Antitumor efficacy of the Runx2-dendritic cell vaccine in triple-negative breast cancer in vitro

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer with a poor prognosis and limited effective treatment. The rise in immunotherapeutic strategies prompted the establishment of a genetic vaccine against TNBC in vitro using a possible biological marker of TNBC. In the present study, different detection methods were used to evaluate the distribution and expression of runt-associated transcription factor 2 (Runx2) in various breast cancer cell lines. Following the development of the Runx2-dendritic cell (DC) vaccine using a lentivirus, the transfection efficacy was recorded. The T lymphocytes co-cultured with the vaccine were collected to assess the antitumor potency. Increased levels of Runx2 were expressed in breast cancer cells; however, different breast cancer cell lines expressed various levels of Runx2. Runx2 demonstrated particularly high expression in TNBC cells, compared with non-TNBC cells. A Runx2 lentivirus transfection system was successfully engineered, and Runx2 was transduced into dendritic cells whilst maintaining stable expression. The sustained and stable cytotoxic T cells induced in the transfected group had higher and more specific antitumor efficacy against TNBC, compared with the other cell lines. Runx2 may be a novel target for TNBC treatment. The Runx2-DC vaccine may induce specific and efficient antitumor effects in TNBC in vitro.

[Incidence of fall related injury in people aged 50 and above and risk factors in 8 provinces in China: a cross-sectional study]

Objective: To estimate the incidence and distribution characteristics of fall related injury in people aged ≥50 years in 8 provinces in China and related physiological, psychological and social risk factors. Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from adults aged ≥50 years participating in the World Health Organization (WHO) study on global ageing and adult health (SAGE) round 1 in China. Two-level hierarchical logistic model was used to identify the related factors for fall-related injury. All the models were stratified by living area (urban/rural). Results: Estimated incidence of fall related injury (road traffic injury was not included) was 3.2%. Ageing and multiple chronic conditions (OR=2.55, 95%CI: 1.41-4.64) was significantly associated with the incidence of fall related injury in urban area. In rural area, depression (OR=4.33, 95% CI: 2.52-7.42) and multiple chronic conditions (OR=2.46, 95%CI: 1.37-4.41) were associated with the incidence of fall related injury. Conclusions: This study estimated the incidence of fall related injury in adults aged ≥50 years in 8 provinces in China. A significant association between multiple chronic conditions and fall related injury were found in both urban and rural residents. Targeted measures should be taken for the prevention and control of chronic diseases in elderly population.

[Associations of obesity and physical activity with cognition in people aged 50 and above in Shanghai]

Objective: To investigate the associations of obesity and physical activity with cognition in the elderly. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from October 2009 to June 2010 among people aged ≥50 years selected through multistage random cluster sampling in Shanghai. The subjects' body weight, body height, waist circumference and hip circumference were measured to calculate body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR), and the data on self-reported physical activity level were collected through questionnaire survey. A comprehensive battery of cognitive tests was conducted to assess subjects' cognitive functions, including verbal recall, forward digit span (FDS), backward digit span (BDS), and verbal fluency (VF). General linear model was used to examine the associations of BMI, WHR and physical activity with cognition. Results: A total of 7 913 participants were included, with a median age of 60 years. Age, sex, education level, income level, BMI, WHR and physical activity level were significantly associated with cognitive scores in univariate analysis. After adjusted for age, sex, education level and income level, BMI was no longer significantly associated with cognitive scores in all cognitive functions (all P>0.01). WHR was significantly associated with VF score (P<0.01). Abdominally obese participants had lower VF score than non-abdominally obese participants (P<0.01). Physical activity level was significantly associated with all cognitive functions (P<0.01). Compared with participants with moderate physical activity level, participants with low physical activity level had lower scores in all cognitive functions (P<0.01). Conclusion: Abdominal obesity and low physical activity level were negatively associated with cognition level in the elderly, suggesting that waist circumference control and physical activity might help maintain cognition in the elderly.

