Abnormal cell wall structure caused by boron nutrient imbalance in orchards could affect psyllid feeding behaviour, resulting in epidemic variation of Asian citrus psyllid

The control of Huanglongbing (HLB), one of the most destructive pests of citrus, relies heavily on the reduction of Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama. An in-depth understanding of ACP feeding behaviours among citrus plants is urgent for comprehensive management of orchards. An investigation was conducted in 37 citrus orchards in HLB epidemic areas, sampling shoots in the area with aggregation feeding of ACP (ACPf) and shoots in a neighbouring area without ACP feeding (CK), to study the interaction between leaf chemical composition and ACP psyllid feeding behaviours. Results of FTIR showed a strong absorption peak intensity, mainly representing functional groups originating from cell wall components in the leaf with ACP feeding. As compared with the control, cell wall components, such as alkali-soluble pectin, water-soluble pectin, total soluble pectin, cellulose, and hemicellulose, of the cell wall of ACPf increased by 134.0%, 14.0%, 18.0%, 12.5%, and 20.35%, respectively. These results suggest that cell wall mechanical properties significantly decreased in the term of decreases in pectin performance and cellulose mechanical properties. In addition, there was a remarkably lower boron (B) content in leaves and cell wall components with ACP feeding. Further analysis indicated that leaf B content significantly affected leaf cell wall components. Taken together, we provide evidence to demonstrate that the regional distribution of nutrient imbalance in orchards could affect psyllid feeding behaviour by weakening the cell wall structure, resulting in epidemic variation in ACP. This could help us to understand the management of psyllid infections in orchards with unbalanced nutrition.

Wnt/β-catenin signalling activates IMPDH2-mediated purine metabolism to facilitate oxaliplatin resistance by inhibiting caspase-dependent apoptosis in colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Oxaliplatin resistance usually leads to therapeutic failure and poor prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC), while the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Metabolic reprogramming is strongly linked to drug resistance, however, the role and mechanism of metabolic reprogramming in oxaliplatin resistance remain unclear. Here, we aim to explore the functions and mechanisms of purine metabolism on the oxaliplatin-induced apoptosis of CRC.

METHODS

An oxaliplatin-resistant CRC cell line was generated, and untargeted metabolomics analysis was conducted. The inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase type II (IMPDH2) expression in CRC cell lines was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blotting analysis. The effects of IMPDH2 overexpression, knockdown and pharmacological inhibition on oxaliplatin resistance in CRC were assessed by flow cytometry analysis of cell apoptosis in vivo and in vitro.

RESULTS

Metabolic analysis revealed that the levels of purine metabolites, especially guanosine monophosphate (GMP), were markedly elevated in oxaliplatin-resistant CRC cells. The accumulation of purine metabolites mainly arose from the upregulation of IMPDH2 expression. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) indicated high IMPDH2 expression in CRC correlates with PURINE_METABOLISM and MULTIPLE-DRUG-RESISTANCE pathways. CRC cells with higher IMPDH2 expression were more resistant to oxaliplatin-induced apoptosis. Overexpression of IMPDH2 in CRC cells resulted in reduced cell death upon treatment with oxaliplatin, whereas knockdown of IMPDH2 led to increased sensitivity to oxaliplatin through influencing the activation of the Caspase 7/8/9 and PARP1 proteins on cell apoptosis. Targeted inhibition of IMPDH2 by mycophenolic acid (MPA) or mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) enhanced cell apoptosis in vitro and decreased in vivo tumour burden when combined with oxaliplatin treatment. Mechanistically, the Wnt/β-catenin signalling was hyperactivated in oxaliplatin-resistant CRC cells, and a reciprocal positive regulatory mechanism existed between Wnt/β-catenin and IMPDH2. Blocking the Wnt/β-catenin pathway could resensitize resistant cells to oxaliplatin, which could be restored by the addition of GMP.

CONCLUSIONS

IMPDH2 is a predictive biomarker and therapeutic target for oxaliplatin resistance in CRC.

Phylogeny and Fungal Community Structures of Helotiales Associated with Sclerotial Disease of Mulberry Fruits in China

Mulberry fruit sclerotiniose is a prevalent disease caused by the fungal species Ciboria shiraiana, C. carunculoides, and Scleromitrula shiraiana of the order Helotiales, and severely affects the production of mulberry. However, these species have only been identified using morphological and rDNA-ITS sequence analyses, and their genetic variation is unclear. To address this, morphological and two-locus (ITS and RPB2) phylogenetic analyses were conducted using culture-dependent and independent methods for 49 samples from 31 orchards across four provinces in China. Illumina MiSeq sequencing was used to assess the fungal communities obtained from fruits varying in disease severity and color from an orchard in Wuhan. Conidial suspensions of C. shiraiana and C. carunculoides isolated from diseased fruits, diseased fruits affected with hypertrophy and pellet sorosis sclerotiniose, and mycelia of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum were determined to be pathogenic to the mulberry cultivar YSD10. However, fruits inoculated with S. sclerotiorum mycelia exhibited nontypical disease symptoms, and mycelia and conidia obtained from C. carunculoides and S. shiraiana strains were not pathogenic. Maximum parsimony and Bayesian analyses using the sequences of the assessed loci indicated species variability with no evidence of geographic specialization. Metagenomic analysis revealed that the diversity of fungal communities was reduced with disease progression. Furthermore, within a single fruit, the presence of two Ciboria spp. was detected. These results provide novel insights into Ciboria spp., revealing the secondary infections caused by conidia in diseased fruits, genetic variations of the pathogens, and the occurrence of coinfection. This improved understanding of fungal pathogens will aid in developing effective disease control strategies.

Intestinal Translocation of Live Porphyromonas gingivalis Drives Insulin Resistance

Periodontitis has been emphasized as a risk factor of insulin resistance-related systemic diseases. Accumulating evidence has suggested a possible "oral-gut axis" linking oral infection and extraoral diseases, but it remains unclear whether periodontal pathogens can survive the barriers of the digestive tract and how they play their pathogenic roles. The present study established a periodontitis mouse model through oral ligature plus Porphyromonas gingivalis inoculation and demonstrated that periodontitis aggravated diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance, while also causing P. gingivalis enrichment in the intestine. Metabolic labeling strategy validated that P. gingivalis could translocate to the gastrointestinal tract in a viable state. Oral administration of living P. gingivalis elicited insulin resistance, while administration of pasteurized P. gingivalis had no such effect. Combination analysis of metagenome sequencing and nontargeted metabolomics suggested that the tryptophan metabolism pathway, specifically indole and its derivatives, was involved in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance caused by oral administration of living P. gingivalis. Moreover, liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis confirmed that the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligands, mainly indole acetic acid, tryptamine, and indole-3-aldehyde, were reduced in diet-induced obese mice with periodontitis, leading to inactivation of AhR signaling. Supplementation with Ficz (6-formylindolo (3,2-b) carbazole), an AhR agonist, alleviated periodontitis-associated insulin resistance, in which the restoration of gut barrier function might play an important role. Collectively, these findings reveal that the oral-gut translocation of viable P. gingivalis works as a fuel linking periodontitis and insulin resistance, in which reduction of AhR ligands and inactivation of AhR signaling are involved. This study provides novel insight into the role of the oral-gut axis in the pathogenesis of periodontitis-associated comorbidities.

Incremental yield of whole-genome sequencing over chromosomal microarray analysis and exome sequencing for congenital anomalies in prenatal period and infancy: systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

First, to determine the incremental yield of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) over quantitative fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (QF-PCR)/chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) with and without exome sequencing (ES) in fetuses, neonates and infants with a congenital anomaly that was or could have been detected on prenatal ultrasound. Second, to evaluate the turnaround time (TAT) and quantity of DNA required for testing using these pathways.

