[Annual progress of immunotherapy for tuberculosis in 2023]

As a chronic infectious disease, tuberculosis (TB) is closely related to immune regulation and immune effect. Immunotherapy which can improve the curative effect of tuberculosis and control the spread of tuberculosis, is one of the important means for the comprehensive treatment of tuberculosis. From October 2022 to September 2023, research on the immunotherapy of tuberculosis at home and abroad continues to increase, providing new opportunities for the treatment of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. Host-targeted therapy and therapeutic vaccines are new directions for research into TB adjuvant therapy.

Simplified integration of optimal self-management behaviors is associated with improved HbA1c in patients with type 1 diabetes

PURPOSE

Living with type 1 diabetes requires burdensome and complex daily diabetes self-management behaviors. This study aimed to determine the association between integrated behavior performance and HbA1c, while identifying the behavior with the most significant impact on HbA1c.

METHODS

A simple and feasible questionnaire was used to collect diabetes self-management behavior in patients with type 1 diabetes (n = 904). We assessed six dimensions of behavior performance: continuous glucose monitor (CGM) usage, frequent glucose testing, insulin pump usage, carbohydrate counting application, adjustment of insulin doses, and usage of apps for diabetes management. We evaluated the association between these behaviors and HbA1c.

RESULTS

In total, 21.3% of patients performed none of the allotted behavior, while 28.5% of patients had a total behavior score of 3 or more. 63.6% of patients with a behavior score ≥ 3 achieved HbA1c goal, contrasting with only 30.4% of patients with a behavior score of 0-1. There was a mean 0.54% ± 0.05% decrease in HbA1c for each 1-unit increase in total behavior score after adjustment for age, family education and diabetes duration. Each behavior was independently correlated with a lower HbA1c level, with CGM having the most significant effect on HbA1c levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Six optimal self-management behaviors, especially CGM usage, were associated with improved glycemic control, emphasizing the feasibility of implementing a simplified version of DSMES in the routine clinical care.

REGISTRATION NUMBER

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03610984.

Transcriptional and translational landscape fine-tune genome annotation and explores translation control in cotton

INTRODUCTION

The unavailability of intergenic region annotation in whole genome sequencing and pan-genomics hinders efforts to enhance crop improvement.

OBJECTIVES

Despite advances in research, the impact of post-transcriptional regulation on fiber development and translatome profiling at different stages of fiber growth in cotton (G. hirsutum) remains unexplored.

METHODS

We utilized a combination of reference-guided de novo transcriptome assembly and ribosome profiling techniques to uncover the hidden mechanisms of translational control in eight distinct tissues of upland cotton.

RESULTS

Our study identified P-site distribution at three-nucleotide periodicity and dominant ribosome footprint at 27 nucleotides. Specifically, we have detected 1,589 small open reading frames (sORFs), including 1,376 upstream ORFs (uORFs) and 213 downstream ORFs (dORFs), as well as 552 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) with potential coding functions, which fine-tune the annotation of the cotton genome. Further, we have identified novel genes and lncRNAs with strong translation efficiency (TE), while sORFs were found to affect mRNA transcription levels during fiber elongation. The reliability of these findings was confirmed by the high consistency in correlation and synergetic fold change between RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and Ribosome-sequencing (Ribo-seq) analyses. Additionally, integrated omics analysis of the normal fiber ZM24 and short fiber pag1 cotton mutant revealed several differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and fiber-specific expressed (high/low) genes associated with sORFs (uORFs and dORFs). These findings were further supported by the overexpression and knockdown of GhKCS6, a gene associated with sORFs in cotton, and demonstrated the potential regulation of the mechanism governing fiber elongation on both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels.

CONCLUSION

Reference-guided transcriptome assembly and the identification of novel transcripts fine-tune the annotation of the cotton genome and predicted the landscape of fiber development. Our approach provided a high-throughput method, based on multi-omics, for discovering unannotated ORFs, hidden translational control, and complex regulatory mechanisms in crop plants.

[Incidence of postoperative complications in Chinese patients with gastric or colorectal cancer based on a national, multicenter, prospective, cohort study]

Objective: To investigate the incidence of postoperative complications in Chinese patients with gastric or colorectal cancer, and to evaluate the risk factors for postoperative complications. Methods: This was a national, multicenter, prospective, registry-based, cohort study of data obtained from the database of the Prevalence of Abdominal Complications After Gastro- enterological Surgery (PACAGE) study sponsored by the China Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgical Union. The PACAGE database prospectively collected general demographic characteristics, protocols for perioperative treatment, and variables associated with postoperative complications in patients treated for gastric or colorectal cancer in 20 medical centers from December 2018 to December 2020. The patients were grouped according to the presence or absence of postoperative complications. Postoperative complications were categorized and graded in accordance with the expert consensus on postoperative complications in gastrointestinal oncology surgery and Clavien-Dindo grading criteria. The incidence of postoperative complications of different grades are presented as bar charts. Independent risk factors for occurrence of postoperative complications were identified by multifactorial unconditional logistic regression. Results: The study cohort comprised 3926 patients with gastric or colorectal cancer, 657 (16.7%) of whom had a total of 876 postoperative complications. Serious complications (Grade III and above) occurred in 4.0% of patients (156/3926). The rate of Grade V complications was 0.2% (7/3926). The cohort included 2271 patients with gastric cancer with a postoperative complication rate of 18.1% (412/2271) and serious complication rate of 4.7% (106/2271); and 1655 with colorectal cancer, with a postoperative complication rate of 14.8% (245/1655) and serious complication rate of 3.0% (50/1655). The incidences of anastomotic leakage in patients with gastric and colorectal cancer were 3.3% (74/2271) and 3.4% (56/1655), respectively. Abdominal infection was the most frequently occurring complication, accounting for 28.7% (164/572) and 39.5% (120/304) of postoperative complications in patients with gastric and colorectal cancer, respectively. The most frequently occurring grade of postoperative complication was Grade II, accounting for 65.4% (374/572) and 56.6% (172/304) of complications in patients with gastric and colorectal cancers, respectively. Multifactorial analysis identified (1) the following independent risk factors for postoperative complications in patients in the gastric cancer group: preoperative comorbidities (OR=2.54, 95%CI: 1.51-4.28, P<0.001), neoadjuvant therapy (OR=1.42, 95%CI:1.06-1.89, P=0.020), high American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores (ASA score 2 points:OR=1.60, 95% CI: 1.23-2.07, P<0.001, ASA score ≥3 points:OR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.25-0.73, P=0.002), operative time >180 minutes (OR=1.81, 95% CI: 1.42-2.31, P<0.001), intraoperative bleeding >50 mL (OR=1.29,95%CI: 1.01-1.63, P=0.038), and distal gastrectomy compared with total gastrectomy (OR=0.65,95%CI: 0.51-0.83, P<0.001); and (2) the following independent risk factors for postoperative complications in patients in the colorectal cancer group: female (OR=0.60, 95%CI: 0.44-0.80, P<0.001), preoperative comorbidities (OR=2.73, 95%CI: 1.25-5.99, P=0.030), neoadjuvant therapy (OR=1.83, 95%CI:1.23-2.72, P=0.008), laparoscopic surgery (OR=0.47, 95%CI: 0.30-0.72, P=0.022), and abdominoperineal resection compared with low anterior resection (OR=2.74, 95%CI: 1.71-4.41, P<0.001). Conclusion: Postoperative complications associated with various types of infection were the most frequent complications in patients with gastric or colorectal cancer. Although the risk factors for postoperative complications differed between patients with gastric cancer and those with colorectal cancer, the presence of preoperative comorbidities, administration of neoadjuvant therapy, and extent of surgical resection, were the commonest factors associated with postoperative complications in patients of both categories.