[Pollution characteristics and health risk assessment of heavy metals in PM(2.5) in Lanzhou]

Objective: To understand the pollution characteristics and assess the pollution health risks of heavy metals in atmospheric PM(2.5) in Lanzhou. Methods: According to the regional characteristics of air pollution and industrial distribution characteristics in Lanzhou, atmospheric PM(2.5) was sampled monthly in Chengguan and Xigu Districts from January, 2015 to December, 2016. Detected the concentration of PM(2.5) and 12 kinds of elements (Sb, Al, As, Be, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb, Mn, Ni, Se and Tl) by weighing method and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Enrichment factor and geo-accumulation index were used to describe the pollution characteristics, while health risk assessment was conducted using the recommended United States Environmental Protection Agency (USA EPA) model. The health risks of non-carcinogens were evaluated by non-cancer hazard quotient (HQ), the non-carcinogenic risk was considered to be negligible when HQ<1, HQ>1 meant a health risk. With a single contaminant cancer Risk value to evaluate the health risks of carcinogens, when the Risk value between 10(-6) to10(-4) as an acceptable level. Results: The daily average concentrations of PM(2.5) was 83.0 μg/m(3), 77.0 μg/m(3) in Chengguan and Xigu Districts, respectively, during the sampling periods, and the concentration of PM(2.5) in winter/spring was higher than summer/fall in both districts. The concentration of Al in PM(2.5) was the highest and other elements in descending order: Pb, Mn, As, Sb/Cd, Tl in both districts. Enrichment factor results showed that Al and Mn were mainly affected by natural factors, the rest of five elements were all typical man-made pollution elements and according to geo-accumulation index pollution level of Cd was the strongest in the winter. The results of health risk assessment showed that Mn had the highest non-cancer risks (HQ>1) and affected the health of the children seriously. HQ reached up to 2.44 and 1.79 in Chengguan and Xigu Districts, respectively. Pb, As, Sb, Cd had slight health impact (HQ<1), could be negligible. The cancer risks range of As, Cr were 6.33×10(-6) to 6.46×10(-5) between the acceptable level of risk (10(-6) to 10(-4)), which indicated that As and Cd had potential cancer-risks. Conclusions: The pollution level of atmospheric PM(2.5) and the heavy metals in it was still grim;the non-cancer risks caused by multiple metals on children deserved attention. Although the cancer risks of As and Cd were between the acceptable level of risk, the potential cancer risk still shall not be ignored.

Histone lysine methyltransferases BnaSDG8.A and BnaSDG8.C are involved in the floral transition in Brassica napus

Although increasing experimental evidence demonstrates that histone methylations play important roles in Arabidopsis plant growth and development, little information is available regarding Brassica napus. In this study, we characterized two genes encoding homologues of the Arabidopsis histone 3 lysine 36 (H3K36) methyltransferase SDG8, namely, BnaSDG8.A and BnaSDG8.C. Although no duplication of SDG8 homologous genes had been previously reported to occur during the evolution of any sequenced species, a domain-duplication was uncovered in BnaSDG8.C. This duplication led to the identification of a previously unknown NNH domain in the SDG8 homologues, providing a useful reference for future studies and revealing the finer mechanism of SDG8 function. One NNH domain is present in BnaSDG8.A, while two adjacent NNH domains are present in BnaSDG8.C. Reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed similar patterns but with varied levels of expression of BnaSDG8.A/C in different plant organs/tissues. To directly investigate their function, BnaSDG8.A/C cDNA was ectopically expressed to complement the Arabidopsis mutant. We observed that the expression of either BnaSDG8.A or BnaSDG8.C could rescue the Arabidopsis sdg8 mutant to the wild-type phenotype. Using RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing, we obtained BnaSDG8.A/C knockdown and knockout mutants with the early flowering phenotype as compared with the control. Further analysis of two types of the mutants revealed that BnaSDG8.A/C are required for H3K36 m2/3 deposition and prevent the floral transition of B. napus by directly enhancing the H3K36 m2/3 levels at the BnaFLC chromatin loci. This observation on the floral transition by epigenetic modification in B. napus provides useful information for breeding early-flowering varieties.

Visualisation of insect tracheal systems by lactic acid immersion

The endeavours to reveal the tracheal system of insects and some arachnids has a long history. The traditional way to observe a tracheal system in an insect body is by utilising the glycerin immersion method. In this study, we developed the lactic acid immersion method, which reveals a more complete tracheal system. By mounting various types of live specimens or body parts directly into lactic acid, multiple intact and complex tracheal systems were clearly visualised. The lactic acid immersion contributed to revealing tracheal systems by penetrating body tissue while reserving enough time for observation before the penetration of the tracheae. Preliminary comparisons were conducted between lactic acid and other mediae, including glycerin. It turned out that lactic acid immersion provides better details and more distinct structures. In our test, the optimal time for observing the tracheal system was 10-25 min after the organism was immersed in lactic acid.