METHODS

This review was registered prospectively in December 2022. Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, MEDLINE (Web of Science), The Cochrane Library and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched electronically (January 2010 to December 2022). Inclusion criteria were cohort studies including three or more fetuses, neonates or infants with (i) one or more congenital anomalies; (ii) an anomaly which was or would have been detectable on prenatal ultrasound; and (iii) negative QF-PCR and CMA. In instances in which the CMA result was unavailable, all cases of causative pathogenic copy number variants > 50 kb were excluded, as these would have been detectable on standard prenatal CMA. Pooled incremental yield was determined using a random-effects model and heterogeneity was assessed using Higgins' I2 test. Subanalyses were performed based on pre- or postnatal cohorts, cases with multisystem anomalies and those meeting the NHS England prenatal ES inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

A total of 18 studies incorporating 902 eligible cases were included, of which eight (44.4%) studies focused on prenatal cohorts, incorporating 755 cases, and the remaining studies focused on fetuses undergoing postmortem testing or neonates/infants with congenital structural anomalies, constituting the postnatal cohort. The incremental yield of WGS over QF-PCR/CMA was 26% (95% CI, 18-36%) (I2  = 86%), 16% (95% CI, 9-24%) (I2  = 85%) and 39% (95% CI, 27-51%) (I2  = 53%) for all, prenatal and postnatal cases, respectively. The incremental yield increased in cases in which sequencing was performed in line with the NHS England prenatal ES criteria (32% (95% CI, 22-42%); I2  = 70%) and in those with multisystem anomalies (30% (95% CI, 19-43%); I2  = 65%). The incremental yield of WGS for variants of uncertain significance (VUS) was 18% (95% CI, 7-33%) (I2  = 74%). The incremental yield of WGS over QF-PCR/CMA and ES was 1% (95% CI, 0-4%) (I2  = 47%). The pooled median TAT of WGS was 18 (range, 1-912) days, and the quantity of DNA required was 100 ± 0 ng for WGS and 350 ± 50 ng for QF-PCR/CMA and ES (P = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

While WGS in cases with congenital anomaly holds great promise, its incremental yield over ES is yet to be demonstrated. However, the laboratory pathway for WGS requires less DNA with a potentially faster TAT compared with sequential QF-PCR/CMA and ES. There was a relatively high rate of VUS using WGS. © 2023 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Performance of Adaptive Deep Learning Models for Dose Predictions on High-Quality Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Images

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Online plan generation remains a patient-specific and time-consuming process that can place a significant burden on clinics strained with staffing shortages. As previous research show that dose-volume histogram (DVH) prediction plays a crucial role in automatic treatment planning, the objective of this study is to assess the capability of adaptive deep learning models in predicting dose information in volumetric modulation radiotherapy plans using the high-quality CBCT images and contour information of organs-at-risk (OARs).

MATERIALS/METHODS

The relationship between dose-volume histograms (DVHs) in radiotherapy plans and the geometric information of organs-at-risk (OAR) and planning target volume (PTV) has been well established. To evaluate the performance of the current state-of-the-art convolutional neural network (CNN) models including VIT3D and Unet3D, and intuitive machine learning methods (i.e., SVM and MLP), we implemented those models for dose prediction and conducted a comprehensive analysis with treatment plans created from images acquired from patients who consented to participate an IRB-approved imaging study designed to evaluate the imaging performance of the system. In total, 20 plans created by certified medical dosimetrists were employed in this study, with 15 used for training the machine-learning models and the remaining 5 used for performance testing. Two evaluation metrics were used: 1) root mean square error (RMSE) of the predicted dose and true dose and 2) time spent on dose prediction.

RESULTS

The results of the analysis showed that the ViT-3D (Transformer) model had the lowest RMSE of 3.682 ±0.010, followed by the Unet-3D (CNN) model with an RMSE of. 3.973 ±0.021 The MLP model had an RMSE of 8.007 ±0.019 while the SVM model had the highest RMSE of 9.156 ±0.032. For a fair comparison, we use 4-fold cross validation (each has 15 training plans and 5 testing plans), and report the mean value with standard deviation. All models are optimized with Adam optimizer of a learning rate 0.01, and the training process is stopped after 100 epochs. These findings indicate that the ViT-3D (Transformer) model performed the best in terms of predicting the dose information in volumetric modulation radiotherapy plans based on the CBCT images and contour information of OARs. For tested plan which contains 81 CT images (512 × 512 resolution), the inference time to predict dose information with a general CPU machine (6-Core Intel Core i7) is about 1.5 minutes. With GPU resources, such as NVIDIA A100, the inference process can be finished within seconds.

CONCLUSION

The study demonstrated that current state-of-the-art machine-learning models can achieve promising accuracy in dose prediction using high-quality CBCT images. A well-trained machine-learning model could offer clinicians a quick and reliable prediction of the true dose to patients in the case of significant anatomical changes or provide patient-specific optimization objectives if replanning is warranted.

First Report of Neocosmospora mori Causing Root Rot and Stem Blight of Mulberry in Nanzhang, Hubei, China

Mulberry (Morus alba L.) has been cultivated for thousands of years in many temperate regions in East Asia and is commonly used to feed silkworms. In May 2021, 5 to 8% incidence of stem blight on 4-year-old mulberry 'Nongsang 14' was observed in several orchards in Nanzhang County, Hubei Province, China. The roots and stems showed symptoms of vascular discoloration, and the tender new shoots, surrounded by white hyphae, were detached easily. Symptomatic stem tissues (5 mm × 5 mm) were excised from the border between diseased and healthy tissues, surface sterilized in a 75% ethanol solution for 30 s and 2.5% sodium hypochlorite for 1.5 min, washed three times in sterile distilled water, then placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA, 250 g potatoes, 2% dextrose, 1.6% agar), and incubated at 25°C in darkness. Two isolates (Bq2 and Bq3) were subcultured using the single-spore method. On PDA, colonies were cottony, with whitish aerial mycelium and the daily growth rate was 4.25 to 5.50 mm/day at 25°C in darkness. On carnation leaf agar, macroconidia were fusiform with slightly curved apical cells and foot-shaped basal cells, three to five septate, measuring 47.5 to 80.3 × 3.6 to 5.6 μm (average 68.7 × 4.7 μm, n = 30). On spezieller nährstoffarmer agar, microconidia were produced in false heads on monophialides, mostly 0-septate, oval, obovoid, or reniform in shape, measuring 5.1 to 10.7 × 2.7 to 5.3 μm (average 8.5 × 3.3 μm, n = 30). Chlamydospores were 4.9 to 11.0 μm in diameter (average 6.8 μm, n = 30), round shaped, thick-walled, and produced individually or in pairs or in chains. For molecular identification, the ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (ITS), translation elongation factor 1α (EF-1α), 28S large subunit nrDNA (LSU), and calmodulin (CAM) genes were amplified and sequenced with primers ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990), EF1H/EF2T (O'Donnell et al. 1998), LR0R/LR5 ( Vilgalys and Hester 1990; Vilgalys and Sun 1994), and CL1/CL2A (Geiser et al. 2021; Wang et al. 2011), respectively. The sequences were deposited in GenBank (OQ711943-OQ711944 for ITS, OQ722438- Q722439 for EF-1α, OQ722441-OQ722442 for CAM, and OR116152-OR116153 for LSU). A maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analysis based on multilocus sequences was conducted using MEGA7, which showed that the two isolates grouped into a clade with Neocosmospora mori (previously Fusarium solani species complex) supported by a high bootstrap value (85%), and hence, they were identified as N. mori based on morphological and molecular analyses (Brooks et al. 2022; Crous et al. 2021; Lombard et al. 2015; Zeng and Zhuang 2023). To complete Koch's postulates, three healthy 2-month-old seedlings grown in sterile peat mix were removed from pots and the roots were washed in sterile water. Each plant was inoculated by dipping wounded and unwounded roots in a spore suspension (1 × 107 conidia/ml) for 20 min, and then 10 mL of the spore suspension was poured over the roots of each seedling after transplanting. Three plants were treated with sterilized water as a control. The tested plants were then kept in a plastic box containing sterile water and incubated at 25°C in a 12 h/12 h light/dark cycle. The pathogenicity assay was repeated three times for each isolate. Root and stem blight was observed 10 days after inoculation, while the control plants were asymptomatic. Furthermore, fungi with morphological characteristics of N. mori were only reisolated from the symptomatic stems and sequences of LSU matched those of isolates Bq2 and Bq3. This pathogen has been reported previously causing stem blight on mulberry trees in Japan and South Korea (Sandoval-Denis et al. 2019), but to our knowledge, this is the first report of N. mori causing root rot and stem blight of mulberry in China. This report will facilitate the development of effective control strategies for the disease.

