of the 3 bedding materials for 60 d. We compared cost, moisture content, bacterial counts, and microbial composition of the 3 bedding materials, and investigated growth performance, health status, behavior, rumen fermentation, and blood parameters of bedded calves. The results showed that TD contained the fewest gram-negative bacteria and coliforms on d 1 and 30 and the lowest relative abundance of Staphylococcus throughout the experiment. The RH and TD bedding materials had the lowest cost. Calves in the TD and RS groups showed a higher dry matter intake, and final body weight and average daily gain in the TD and RS groups tended to be higher than in the RH group. Calves in the TD and RS groups had a lower disease incidence (diarrhea and fever), fewer antibiotic treatments, and lower fecal score than calves in the RH group. Higher contents of IgG, IgA, and IgM were observed in calves of the TD and RS groups than in calves of the RH group on d 10, indicating higher immune ability in TD and RS groups. Furthermore, TD bedding increased the butyric acid content in the calf's rumen, whereas RS bedding increased the acetate content, which might be attributed to the longer time and higher frequency of eating bedding material in the RS group. Considering all of the above indicators, we concluded that TD is the optimal bedding material for calves based on economics, bacterial count, microbial diversity, growth performance, and health status. Our findings provide a valuable reference for bedding material choice and calf farming.

In vivo antioxidant activity of rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei cv. 'Brightwell') anthocyanin extracts

Blueberries are rich in phenolic compounds including anthocyanins which are closely related to biological health functions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antioxidant activity of blueberry anthocyanins extracted from 'Brightwell' rabbiteye blueberries in mice. After one week of adaptation, C57BL/6J healthy male mice were divided into different groups that were administered with 100, 400, or 800 mg/kg blueberry anthocyanin extract (BAE), and sacrificed at different time points (0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, or 12 h). The plasma, eyeball, intestine, liver, and adipose tissues were collected to compare their antioxidant activity, including total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-PX/GPX) content, and the oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde (MDA) level. The results showed that blueberry anthocyanins had positive concentration-dependent antioxidant activity in vivo. The greater the concentration of BAE, the higher the T-AOC value, but the lower the MDA level. The enzyme activity of SOD, the content of GSH-PX, and messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of Cu,Zn-SOD, Mn-SOD, and GPX all confirmed that BAE played an antioxidant role after digestion in mice by improving their antioxidant defense. The in vivo antioxidant activity of BAE indicated that blueberry anthocyanins could be developed into functional foods or nutraceuticals with the aim of preventing or treating oxidative stress-related diseases.

Composite Backscatter Characteristics of Conductive/Dielectric Ships and Sea Surfaces with Breaking Waves under High Sea Conditions

When a radar detects marine targets, the radar echo is influenced by the shape, size and dielectric properties of the targets, as well as the sea surface under different sea conditions and the coupling scattering between them. This paper presents a composite backscattering model of the sea surface and conductive and dielectric ships under different sea conditions. The ship scattering is calculated using the equivalent edge electromagnetic current (EEC) theory. The scattering of the sea surface with wedge-like breaking waves is calculated using the capillary wave phase perturbation method combined with the multi-path scattering method. The coupling scattering between ship and sea surface is obtained using the modified four-path model. The results reveal that the backscattering RCS of the dielectric target is significantly reduced compared with the conducting target. Furthermore, the composite backscattering of the sea surface and ship increases significantly in both HH and VV polarizations when considering the effect of breaking waves under high sea conditions at low grazing angles in the upwind direction, especially for HH polarization. This research offers valuable insights into optimizing radar detection of marine targets in varying sea conditions.