Contamination Status and Risk Assessment of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins in Shellfish along the Coastal Areas of China

Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) are widely distributed in shellfish along the coast of China, causing a serious threat to consumer health; however, there is still a lack of large-scale systematic investigations and risk assessments. Herein, 641 shellfish samples were collected from March to November 2020, and the PSTs' toxicity was detected via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Furthermore, the contamination status and potential dietary risks of PSTs were discussed. PSTs were detected in 241 shellfish samples with a detection rate of 37.60%. The average PST toxicities in mussels and ark shells were considerably higher than those in other shellfish. The PSTs mainly included N-sulfonylcarbamoyl toxins (class C) and carbamoyl toxins (class GTX), and the highest PST toxicity was 546.09 μg STX eq. kg-1. The PST toxicity in spring was significantly higher than those in summer and autumn (p < 0.05). Hebei Province had the highest average PST toxicity in spring. An acute exposure assessment showed that consumers in Hebei Province had a higher dietary risk, with mussels posing a significantly higher dietary risk to consumers. This research provides reference for the green and sustainable development of the shellfish industry and the establishment of a shellfish toxin prevention and control system.

[Progress in treatment of primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma]

Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) is an aggressive B-cell lymphoma originating from the thymus, which has different clinical and biological characteristics from diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, NOS. PMBCL tends to occur in young women, usually presenting as a large anterior mediastinal mass. Most patients are in stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ at the time of presentation. There is no standard prognostic scoring system for PMBCL. Immunochemotherapy is commonly used in the treatment of PMBCL, but the optimal first-line treatment has not been determined, and the status of radiotherapy is controversial. The value of PET-CT guided therapy needs to be further verified. Relapsed/refractory PMBCL has a poor prognosis, while novel therapies such as PD-1 inhibitors, brentuximab vedotin, and CAR-T can help improve survival in these patients.

Characterization and fine mapping of a yellow leaf gene regulating chlorophyll biosynthesis and chloroplast development in cotton (Gossypium arboreum)

Chlorophyll biosynthesis and chloroplast development are essential for photosynthesis and plant growth. Gossypium arboreum, a valuable source of genetic variation for cotton improvement, remains poorly studied for the mechanisms regulating chlorophyll biosynthesis and chloroplast development. Here we created a G. arboreum etiolated leaf and stuntedness (els) mutant that displayed a distinct yellow color of leaves, bracts and stems throughout the whole growth, where chlorophyll accumulation in leaves was reduced and chloroplast development was delayed. The GaCHLH gene, which encodes the H subunit of magnesium chelatase (Mg-chelatase), was screened by MutMap and KASP analysis. Compared to GaCHLH, the gene Gachlh of the mutant had a single nucleotide transition (G to A) at 1549 bp, which causes the substitution of a glycine (G) by a serine (S) at the 517th amino acid, resulting in an abnormal secondary structure of the Gachlh protein. GaCHLH-silenced SXY1 and ZM24 plants exhibited a lower GaCHLH expression level, a lower chlorophyll content, and the yellow-leaf phenotype. Gachlh expression affected the expression of key genes in the tetrapyrrole pathway. GaCHLH and Gachlh were located in the chloroplasts and that alteration of the mutation site did not affect the final target position. The BiFC assay result indicated that Gachlh could not bind to GaCHLD properly, which prevented the assembly of Mg-chelatase and thus led to the failure of chlorophyll synthesis. In this study, the Gachlh gene of G. arboreum els was finely localized and identified for the first time, providing new insights into the chlorophyll biosynthesis pathway in cotton.

Phylogeny and species diversity of the genus Helvella with emphasis on eighteen new species from China

Helvella is a widespread, frequently encountered fungal group appearing in forests, but the species diversity and molecular phylogeny of Helvella in China remains incompletely understood. In this work, we performed comprehensive phylogenetic analyses using multilocus sequence data. Six datasets were employed, including a five-locus concatenated dataset (ITS, nrLSU, tef1-α, rpb2, hsp), a two-locus concatenated dataset (ITS, nrLSU), and four single-locus datasets (ITS) that were divided based on the four different phylogenetic clades of Helvella recognized in this study. A total of I 946 sequences were used, of which 713 were newly generated, including 170 sequences of ITS, 174 sequences of nrLSU, 131 sequences of tef1-α, 107 sequences of rpb2 and 131 sequences of hsp. The phylogeny based on the five-locus concatenated dataset revealed that Helvellas. str. is monophyletic and four phylogenetic clades are clearly recognized, i.e., Acetabulum clade, Crispa clade, Elastica clade, and Lacunosa clade. A total of 24 lineages or subclades were recognized, II of which were new, the remaining 13 corresponding with previous studies. Chinese Helvella species are distributed in 22 lineages across four clades. Phylogenetic analyses based on the two-locus concatenated dataset and four single-locus datasets confirmed the presence of at least 93 phylogenetic species in China. Among them, 58 are identified as known species, including a species with a newly designated lectotype and epitype, 18 are newly described in this paper, and the remaining 17 taxa are putatively new to science but remain unnamed due to the paucity or absence of ascomatal materials. In addition, the Helvella species previously recorded in China are discussed. A list of 76 confirmed species, including newly proposed species, is provided. The occurrence of H. crispa and H. elastica are not confirmed although both are commonly recorded in China. Citation: Mao N, Xu YY, Zhang YX, Zhou H, Huang XB, Hou CL, Fan L (2023). Phylogeny and species diversity of the genus Helvella with emphasis on eighteen new species from China. Fungal Systematics and Evolution 12: 111-152. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2023.12.08.

Saikosaponin A mitigates the progression of Parkinson's disease via attenuating microglial neuroinflammation through TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway

OBJECTIVE

Neuroinflammation caused by excessive microglial cell activation and the subsequent death of dopaminergic neurons plays a role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Saikosaponin A (Ssa), a triterpene saponin derived from Radix Bupleuri, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant functions. This research aimed to investigate whether Ssa has a therapeutic effect on PD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

BV2 microglia- and SH-SY5Y cells were treated with a neurotoxin N-methyl-4- phenylpyridinium (MPP+) and Ssa. Cell viability, apoptosis, inflammatory reactions, and expression levels of oxidative stress mediators were assessed. A PD rat model was created by intraperitoneal injection of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), followed by the Ssa treatment. Hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining, Nissl staining, and immunohistochemistry were used to detect neuronal apoptosis and microglial activation. Open-field test (OFT) was performed to evaluate the locomotion of the rats. The underlying mechanism of Ssa effect in PD was explored using network pharmacology analysis and verified experimentally.

