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G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are sensors for the G protein complex to sense changes in environmental factors and molecular switches for G protein complex signal transduction. In this study, the homologous gene of GPCR-like proteins was identified from maize and named as ZmCOLD1. Subcellular analysis showed that the ZmCOLD1 protein is localized to the cell membrane and endoplasmic reticulum. A CRISPR/Cas9 knock-out line of ZmCOLD1 was further created and its plant height was significantly lower than the wild-type maize at both the seedling and adult stages. Histological analysis showed that the increased cell number but significantly smaller cell size may result in dwarfing of zmcold1 , indicating that the ZmCOLD1 gene could regulate plant height development by affecting the cell division process. Additionally, ZmCOLD1 was verified to interact with the maize Gα subunit, ZmCT2, though the central hydrophilic loop domain by in vivo and in vitro methods. Abscisic acid (ABA) sensitivity analysis by seed germination assays exhibited that zmcold1 were hypersensitive to ABA, indicating its important roles in ABA signaling. Finally, transcriptome analysis was performed to investigate the transcriptional change in zmcold1 mutant. Overall, ZmCOLD1 functions as a GPCR-like protein and an important regulator to plant height.

Wetlands play a key role in maintaining ecological balance and climate regulation. However, due to the complex and variable spectral characteristics of wetlands, there are no publicly available global 30-meter time-series wetland dynamic datasets at present. In this study, we present novel global 30 m annual wetland maps (GWL_FCS30D) using time-series Landsat imagery on the Google Earth Engine platform, covering the period of 2000-2022 and containing eight wetland subcategories. Specifically, we make full use of our prior globally distributed wetland training sample pool, and adopt the local adaptive classification and spatiotemporal consistency checking algorithm to generate annual wetland maps. The GWL_FCS30D maps were found to achieve an overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient of 86.95 ± 0.44% and 0.822, respectively, in 2020, and show great temporal variability in the United States and the European Union. We expect the dataset would provide vital support for wetland ecosystems protection and sustainable development., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Desertification is a major manifestation of land degradation in China. The monitoring and assessment of land desertification in China and the analysis of its driving mechanisms are crucial to the realization of the aspiration of "net zero land degradation" proposed by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). An improved Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use (MEDALUS) model was applied to assess the multiyear spatial distribution of land desertification sensitivity across China in 2010, 2015, and 2020. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to evaluate the internal stability of the model. In addition, a Geographical Detector method was used to examine the driving mechanisms of desertification sensitivity in China. The results showed that extremely sensitive desertification areas were primarily concentrated within the Northwest Desert and Desertification Region, northern segment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau desert and desertification region, and western sector of the Inner Mongolia-Daxinganling Desert and Desertification Region. In addition, the proportion of land area showing an overall reduction in sensitivity (17.07 %) exceeded that showing an increase (16.56 %). This indicates an overall diminishing trend in sensitivity to land desertification across China. Land use intensity (LUI), drought resistance (DR), erosion protection (EP), and aridity index (AI) are consistently the most important drivers. From 2015 to 2020, the LUI emerged as the principal catalyst behind the transformation of land desertification sensitivity in China. Hence, emphasizing well-planned land use is vital for ensuring harmony between land utilization and ecological capacity. This study establishes a scientific basis for China's land desertification control strategy and serves as a quantitative analysis reference for the driving mechanisms., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Geriatric diseases (e.g., chronic diseases and geriatric syndromes) may result in impaired physical performance and a decline in the quality of life. The results of previous studies reported the positive effects of comprehensive community-based rehabilitation (CBR) services on physical and social functioning and psychosocial wellbeing. However, to provide adequate and personalised rehabilitation services, it is essential to understand the needs of the older adults population. There have been no studies on the need for CBR in older adults populations that consider their heterogeneity. Therefore, high-quality studies are required to recognise the heterogeneity and latent classes of CBR needs in older adults population groups. This study aims to identify the heterogeneity of the rehabilitation needs of older adults in the community and explore whether older adults with similar characteristics have similar needs through a cross-sectional survey and latent class analysis (LCA) to provide support for personalised rehabilitation services., Methods: The study is structured into four phases. The first phase will focus on constructing a comprehensive questionnaire to assess rehabilitation needs. In the second phase, a pilot study will be conducted to evaluate the reliability and validity of the completed questionnaire. This step ensures the robustness of the instrument for data collection. The third phase will involve cross-sectional surveys using the finalised questionnaires to collect the necessary data from the targeted population. The fourth phase will focus on conducting LCA to determine the CBR needs of the older adult population., Discussion: The results of this study will provide novel and critical information for a better understanding of the rehabilitation needs, potential categories, and influencing factors of older adults in the community. The study will be conducted in Guizhou Province in western China, where economic and social development is relatively low, and the results will inform and benefit other regions and developing countries facing similar challenges. However, because of the complete social security and rehabilitation service systems in developed areas, our research results may not fully reflect the situation in these areas. Future studies may need to be conducted in places with different levels of social development., Clinical Trial Registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=191398, ChiCTR2300071478., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Xu, Xue, Yang, Chen, Chen, Xie, Wang, Wang and Wang.)