Application of Persimmon Pectin with Promising Emulsification Properties as an Acidified Milk Drinks Stabilizer

The present study aimed to evaluate the capability of persimmon pectin (PP) as a stabilizer for acid milk drinks (AMDs) compared with commercial high-methoxyl pectin (HMP) and sugar beet pectin (SBP). The effectiveness of pectin stabilizers was assessed by analyzing particle size, micromorphology, zeta potential, sedimentation fraction, storage, and physical stability. Results of CLSM images and particle size measurements showed that PP-stabilized AMDs had smaller droplet sizes and more uniform distributions, indicating better stabilization potential compared with the HMP- and SBP-stabilized AMDs. Zeta potential measurements revealed that the addition of PP significantly increased the electrostatic repulsion between particles and prevented aggregation. Moreover, based on the results of Turbiscan and storage stability determination, PP exhibited better physical and storage stability compared with HMP and SBP. The combination of steric repulsion and electrostatic repulsion mechanisms exerted a stabilizing effect on the AMDs prepared from PP. Overall, these findings suggest that PP has promising potential as an AMD stabilizer in the food and beverage industry.

[Clinical study of 19 cases of steroid-refractory gastrointestinal acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with fecal microbiota transplantation]

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for treating steroid-refractory gastrointestinal acute graft-versus-host disease (GI-aGVHD) . Methods: This analysis included 29 patients with hematology who developed steroid-refractory GI-aGVHD after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in Huaian Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University from March 2017 to March 2022. Among them, 19 patients underwent FMT treatment (the FMT group) and 10 patients did not (the control group). The efficacy and safety of FMT were assessed, as well as the changes in intestinal microbiota abundance, lymphocyte subpopulation ratio, peripheral blood inflammatory cytokines, and GVHD biomarkers before and after FMT treatment. Results: ① Complete remission of clinical symptoms after FMT was achieved by 13 (68.4%) patients and 2 (20.0%) controls, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). Intestinal microbiota diversity increased and gradually recovered to normal levels after FMT and FMT-related infections did not occur. ②The proportion of CD3(+) and CD8(+) cells in the FMT group after treatment decreased compared with the control group, and the ratio of CD4(+), regulatory T cells (Treg), and CD4(+)/CD8(+) cells increased (all P< 0.05). The interleukin (IL) -6 concentration in the FMT group was lower than that in the control group [4.15 (1.91-5.71) ng/L vs 6.82 (2.40-8.91) ng/L, P=0.040], and the IL-10 concentration in the FMT group was higher than that in the control group [12.11 (5.69-20.36) ng/L vs 7.51 (4.10-9.58) ng/L, P=0.024]. Islet-derived protein 3α (REG3α) was significantly increased in patients with GI-aGVHD, and the REG3α level in the FMT group was lower than that in the control group after treatment [30.70 (10.50-105.00) μg/L vs 74.35 (33.50-139.50) μg/L, P=0.021]. Conclusion: FMT is a safe and effective method for the treatment of steroid-refractory GI-aGVHD by restoring intestinal microbiota diversity, regulating inflammatory cytokines, and upregulating Treg cells.

Development and acceptability validation of a deep learning-based tool for whole-prostate segmentation on multiparametric MRI: a multicenter study

Background

Accurate whole prostate segmentation on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is important in the management of prostatic diseases. In this multicenter study, we aimed to develop and evaluate a clinically applicable deep learning-based tool for automatic whole prostate segmentation on T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).

Methods

In this retrospective study, 3-dimensional (3D) U-Net-based models in the segmentation tool were trained with 223 patients who underwent prostate MRI and subsequent biopsy from 1 hospital and validated in 1 internal testing cohort (n=95) and 3 external testing cohorts: PROSTATEx Challenge for T2WI and DWI (n=141), Tongji Hospital (n=30), and Beijing Hospital for T2WI (n=29). Patients from the latter 2 centers were diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. The DWI model was further fine-tuned to compensate for the scanner variety in external testing. A quantitative evaluation, including Dice similarity coefficients (DSCs), 95% Hausdorff distance (95HD), and average boundary distance (ABD), and a qualitative analysis were used to evaluate the clinical usefulness.