Metabolome and Transcriptome Integrated Analysis of Mulberry Leaves for Insight into the Formation of Bitter Taste

Mulberry leaves are excellent for health care, confirmed as a 'drug homologous food' by the Ministry of Health, China. The bitter taste of mulberry leaves is one of the main problems that hinders the development of the mulberry food industry. The bitter, unique taste of mulberry leaves is difficult to eliminate by post-processing. In this study, the bitter metabolites in mulberry leaves were identified as flavonoids, phenolic acids, alkaloids, coumarins and L-amino acids by a combined analysis of the metabolome and transcriptome of mulberry leaves. The analysis of the differential metabolites showed that the bitter metabolites were diverse and the sugar metabolites were down-regulated, indicating that the bitter taste of mulberry leaves was a comprehensive reflection of various bitter-related metabolites. Multi-omics analysis showed that the main metabolic pathway related to bitter taste in mulberry leaves was galactose metabolism, indicating that soluble sugar was one of the main factors of bitter taste difference in mulberry leaves. Bitter metabolites play a great role in the medicinal and functional food of mulberry leaves, but the saccharides in mulberry leaves have a great influence on the bitter taste of mulberry. Therefore, we propose to retain bitter metabolites with drug activity in mulberry leaves and increase the content of sugars to improve the bitter taste of mulberry leaves as strategies for mulberry leaf food processing and mulberry breeding for vegetable use.

[Study on the relationship between secondhand smoke exposure and dyslipidemia in adult residents in Beijing]

Objective: To understand the relationship between secondhand smoke exposure and dyslipidemia among adults in Beijing and to provide a scientific basis for relevant intervention. Methods: Data were from Beijing Adult Non-communicable and Chronic Diseases and Risk Factors Surveillance Program in 2017. A total of 13 240 respondents were selected by multistage cluster stratified sampling method. The monitoring contents include a questionnaire survey, physical measurement, collection of fasting venous blood, and determination of related biochemical indicators. SPSS 20.0 software was used for the chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: The prevalence of total dyslipidemia (39.27%), hypertriglyceridemia (22.61%), and high LDL-C (6.03%) were the highest among those exposed to daily secondhand smoke. Among the male respondents, the prevalence of total dyslipidemia (44.42%) and hypertriglyceridemia (26.12%) were the highest among those exposed to secondhand smoke daily. Multivariate logistic regression analysis after adjustment for confounding factors showed that compared with no exposure to secondhand smoke, the population with an average exposure frequency of 1-3 days per week had the highest risk of total dyslipidemia (OR=1.276, 95%CI: 1.023-1.591). Among the patients with hypertriglyceridemia, those exposed to secondhand smoke daily had the highest risk (OR=1.356, 95%CI: 1.107-1.661). Among the male respondents, those exposed to secondhand smoke for 1-3 days per week had a higher risk of total dyslipidemia (OR=1.366, 95%CI: 1.019-1.831), and the highest risk of hypertriglyceridemia (OR=1.377, 95%CI: 1.058-1.793). There was no significant correlation between the frequency of secondhand smoke exposure and the risk of dyslipidemia among female respondents. Conclusions: Secondhand smoke exposure in Beijing adults, especially men, will increase the risk of total dyslipidemia, especially hyperlipidemia. Improving personal health awareness and minimizing or avoiding exposure to secondhand smoke is necessary.

Physiological and Transcriptome Analyses of Photosynthesis in Three Mulberry Cultivars within Two Propagation Methods (Cutting and Grafting) under Waterlogging Stress

Mulberry is a valuable woody plant with significant economic importance. It can be propagated through two main methods: cutting and grafting. Waterlogging can have a major impact on mulberry growth and can significantly reduce production. In this study, we examined gene expression patterns and photosynthetic responses in three waterlogged mulberry cultivars propagated through cutting and grafting. Compared to the control group, waterlogging treatments reduced levels of chlorophyll, soluble protein, soluble sugars, proline, and malondialdehyde (MDA). Additionally, the treatments significantly decreased the activities of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) in all three cultivars, except for superoxide dismutase (SOD). Waterlogging treatments also affected the rate of photosynthesis (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), and transpiration rate (Tr) in all three cultivars. However, no significant difference in physiological response was observed between the cutting and grafting groups. Gene expression patterns in the mulberry changed dramatically after waterlogging stress and varied between the two propagation methods. A total of 10,394 genes showed significant changes in expression levels, with the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) varying between comparison groups. GO and KEGG analysis revealed important DEGs, including photosynthesis-related genes that were significantly downregulated after waterlogging treatment. Notably, these genes were upregulated at day 10 in the cutting group compared to the grafting group. In particular, genes involved in carbon fixation were significantly upregulated in the cutting group. Finally, cutting propagation methods displayed better recovery capacity from waterlogging stress than grafting. This study provides valuable information for improving mulberry genetics in breeding programs.

[Diagnostic value of multiparametric MRI-based models in the assessment of extra-prostatic extension of prostate cancer]

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) based models in the assessment of extra-prostatic extension (EPE) of prostate cancer. Methods: This retrospective study included 168 consecutive men with prostate cancers [aged 48 to 82 (66.6±6.8) years] who underwent radical prostatectomy and preoperative mpMRI examinations at the First Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from January 2021 to February 2022. According to European Society of Urogenital Radiology (ESUR) score, EPE grade and mEPE score, all cases were independently evaluated by two radiologists, with disagreement reviewed by a senior radiologist as the final result. The diagnostic performance of each MRI-based model for pathologic EPE prediction was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), and the differences between the corresponding area under the curve (AUC) were compared using the DeLong test. The weighted Kappa test was used to evaluate the inter-reader agreement of each MRI-based model. Results: A total of 62 (36.9%) prostate cancer patients had pathologic confirmed EPE after radical prostatectomy. The AUC of ESUR score, EPE grade and mEPE score for predicting pathologic EPE were 0.836 (95%CI: 0.771-0.888), 0.834 (95%CI: 0.769-0.887) and 0.785 (95%CI: 0.715-0.844), respectively. The AUC of ESUR score and EPE grade were both superior to that of mEPE score with significant differences (all P<0.05), while there was no significant difference between the ESUR score and EPE grade models (P=0.900). EPE grading and mEPE score had good inter-reader consistency, with weighted Kappa values of 0.65 (95%CI: 0.56-0.74) and 0.74 (95%CI: 0.64-0.84), respectively. The inter-reader consistency of ESUR score was moderate, and the weighted Kappa value was 0.52 (95%CI: 0.40-0.63). Conclusion: All MRI-based models showed good preoperative diagnostic value in predicting EPE, among which the EPE grade resulted in more reliable performance with substantial inter-reader agreement.

Oscillating Fluid Flow Activated Osteocyte Lysate-Based Hydrogel for Regulating Osteoblast/Osteoclast Homeostasis to Enhance Bone Repair

As major regulators on bone formation/resorption in response to mechanical stimuli, osteocytes have shown great promise for restoring bone injury. However, due to the unmanageable and unabiding cell functions in unloading or diseased environments, the efficacy of osteogenic induction by osteocytes has been enormously limited. Herein, a facile method of oscillating fluid flow (OFF) loading for cell culture is reported, which enables osteocytes to initiate only osteogenesis and not the osteolysis process. After OFF loading, multiple and sufficient soluble mediators are produced in osteocytes, and the collected osteocyte lysates invariably induce robust osteoblastic differentiation and proliferation while restraining osteoclast generation and activity under unloading or pathological conditions. Mechanistic studies confirm that elevated glycolysis and activation of the ERK1/2 and Wnt/β-catenin pathways are the major contributors to the initiation of osteoinduction functions induced by osteocytes. Moreover, an osteocyte lysate-based hydrogel is designed to establish a stockpile of "active osteocytes" to sustainably deliver bioactive proteins, resulting in accelerated healing through regulation of endogenous osteoblast/osteoclast homeostasis.

[A descriptive analysis of hyperlipidemia in adult twins in China]

Objective: To describe the distribution characteristics of hyperlipidemia in adult twins in the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR) and explore the effect of genetic and environmental factors on hyperlipidemia. Methods: Twins recruited from the CNTR in 11 project areas across China were included in the study. A total of 69 130 (34 565 pairs) of adult twins with complete information on hyperlipidemia were selected for analysis. The random effect model was used to characterize the population and regional distribution of hyperlipidemia among twins. The concordance rates of hyperlipidemia were calculated in monozygotic twins (MZ) and dizygotic twins (DZ), respectively, to estimate the heritability. Results: The age of all participants was (34.2±12.4) years. This study's prevalence of hyperlipidemia was 1.3% (895/69 130). Twin pairs who were men, older, living in urban areas, married,had junior college degree or above, overweight, obese, insufficient physical activity, current smokers, ex-smokers, current drinkers, and ex-drinkers had a higher prevalence of hyperlipidemia (P<0.05). In within-pair analysis, the concordance rate of hyperlipidemia was 29.1% (118/405) in MZ and 18.1% (57/315) in DZ, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Stratified by gender, age, and region, the concordance rate of hyperlipidemia in MZ was still higher than that in DZ. Further, in within-same-sex twin pair analyses, the heritability of hyperlipidemia was 13.04% (95%CI: 2.61%-23.47%) in the northern group and 18.59% (95%CI: 4.43%-32.74%) in the female group, respectively. Conclusions: Adult twins were included in this study and were found to have a lower prevalence of hyperlipidemia than in the general population study, with population and regional differences. Genetic factors influence hyperlipidemia, but the genetic effect may vary with gender and area.