RESULTS

Ssa dampened neuronal apoptosis and had anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress proprieties in MPP+-treated SH-SY5Y cells and BV2 microglia. As shown in in-vivo experiments, Ssa reduced MPTP-mediated neuronal apoptosis and motor dysfunction and lowered the expression of inflammatory factors and oxidative stressors in the substantia nigra (SN) of the PD rat. Additionally, Ssa inactivated the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides the first evidence that Ssa prevents dopaminergic neurodegeneration caused by microglia activation by modulating the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB axis.

Bioconversion of chitin into chitin oligosaccharides using a novel chitinase with high chitin-binding capacity

Chitin is the second largest renewable biomass resource in nature, it can be enzymatically degraded into high-value chitin oligosaccharides (CHOSs) by chitinases. In this study, a chitinase (ChiC8-1) was purified and biochemically characterized, its structure was analyzed by molecular modeling. ChiC8-1 had a molecular mass of approximately 96 kDa, exhibited its optimal activity at pH 6.0 and 50 °C. The K_m and V_max values of ChiC8-1 towards colloidal chitin were 10.17 mg mL^-1 and 13.32 U/mg, respectively. Notably, ChiC8-1 showed high chitin-binding capacity, which may be related to the two chitin binding domains in the N-terminal. Based on the unique properties of ChiC8-1, a modified affinity chromatography method, which combines protein purification with chitin hydrolysis process, was developed to purify ChiC8-1 while hydrolyzing chitin. In this way, 9.36 ± 0.18 g CHOSs powder was directly obtained by hydrolyzing 10 g colloidal chitin with crude enzyme solution. The CHOSs were composed of 14.77-2.83 % GlcNAc and 85.23-97.17 % (GlcNAc)₂ at different enzyme-substrate ratio. This process simplifies the tedious purification and separation steps, and may enable its potential application in the field of green production of chitin oligosaccharides.

High-quality genome assembly of Verticillium dahliae VD991 allows for screening and validation of pathogenic genes

Verticillium dahliae (V. dahliae) is a notorious soil-borne pathogen causing Verticillium wilt in more than 400 dicotyledonous plants, including a wide range of economically important crops, such as cotton, tomato, lettuce, potato, and romaine lettuce, which can result in extensive economic losses. In the last decade, several studies have been conducted on the physiological and molecular mechanisms of plant resistance to V. dahliae. However, the lack of a complete genome sequence with a high-quality assembly and complete genomic annotations for V. dahliae has limited these studies. In this study, we produced a full genomic assembly for V. dahliae VD991 using Nanopore sequencing technology, consisting of 35.77 Mb across eight pseudochromosomes and with a GC content of 53.41%. Analysis of the genome completeness assessment (BUSCO alignment: 98.62%; Illumina reads alignment: 99.17%) indicated that our efforts resulted in a nearly complete and high-quality genomic assembly. We selected 25 species closely related to V. dahliae for evolutionary analysis, confirming the evolutionary relationship between V. dahliae and related species, and the identification of a possible whole genome duplication event in V. dahliae. The interaction between cotton and V. dahliae was investigated by transcriptome sequencing resulting in the identification of many genes and pathways associated with cotton disease resistance and V. dahliae pathogenesis. These results will provide new insights into the pathogenic mechanisms of V. dahliae and contribute to the cultivation of cotton varieties resistant to Verticillium wilt.

De novo biosynthesis of 2'-fucosyllactose in engineered Pichia pastoris

PURPOSE

Pichia pastoris is well known for its ability to produce short and low-immunogenic humanized glycosyl chains onto recombinant glycoproteins, it was thus speculated to be applicable to synthesize oligosaccharides. In this study, generally recognized as safe (GRAS) microorganism Pichia pastoris GS115 was tested for its potential to be used as a new synthetic chassis to produce the most abundant human milk oligosaccharide 2'-fucosyllactose (2'-FL).

METHODS

To enable the de novo synthesis of 2'-FL, lactose transporter lac12, two enzymes of gmd, gmer, and fucosyltransferases futC were integrated into the genome of P. pastoris, under the control of constitutive P_GAP promoter.

RESULTS

The resulting recombinant yeasts yielded up to 0.276 g/L through culture optimization in a 5 L bioreactor.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this is the first report of 2'-FL production in engineered Pichia pastoris. This work is a good starting point to produce 2'-FL using Pichia pastoris as a viable chassis.

Association of Circulating Caprylic Acid with Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) Cohort

OBJECTIVE

Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) can rapidly cross the blood-brain barrier and provide an alternative energy source for the brain. This study aims to determine 1) whether plasma caprylic acid (C8:0) is associated with risk of incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among baseline cognitively normal (CN) participants, and incident Alzheimer's Disease (AD) among baseline MCI participants; and 2) whether these associations differ by sex, comorbidity of cardiometabolic diseases, apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 alleles, and ADAS-Cog 13.

METHODS

Within the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cohort, plasma C8:0 was measured at baseline in 618 AD-free participants aged 55 to 91. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs with incident MCI and AD as dependent variables, separately.

RESULTS

The inverse association between circulating C8:0 and risk of incident MCI was of borderline significance. The inverse association between circulating levels of C8:0 and risk of incident MCI was significant among CN participants with ≥1 cardiometabolic diseases [OR (95% CI): 0.75 (0.58-0.98) (P=0.03)], those with one copy of APOE ε4 alleles [OR (95% CI): 0.43 (0.21-0.89) (P=0.02)], female [OR (95% CI): 0.60 (0.38-0.94) (P=0.02)], and ADAS-Cog 13 above the median [OR (95%CI): 0.69 (0.50-0.97)(P=0.03)] after adjusting for all covariates.

CONCLUSION

The inverse associations were present only among subgroups of CN participants, including female individuals, those with one or more cardiometabolic diseases, or one APOE ε4 allele, or higher ADAS-Cog 13 scores. If confirmed, this finding will facilitate precision prevention of MCI, in turn, AD among CN older adults.

The J-shape Association between Total Bilirubin and Stroke in Older Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A Multicenter Study

OBJECTIVES

To explore the relationship between total bilirubin (TBil) and stroke risk in older patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).

METHODS

A total of 1,007 patients with OSAS without stroke history aged ≥ 60 years and with complete serum TBil records were enrolled in this study. The median follow-up was 42 months. Participants were divided into four groups based on the quartile of the baseline serum TBil concentration. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis and restricted cubic spline (RCS) were used to investigate the association of TBil with the incidence of new-onset stroke.