Results

The segmentation tool showed good performance in the testing cohorts on T2WI (DSC: 0.922 for internal testing and 0.897-0.947 for external testing) and DWI (DSC: 0.914 for internal testing and 0.815 for external testing with fine-tuning). The fine-tuning process significantly improved the DWI model's performance in the external testing dataset (DSC: 0.275 vs. 0.815; P<0.01). Across all testing cohorts, the 95HD was <8 mm, and the ABD was <3 mm. The DSCs in the prostate midgland (T2WI: 0.949-0.976; DWI: 0.843-0.942) were significantly higher than those in the apex (T2WI: 0.833-0.926; DWI: 0.755-0.821) and base (T2WI: 0.851-0.922; DWI: 0.810-0.929) (all P values <0.01). The qualitative analysis showed that 98.6% of T2WI and 72.3% of DWI autosegmentation results in the external testing cohort were clinically acceptable.

Conclusions

The 3D U-Net-based segmentation tool can automatically segment the prostate on T2WI with good and robust performance, especially in the prostate midgland. Segmentation on DWI was feasible, but fine-tuning might be needed for different scanners.

Active inhibition of the retro-cue effect in visual working memory: Evidence from event-related potential

This study used the event-related potential (ERP) technique to investigate whether active inhibition exists in retro-cue Effect (RCE) in visual working memory using modified retro-cue tasks. In this modified task, the participants were first asked to memorize six color blocks and then presented with directed remembering or directed forgetting cues; finally, their working memory performance was tested. For behavioral results, due to the extension of the memory interval, this study did not find RCE in accuracy but reflected it in the total reaction time. For ERP results, the frontal late positive potential (LPP) followed by the directed forgetting condition was larger than that followed by directed remembering and baseline conditions, and there was no significant difference between directed remembering and baseline conditions. There was no significant difference in parietal P3 followed by both the directed remembering and directed forgetting conditions, which were significantly larger than the baseline condition. This result reveals that active inhibition plays an important role in directed forgetting RCE. There was a correlation between parietal P3 and frontal LPP with the same time window but different scalp regions in the directed forgetting condition, indicating a potential relationship between active inhibition and retelling in directed forgetting RCE.

Study on the time conversion method of early warning indicators of flash flood disaster: A case of Qufu City, Shandong Province

To solve the problem of imperfect flash flood warning indicators in mountainous watersheds, this study proposes a conversion method of critical rainfall for different warning periods on the basis of the existing stormwater calculation formulae and applies it to typical mountainous watersheds. The specific method is to use the multiplicative power function method to interpolate and extend the early warning indicators of other time periods through the known early warning indicators of some time periods, apply them to Hengmiao Village and Gaolou Village, typical disaster prevention objects in Qufu City, Shandong Province, China, and verify the rationality of the results. The results show that the multiplicative power function method interpolates and extends the early warning indexes of 0.5, 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 h under the same soil moisture condition. Based on the historical actual mountain flood disaster rainfall, the correlation coefficient R² and Nash coefficient Ens are calculated to be 0.85 and 0.86, respectively, which verifies the applicability of this method. This study provides a convenient and quick way to unify the time series of regional early warning indicators and a feasible way for other regions to study regional overall early warning.

Gastrodia elata Blume: A review of its mechanisms and functions on cardiovascular systems

Gastrodia elata Blume (GEB), commonly called Tianma in Chinese, is a valuable and extensively used herbal Traditional Chinese Medicine with a wide range of clinical applications. It has been used to treat headaches, dizziness, stroke, epilepsy, amnesia, spasm, and other disorders since ancient times. Hundreds of compounds, including Phenols, glycosides, polysaccharides, steroids, organic acids, and others, have been isolated and identified from this plant. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that its active ingredients possess many pharmacological effects, such as neuroprotective, analgesic, sedation and hypnosis, anti-anxiety, anti-depressant, anti-convulsant, anti-dizziness, blood pressure lowering, blood lipids lowering, liver protection, anti-tumor, and immunity enhancement effects. The present review discusses the pharmacological actions and mechanisms of various components of GEB in cardiovascular diseases to provide a reference for further study of GEB.