[A descriptive analysis on hypertension in adult twins in China]

Objective: To describe the distribution characteristics of hypertension among adult twins in the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR) and to provide clues for exploring the role of genetic and environmental factors on hypertension. Methods: A total of 69 220 (34 610 pairs) of twins aged 18 and above with hypertension information were selected from CNTR registered from 2010 to 2018. Random effect models were used to describe the population and regional distribution of hypertension in twins. To estimate the heritability, the concordance rates of hypertension were calculated and compared between monozygotic twins (MZ) and dizygotic twins (DZ). Results: The age of all participants was (34.1±12.4) years. The overall self-reported prevalence of hypertension was 3.8%(2 610/69 220). Twin pairs who were older, living in urban areas, married, overweight or obese, current smokers or ex-smokers, and current drinkers or abstainers had a higher self-reported prevalence of hypertension (P<0.05). Analysis within the same-sex twin pairs found that the concordance rate of hypertension was 43.2% in MZ and 27.0% in DZ, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The heritability of hypertension was 22.1% (95%CI: 16.3%- 28.0%). Stratified by gender, age, and region, the concordance rate of hypertension in MZ was still higher than that in DZ. The heritability of hypertension was higher in female participants. Conclusions: There were differences in the distribution of hypertension among twins with different demographic and regional characteristics. It is indicated that genetic factors play a crucial role in hypertension in different genders, ages, and regions, while the magnitude of genetic effects may vary.

[Study on the relationship between indexes of different abnormal weight and dyslipidemia in adults in Beijing City]

Objective: To analyze the relationship and consistency between indexes of different abnormal weight and dyslipidemia in adults in Beijing City. Methods: From August to December of 2017, 4 975 residents aged 18 to 79 years old in 5 districts of Beijing were randomly selected as subjects by using a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method. Questionnaire, physical examination and laboratory tests were conducted. The prevalence of overweight/obesity, high body fat rate, central obesity, and high waist-to-height ratio was calculated. Partial correlation was used to analyze the correlation of blood lipid with body mass index (BMI), body fat rate, waist circumference and waist-height ratio. Logistic regression analysis for complex sampling was used to analyze the relationship between indexes of different abnormal weight and dyslipidemia after controlling for relevant risk factors, including age, sex, smoking status, drinking, insufficiency intake of vegetable and fruit, physical inactivity. Kappa value was computed to analyze the consistency between indexes of different abnormal weight. Results: The weighted prevalence of dyslipidemia was 30.48%, and it was higher in men than that in women (40.16% vs. 20.52%, P<0.01). The weighted rate of overweight/obesity, high body fat rate, central obesity, and high waist-to-height ratio was 56.65%, 47.52%, 42.48% and 59.45%, respectively. BMI, body fat rate, waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio were positively correlated with the level of total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and negatively correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Logistic regression analysis for complex sampling showed that the high body fat rate (OR=1.67, 95%CI: 1.35-2.07), overweight/obesity (OR=1.65, 95%CI: 1.26-2.14) and high waist-to-height ratio (OR=1.46, 95%CI: 1.09-1.96) were associated with dyslipidemias. Kappa values of high body fat rate with overweight/obesity, high waist-to-height ratio and central obesity were 0.65, 0.53 and 0.58, respectively (P<0.05). Conclusion: In 2017, the prevalence of dyslipidemia in adults in Beijing City is high, especially in men. Overweight/obesity, high body fat rate and high waist-to-height ratio are associated with dyslipidemia. The high body fat rate is most associated with dyslipidemia.

Characteristics and complete genome analysis of the novel virulent phage Bfsp1 infecting Cytobacillus firmus

We isolated, identified, and characterised Bfsp1, a novel virulent phage of Cytobacillus firmus. Morphologically, Bfsp1 is similar to phi29-like phages. The linear, double-stranded DNA genome of Bfsp1 is 22,320 bp in length, has a GC content of 36.06%, and has 10-bp inverted terminal repeats. The genome contains 33 open reading frames, and functions of 15 of them were predicted. Comparative genome analysis showed that Bfsp1 is distinct from other known phages, and this was confirmed by phylogenetic analysis. Morphological, genomic, and phylogenetic data indicated that Bfsp1 is a novel member of the family Salasmaviridae.

Self-powered aligned porous superhydrophobic sponge for selective and efficient absorption of highly viscous spilled oil

Crude oil spills have caused catastrophic damage to marine ecosystems and become a global challenge. Although various liquid absorption materials have been developed, manual operations such as pumping and electric heating are still required in the face of highly viscous spilled oils. Efficient and autonomous crude oil spill cleanup methods are urgently needed. Here, inspired by the unidirectional microstructure of tree xylem, we report a sponge (SPC-Sponge), which combines superhydrophobic property and aligned porous structures, prepared from a ternary suspension (hydrophobic silica nanoparticles, polyurethane, and cellulose nanofibers) by single-step directional freeze casting. SPC-Sponge not only effectively overcome the limitations of traditional synthetic modification methods on the shape and size of porous sponge materials, but also has excellent oil-water selection function, liquid absorption speed, and liquid absorption capacity compared with common porous materials. Moreover, the sponge can self-absorb highly viscous crude oil of around 80,000 mPa‧s on seawater without external energy and human intervention. By adding multi-walled carbon nanotubes, the sponge can implement in-situ solar heating of crude oil, and the absorption speed is further improved. Given its unique structural design and superwetting property, this SPC-Sponge provides an efficient remediation approach for viscous oil spills.

Screening and Verification of Photosynthesis and Chloroplast-Related Genes in Mulberry by Comparative RNA-Seq and Virus-Induced Gene Silencing

Photosynthesis is one of the most important factors in mulberry growth and production. To study the photosynthetic regulatory network of mulberry we sequenced the transcriptomes of two high-yielding (E1 and E2) and one low-yielding (H32) mulberry genotypes at two-time points (10:00 and 12:00). Re-annotation of the mulberry genome based on the transcriptome sequencing data identified 22,664 high-quality protein-coding genes with a BUSCO-assessed completeness of 93.4%. A total of 6587 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained in the transcriptome analysis. Functional annotation and enrichment revealed 142 out of 6587 genes involved in the photosynthetic pathway and chloroplast development. Moreover, 3 out of 142 genes were further examined using the VIGS technique; the leaves of MaCLA1- and MaTHIC-silenced plants were markedly yellowed or even white, and the leaves of MaPKP2-silenced plants showed a wrinkled appearance. The expression levels of the ensiled plants were reduced, and the levels of chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll were lower than those of the control plants. Co-expression analysis showed that MaCLA1 was co-expressed with CHUP1 and YSL3; MaTHIC was co-expressed with MaHSP70, MaFLN1, and MaEMB2794; MaPKP2 was mainly co-expressed with GH9B7, GH3.1, and EDA9. Protein interaction network prediction revealed that MaCLA1 was associated with RPE, TRA2, GPS1, and DXR proteins; MaTHIC was associated with TH1, PUR5, BIO2, and THI1; MaPKP2 was associated with ENOC, LOS2, and PGI1. This study offers a useful resource for further investigation of the molecular mechanisms involved in mulberry photosynthesis and preliminary insight into the regulatory network of photosynthesis.

[Heritability and genetic correlation of body mass index and coronary heart disease in Chinese adult twins]

Objective: To examine the heritability of body mass index (BMI) and coronary heart disease (CHD), and to explore whether genetic factors can explain their correlation. Methods: Participants were from 11 provinces/municipalities reqistered in the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR) from 2010 to 2018. Participants data were collected from face-to-face questionnaire survey. Bivariate structure equation model was used to estimate the heritability and the genetic correlation of BMI and CHD. Results: A total of 20 340 pairs of same-sex twins aged ≥25 years were included in this study. After adjusting for age and gender, the heritability of BMI and CHD was 0.52 (95%CI: 0.49-0.55) and 0.76 (95%CI: 0.69-0.81), respectively. Further, a genetic correlation was identified between BMI and CHD (r_A=0.10, 95%CI:0.02-0.17). Conclusion: In Chinese adult twin population, BMI and CHD are affected by genetic factors, and their correlation can be attributed to the common genetic basis.