RESULTS

The PRIMARY part: the third quantile TBil level group had the lowest prevalence of stroke among the four groups. The RCS functions depicted a J-type curve relationship between TBil (3.3-33.3 µmol/L) and stroke (nonlinear P < 0.05). When the TBil level was in the range of 3.3 to 11.5 µmol/L, the possible protective influence of bilirubin against stroke in patients with OSAS enhanced with an increasing TBil level. However, when the TBil level exceeded 11.5 µmol/L and gradually increased, the effect of TBil on stroke risk became more and more pronounced. The SECONDARY part: for every 1 µmol/L increase in TBil levels in the range of 11.5 to 33.3 µmol/L, the risk of stroke in patients with OSAS increased by 16.2% (P < 0.001). In addition, there was a higher risk in women with OSAS (hazard ratio (HR)=1.292, 95% confidence interval (95%CI): 1.093-1.528; P = 0.003). Moreover, an increased TBil level alone was significantly associated with stroke in subjects aged < 75 years (HR: 1.190, 95%CI: 1.069-1.324), patients with mild-to-moderate OSAS (HR: 1.215, 95%CI: 1.083-1.364), and individuals without atrial fibrillation (AF) (HR: 1.179, 95%CI: 1.083-1.285) within a TBil level in the range of 11.5 to 33.3 µmol/L.

CONCLUSIONS

Both lower and higher bilirubin levels may increase the risk of stroke in older persons with OSAS, and there was a J-type dose-response relationship. The risk of stroke was lowest when the TBil level was approximately 11.5 µmol/L.

Does mental health mediate the effect of deviant peer affiliation on school adaptation in migrant children: evidence from a nationally representative survey in China

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to examine the impact of deviant peer affiliation on migrant children's school adaptation in China and explore the mediating role of mental health in the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and school adaptation among migrant children.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional study based on secondary data.

METHODS

This study was based on the nationally representative China Education Panel Survey. Multiple linear regression models were used to quantify the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and school adaptation among 1,012 migrant children aged 12-17 years. Bootstrap test was used to evaluate the mediating effect of children's mental health.

RESULTS

Deviant peer affiliation showed a significant negative impact on the school adaptation of migrant children (β = -0.41, 95% confidence interval = -0.56 to -0.26). The relationship between deviant peer affiliation and school adaptation was partially mediated by children's mental health, resulting in an indirect effect of deviant peer affiliation on their school adaptation through their mental health (β = -0.05, 95% confidence interval = -0.09 to -0.03). The mediating role of mental health could explain 11.4% of the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and school adaptation.

CONCLUSIONS

Among migrant children, deviant peer affiliation showed unique effects on their school adaptation. Taking care of their mental health might help improve their school adaptation.

The Capparis spinosa var. herbacea genome provides the first genomic instrument for a diversity and evolution study of the Capparaceae family

Background

The caper bush Capparis spinosa L., one of the most economically important species of Capparaceae, is a xerophytic shrub that is well adapted to drought and harsh environments. However, genetic studies on this species are limited because of the lack of its reference genome.

Findings

We sequenced and assembled the Capparis spinosa var. herbacea (Willd.) genome using data obtained from the combination of PacBio circular consensus sequencing and high-throughput chromosome conformation capture. The final genome assembly was approximately 274.53 Mb (contig N50 length of 9.36 Mb, scaffold N50 of 15.15 Mb), 99.23% of which was assigned to 21 chromosomes. In the whole-genome sequence, tandem repeats accounted for 19.28%, and transposable element sequences accounted for 43.98%. The proportion of tandem repeats in the C. spinosa var. herbacea genome was much higher than the average of 8.55% in plant genomes. A total of 21,577 protein-coding genes were predicted, with 98.82% being functionally annotated. The result of species divergence times showed that C. spinosa var. herbacea and Tarenaya hassleriana separated from a common ancestor 43.31 million years ago.

Conclusions

This study reported a high-quality reference genome assembly and genome features for the Capparaceae family. The assembled C. spinosa var. herbacea genome might provide a system for studying the diversity, speciation, and evolution of this family and serve as an important resource for understanding the mechanism of drought and high-temperature resistance.

Closing Post-orthodontic Spaces Between Anterior Teeth Using Sequential 3D-printed Direct Composite Injection Guides

Restorative treatment of anterior teeth is sometimes required to improve esthetic and functional occlusal outcomes of orthodontic therapy. This case report presents a direct, noninvasive approach to close post-orthodontic gaps in anterior teeth using a 3D-printed composite resin injection guide with a full digital workflow. The composite injection technique using 3D-printed guides is a full digital workflow that can transfer the design precisely, save chair time, and simplify the direct composite restoration procedure.

[Clonality relatedness and molecular characteristics of Richter transformation]

Objective: To investigate the clinical, genetic, and clonality related aspects of individuals with Richter transformation (RT) . Methods: From January 2019 to December 2021, 18 RT patients with diagnoses at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Pukou CLL center) were retrospectively examined. The immunoglobin heavy variable (IGHV) gene usage and IGHV-D-J rearrangement pattern of diagnosed CLL/SLL and transformed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) were compared to determine the clonality relatedness. To investigate the risk factors of RT, Clinical and laboratory data from patients with newly diagnosed CLL/SLL and transformed DLBCL were gathered. Results: The median age of RT was 56.5 (41-75) years old. 17 patients transformed to DLBCL and 1 transformed to Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) . Of 17 individuals who had DLBCL transformation, 15 had CLL/SLL-related clonality and 2 had unrelated clonality. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis of 11 paired initially diagnosed treatment-naive CLL/SLL and RT DLBCL found that EGR2、TP53 and NOTCH1 were among the most frequently mutated genes both in treatment-naive CLL/SLL and in RT DLBCL. In several cases, specific mutations were gained or lost throughout RT, indicating clonal evolution. Among 10 patients before exposure to BTK inhibitors before RT, four patients acquired BTK mutation. The aforementioned mutations should be considered high-risk variables for transformation; in addition, TP53 and EGR2 mutations could be linked to a poor prognosis following RT in patients receiving a cocktail of new medicines. Conclusion: Most RT DLBCL patients in our center are clonality related (15/17, 88.2% ) and we recommend all qualified centers to evaluate clonality relatedness of RT DLBCL patients. There was some variability in the mutational landscape between DLBCL that had undergone a transformation and initially diagnosed, treatment-naive CLL/SLL. The underlying molecular mechanism of RT needs more research.