Effects of Talaromyces marneffei infection on mortality of HIV/AIDS patients in southern China: a retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Talaromyces marneffei is an opportunistic infection with high morbidity among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS patients in Southeast Asia and southern China. Its effects on mortality in HIV/AIDS patients has not been clearly elucidated.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of hospitalized HIV-infected individuals at the Fourth People's Hospital of Nanning, Guangxi, China during 2012-2015. Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to calculate the cumulative mortality. Cox proportional hazard models and 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) were used to evaluate the effects of T. marneffei infection on mortality of HIV/AIDS patients.

RESULTS

In total, 6791 HIV/AIDS patients were included, 1093 of them (16.1%) with documented T. marneffei co-infection. The mortality of T. marneffei-infected patients (25.0 per 100 person-months, 95% CI 21.5-26.7) was the highest among all AIDS-associated complications and was significantly higher than that of T. marneffei-uninfected HIV/AIDS patients (13.8 per 100 person-months, 95% CI 12.5-15.1; adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) 1.80, 95% CI 1.48-2.16). The results using PSM were similar (AHR 4.52 95% CI 2.43-8.42). The mortality of T. marneffei-infected patients was also significantly higher than that of patients without any complications. When stratified by demographic characteristics, T. marneffei infection has higher mortality risk in all stratifications. Co-infection with T. marneffei carries a higher mortality risk in patients at any CD4⁺ T-cell count.

CONCLUSIONS

Talaromyces marneffei infection is commonly found in hospitalized HIV/AIDS patients in southern China and was associated with a higher mortality rate than most HIV-associated complications. These results highlight the need for improved diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infection by this neglected fungal pathogen in southern China.

Phylogeny-dominant classification of J-proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica oleracea

Hsp40s or DnaJ/J-proteins are evolutionarily conserved in all organisms as co-chaperones of molecular chaperone HSP70s that mainly participate in maintaining cellular protein homeostasis, such as protein folding, assembly, stabilization, and translocation under normal conditions as well as refolding and degradation under environmental stresses. It has been reported that Arabidopsis J-proteins are classified into four classes (types A-D) according to domain organization, but their phylogenetic relationships are unknown. Here, we identified 129 J-proteins in the world-wide popular vegetable Brassica oleracea, a close relative of the model plant Arabidopsis, and also revised the information of Arabidopsis J-proteins based on the latest online bioresources. According to phylogenetic analysis with domain organization and gene structure as references, the J-proteins from Arabidopsis and B. oleracea were classified into 15 main clades (I-XV) separated by a number of undefined small branches with remote relationship. Based on the number of members, they respectively belong to multigene clades, oligo-gene clades, and mono-gene clades. The J-protein genes from different clades may function together or separately to constitute a complicated regulatory network. This study provides a constructive viewpoint for J-protein classification and an informative platform for further functional dissection and resistant genes discovery related to genetic improvement of crop plants.

A novel oncolytic herpes simplex virus armed with the carboxyl-terminus of murine MyD116 has enhanced anti-tumour efficacy against human breast cancer cells

Oncolytic herpes simplex virus-1 (oHSV-1) vectors are promising therapeutic agents for cancer. The deletion of the γ34.5 gene eliminates the neurovirulence but attenuates virus replication at the same time. The carboxyl-terminus of protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit 15A (also known as MyD116/GADD34) is homologous to that of γ34.5; hence, it may substitute for γ34.5 to enhance the replication and cytotoxicity of the virus. To investigate whether the C-terminus of MyD116 can enhance the anti-tumour efficacy of G47Δ on human breast cancer cells, a GD116 mutant was constructed by inserting a γ34.5-MyD116 chimaera into the G47Δ genome using a bacterial artificial chromosome and two recombinase systems (Cre/loxP and FLPE/FRT). A GD-empty mutant containing only the cytomegalovirus sequence was also created as a control using the same method. Next, the replication and cytotoxicity of these two virus vectors were evaluated in breast cancer cells. Compared with the GD-empty vector, GD116 possessed an enhanced replication capability and oncolytic activity in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. On the fifth day after infection with GD116 at MOIs of 0.01 and 0.1, 49.2 and 82.8% of MCF-7 cells, respectively, were killed, with 35.0 and 50.2% of MDA-MB-231 cells, respectively, killed by GD116 at MOIs of 0.1 and 0.3. Additionally, the insertion of the γ34.5-MyD116 chimaera promoted virus replication in MDA-MB-468 at 48 h after infection, although no increased cytotoxic effect was observed. The findings of the present study indicate that the C terminus of the MyD116 gene can be substituted for the corresponding domain of the γ34.5 gene of oHSV-1 to promote the replication of the virus in infected cells. Furthermore, the novel virus mutant GD116 armed with a γ34.5-MyD116 chimaera has enhanced anti-tumour efficacy against human breast cancer cells in vitro.