Potential application of novel cadmium-tolerant bacteria in bioremediation of Cd-contaminated soil

With the increase in cadmium (Cd) release into the environment, it is necessary to find appropriate solutions to reduce soil Cd pollution. Microorganisms are a green and effective means for the remediation of Cd-contaminated soil. In this study, in a Cd-contaminated farmland, we screened and identified novel Cd-resistant strains, Paenarthrobactor nitroguajacolicus, Lysinibacillus fusiformis, Bacillus licheniformis, and Methyllobacium brachiatum, with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 100, 100, 50, and 50 mg/L, respectively, and added them each to pots containing Cd-contaminated rape plants to explore their remediation ability. The results showed that treatment with each of the four strains significantly increased the abundance of Nitrospirae, Firmicutes, Verrucomicrobia, and Patescibacterium in the rhizosphere soil of the plants. This led to changes in soil physical and chemical indices; pH; and available phosphorus, urease, and catalase activities, which were significantly negatively correlated with bioavailable Cd, reducing 28.74-58.82 % Cd enrichment to plants and 23.72-43.79 % Cd transport within plants, and reducing 5.52-10.68 % available cadmium in soil, effectively reducing the biotoxicity of Cd. Thus, this study suggests microbial remediation as a reliable option, forming a basis for the remediation of Cd-contaminated soil.

In situ structure of actin remodeling during glucose-stimulated insulin secretion using cryo-electron tomography

Actin mediates insulin secretion from the pancreatic β-cell through a remodeling process. Previous studies have been hampered by limited resolution, providing an ambiguous depiction of actin remodeling as a process that begins with depolymerization into actin monomers, followed by repolymerization into actin filaments. Here, we report the in situ structure of actin remodeling in INS-1E β-cells during glucose-stimulated insulin secretion at nanoscale resolution. We demonstrate that actin remodeling occurs at the cell periphery rather than in the cell interior. The actin filament network at the cell periphery exhibits three marked differences after remodeling compared to those under basal conditions. First, approximately 12%of actin filaments reorient, their angle changing from 0-45° to 45-90° relative to the plasma membrane. Second, the actin filament network remains predominantly as cell-stabilizing bundles but partially reconfigures into a less compact arrangement. Third, actin filaments anchored to the plasma membrane reorganize from a "netlike" to a "blooming" architecture, featuring radial projections emanating from their anchor points. Remodeling precedes the transport of insulin secretory granulesto the plasma membrane and their release from it. Furthermore, the density of actin filaments and microtubules around insulin secretory granules is lowered after remodeling compared to the basal conditions, as expected for the subsequent granule transport and release. Finally, actin filaments and microtubules are more densely packed than under basal conditions. These findings advance our structural and functional understanding of actin remodeling during glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells.

Comparative susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV across mammals

Exploring wild reservoirs of pathogenic viruses is critical for their long-term control and for predicting future pandemic scenarios. Here, a comparative in vitro infection analysis was first performed on 83 cell cultures derived from 55 mammalian species using pseudotyped viruses bearing S proteins from SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV. Cell cultures from Thomas's horseshoe bats, king horseshoe bats, green monkeys, and ferrets were found to be highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV pseudotyped viruses. Moreover, five variants (del69-70, D80Y, S98F, T572I, and Q675H), that beside spike receptor-binding domain can significantly alter the host tropism of SARS-CoV-2. An examination of phylogenetic signals of transduction rates revealed that closely related taxa generally have similar susceptibility to MERS-CoV but not to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped viruses. Additionally, we discovered that the expression of 95 genes, e.g., PZDK1 and APOBEC3, were commonly associated with the transduction rates of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped viruses. This study provides basic documentation of the susceptibility, variants, and molecules that underlie the cross-species transmission of these coronaviruses.

Assessing the predictive value of clinical factors to pathological complete response for locally advanced rectal cancer: An analysis of 124 patients

Purpose

To investigate the clinical factors affecting pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).