[A multicenter retrospective study on the efficacy of different anti-reflux reconstruction methods after proximal gastrectomy for gastric cancer]

Objective: To examine the clinical efficacy of 3 anti-reflux methods of digestive tract reconstruction after proximal gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Methods: The clinical data and follow-up data of gastric cancer patients who underwent anti-reflux reconstruction after proximal gastrectomy in 11 medical centers of China from September 2016 to August 2021 were retrospectively collected, including 273 males and 65 females, aging of (63±10) years (range: 28 to 91 years). Among them, 159 cases were performed with gastric tube anastomosis (GTA), 107 cases with double tract reconstruction (DTR), and 72 cases with double-flap technique (DFT), respectively. The duration of operation, length of postoperative hospital stay and early postoperative complications (referring to Clavien-Dindo classification) of different anti-reflux reconstruction methods were assessed. Body mass index, hemoglobin and albumin were used to reflect postoperative nutritional status. Reflux esophagitis was graded according to Los Angeles criteria based on the routinely gastroscopy within 12 months after surgery. The postoperative quality of life (QoL) was evaluated by Visick score system. The ANOVA analysis, Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test, χ² test and Fisher's exact test were used for comparison between multiple groups, and further comparison among groups were performed with LSD, Tamhane's test or Bonferroni corrected χ² test. The mixed effect model was used to compare the trends of Body mass index, hemoglobin and albumin over time among different groups. Results: The operation time of DFT was significantly longer than that of GTA and DTR ((352±63) minutes vs. (221±66) minutes, (352±63) minutes vs. (234±61) minutes, both P<0.01). The incidence of early complications with Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅱ to Ⅴ in GTA, DFT and DTR groups was 17.0% (27/159), 9.7% (7/72) and 10.3% (11/107), respectively, without significant difference among these three groups (χ²=3.51, P=0.173). Body mass index decreased more significantly in GTA than DFT group at 6 and 12 months after surgery (mean difference=1.721 kg/m², P<0.01; mean difference=2.429 kg/m², P<0.01). body mass index decreased significantly in DTR compared with DFT at 12 months after surgery (mean difference=1.319 kg/m², P=0.027). There was no significant difference in hemoglobin or albumin fluctuation between different reconstruction methods perioperative. The incidence of reflux esophagitis one year after surgery in DTR group was 12.9% (4/31), which was lower than that in DFT (45.9% (17/37), χ²=8.63, P=0.003). Follow-up of postoperative quality of life showed the incidence of Visick grade 2 to 4 in DFT group was lower than that in GTA group (10.4% (7/67) vs. 34.6% (27/78), χ²=11.70, P=0.018), while there was no significant difference between DFT and DTR group (10.4% (7/67) vs. 22.2% (8/36, P>0.05). Conclusions: Compared with GTA and DTR, DFT is more time-consuming, but there is no significant difference in early complications among three methods. DFT reconstruction is more conducive to maintain postoperative nutritional status and improve QoL, especially compared with GTA. The risk of reflux esophagitis after DTR reconstruction is lower than that of DFT.

[Retrospective study on the efficacy and safety of low dose apatinib in reversing chemotherapy resistance in sarcoma]

Objective: To explore whether apatinib can reverse the chemotherapy resistance of patients with advanced sarcoma. Methods: The clinical data of advanced sarcoma patients after chemotherapy who received the original chemotherapy regimen combined with low-dose apatinib in Cancer Center of Union Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology from May 2018 to November 2021 were collected retrospectively to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this regimen. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS), and the secondary end points were objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS) and adverse events (AE). The patients were grouped according to the diagnosis: osteosarcoma, soft tissue sarcoma and undifferentiated small round cell sarcoma. And the benefits of combination treatment was investigated with the stratified analysis of best outcome of combined therapy, lines of chemotherapy received, best response and PFS of original chemotherapy. Results: A total of 30 patients were included in this study, including 20 males and 10 females. The mean age was (25.6±14.7) years. There were 9 cases of osteosarcoma, 11 cases of soft tissue sarcoma and 10 cases of undifferentiated small round cell sarcoma. No patient achieved complete response, 8 patients (26.7%) achieved partial response, 19 patients (63.3%) achieved disease stability, the ORR was 26.7%(8/30), and the DCR was 90.0%(27/30). The median PFS and OS were 4.1 and 13.1 months respectively. Among the three different subtypes of sarcoma, the ORR of osteosarcoma was 44.4% (4/9), the median PFS was 4.1 months, and the median OS was not yet achieved; the ORR of undifferentiated small round cell sarcoma was 40% (4/10), the median PFS was 6.4 months, and the median OS was 10.9 months; No response was observed in soft tissue sarcoma, and the median PFS and median OS was 3.5 and 7.3 months respectively. Patients who achieved objective response had better PFS than patients with stable disease (12.8 vs 3.8 months, P=0.015), and patients with PFS≥ 6 months of original chemotherapy had better PFS benefits (12.7 vs 2.7 months, P<0.001). However, the number of original chemotherapy lines and the best response of original chemotherapy had no significant effect on the PFS of this combination regimen. In terms of safety, the related toxicity of apatinib was no more than grade 2, and the grade 4 chemotherapy-related adverse reactions was mainly hematological toxicity, of which 2 patients interrupted treatment because of febrile neutropenia. Conclusion: Low dose apatinib is effective in reversing chemotherapy resistance of osteosarcoma and undifferentiated small round cell sarcoma with acceptable adverse reactions.

[Current status and prospects of anti-angiogenic small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the therapy of soft tissue sarcoma]

Chemotherapy is the main systemic treatment for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma, and immunotherapy is only effective for some special subtypes. Anti-angiogenic small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors represented by pazopanib and anlotinib are the main drugs of targeted therapy. They have been clearly recommended as the second-line treatment of non-specific soft tissue sarcoma in guidelines. In recent years, in addition to second-line monotherapy in patients with advanced sarcoma, some studies have been carried out in second-line combination therapy, maintenance therapy, first-line therapy and neoadjuvant therapy. This article briefly reviews the application status and prospect of anti-angiogenic small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors in advanced soft tissue sarcoma.

[Influence of visceral lipids obesity on the early postoperative complications after radical gastrectomy]

Objective: To investigate the effect of visceral fat area (VFA) on the surgical efficacy and early postoperative complications of radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Methods: A retrospective cohort study method was used. Clinicopathological data and preoperative imaging data of 195 patients who underwent D2 radical gastric cancer surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from January 2014 to December 2017 were analyzed retrospectively. Inclusion criteria: (1) complete clinicopathological and imaging data; (2) malignant gastric tumor diagnosed by preoperative pathology, and gastric cancer confirmed by postoperative pathology; (3) no preoperative complications such as bleeding, obstruction or perforation, and no distant metastasis. Those who had a history of abdominal surgery, concurrent malignant tumors, poor basic conditions, emergency surgery, palliative resection, and preoperative neoadjuvant therapy were excluded. The VFA was calculated by software and VFA ≥ 100 cm² was defined as visceral obesity according to the Japan Obesity Association criteria . The patients were divided into high VFA (VFA-H, VFA≥100 cm², n=96) group and low VFA (VFA-L, VFA<100 cm², n=99) group . The clinicopathological characteristics, surgical outcomes and early postoperative complications were compared between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk factors of early complications. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze predictive values of VFA for early complications. Pearson's χ² test was used to analyze the correlation between BMI and VFA. Results: There were no significant differences in terms of gender, age, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification, preoperative comorbidities, preoperative anemia, tumor TNM staging, N staging, T staging and tumor differentiation, surgical method, extent of resection, and tumor location between the VFA-L group and the VFA-H group (all P>0.05). However, patients in the VFA-H group had higher BMI, larger tumor, lower rate of hypoalbuminemia and greater subcutaneous fat area (SFA) (all P<0.05). The VFA-H group presented significantly longer operation time and significantly less number of harvested lymph nodes as compared to the VFA-L group (both P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in intraoperative blood loss, conversion to laparotomy and postoperative hospital stay (all P>0.05). Complications of Clavien-Dindo grade II and above within 30 days after operation were mainly anastomosis-related complications (leakage, bleeding, infection and stricture), intestinal obstruction and incision infection. The VFA-H group had a higher morbidity of early complications compared to the VFA-L group [24.0% (23/96) vs 10.1% (10/99), χ²=6.657, P=0.010], and the rates of anastomotic complications and incision infection were also higher in the VFA group [10.4% (10/96) vs. 3.0% (3/99), χ²=4.274, P=0.039; 7.3% (7/96) vs. 1.0% (1/99), P=0.033]. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that high BMI (OR=3.688, 95%CI: 1.685-8.072, P=0.001) and high VFA (OR=2.526, 95%CI: 1.148-5.559,P=0.021) were independent risk factors for early complications. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of VFA for predicting early complications was 0.645, which was higher than that of body weight (0.591), BMI (0.624) and SFA (0.626). Correlation analysis indicated that there was a significantly positive correlation between BMI and VFA (r=0.640, P<0.001). Conclusion: VFA ≥ 100 cm² is an independent risk factor for early complications after radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer.It can better predict the occurrence of above early postoperative complications.