First Report of Colletotrichum aenigma Causing Anthracnose on Mulberry Leaves in China

Mulberry (Morus alba L.) has been grown worldwide as a crop for silkworm rearing for over five thousand years (Jiao et al. 2020). In July 2021, a leaf spot disease was observed on mulberry leaves in Wuhan city (114°33'E, 30°48'N), Hubei province, China, with approximately 40% of leaves (about 300 trees) affected. Early symptoms were light brown, with small lesions subsequently expanding to larger sometimes irregular dark brown or black spots surrounded by yellow-brown margins, with easily perforated necrotic lesions. Leaf tissues (5 mm×5 mm) were excised from the border between diseased and healthy tissues, surface sterilized with 75% ethanol solution for 30 s and 2.5% sodium hypochlorite for 2 min, washed thrice in sterile distilled water, and then placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA), and incubated at 25°C in darkness. Four isolates (C1, C9, CHS2, and CHS6) were subcultured using the single-spore method. On PDA, colonies were cottony, pale white from above, and white to grayish-green on the reverse side. Conidia were aseptate, hyaline, subcylindrical with broadly rounded ends, 8.4 to 18.3×4.1 to 7.7 μm (mean = 13.9×5.5 μm, n = 30). Appressoria were typically elliptic or irregular with a few lobes, dark brown, 5.9 to 9.6×4.2 to 8.1 μm (mean = 7.9 ×5.7 μm, n = 30). The morphological characteristics of the isolates matched the descriptions of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides species complex (Weir et al. 2012). The isolates were further identified by analysis of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (ITS), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), calmodulin (CAL), actin (ACT), chitin synthase (CHS-1), glutamine synthetase (GS), and β-tubulin 2 (TUB2) genes, amplified respectively with ITS1/ITS4, GDF/GDR, CL1C/CL2C, ACT-512F/ACT-783R, CHS-79F/CHS-345R, GSF1/GSR, and Bt2a/Bt2b (Glass and Donaldson 1995; Weir et al. 2012; White et al. 1990). The sequences were deposited in GenBank (ON492187-ON492214). Concatenated sequences of the seven genes in addition to Colletotrichum species sequences from GenBank were used to conduct a phylogenetic analysis using Maximum-Likelihood (ML) method in MEGA7. The four isolates were grouped into a clade with Colletotrichum aenigma supported by a high bootstrap value (89%), and hence, they were identified as C. aenigma based on the morphological and molecular analyses. To confirm Koch's postulates, wounded leaves of six healthy 2-month-old seedlings made by a sterile needle were inoculated with each isolate by spraying 10 ml of conidial suspensions (105 conidia/ml) on each plant, and the control plants were treated with sterile distilled water. All the treated plants were kept in a plastic box containing sterile water and incubated at 28°C in a 12 h/12 h light/dark cycle. The test was performed three times. After 7 days, typical anthracnose lesions appeared on all inoculated leaves, whereas control plants remained asymptotic. Furthermore, C. aenigma was only reisolated from the symptomatic leaves. Previous studies reported five Colletotrichum species (C. morifolium, C. fioriniae, C. brevisporum, C. karstii, and C. kahawae subsp. ciggaro) to cause this disease on mulberry in China (Tian, 1981; Xue et al. 2019). To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. aenigma causing anthracnose on mulberry in China. The finding will facilitate epidemiological studies and the development of effective control strategies for the disease.

P-719 Effect of frozen and thawed embryo transfer on metabolism of children in early childhood

Study question

We aimed to investigate the metabolic profile at age 1.5 – 4 years in chidren conceived from FET.

Summary answer

Plasma concentration of ApoE , fasting insulin and 11 small molecule metabolities were different beween FET group and the NC group.

What is known already

Rencently,we showed that FET-conceived male mouse offspring presented glucose metabolism dysfunction mainly manifesting insulin resistance. Observations from human studies indicate that body fat composition in IVF children is disturbed and children conceived by IVF/ICSI have a less favourable glucose and cardiovascular metabolic profile in childhood when compared with naturally conceived. But human study emphasised on metabolic profile of children concieved from FET is limited, one follow-up study have suggested that children conceived by FET often show abnormal lipid metabolism.

Study design, size, duration

284 children at early childhood (1.5-4 years) conceived from FET or naturally conceived were recruited based on the data from electronic Case Report Forms (e-CRF) in the International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital (IPMCHH) from September 2018 to November 2019. A total of 147 children (with 118 born after FET and 29 conceived naturally) was included for biochemical examination and metabolomics analysis.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

The peripheral venous blood of 147 children aged 1.5 - 4 years (with 118 born after FET and 29 conceived naturally) was drawn in the fasting state (&gt;8h). FBG was measured using a glucometer, plasma concentrations of TC,TG, HDL , LDL were measured by chemistry analyzer, commercial ELISA kits were used for the measurment of Apolipoprotein, insulin, leptin, CRP,FT3, FT4, and TSH. Metabolomic analysis was performed on an UPLC-MS/MS system against 210 metabolites.

Main results and the role of chance

The results of present study revealed that the chidren conceived from FET have different metabolite profile than the naturally conceived children. Except for the higher BMI of chidren from FET group, ApoE and insulin were found respectivedly higher and lower in chidren from FET group than in NC group. As for metabolomic analysis,small metabolities which reflect intestinal fermentation such as second bile acid and short chain fatty acids was significantly higher in children conceived from FET; unsaturated fatty acids which are crucial for neurodevelopment was significanty lower in FET group.

Limitations, reasons for caution

Firstly, due to the small sample size, larger sample size and a longer follow-up period will be needed to observe the long-term metabolic profile and neurobehavioral performance of offspring conceived from FET. Secondly, we did not rule out other factors that may have influence on the metabolism of children.

Wider implications of the findings

To our knowledged, we demenstrated the metabolic profile of chidren born after FET in early childhood by metabolomic analysis for the first time.The fast insulin level was significant decreased in FET group than NC group, which is opposes to previous findings.

Trial registration number

2016YFC1000203

Bilateral vertebral arteries entering the C4 foramen transversarium with the left vertebral artery originating from the aortic arch

Vertebral arteries (VAs) serve as major blood vessels to the central nervous system. VAs typically arise from the subclavian arteries and ascend separately within the transverse foramina of the cervical vertebrae (C6-C1) before entering the skull at the foramen magnum and joining at the base of the pons to form the basilar artery of the vertebrobasilar circulation. Therefore, variations in the origin and anatomic course of the VAs have implications for invasive medical procedures involving the superior thoracic/cervical regions or the cervical vertebrae. The current case report describes variation in the entry point of both VAs and the site of origin of the left vertebral artery. The variation was revealed during routine dissection of a 72-year-old female cadaver. It was found that the left vertebral artery originated directly from the aortic arch to abnormally enter the transverse foramen of C4 instead of the transverse foramen of C6. The right vertebral artery arose as usual from the right subclavian artery. However, the right vertebral artery also directly entered the transverse foramen of C4 instead of the transverse foramen of C6.

Effects of residual feed intake divergence on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and blood biochemical parameters in small-sized meat ducks

Feed efficiency (FE) is a major economic trait of meat duck. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of residual feed intake (RFI) divergence on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and blood biochemical parameters in small-sized meat ducks. A total of 500 healthy 21-day-old male ducks were housed in individual cages until slaughter at 63 d of age. The growth performance was determined for all the ducks. The carcass yield, meat quality, and blood biochemical parameters were determined for the selected 30 high-RFI (HRFI) and 30 low-RFI (LRFI) ducks. In terms of growth performance, the RFI, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and average daily feed intake (ADFI) were found to be significantly lower in the LRFI group (P < 0.01), whereas no differences were observed in the BW and body weight gain (P > 0.05). For slaughter performance, no differences were observed in the carcass traits between the LRFI and HRFI groups (P > 0.05). For meat quality, the shear force of breast muscle was significantly lower in the LRFI group (P < 0.05), while the other meat quality traits of breast and thigh muscles demonstrated no differences (P > 0.05). For blood biochemical parameters, the serum concentrations of triglycerides (TG) and glucose (GLU) were significantly lower in the LRFI group (P < 0.05), while the other parameters showed no differences (P > 0.05). The correlation analysis demonstrated a high positive correlation between RFI, FCR, and ADFI (P < 0.01). The RFI demonstrated a negative effect on the breast muscle and lean meat yields, but a positive effect on the shear force of breast muscle (P < 0.05). Further, the RFI demonstrated a positive effect on the TG and GLU levels (P < 0.05). These results indicate that the selection for low RFI could improve the FE of small-sized meat ducks without affecting the production performance. This study provides valuable insight into the biological processes underlying the variations in FE in small-sized meat ducks.