Bolusing frequency and amount impacts glucose control during hybrid closed-loop

AIM

To compare bolus insulin delivery patterns during closed-loop home studies in adults with suboptimally [HbA1c 58-86 mmol/mol (7.5%-10%)] and well-controlled [58 mmol/mol (< 7.5%)] Type 1 diabetes.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of daytime and night-time insulin delivery during home use of closed-loop over 4 weeks. Daytime and night-time controller effort, defined as amount of insulin delivered by closed-loop relative to usual basal insulin delivery, and daytime bolus effort, defined as total bolus insulin delivery relative to total daytime insulin delivery were compared between both cohorts. Correlation analysis was performed between individual bolus behaviour (bolus effort and frequency) and daytime controller efforts, and proportion of time spent within and below sensor glucose target range.

RESULTS

Individuals with suboptimally controlled Type 1 diabetes had significantly lower bolus effort (P = 0.038) and daily bolus frequency (P < 0.001) compared with those with well-controlled diabetes. Controller effort during both daytime (P = 0.007) and night-time (P = 0.005) were significantly higher for those with suboptimally controlled Type 1 diabetes. Time when glucose was within the target range (3.9-10.0 mmol/L) during daytime correlated positively with bolus effort (r = 0.37, P = 0.016) and bolus frequency (r = 0.33, P = 0.037). Time when glucose was below the target range during daytime was comparable in both groups (P = 0.36), and did not correlate significantly with bolus effort (r = 0.28, P = 0.066) or bolus frequency (r = -0.21, P = 0.19).

CONCLUSION

More frequent bolusing and higher proportion of insulin delivered as bolus during hybrid closed-loop use correlated positively with time glucose was in target range. This emphasises the need for user input and educational support to benefit from this novel therapeutic modality.

Study of surgical treatment for elderly patients with head and neck cancer

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical results of surgery for head and neck cancer (HNC) in elderly patients and to determine whether surgery for elderly HNC patients is safe and what types of surgery result in the most favourable outcomes for this age group. The cases of 637 elderly patients who were diagnosed with HNC and underwent surgical treatment were studied retrospectively. Patient demographic characteristics and treatment data were extracted from the appropriate patient records and analysed. Age did not significantly predict postoperative complications or death rates. Flap reconstruction surgery had no significant association with necrosis, haemorrhage, infection, need for rescue treatment, or length of intensive care unit stay. Age was not a risk factor for surgical treatment of HNC in the elderly patients. Flap reconstruction should not be considered riskier for elderly patients. The treatment choice for elderly patients with HNC should be based on medical assessments but not on age.

Dual-functional tunable coding metasurface based on saline water substrate

In this paper, a dual-functional tunable coding metasurface is presented at X band based on water substrate, which can realize two different functions of specific scattering pattern and absorption at two different frequency ranges. Besides, by changing the salinity of the saline water substrate, the absorption performance in high frequency can be tuned, while the scattering pattern in low frequency remains unchanged. A coding element is designed with small water cavity in it. Three coding sequences with different radiation patterns are designed to verify these functions, and one of them is fabricated and measured. Experimental results have good accordance with our simulations, which demonstrates our schemes. We believe this work can not only broaden our design manner of metasurfaces, but also have plenty potential applications in biological and medical detection domain.

Malectin gene polymorphisms promote cerebral palsy via M2-like macrophage polarization

The relationship between gene polymorphisms and the pathogenesis of cerebral palsy (CP) is uncovering recently. Here, we suggested that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of MLEC gene might take part in the pathogenesis of CP. We genotyped and analyzed 6 SNP positions of MLEC gene in 916 CP patients and 957 healthy people, which are from the Chinese Han population. The results indicated significant associations between the risk of CP and rs10431386 [allele: P-value = .006, odds ratio (OR) = 1.587, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.198-1.967] and rs7964786 [allele: P-value = .005, OR = 1.956, 95% CI = 1.238-2.519] SNP positions of MLEC gene. Further investigations revealed that C alleles of rs10431386 and rs7964786 inhibit the expression of MLEC in blood of CP patients and macrophage cell line. in vitro experiments revealed that MLEC promotes M1 to M2 macrophage polarization. The results of in vitro studies suggest that C alleles of rs10431386 and rs7964786 on MLEC promotes CP by inhibiting M1 to M2 macrophage polarization. Generally, this work suggested the contribution of MLEC gene polymorphisms to the pathogenesis of CP.