Species diversity, phylogeny, endemism and geography of the truffle genus Tuber in China based on morphological and molecular data

The genus Tuber (Tuberaceae, Pezizales) is an important fungal group of Ascomycota both economically and ecologically. However, the species diversity, phylogenetic relationships, and geographic distribution of Tuber species in China remains poorly understood, primarily because descriptions of many new species relied heavily on morphological features with molecular data either not sought or ignored. The misapplication of European and North American names further added to confusion regarding the taxonomy of Chinese Tuber species. In this study, we examined more than 1 000 specimens from China, and performed a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis for Chinese Tuber species using ITS sequences and multilocus sequence data. To infer the phylogeny of Chinese Tuber spp., 11 molecular datasets were assembled, including a concatenated internal transcribed spacers of the nuc rDNA (ITS), nuc rDNA 28S subunit (LSU), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1-α), and RNA polymerase II subunit (rpb2) dataset as well as 10 ITS datasets (totally including 1 435 sequences from 828 collections with 597 newly generated sequences, and 168 sequences from the types of 63 species). Our phylogenetic tree based on a concatenated multilocus dataset revealed that all Chinese Tuber species nested in nine phylogenetic clades (phylogroups), including Aestivum, Excavatum, Latisporum, Macrosporum, Maculatum, Melanosporum, Puberulum, Rufum and Turmericum. Of these, five phylogroups (Macrosporum, Maculatum, Melanosporum, Puberulum and Rufum) are shared across the continents of Asia, Europe and North America; two phylogroups (Aestivum and Excavatum) are shared by Europe and Asia; and the phylogroups Turmericum and Latisporum are endemic only to Asia. Phylogenetic trees based on 10 ITS datasets confirmed the presence of at least 82 phylogenetic species in China. Of these, 53 are identified as known species, including three new records for China, and 25 species are identified as new to science. Of the new species, nine are described and illustrated in this paper, and the others remain unnamed due to the paucity or absence of ascomatal materials. Accordingly, the confirmed, excluded and doubtful Tuber species in China are discussed. Tuber species showed high endemism. Of the 82 phylogenetic species found in China, 68 species occur only in China, six species are also found in other regions in Asia, and only eight species (T. anniae, T. excelsum-reticulatum, T. formosanum, T. maculatum, T. wenchuanense, Tuber sp. CHN-3, Tuber sp. CHN-10 and Tuber sp. CHN-11) are shared with other continents. Most Tuber species have a small and limited distribution in China, but a few, such as T. formosanum and T. parvomurphium, are widely distributed across China. Some phylogenetically closely related species, such as T. liaotongense and T. subglobosum, as well as T. xuanhuaense and T. lijiangense, show a pattern of allopatric distribution.

LncRNA ABHD11-AS1 promotes tumor progression in papillary thyroid carcinoma by regulating EPS15L1/EGFR signaling pathway

OBJECTIVES

lncRNA ABHD11 antisense RNA 1 (ABHD11-AS1) acts as an oncogene involved in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) occurrence and progression. ABHD11-AS1 exerts biologic functions by some miRNAs and proteins to regulate multiple targets. Identification of novel mechanism of ABHD11-AS1 could be helpful in therapeutic targeting for PTC treatment.

METHODS

Differentially expressed lncRNAs were selected from TCGA database. qRT-PCR analysis was applied to examine the expression of ABHD11-AS1 in PTC cell lines and tissues. The relationship of ABHD11-AS1 expression and clinicopathological features was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Two PTC cell lines (TPC-1 and KTC-1) were transfected with pcDNA 3.1, pcDNA3.1-ABHD11-AS1, si-NC and si-ABHD11-AS1, respectively, to verify the ABHD11-AS1 oncogene-regulating capacity to promote tumor progression. The cell metastasis and proliferation had been evaluated both in vitro and in vivo.

RESULTS

High expression of ABHD11-AS1 was found in PTC tissues (P < 0.01), which was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). ABHD11-AS1 overexpression noticeably promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion capabilities, which were obviously decreased upon ABHD11-AS1 knockdown. ABHD11-AS1 positively regulated EGFR/EPS15L1 pathway, as EGFR, EPS15L1, STAT3, and p-STAT3 were activated.

CONCLUSION

ABHD11-AS1 promotes tumor progression in PTC by regulating EPS15L1/EGFR pathway.

The involvement of oxidative stress, neuronal lesions, neurotransmission impairment, and neuroinflammation in acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity in C57/BL6 mice

Acrylamide (ACR) is a typical environmental contaminant, presenting potential health hazards that have been attracting increasing attention. Its neurotoxicity is known to cause significant damage to health. However, the mechanisms of ACR-induced neurotoxicity require further clarification. This study uses a mouse model to explore how ACR-induced oxidative stress, neuronal lesions, neurotransmission impairment, and neuroinflammation mutually contribute to neurotoxicity. A distinct increase in the cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, malondialdehyde (MDA), and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) content and a significant decrease in the glutathione (GSH) content after ACR exposure were indicative of oxidative stress. Moreover, ACR caused neurological defects associated with gait abnormality and neuronal loss while suppressing the acetylcholine (ACh) and dopamine (DA) levels and increasing the protein expression of α-synuclein (α-syn), further inhibiting cholinergic and dopaminergic neuronal function. Additionally, ACR treatment caused an inflammatory response via nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation and increased the protein expression of NOD-like receptor protein-3 (NLRP3), consequently activating the NLRP3 inflammasome constituents, including cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 1 (Caspase-1), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing CARD (ASC), N domain gasdermin D (N-GSDMD), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and IL-18. The results revealed the underlying molecular mechanism of ACR-induced neurotoxicity via oxidative stress, neurotransmission impairment, and neuroinflammation-related signal cascade. This information will further improve the development of an alternative pathway strategy for investigating the risk posed by ACR. The hypothetical mechanism of ACR-induced neurotoxicity in vivo.