Methods

Clinical data of 124 LARC patients treated with nCRT and surgery in the fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from 2014 to 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. In this study, univariate analysis and logistic dichotomous multivariate regression analysis were used to study the clinical factors affecting pCR, and the receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was used to further verify the accuracy of partial indexes in predicting pCR.

Results

Of the 124 enrolled patients, 19 patients (15.32%) achieved pCR. Univariate analysis showed that the number of cycles of consolidation chemotherapy, serum carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA) level before treatment, MRI longitudinal length of tumor, and extramural vascular invasion (EMVI) were statistically correlated with pCR. ROC analysis of the longitudinal length of tumor measured by MRI showed that the area under the curve (AUC) value, sensitivity and specificity were 0.735, 89.47% and 48.57% respectively, and the optimal cut-off value was 5.5cm. The ROC analysis showed that the AUC value, sensitivity and specificity of pCR prediction using CEA were 0.741, 63.16% and 90.48%, respectively, and the optimal cut-off value was 3.1ng/ml. Multivariate results showed that the number of cycles of consolidation chemotherapy, serum CEA level before treatment, and EMVI were independent predictors of pCR.

Conclusion

The number of cycles of consolidation chemotherapy, serum CEA level before treatment, and EMVI may be important determinants of LARC patients to reach pCR after nCRT.

[Huang Yuanyu's Disciples]

Huang Yuanyu (1705-1758), as the representative of the classic school of Chinese medicine, was a well-known doctor in the Qing Dynasty. This paper examined the life, medical career and achievements of Huang Yuanyu's students based on the local chronicles, recordings and relevant literature. The paper aimed to clarify Huang's academic thoughts and provide references for current medical education training. It was found that Huang Yuanyu had many students who kept spreading his medical ideas for five generations. His disciples were Huang Hongmo, Huang Hongxun, Bi Wuling, Yu Puze and Yu Zhao. Eight students including Chen Lian, Ma Jinglie, Hou Pimo, Hou Renyao, Hou Zhaifen, Li Futan, Li Dongping and Li Dingchen were known to spread his ideas. Then, a further twelve students including Zhang Qi, Zhang Yaosun, Bao Cheng, Sun Yanbing, Cao He, Liu Ruhang, Jiang Xiangnan, Zhang Chaoqing, Gao Hongxiao, Qing Shu, Peng Ziyi and Lu Peng continued on his work.

Strong Magnetocaloric Coupling in Oxyorthosilicate with Dense Gd3+ Spins

Searching for working refrigerant materials is the key element in the design of magnetic cooling devices. Herein, we report on the thermodynamic and magnetocaloric parameters of an X₁ phase oxyorthosilicate, Gd₂SiO₅, by field-dependent static magnetization and specific heat measurements. An overall correlation strength of |J|S² ≈ 3.4 K is derived via the mean-field estimate, with antiferromagnetic correlations between the ferromagnetically coupled Gd-Gd layers. The magnetic entropy change -ΔS_m is quite impressive, reaches 0.40 J K^-1 cm^-3 (58.5 J K^-1 kg^-1) at T = 2.7 K, with the largest adiabatic temperature change T_ad = 23.2 K for a field change of 8.9 T. At T = 20 K, the lattice entropy S_L is small enough compared to the magnetic entropy S_m, S_m/S_L = 21.3, which warrants its potential in 2 -20 K cryocoolers with both the Stirling and Carnot cycles. Though with relatively large exchange interactions, the layered A-type spin arrangement ultimately enhances the magnetocaloric coupling, raising the possibilities of designing magnetic refrigerants with a high ratio of cooling capacity to volume.