[Impact of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy for primary liver cancer]

OBJECTIVE

To assess the impact of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on clinical outcomes of patients receiving anti-PD-1 immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study among 215 patients with primary liver cancer receiving immunotherapy between June, 2018 and October, 2020. The patients with balanced baseline characteristics were selected based on propensity matching scores, and among them 33 patients who used NSAIDs were matched at the ratio of 1∶3 with 78 patients who did not use NSAIDs. We compared the overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and disease control rate (DCR) between the two groups.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in OS between the patients using NSAIDs (29.7%) and those who did not use NSAIDs (70.2%). Univariate and multivariate analyses did not show an a correlation of NSAIDs use with DCR (univariate analysis: OR=0.602, 95% CI: 0.299-1.213, P=0.156; multivariate analysis: OR=0.693, 95% CI: 0.330-1.458, P=0.334), PFS (univariate analysis: HR=1.230, 95% CI: 0.789-1.916, P=0.361; multivariate analysis: HR=1.151, 95% CI: 0.732-1.810, P=9.544), or OS (univariate analysis: HR=0.552, 95% CI: 0.208-1.463, P=0.232; multivariate analysis: HR=1.085, 95% CI: 0.685-1.717, P=0.729).

CONCLUSION

Our results show no favorable effect of NSAIDs on the efficacy of immunotherapy in patients with advanced primary liver cancer, but this finding still needs to be verified by future prospective studies of large cohorts.

A Feature Selection Approach Guided an Early Prediction of Anthocyanin Accumulation Using Massive Untargeted Metabolomics Data in Mulberry

Identifying the early predictive biomarkers or compounds represents a pivotal task for guiding a targeted agricultural practice. Despite the various available tools, it remains challenging to define the ideal compound combination and thereby elaborate an effective predictive model fitting that. Hence, we employed a stepwise feature selection approach followed by a maximum relevance and minimum redundancy (MRMR) on the untargeted metabolism in four mulberry genotypes at different fruit developmental stages (FDSs). Thus, we revealed that 7 out of 226 differentially abundant metabolites (DAMs) explained up to 80% variance of anthocyanin based on linear regression model and stepwise feature selection approach accompanied by an MRMR across the genotypes over the FDSs. Among them, the phosphoenolpyruvate, d-mannose and shikimate show the top 3 attribution indexes to the accumulation of anthocyanin in the fruits of these genotypes across the four FDSs. The obtained results were further validated by assessing the regulatory genes expression levels and the targeted metabolism approach. Taken together, our findings provide valuable evidences on the fact that the anthocyanin biosynthesis is somehow involved in the coordination between the carbon metabolism and secondary metabolic pathway. Our report highlights as well the importance of using the feature selection approach for the predictive biomarker identification issued from the untargeted metabolomics data.

[Gene-lifestyle interaction on coronary heart disease in adult twins of China]

Objective: To explore the gene-lifestyle interaction on coronary heart disease (CHD) in adult twins of China. Methods: Participants were selected from twin pairs registered in the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR). Univariate interaction model was used to estimate the interaction, via exploring the moderation effect of lifestyle on the genetic variance of CHD. Results: A total of 20 477 same-sex twin pairs aged ≥25 years were recruited, including 395 CHD cases, and 66 twin pairs both had CHD. After adjustment for age and sex, no moderation effects of lifestyles, including current smoking, current drinking, physical activity, intake of vegetable and fruit, on the genetic variance of CHD were found (P>0.05), suggesting no significant interactions. Conclusion: There was no evidence suggesting statistically significant gene-lifestyle interaction on CHD in adult twins of China.

Exploring the diagnostic utility of genome sequencing for fetal congenital heart defects

OBJECTIVE

The diagnostic yield for congenital heart defects (CHD) with routine genetic testing is around 10-20% when considering the pathogenic CNVs or aneuploidies as positive findings. This is a pilot study to investigate the utility of genome sequencing (GS) for prenatal diagnosis of CHD.

METHODS

Genome sequencing (GS, 30X) was performed on 13 trios with CHD for which karyotyping and/or chromosomal microarray results were non-diagnostic.

RESULTS

Trio GS provided a diagnosis for 4/13 (30.8%) fetuses with complex CHDs and other structural anomalies. Findings included pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in DNAH5, COL4A1, PTPN11, and KRAS. Of nine cases without a possibly genetic etiology by GS, we had follow-up on eight. For five of them (60%), the parents chose to keep the pregnancy. A balanced translocation [46,XX,t(14;22)(q32.33;q13.31)mat] was detected in a trio with biallelic DNAH5 mutations, which together explained the recurrent fetal situs inversus and dextrocardia that was presumably due to de novo Phelan-McDermid syndrome. A secondary finding of a BRCA2 variant and carrier status of HBB, USH2A, HBA1/HBA2 were detected in the trio.

CONCLUSIONS

GS expands the diagnostic scope of mutation types over conventional testing, revealing the genetic etiology for fetal heart anomalies. Patients without a known genetic abnormality indicated by GS likely opted to keep pregnancy especially if the heart issue could be repaired. We provide evidence to support the application of GS for fetuses with CHD. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The aberrant expression of CD45 isoforms and levels of sex hormones in systemic lupus erythematosus

INTRODUCTION

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a common autoimmune disease with significant gender bias in women, and sex hormones are considered to play an important role in the regulation of immune activity. The CD45 isoforms generated through alternative splicing of mRNA identify different functional status of lymphocytes and also are suggested as a biomarker for assessing the progression of SLE, while the modulation of CD45 expression in SLE patients is not clear.

METHODS

In this study, the peripheral blood sera of 46 SLE patients and 15 health individuals were collected for detecting the levels of sex hormones and immune associated factors. The expression of CD45 isoforms and the status of CD45 DNA methylation of the peripheral mononuclear blood cells were detected by flow cytometry and bisulfite sequencing PCR, respectively.

RESULTS

The levels of complement C3 and IgA decreased, especially decline of the serum IgA to the level of selective immunoglobulin A deficiency, and the C-reactive protein increased in SLE patients when compared with healthy controls, which manifested the abnormal immune activity of the SLE patients. Sex hormones detection showed a decreased testosterone and increased prolactin in SLE. An accelerated expression of CD45RO, reduced CD45RA and CD45RB, and a relative hypermethylation of CD45 DNA in SLE were also identified that provided a clue to explain the possible regulatory mechanism for the immune function in SLE.

CONCLUSION

The results indicated that the aberrant CD45 isoforms, DNA methylation and hormone levels might be correlated with the imbalanced immune activity of SLE patients. Key Points • Selective immunoglobulin A deficiency was significantly higher in SLE than in healthy individuals. • SLE patients had decreased testosterone and increased prolactin in the sera. • An aberrant expression of CD45 isoforms and CD45 DNA methylation were identified in SLE.

[Characteristics of high-risk cardiovascular disease among residents aged 35-75 in 8 districts of Beijing]

Objective: To understand the characteristics and current situation of high risks related to cardiovascular disease among residents aged 35-75 in Beijing and to provide scientific reference for the formulation and improvement of cardiovascular disease prevention and control strategies and measures. Methods: According to the data of the Cardiovascular Disease Screening and Management Program in Beijing, 93 520 participants aged 35-75 in 8 districts of Beijing were selected for analysis. We used the χ² test to compare the high-risk prevalence of cardiovascular disease in different population characteristics. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between population characteristics and the high risks of cardiovascular disease. Results: The prevalence of high-risk cardiovascular disease was 20.82% (19 471/93 520). The prevalence of high-risk population in the 65-75 years-old was significantly higher than those of other age groups [29.05% (5 151/17 733), χ²=3 359.37, P<0.001], and the prevalence increased with age (trend χ²=3 121.75, P<0.05). The prevalence of high risk in males was significantly higher than that of women (31.19%, 10 752/34 476 vs. 14.77%, 8 719/59 044, χ²=3 559.87, P<0.05). The most common clustered risk factors appeared as hypertension and diabetes (29.80%, 5 802/19 471), hypertension with smoking (37.84%, 4 069/10 752) in males, and hypertension with diabetes mellitus in females (49.32%, 4 300/8 719), in urban areas (33.62%, 2 571/7 647) and in suburbs (27.33%, 3 231/11 824). Lower education [high school (OR=1.56,95%CI:1.46-1.66), middle school (OR=1.99,95%CI:1.88-2.12), primary school and below (OR=2.28,95%CI:2.12-2.45)], non-Han ethnicity (OR=1.19, 95%CI: 1.07-1.33), unmarried (OR=1.16, 95%CI: 1.08-1.24), drinking alcohol (OR=3.06, 95%CI: 2.94-3.19), obesity (OR=1.85, 95%CI: 1.77-1.93), overweight (OR=1.41, 95%CI: 1.36-1.47), etc., were positively correlated with the high risk of cardiovascular disease. Conclusions: We noticed that the prevalence of high-risk groups of cardiovascular disease aged 35-75 years was around 20% in Beijing, and the proportion in males was higher than females. Low education, drinking, overweight, and obesity were positively correlated with the risks of cardiovascular disease.