Inhibition of breast cancer cell growth by the Pteris semipinnata extract ent-11α-hydroxy-15-oxo-kaur-16-en-19-oic-acid

Previous studies have demonstrated strong anti-tumor effects of ent-11α-hydroxy-15-oxo-kaur-16-en-19-oic-acid (5F), an extract from Pteris semipinnata, in liver, lung, stomach and anaplastic thyroid cancer cells. However, whether 5F inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells remains unclear. The present study assessed the effect of 5F on breast cancer cells. The breast cancer cell lines MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 were each treated with 0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 µg/ml 5F. Morphological changes in the breast cancer cells were assessed using fluorescence microscopy. The proliferation and apoptosis of the breast cancer cells were also examined using Cell Counting Kit-8 and flow cytometry. The levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X apoptosis regulator (Bax), Bcl-2 antagonist/killer (Bak) 1 and caspase-3 in the breast cancer cells were assessed. The results of the present study demonstrated that 5F inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Treatment with 5F also induced the apoptosis of breast cancer cells. MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, and SK-BR-3 cells exhibited apoptotic rates of 40.13, 60.44, and 70.49%, respectively, following incubation with 5F for 24 h. Furthermore, 5F significantly decreased the expression of Bcl-2 and increased the expression of Bax, Bak, and caspase-3 in a concentration-dependent manner. The results of the present study revealed that the P. semipinnata extract 5F inhibited the growth of human breast cancer cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, and that 5F induced apoptosis of human breast cancer cells.

A Dual-Promoter Gene Orchestrates the Sucrose-Coordinated Synthesis of Starch and Fructan in Barley

Sequential carbohydrate synthesis is important for plant survival because it guarantees energy supplies for growth and development during plant ontogeny and reproduction. Starch and fructan are two important carbohydrates in many flowering plants and in human diets. Understanding this coordinated starch and fructan synthesis and unraveling how plants allocate photosynthates and prioritize different carbohydrate synthesis for survival could lead to improvements to cereals in agriculture for the purposes of greater food security and production quality. Here, we report a system from a single gene in barley employing two alternative promoters, one intronic/exonic, to generate two sequence-overlapping but functionally opposing transcription factors, in sensing sucrose, potentially via sucrose/glucose/fructose/trehalose 6-phosphate signaling. The system employs an autoregulatory mechanism in perceiving a sucrose-controlled trans activity on one promoter and orchestrating the coordinated starch and fructan synthesis by competitive transcription factor binding on the other promoter. As a case in point for the physiological roles of the system, we have demonstrated that this multitasking system can be exploited in breeding barley with tailored amounts of fructan to produce healthy food ingredients. The identification of an intron/exon-spanning promoter in a hosting gene, resulting in proteins with distinct functions, adds to the complexity of plant genomes.

Conservation and diversification of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) proteins in the green lineage

The polycomb group (PcG) proteins are key epigenetic regulators of gene expression in animals and plants. They act in multiprotein complexes, of which the best characterized is the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), which catalyses the trimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 27 (H3K27me3) at chromatin targets. In Arabidopsis thaliana, PRC2 proteins are involved in the regulation of diverse developmental processes, including cell fate determination, vegetative growth and development, flowering time control and embryogenesis. Here, we systematically analysed the evolutionary conservation and diversification of PRC2 components in lower and higher plants. We searched for and identified PRC2 homologues from the sequenced genomes of several green lineage species, from the unicellular green alga Ostreococcus lucimarinus to more complicated angiosperms. We found that some PRC2 core components, e.g. E(z), ESC/FIE and MSI/p55, are ancient and have multiplied coincidently with multicellular evolution. For one component, some members are newly formed, especially in the Cruciferae. During evolution, higher plants underwent copy number multiplication of various PRC2 components, which occurred independently for each component, without any obvious co-amplification of PRC2 members. Among the amplified members, usually one was well-conserved and the others were more diversified. Gene amplification occurred at different times for different PcG members during green lineage evolution. Certain PRC2 core components or members of them were highly conserved. Our study provides an insight into the evolutionary conservation and diversification of PcG proteins and may guide future functional characterization of these important epigenetic regulators in plants other than Arabidopsis.