Subcellular localization requirements and specificities for plant immune receptor Toll-interleukin-1 receptor signaling

Recent work shed light on how plant intracellular immune receptors of the nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) family are activated upon pathogen effector recognition to trigger immune responses. Activation of Toll-interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain-containing NLRs (TNLs) induces receptor oligomerization and close proximity of the TIR domain, which is required for TIR enzymatic activity. TIR-catalyzed small signaling molecules bind to EDS1 family heterodimers and subsequently activate downstream helper NLRs, which function as Ca²⁺ permeable channel to activate immune responses eventually leading to cell death. Subcellular localization requirements of TNLs and signaling partners are not well understood, although they are required to understand fully the mechanisms underlying NLR early signaling. TNLs show diverse subcellular localization while EDS1 shows nucleocytosolic localization. Here, we studied the impact of TIR and EDS1 mislocalization on the signaling activation of different TNLs. In Nicotiana benthamiana, our results suggest that close proximity of TIR domains isolated from flax L6 and Arabidopsis RPS4 and SNC1 TNLs drives signaling activation from different cell compartments. Nevertheless, both Golgi-membrane anchored L6 and nucleocytosolic RPS4 have the same requirements for EDS1 subcellular localization in Arabidopsis thaliana. By using mislocalized variants of EDS1, we found that autoimmune L6 and RPS4 TIR domain can induce seedling cell death when EDS1 is present in the cytosol. However, when EDS1 is restricted to the nucleus, both induce a stunting phenotype but no cell death. Our data point out the importance of thoroughly investigating the dynamics of TNLs and signaling partners subcellular localization to understand TNL signaling fully.

Development and clinical utility analysis of a prostate zonal segmentation model on T2-weighted imaging: a multicenter study

OBJECTIVES

To automatically segment prostate central gland (CG) and peripheral zone (PZ) on T2-weighted imaging using deep learning and assess the model's clinical utility by comparing it with a radiologist annotation and analyzing relevant influencing factors, especially the prostate zonal volume.

METHODS

A 3D U-Net-based model was trained with 223 patients from one institution and tested using one internal testing group (n = 93) and two external testing datasets, including one public dataset (ETD_pub, n = 141) and one private dataset from two centers (ETD_pri, n = 59). The Dice similarity coefficients (DSCs), 95th Hausdorff distance (95HD), and average boundary distance (ABD) were calculated to evaluate the model's performance and further compared with a junior radiologist's performance in ETD_pub. To investigate factors influencing the model performance, patients' clinical characteristics, prostate morphology, and image parameters in ETD_pri were collected and analyzed using beta regression.

RESULTS

The DSCs in the internal testing group, ETD_pub, and ETD_pri were 0.909, 0.889, and 0.869 for CG, and 0.844, 0.755, and 0.764 for PZ, respectively. The mean 95HD and ABD were less than 7.0 and 1.3 for both zones. The U-Net model outperformed the junior radiologist, having a higher DSC (0.769 vs. 0.706) and higher intraclass correlation coefficient for volume estimation in PZ (0.836 vs. 0.668). CG volume and Magnetic Resonance (MR) vendor were significant influencing factors for CG and PZ segmentation.

CONCLUSIONS

The 3D U-Net model showed good performance for CG and PZ auto-segmentation in all the testing groups and outperformed the junior radiologist for PZ segmentation. The model performance was susceptible to prostate morphology and MR scanner parameters.

Identification of Circular RNA Profiles in the Liver of Diet-Induced Obese Mice and Construction of the ceRNA Network

Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, metabolic, and respiratory diseases, and it has become an important social health problem affecting the health of the population. Obesity is affected by both genetic and environmental factors. In this study, we constructed a diet-induced obese C57BL/6J mouse model and performed deep RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) on liner-depleted RNA extracted from the liver tissues of the mice to explore the underlying mechanisms of obesity. A total of 7469 circular RNAs (circRNAs) were detected, and 21 were differentially expressed (DE) in the high-fat diet (HFD) and low-fat diet (LFD) groups. We then constructed a comprehensive circRNA-associated competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that DE circRNAs associated with lipid metabolic-related pathways may act as miRNA sponges to modulate target gene expression. CircRNA1709 and circRNA4842 may serve as new candidates to regulate the expression of PTEN. This study provides systematic circRNA-associated ceRNA profiling in HFD mouse liver, and the results can aid early diagnosis and the selection of treatment targets for obesity in the future.