[Current status of regular exercise and influencing factors in 18-64 year old labor force population in Beijing]

Objective: To understand the regular exercise status and influencing factors in 18-64 year-old labor force population in Beijing, and provide evidences for behavioral intervention. Methods: Data were collected from Beijing Adult Non-communicable and Chronic Diseases and Risk Factors Surveillance Program from August to December, 2017. The stratified cluster sampling method was used to select 13 240 survey subjects throughout the city. The valid sample size included in this study were 11 604 persons aged 18 to 64 years. Questionnaire was used to collection the information about basic demographic characteristics, chronic disease history and physical activity prevalence of the study subjects. The body height and weight were measured by standard methods. Fasting venous blood samples were collected for the detection of fasting blood glucose, blood lipids and other biochemical indicators. Software SPSS 20.0 was used fort complex sampling sample weighting and data analysis. Results: The proportions of the study subjects who did regular exercise and never had leisure-time activity in 18-64 year-old labor force population in Beijing were 23.74% (95%CI: 21.51%-26.12%) and 64.34% (95%CI: 61.66%-66.94%) respectively; The average daily physical activity time was 23.44 min (95%CI: 21.16-25.71), and the total daily sedentary behavior time was 6.96 hours (95%CI: 6.80-7.13). With the increase of age, the proportions of the study subjects who did regular exercise and never had leisure-time activity increased (P=0.006, P<0.001). With the increase of educational level, the proportion of those who did regular exercise increased (P<0.001), and the proportion of those who never had leisure-time activity decreased (P<0.001); the higher the level of physical activity, the higher the regular exercise proportion (P<0.001); the proportions of employed people who did regular exercise was lower than those in unemployed people (P<0.001); the proportions of women never had leisure-time activity was higher than those in men (P=0.024). The results of multivariate analysis showed that older age and higher education level were positive factors for regular exercise (35- years old: OR=0.653, 95%CI: 0.530-0.804, P<0.001; 50-64 years old: OR=0.695, 95%CI: 0.560-0.864, P=0.001; high school/technical secondary school/technical School: OR=0.679, 95%CI: 0.593-0.777, P<0.001; college graduation: OR=0.478, 95%CI: 0.387-0.590, P<0.001; bachelor degree and above: OR=0.435, 95%CI: 0.347-0.546, P<0.001), while employment (OR=1.631, 95%CI: 1.330-2.000, P<0.001) and married/cohabitation (OR=1.340, 95%CI: 1.093-1.644, P=0.038) were negative factors for regular exercise. Conclusions: The rate of regular exercise in 18-64 year-old labor force population in Beijing needs to be improved. Older age and high educational level were positive factors for regular exercise, while being married and employed were negative factors for it.

Wood-Inspired Compressible Superhydrophilic Sponge for Efficient Removal of Micron-Sized Water Droplets from Viscous Oils

Efficient micron-sized droplet separation materials have become a new demand for environmental protection and economic development. However, existing separation methods are difficult to be effectively used for micron-sized water droplets surrounded by viscous oil, and common materials have difficulty maintaining hydrophilicity underoil. Here, inspired by the microstructure of tree xylem, we report a cellulose-polyurethane sponge (CP-Sponge) with wood-like pores and underoil superhydrophilicity using directional freeze-casting. The CP-Sponge has an excellent selective water absorption capacity underoil and compression resilience. This preparation strategy can flexibly control the sponge's dimensional morphology. The designed cylindrical CP-Sponge can be easily installed in the silicone tube of a peristaltic pump. During pump operation, with a simple absorption, compression, and recovery process, the CP-Sponge continuously and effectively removes micron-sized water from crude oil and lubricating oil, reducing residual water in the oil to less than 2 ppm. The absorption-saturated sponge can be dried to continue recycling. Eco-friendly, recyclable, and sustainable artificial porous sponges provide new ideas and inspiration for the practical application of deep dehydration of viscous oils.

[Investigation on knowledge, attitude and behavior of salt reduction in adults of Beijing in 2017]

Objective: To explore the knowledge, attitude and behavior of salt reduction in adults of Beijing in 2017. Methods: Based on the monitoring data of chronic diseases and corresponding risk factors in adults of Beijing in 2017, the indicators of salt reduction knowledge, attitude and behavior of 13 240 participants aged 18-79 years old were analyzed. The awareness rate, attitude support rate and behavior rate were calculated by complex weighting method, and compared among different age groups, genders, residential areas, and history of hypertension. The proportion of people taking various salt reduction measures to the total number of people was compared. Results: The awareness rate of recommended daily salt intake, the awareness of hypertension caused or aggravated by more salt intake, the attitude support rate and behavior rate of adults were 31.77%, 88.56%, 90.27% and 53.86%, respectively. After weighted adjustment, the awareness rate of recommended daily salt intake was 31.08%, which increased with age (χ²_trend=431.56, P<0.001) and education level (χ²_trend=95.44, P<0.001). The awareness rate of women was higher than that of men (χ²=118.89, P<0.001), and the awareness rate of population in urban areas was higher than that of population in suburban areas (χ²=34.09, P=0.001). The awareness rate of hypertension caused or aggravated by eating more salt was 86.73%. The support rate of salt reduction attitude was 90.45%. The rate of salt-reducing behavior was 54.05%. Among different salt reduction measures, reducing salt when cooking was the most common measure (52.41%), while the least common one (35.22%) was using low sodium salt. Logistic regression model analysis showed that the gender, age, education level, self-reported history of hypertension, awareness of salt recommendation, awareness of hypertension caused or aggravated by eating more salt, and salt reduction attitude were significantly associated with salt reduction behavior. Conclusion: In 2017, adults in Beijing have a basic understanding of the impact of high-salt diet on health and support salt reduction, but the rate of salt reduction behavior is still relatively low. There are obvious gender and age differences, and the salt reduction measure is simple. Targeted measures should be taken to promote the formation of salt reduction behavior.

[Analysis of the current status and related factors of oral nutritional supplements intake among 18-79 years old in Beijing in 2017]

Objective: To understand the current status of taking nutrient supplements for residents aged 18 to 79 years old in Beijing and its related factors. Methods: Data were gathered from the 2017 Beijing Non-communicable and Chronic Disease Surveillance Program. Multiple classified cluster sampling method was used, and participants aged 18-79 were sampled from 16 districts. The questionnaire included chronic diseases and related risk factors, health knowledge, and oral nutritional supplements within 12 months. Multivariate logistic regression models were established to analyze associated factors that affect the intake of nutrient supplements. Results: The weighted prevalence of supplements use was 13.1% among 12 696 subjects within the past 12 months. The proportions of multivitamins (4.7%), B vitamins (4.5%), and folic acid (3.2%) were higher. The prevalence of supplement use of young people (18-39 years old) and the elderly (60-79 years old) was higher than middle-aged people (40-59 years old) (χ²=54.09, P<0.001). Except for the age group of 70-79 years old, the consumption rate of women was significantly higher than that of men (P<0.05). After adjusting age and sex, among patients with hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia, the control rates of blood pressure, glucose and lipids of patients who take nutrient supplements were higher than those who do not (P<0.05). And participants who took nutrient supplements had a more heightened awareness rate of health knowledge, such as the hazards of smoking and second-hand smoke, and recommended amount of salt per day (P<0.001). The multi-factor logistic analysis found that nutrient supplement-related factors include women, old age, higher education level, living in urban, insufficient physical activity, sleeping problems, active physical examination, blood pressure control among patients, and health knowledge (P<0.05). Conclusions: The factors of nutrient supplements use were related to sex, age, education level, health status, and health literacy. We should pay attention to key populations and guide them to establish the correct concept of taking nutrient supplements.