Divergent regeneration-competent cells adopt a common mechanism for callus initiation in angiosperms

In tissue culture, the formation of callus from detached explants is a key step in plant regeneration; however, the regenerative abilities in different species are variable. While nearly all parts of organs of the dicot Arabidopsis thaliana are ready for callus formation, mature regions of organs in monocot rice (Oryza sativa) and other cereals are extremely unresponsive to tissue culture. Whether there is a common molecular mechanism beyond these different regenerative phenomena is unclear. Here we show that the Arabidopsis and rice use different regeneration‐competent cells to initiate callus, whereas the cells all adopt WUSCHEL‐RELATED HOMEOBOX 11 (WOX11) and WOX5 during cell fate transition. Different from Arabidopsis which maintains regeneration‐competent cells in mature organs, rice exhausts those cells during organ maturation, resulting in regenerative inability in mature organs. Our study not only explains this old perplexity in agricultural biotechnology, but also provides common molecular markers for tissue culture of different angiosperm species.

Validation of Molecular Markers for Use With Adapted Sources of Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Wheat

Genetic control of resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB) is quantitative, making phenotypic selection difficult. Genetic markers to resistance are helpful to select favorable genotypes. This study was conducted to determine if Fhb1 and Fhb5 present in the Sumai 3 source of FHB resistance occur in Sumai 3-derived North American spring wheat cultivars and to understand the appropriateness of using markers to select for the favorable alleles at these loci in breeding. Sumai 3-derived parents Alsen, ND3085, ND744, Carberry, and Glenn were used in crosses to generate 14 doubled haploid breeding populations. The parents and progeny were genotyped with five Fhb1 and three Fhb5 microsatellite markers. Progeny were selected based on performance relative to parents and other control cultivars in FHB nurseries near Portage la Prairie and Carman, MB. χ² and t test analyses were performed on marker and FHB data. The χ² test frequently determined the proportion of lines carrying molecular variants associated with FHB resistance increased following nursery selection for FHB. Similarly, the t test regularly demonstrated that selection for FHB resistance lowered the mean level of disease associated with resistant marker haplotypes. The study affirmed FHB resistance sources Alsen, Carberry, ND3085, and ND744 have Fhb1 and Fhb5 loci like Sumai 3, but no evidence was found that Glenn carries Fhb1 and Fhb5 resistance alleles. The results justified use of Fhb1 and Fhb5 markers for marker assisted selection in populations derived from Alsen, Carberry, ND3085, and ND744, but not Glenn. Combined or individual application of Xgwm493 and Xgwm533 in selection of genotypes carrying Fhb1, and Xgwm150, Xgwm304, and Xgwm595 for Fhb5 will enhance FHB resistance in wheat.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), impairs the beneficial effect of NO. The predictive value of ADMA for all-cause mortality remains controversial, though it is important in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and progression to dialysis in renal disease. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the association between circulating ADMA and all-cause mortality. Studies with data pertinent to the association between circulating ADMA and all-cause mortality were reviewed and OR, HR or RR with 95% CI derived from multivariate Cox's proportional-hazards analysis were extracted. A total of 34 studies reporting 39137 participants were included in final analysis. The results demonstrated that circulating ADMA was independently associated with all-cause mortality (RR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.20-1.34). The association was still statistically significant in patients with pre-existing renal disease (RR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.19-1.43) and pre-existing CVD (RR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.16-1.37). In those without pre-existing renal or CVD, ADMA also predicted all-cause mortality (RR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.13-1.53). The present study suggests a positive association of circulating ADMA with all-cause mortality. Further studies are needed to investigate the effects of interventions on ADMA, and the value of ADMA as a biomarker.

T-6b allocates more assimilation product for oil synthesis and less for polysaccharide synthesis during the seed development of Arabidopsis thaliana

BACKGROUND

As an Agrobacterium tumefaciens T-DNA oncogene, T-6b induces the development of tumors and the enation syndrome in vegetative tissues of transgenic plants. Most of these effects are related to increases in soluble sugar contents. To verify the potential roles of T-6b in the distribution of carbon in developing seeds, not in vegetative tissues, we fused an endosperm-specific promoter to the T-6b gene for expression in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants.

RESULTS

The expression of T-6b in reproductive organs did not induce the development of the enation syndrome, and moreover, promoted endosperm expansion, which increased the total seed biomass by more than 10%. Additionally, T-6b also increased oil content in mature seeds by more than 10% accompanied with the decrease of starch and mucilage content at the same time.

CONCLUSIONS

T-6b enhances seed biomass and helps oil biosynthesis but not polysaccharides in reproductive organs without disturbing vegetative growth and development. Our findings suggest T-6b may be very useful for increasing oil production in biodiesel plants.