Effectiveness of no drainage after elective day-case laparoscopic cholecystectomy, even with intraoperative gallbladder perforation: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has been carried out as day-case surgery. Current guidelines do not mention the role of drainage after LC. In particular, data stay blank with no prospective study on drainage management when gallbladder perforation (GP) accidentally occurs intraoperatively.

METHODS

A randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare clinical outcomes of drainage and no drainage after elective day-case LC. Intraoperative GP was recorded. The primary and secondary outcomes were major and minor complications, respectively.

RESULTS

Two hundred patients were randomized. No major complications occurred in either group. In secondary outcomes, nausea/vomiting, pain, hospital stay, and cost were similar in the drainage group and no drainage group; postoperative fever, WBC, and CRP levels were significantly lower in the no drainage group. GP occurred in 32 patients. Male patients with higher BMI and CRP and abdominal pain within 1 month were more likely to occur GP. Subgroup analysis of GP, primary outcomes, and most secondary outcomes had no difference. Postoperative WBC and CRP were higher in the drainage group. Postoperative fever occurred in 63 patients. Univariate analysis of fever showed that blood loss, drainage, postoperative WBC, CRP, and hospital stay were significant. Multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated that drainage was an independent risk factor for fever after LC (OR 3.418, 95% CI 1.392-8.390; p = 0.007).

CONCLUSIONS

No drainage after elective day-case LC is safe and associated with fewer complications, even in intraoperative GP. The trial proves that drainage is an independent risk factor for postoperative fever. The use of a drain after LC may lead to an unsuccessful day-case procedure by causing fever, elevated CRP, and extended hospital stay (NCT03909360).

Human milk-derived extracellular vesicles alleviate high fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice

BACKGROUND

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), characterized by excessive hepatic lipid accumulation, imposes serious challenges on public health worldwide. Breastfeeding has been reported to reduce the risk of NAFLD. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are bilayer membrane vesicles released from various cells into the extracellular space, participating in multiple life processes. Whether EVs from human milk exert metabolic benefits against NAFLD is worth investigating.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In this study, the EVs were isolated from human milk collected from healthy mothers and quantified. Functional analyses were performed using the NAFLD mouse model and free fatty acid (FFA)-stimulated mouse primary hepatocytes. The results showed that human milk-derived EVs could effectively alleviate high fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in mice with NAFLD via inhibiting lipogenesis and increasing lipolysis. The FFA-induced lipid accumulation was also inhibited in hepatocytes after treatment with human milk-derived EVs. Mechanistically, the human milk derived-EVs cargo (proteins and miRNAs), which linked to lipid metabolism, may be responsible for these beneficial effects.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study highlighted the therapeutic benefits of human milk-derived EVs and provided a new strategy for NAFLD treatment.

Effects of dynamic contrast enhancement on transition zone prostate cancer in Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System Version 2.1

BACKGROUND

The aim of the study was to analyse the effects of dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE)-MRI on transitional-zone prostate cancer (tzPCa) and clinically significant transitional-zone prostate cancer (cs-tzPCa) in Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) Version 2.1.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The diagnostic efficiencies of T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) + diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), T2WI + dynamic contrast-enhancement (DCE), and T2WI + DWI + DCE in tzPCa and cs-tzPCa were compared using the score of ≥ 4 as the positive threshold and prostate biopsy as the reference standard.

RESULTS

A total of 425 prostate cases were included in the study: 203 cases in the tzPCa group, and 146 in the cs-tzPCa group. The three sequence combinations had the similar areas under the curves in diagnosing tzPCa and cs-tzPCa (all P < 0.05). The sensitivity of T2WI + DCE and T2WI + DWI + DCE (84.7% and 85.7% for tzPCa; 88.4% and 89.7% for cs-tzPCa, respectively) in diagnosing tzPCa and cs-tzPCa was significantly greater than that of T2WI + DWI (79.3% for tzPCa; 82.9% for cs-tzPCa). The specificity of T2WI + DWI (86.5% for tzPCa; 74.9% for cs-tzPCa) were significantly greater than those of T2WI + DCE and T2WI + DWI + DCE (68.0% and 68.5% for tzPCa; 59.1% and 59.5% for cs-tzPCa, respectively) (all P > 0.05). The diagnostic efficacies of T2WI + DCE and T2WI + DWI + DCE had no significant differences (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

DCE can improve the sensitivity of diagnosis for tzPCa and cs-tzPCa, and it is useful for small PCa lesion diagnosis.