Caloric restriction and Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass promote white adipose tissue browning in mice

PURPOSE

Caloric restriction (CR) and Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) are considered effective means of body weight control, but the mechanism by which CR and RYGB protect against high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity remains elusive. The browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) is a potential approach to combat obesity. Here we assess whether browning of WAT is involved in CR- and RYGB-treatment.

METHODS

The average size of adipocytes was determined by histological analysis. Expression of thermogenic genes in both human subjects and mice were measured by quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTS

The average size of adipocytes was bigger, while the expression of thermogenic genes such as uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), nuclear factor erythroid-2 like 1 (NRF1) and PPARγ coactivator-1 α (PGC1α) were lower in the WAT of obese subjects when compared to lean controls. Both CR and RYGB promoted weight and fat loss. Increment of the average adipocytes size and down-regulation of thermogenic genes were significantly reversed by both CR and RYGB in the WAT of obese mice.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings showed that CR and RYGB significantly improved high-fat diet-induced lipid accumulation by promoting the browning of WAT.

[Gene-body mass index interaction on coronary heart disease in Chinese adult twins]

Objective: To explore the gene-body mass index (BMI) interaction on coronary heart disease (CHD) in the Chinese adult twins. Methods: A total of 20 340 same-sex twin pairs registered in the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR) were enrolled in this study. Classical twin structure equation model was used to estimate the gene-BMI interaction on CHD. Results: After adjusting for age, we found that genetic variance of CHD differed as the function of BMI in male twins, which indicated the presence of a gene-BMI interaction on CHD (P=0.008).The genetic moderating effect (β_a) was -0.14 (95%CI: -0.22--0.04), indicating that for each logarithmic transformation value of BMI increase, genetic path parameters would decrease by 0.14, which would result in the decrease of genetic variance of CHD. And the heritability of CHD was 0.77 (95%CI: 0.65-0.86) among the male twins with lower BMI (<24.0 kg/m²), but 0.56 (95%CI: 0.33-0.74) among the male twins with high BMI (≥24.0 kg/m²). However, there was no evidence suggesting that BMI could moderate genetic variants of CHD in female. Conclusion: We found a significant gene-BMI interaction on CHD in the Chinese male adult twins in China, and the heritability of CHD was higher among the twins whose BMI was <24.0 kg/m².

[Modification of physical activity on genetic effects of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a twin pairs cohort study in China]

Objective: To explore the modification effect of physical activity on the genetic effects of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: The univariate moderation model was fitted to calculate the modifying effect of physical activity on the genetic effects of T2DM based on the data of 12 107 pairs of same gender twins aged 30 years and older enrolled by the Chinese National Twin Registry in 11 provinces/cities in China. Results: After adjusting for age and gender, the heritability of T2DM was 0.56 (0.31-0.84). Qualified physical activity could attenuate the genetic effects of T2DM. The heritability of T2DM in twin pairs with qualified physical activity was 0.46 (0.06-0.88), which was lower than that in twin pairs without qualified physical activity during the same model [0.68(0.36-0.94)]. Conclusion: T2DM is a moderate genetic disease, physical activity can modify the genetic effects of T2DM.

[A descriptive analysis on body mass index distribution in adult twin pairs in China]

Objective: To describe the differences in body mass index (BMI) distribution in adult twins registered in Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR), and provide evidence for the risk factor analysis and prevention and control of overweight or obesity. Methods: A total of 32 725 twin pairs aged 18 years and above who completed the questionnaire survey during 2010-2018 and had complete registered information in CNTR and normal body weight and length were included in the analysis on the population and region specific distributions of BMI of twin pairs and the difference in BMI in twin pairs. Results: The twin pairs included in the analysis were aged (34.6±12.4) years, the twin pairs of same gender accounted for 79.7%. The average BMI was 22.5 kg/m². The overall prevalence of obesity and overweight was 4.9% and 23.7%, respectively. Participants who were men, 50-59 years old, married, had lower education level, and lived in northern China had higher overweight rate and obesity rate (P<0.001). The difference in overweight or obesity prevalence between monozygotic (MZ) twin pars and dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs was not significant, but firstborn twin pairs had slightly higher rates of overweight and obesity than later-born twin pairs (P<0.05). The analysis in same gender-twin pairs indicated that the difference in BMI was associated with age (trend test: P<0.001), and the difference was more obvious in DZ twin pair in MZ pair and this difference increased with age. The concordant rate of BMI was higher in MZ twin pairs than DZ twin pairs (P<0.05). Conclusion: The distribution of BMI of twin pairs varied with population and region and BMI varied with age due to its genetic nature.

Isolation, Characterization, and Genome Sequence Analysis of a Novel Lytic Phage, Xoo-sp15 Infecting Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (X. oryzae) is a bacterial pathovar of rice diseases all over the world. Owing to emerging antibacterial resistance, phage therapies have gained significant attention to treat various bacterial infections. Nevertheless, comprehensive research is needed for their use as a safe biocontrol agent. In this study, isolation and characterization of a novel phage Xoo-sp15, that infects X. oryzae was ascertained through experimental and bioinformatics analyses to determine its virulent potency and reliability. High throughput sequencing demonstrated that Xoo-sp15 has a dsDNA genome with a total size of 157,091 bp and 39.9% GC content lower than its host (63.6%). Morphological and phylogenetic analyses characterized it as a new member of the Bastille-like group within the family Herelleviridae. In silico analysis revealed that it contains 229 open reading frames and 16 tRNAs. Additionally, this novel phage does not contain any resistant determinants and can infect nine X. oryzae strains. Therefore, Xoo-sp15 has the potential to serve as a novel candidate for phage therapy.

Fizeau drag in graphene plasmonics

Dragging of light by moving media was predicted by Fresnel¹ and verified by Fizeau's celebrated experiments² with flowing water. This momentous discovery is among the experimental cornerstones of Einstein's special relativity theory and is well understood^3,4 in the context of relativistic kinematics. By contrast, experiments on dragging photons by an electron flow in solids are riddled with inconsistencies and have so far eluded agreement with the theory^5-7. Here we report on the electron flow dragging surface plasmon polaritons^8,9 (SPPs): hybrid quasiparticles of infrared photons and electrons in graphene. The drag is visualized directly through infrared nano-imaging of propagating plasmonic waves in the presence of a high-density current. The polaritons in graphene shorten their wavelength when propagating against the drifting carriers. Unlike the Fizeau effect for light, the SPP drag by electrical currents defies explanation by simple kinematics and is linked to the nonlinear electrodynamics of Dirac electrons in graphene. The observed plasmonic Fizeau drag enables breaking of time-reversal symmetry and reciprocity¹⁰ at infrared frequencies without resorting to magnetic fields^11,12 or chiral optical pumping^13,14. The Fizeau drag also provides a tool with which to study interactions and nonequilibrium effects in electron liquids.

Gastrodin protects against high glucose-induced cardiomyocyte toxicity via GSK-3β-mediated nuclear translocation of Nrf2

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the major complications of diabetes that causes mortality and morbidity in diabetic patients. Gastrodin (GSTD) is a bioactive phenolic glucoside component of an ancient Chinese herb Tianma (Gastrodia elata Bl.), which is widely used for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases by ancient Chinese. Up to now, whether GSTD has a beneficial effect on DCM is unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of GSTD on high glucose-induced injury in H9c2 rat cardiomyocytes and HL-1 mouse cardiomyocytes, and its underlying mechanisms. High glucose (33 mM) treatment caused cardiomyocyte toxicity, oxidative stress and apoptosis in both H9c2 and HL-1 cells. Under both normal (5.5 mM glucose) and high glucose conditions, GSTD showed protective effect against high glucose-induced cytotoxicity and promoted the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 in a concentration and time-dependent manner in H9c2 and HL-1 cells. Knockdown of Nrf2 expression using siRNA specifically targeting Nrf2 attenuated the protective effect of GSTD. Furthermore, GSTD promoted the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 via activating glycogen synthase kinse-3β (GSK-3β) signaling pathway. 4-benzyl, 2-methyl, 1, 2, 4-thiadiazolidine, 3, 5 dione (TDZD-8), an inhibitor of GSK-3β, inhibited the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 induced by GSTD, and attenuated the protective effect of GSTD as Nrf2 knockdown did. In summary, GSTD could protect against high glucose-induced cardiomyocyte toxicity via GSK-3β-mediated nuclear translocation of Nrf2.