[Efficacy of laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy with double-tract reconstruction versus laparoscopic total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction for early upper gastric cancer]

Objective: To compare clinical efficacy between laparoscopic radical proximal gastrectomy with double-tract reconstruction (LPG-DTR) and laparoscopic radical total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction (LTG-RY) in patients with early upper gastric cancer, and to provide a reference for the selection of surgical methods in early upper gastric cancer. Methods: A retrospective cohort study method was carried out. Clinical data of 80 patients with early upper gastric cancer who underwent LPG-DTR or LTG-RY by the same surgical team at the Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from January 2018 to January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into the DTR group (32 cases) and R-Y group (48 cases) according to surgical procedures and digestive tract reconstruction methods. Surgical and pathological characteristics, postoperative complications (short-term complications within 30 days after surgery and long-term complications after postoperative 30 days), survival time and nutritinal status were compared between the two groups. For nutritional status, reduction rate was used to represent the changes in total protein, albumin, total cholesterol, body mass, hemoglobin and vitamin B12 levels at postoperative 1-year and 2-year. Non-normally distributed continuous data were presented as median (interquartile range), and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison between groups. The χ(2) test or Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of data between groups. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the ranked data between groups. The survival rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method categorical, and compared by using the log-rank test. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in baseline data betweeen the two groups, except that patients in the R-Y group were oldere and had larger tumor. Patients of both groups successfully completed the operation without conversion to laparotomy, combined organ resection, or perioperative death. There were no significant differences in the distance from proximal resection margin to superior margin of tumor, postoperative hospital stay, time to flatus and food-taking, hospitalization cost, short- and long-term complications between the two groups (all P>0.05). Compared with the R-Y group, the DTR group had shorter distal margins [(3.2±0.5) cm vs. (11.7±2.0) cm, t=-23.033, P<0.001], longer surgery time [232.5 (63.7) minutes vs. 185.0 (63.0) minutes, Z=-3.238, P=0.001], longer anastomosis time [62.5 (17.5) minutes vs. 40.0 (10.0) minutes, Z=-6.321, P<0.001], less intraoperative blood loss [(138.1±51.6) ml vs. (184.3±62.1) ml, t=-3.477, P=0.001], with significant differences (all P<0.05). The median follow-up of the whole group was 18 months, and the 2-year cancer-specific survival rate was 97.5%, with 100% in the DTR group and 95.8% in the R-Y group (P=0.373). Compared with R-Y group at postoperative 1 year, the reduction rate of weight, hemoglobin and vitamin B12 were lower in DTR group with significant differences (all P<0.05); at postoperative 2-year, the reduction rate of vitamin B12 was still lower with significant differences (P<0.001), but the reduction rates of total protein, albumin, total cholesterol, body weight and hemoglobin were similar between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: LPG-DTR is safe and feasible in the treatment of early upper gastric cancer. The short-term postoperative nutritional status and long-term vitamin B12 levels of patients undergoing LPG-DTR are superior to those undergoing LTG-RY.

[Application of TELSA structured education program in adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus]

Objective: To evaluate the effect of TELSA structured education program in adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in China. Methods: From January 2019 to January 2020, 64 adult T1DM patients who met the standard of entry and had the intention to participate in TELSA structured education program were selected from the outpatient of type 1 diabetes comprehensive management in the Second Xiangya Hospital as intervention group. A total of 64 patients matched by age and sex were enrolled as the control group. During the program, the intervention group lost 3 cases and the control group lost 4 cases. Finally, there were 61 effective samples in the intervention group and 60 effective samples in the control group. The patients in the control group were given face-to-face education by a T1DM educator for about 2 hours. The patients in the intervention group were intervened according to TELSA structured education program. The level of glycosylated hemoglobin, the frequency of hypoglycemia, self-management ability and quality of life were evaluated before intervention, 6 months after intervention and 12 months after intervention. Results: The ages of the intervention group and the control group were 30.0(22.0,43.5) and 29.5(22.3,42.5) (P>0.05), and the proportions of males were 47.54%(29 cases) and 45.00%(27 cases), respectively (P>0.05). There were interaction effects (P<0.05) on the level of glycosylated hemoglobin, self-management ability and quality of life in the two groups. At 6 and 12 months after intervention of TELSA structured education program, the level of glycosylated hemoglobin in the intervention group decreased from the baseline level (7.87±1.45)% to (7.23±1.06)% and (7.28±0.93)%, respectively, which was significantly lower than that in the control group at 6 months (7.72±1.20)% and at 12 months(7.76±1.24)% (all P<0.05). After TELSA structured education intervention, the scores of self-management scale for adult type 1 diabetes mellitus (SMOD-CA) in the intervention group showed an upward trend (P<0.001), and the scores of diabetes-specific quality of life scale (A-DQOL) showed a downward trend (P<0.001). In contrast, there was no statistically significant difference in the trend of scores in the control group (P=0.853 and 0.227). The comparison between groups at different time points showed that at 6 and 12 months after the intervention, the SMOD-CA scores of the patients in the intervention group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.001), and the A-DQOL scores were lower than those in the control group (P<0.001). Conclusions: The TELSA structured education program can effectively ameliorate glycemic control, with the improvement of self-management ability and quality of life in adult T1DM patients.

The soybean TGA transcription factor GmTGA13 plays important roles in the response to salinity stress

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is an important oil, food and economic crop in the world. High salinity severely affects the growth and yield of soybean. Overexpressing a specific anti-retroviral transcription factor by biotechnology is an effective way to cultivate new stress-tolerant varieties of soybean. TGA transcription factor is a subfamily of bZIP and plays an important role in abiotic stress responses. A TGA subfamily gene GmTGA13 was cloned and the gene expression, subcellular localization and transcriptional activity were measured. Through the Ag. tumefaciens mediated flower dip method and the Ag. rhizogenes mediated transformation of soybean hairy roots, the transgenic Arabidopsis and the 'combination' soybean plants of overexpressing GmTGA13 were obtained. The two types of transgenic plants were treated with salt stress respectively, and the related physiological indexes were determined. Furthermore, the expression levels of five abiotic stress responsive genes were analyzed in GmTGA13 overexpression hairy roots. GmTGA13 gene was highly expressed in roots and significantly induced by saline stress in soybean. GmTGA13 encoded a nuclear localization protein and had transcriptional activation activity. Overexpression of GmTGA13 enhanced the saline stress tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis and the 'combination' soybean plants. Furthermore, overexpression of GmTGA13 enhanced the expression of the stress responsive genes in transgenic soybean hairy roots. In conclusion, overexpression of GmTGA13 is beneficial to the absorption of K+ and Ca2+ by the cell, thereby regulating the ion homeostasis in the cell balance. GmTGA13 enhanced salt resistance of plants by regulating the expression of many stress-responsive genes.

[A five-year follow-up report on lung imaging and exercise endurance of a patient with paraquat poisoning]

A patient with paraquat poisoning was followed up for five years, and it was showed that the interstitial lesion areas in chest CT of this patient gradually decreased after acute period of the poisoning and no significant changes were found six months later. After that the density of the lesions gradually reduced, while the cystic air cavities slowly increased. In addition, the patient's exercise endurance gradually improved over time, and the lung function was close to the normal level five years after poisoning. The follow-up report helps clinicians to have a deeper understanding of the long-term outcome of paraquat poisoning.