Adverse Effect of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease on the Therapeutic Response in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The impact of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on the treatment outcome of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is undefined and deserves an in-depth investigation.

METHODS

Histologically-proven CHB receiving first-line antiviral regimens as initial therapy was enrolled and grouped by the concurrence of NAFLD, and followed up at six monthly intervals. Therapeutic response related data were recorded and compared at multiple time points. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were utilized to estimate the impact of NAFLD on complete virological response (CVR).

RESULTS

We enrolled 267 patients (CHB: 164; CHB with NAFLD: 103) with comparable follow-up durations. They were also comparable in baseline HBV DNA levels and HBeAg positivity. Patients with concomitant NAFLD showed less significant decline in HBV DNA, qHBsAg, pgRNA, and liver enzyme levels over time; moreover, their cumulative incidences of CVR were significantly lower and that of low-level viremia (LLV) were significantly higher at 6, 12, 18, 24 months. First CVR of CHB was delayed with the presence NAFLD (11.0 vs. 7.0 months, p<0.001) and further prolonged with higher grade of liver steatosis (Grade 2-3 vs. 1: 13.0 vs. 9.0 months). On multivariate analysis, HBeAg positivity (HR: 0.650, p=0.036), grade of steatosis (G2 [HR: 0.447, p=0.004]; G3 [HR: 0.085, p=0.002]) and HBV DNA (log10 IU/mL) (HR: 0.687, p<0.001) were significantly associated with delayed CVR, whereas grade of necroinflammation (HR: 1. 758, p<0.001) accelerated the CVR.

CONCLUSIONS

In CHB patients receiving initial antiviral therapy, NAFLD was associated with higher levels of HBV DNA, pgRNA, and liver enzymes, and higher incidence of LLV and delayed CVR.

Comparing the effects of highly aspherical lenslets versus defocus incorporated multiple segment spectacle lenses on myopia control

To compare spectacle lenses with highly aspherical lenslets (HAL) versus defocus incorporated multiple segments (DIMS) on myopia progression control in 1 year. This retrospective cohort study involved data from children prescribed HAL or DIMS spectacle lenses in Guangzhou Aier Eye Hospital, China. To address the discrepancy that some children followed up at less than or more than 1 year, the standardized 1-year spherical equivalent refraction (SER) and axial length (AL) changes from baseline were calculated. The mean differences in the changes between the two groups were compared with linear multivariate regression models. Age, sex, baseline SER/AL, and treatment were included in the models. A total of 257 children who qualified for the inclusion criteria were included for the analyses (193 in the HAL group and 64 in the DIMS group). After controlling baseline variates, the adjusted mean (standard error, SE) of the standardized 1-year changes in SER for HAL and DIMS spectacle lens users were - 0.34 (0.04) D and - 0.63 (0.07) D, respectively. HAL spectacle lenses reduced myopia progression by 0.29 D (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.13 to 0.44 D) at 1 year compared to DIMS lenses. Accordingly, the adjusted mean (SE) ALs increased by 0.17 (0.02) and 0.28 (0.04) mm for children wearing HAL lenses and DIMS lenses, respectively. HAL users had 0.11 mm less AL elongation (95% CI - 0.20 to - 0.02 mm) than DIMS users. Age at baseline was significantly associated with AL elongation. Chinese children wearing spectacle lenses designed with HAL had less myopia progression and axial elongation than those wearing spectacle lenses designed with DIMS.