GRAND: An Integrated Genome, Transcriptome Resources, and Gene Network Database for Gossypium

With the increasing amount of cotton omics data, breeding scientists are confronted with the question of how to use massive cotton data to mine effective breeding information. Here, we construct a Gossypium Resource And Network Database (GRAND), which integrates 18 cotton genome sequences, genome annotations, two cotton genome variations information, and also four transcriptomes for Gossypium species. GRAND allows to explore and mine this data with the help of a toolbox that comprises a flexible search system, BLAST and BLAT suite, orthologous gene ID, networks of co-expressed genes, primer design, Gbrowse and Jbrowse, and drawing instruments. GRAND provides important information regarding Gossypium resources and hopefully can accelerate the progress of cultivating cotton varieties.

Genome sequence and transcriptome of Sorbus pohuashanensis provides insights into population evolution and leaf sunburn response

Sorbus pohuashanensis is a potential horticulture and medicinal plant, but its genomic and genetic backgrounds remain unknown. Here, we sequenced and assembled the S. pohuashanensis (Hance) Hedl. reference genome using PacBio long reads. Based on the new reference genome, we resequenced a core collection of 22 Sorbus spp. samples, which were divided into 2 groups (G1 and G2) based on phylogenetic and PCA analyses. These phylogenetic clusters were highly consistent with their classification based on leaf shape. Natural hybridization between the G1 and G2 groups was evidenced by a sample (R21) with a highly heterozygous genotype. Nucleotide diversity (π) analysis showed that G1 had a higher diversity than G2 and that G2 originated from G1. During the evolution process, the gene families involved in photosynthesis pathways expanded and the gene families involved in energy consumption contracted. RNA-seq data suggested that flavonoid biosynthesis and heat-shock protein (HSP)-heat-shock factor (HSF) pathways play important roles in protection against sunburn. This study provides new insights into the evolution of Sorbus spp. genomes. In addition, the genomic resources, and the identified genetic variations, especially those related to stress resistance, will help future efforts to produce and breed Sorbus spp.

Association of Homocysteine and Risks of Long-Term Cardiovascular Events and All-Cause Death among Older Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Prospective Study

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to assess whether raised baseline plasma tHcy concentrations increased the risks of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and all-cause death outcomes in older patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

DESIGN

A multicenter, prospective, observational study.

SETTING

Beijing, Shandong Province, Gansu Province of China.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 1, 290 OSA patients aged 60 to 96 years from sleep centers of six hospitals in China consecutively recruited between January 2015 and October 2017.

MEASUREMENTS

Cox proportional models assessed the association between tHcy and the risk of new-onset all events among Chinese older OSA patients.

RESULTS

The final analysis (60.1% male; median age, 66 years) used data from 1, 100 subjects during a median follow-up of 42 months, a total of 105 (9.5%) patients developed MACE and 42 (3.8%) patients died. Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed higher adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of MACE, myocardial infarction (MI), hospitalization for unstable angina, and composite of all events with tHcy levels in the 4th quartile (HR=5.93, 95% CI: 2.79-12.59; HR=4.72, 95% CI:1.36-4.61; HR=4.26, 95% CI:1.62-5.71; HR=4.17, 95% CI:2.23-7.81) and the 3rd quartile (HR=3.79, 95% CI:1.76-8.20; HR=3.65, 95% CI:1.04-2.98; HR=2.75, 95% CI:1.08-3.76; HR=2.51, 95% CI:1.31-4.83) compared to reference tHcy levels in quartile 1, respectively, while the aHRs (95% CIs) of all-cause death showed significantly higher only in the highest tHcy level quartile than in the lowest quartile (HR=3.20, 95% CI=1.16-8.84, P=0.025) with no significant differences in risks of cardiovascular death and hospitalisation for heart failure among groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

tHcy, a marker of prognosis for older OSA patients, was significantly associated with the increased risk of MACE and all-cause death in this population independent of BMI, smoking status, and other potential risk factors, but not all clinical components events of MACE. New therapeutic approaches for older patients with OSA should mitigate tHcy-associated risks of MACE, and even all-cause death.

Co-expression network and comparative transcriptome analysis for fiber initiation and elongation reveal genetic differences in two lines from upland cotton CCRI70 RIL population

Upland cotton is the most widely planted for natural fiber around the world, and either lint percentage (LP) or fiber length (FL) is the crucial component tremendously affecting cotton yield and fiber quality, respectively. In this study, two lines MBZ70-053 and MBZ70-236 derived from G. hirsutum CCRI70 recombinant inbred line (RIL) population presenting different phenotypes in LP and FL traits were chosen to conduct RNA sequencing on ovule and fiber samples, aiming at exploring the differences of molecular and genetic mechanisms during cotton fiber initiation and elongation stages. As a result, 249/128, 369/206, 4296/1198 and 3547/2129 up-/down- regulated differentially expressed genes (DGEs) in L2 were obtained at -3, 0, 5 and 10 days post-anthesis (DPA), respectively. Seven gene expression profiles were discriminated using Short Time-series Expression Miner (STEM) analysis; seven modules and hub genes were identified using weighted gene co-expression network analysis. The DEGs were mainly enriched into energetic metabolism and accumulating as well as auxin signaling pathway in initiation and elongation stages, respectively. Meanwhile, 29 hub genes were identified as 14-3-3ω , TBL35, GhACS, PME3, GAMMA-TIP, PUM-7, etc., where the DEGs and hub genes revealed the genetic and molecular mechanisms and differences during cotton fiber development.

Proteomics analysis of hip articular cartilage identifies differentially expressed proteins associated with osteonecrosis of the femoral head

OBJECTIVE

The cartilage degeneration that accompanies subchondral bone necrosis plays an important role in the development of osteonecrosis of femoral head (ONFH). To better understand the molecular basis of cartilage degradation in ONFH, we compared the proteomic profiles of ONFH cartilage with that of fracture control.

DESIGN

Hip cartilage samples were collected from 16 ONFH patients and 16 matched controls with femoral neck fracture. Proteomics analysis was conducted using tandem mass tag-based quantitation technique. Gene ontology (GO) analysis, KEGG pathway and protein-protein interaction analysis were used to investigate the functions of the altered proteins and biological pathways. Differentially expressed proteins including alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein (AHSG) and Cytokine-like protein 1 (Cytl1) were validated by Western blot (WB) and immunohistochemistry (IHC).

RESULTS

303 differentially expressed proteins were identified in ONFH cartilage with 72 up-regulated and 231 down-regulated. Collagen turnover, glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis, metabolic pathways, and complement and coagulation cascades were significantly modified in ONFH cartilage. WB and IHC confirmed the increased expression of AHSG and decreased expression of Cytl1 in ONFH cartilage.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results reveal the implication of altered protein expression in the development of ONFH, and provide novel clues for pathogenesis studies of cartilage degradation in ONFH.