Numerous validation efforts have been conducted over the last decade to assess the accuracy of global leaf area index (LAI) products. However, such efforts continue to face obstacles due to the lack of sufficient high-quality field measurements. In this study, a fine-resolution LAI dataset consisting of 80 reference maps was generated during 2003-2017. The direct destructive method was used to measure the field LAI, and fine-resolution LAI images were derived from Landsat images using semiempirical inversion models. Eighty reference LAI maps, each with an area of 3 km × 3 km and a percentage of cropland larger than 75%, were selected as the fine-resolution validation dataset. The uncertainty associated with the spatial scale effect was also provided. Ultimately, the fine-resolution reference LAI dataset was used to validate the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LAI product. The results indicate that the fine-resolution reference LAI dataset builds a bridge to link small sampling plots and coarse-resolution pixels, which is extremely important in validating coarse-resolution LAI products., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a highly malignant and lethal tumor. In addition to surgery, immunotherapy is currently a more effective treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma. The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) largely determines the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Based on the universal targeting of TIME modulators in clinical treatment, TIME modulators are promising targets for tumor immunotherapy. We investigated the effect of a double gene expression vector (recombinant galactose-terminal glycol-poly-L-lysine coupled MIP-3α-FL) on dendritic cells (DCs) regulation within the TIME of mice with liver cancer. H22 cells were transfected with a recombinant MIP-3α-FL plasmid to induce DCs differentiation and chemotaxis. The effects of transfection were investigated by flow cytometry following the modified Boyden's method. Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells co-culture revealed changes in the antigen presentation ability of DCs. Further, tumor-bearing mice were injected with the recombinant double gene vector via the tail vein. We compared the survival time, tumor volume, weight of the mice, as well as the number and phenotype of tumor-infiltrating DCs (TIDCs) between groups. The supernatant of transfected H22 cells promoted the phenotypic maturation of DCs, enhancing their chemotaxis. Further, treated DCs promoted the cytokine secretion and killing ability of CIK cells. The survival time of mice injected with the double gene vector was significantly prolonged, while their tumor weight and volume were relatively reduced. Flow cytometry revealed that the number of TIDCs (as well as CD80 and CD86 expression) in the Mouse MIP-3α-FL group, were significantly higher than in the control group. The combination of MIP-3α and FL can significantly promote DCs aggregation, maturation, and enhance their antigen presentation ability. The coupling of the double gene vector with glycosylated polylysine can improve the precise targeting of the liver and inhibit tumor growth in vivo , providing a novel approach for immune therapy in liver cancer., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Zhao, Chen, Chen, Yang, Zhang, Li, Zhao and He.)

The carbon catabolite repressor 4-negative on TATA (CCR4-NOT) complex, abbreviated CNOT, has deadenylation and 3'-5' exonuclease activity, mediates deadenylation in the degradation of RNA, initiates the exonuclease degradation pathway, and participates in tumor gene regulation. CNOT proteins comprise a family of global transcriptional regulators that are evolutionarily conserved in eukaryotic cells. Several subunit types of the CNOT complex have been discovered; however, little is known about the role of different subunits in tumorigenesis and development. We observed overexpression of CNOT1-11 in liver cancer and correlations with clinicopathological characteristics. The expression of some CNOTs subunits was associated with histological grades, lymph node metastasis, and tumor stages in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our data suggested that some CNOTs can be used as predictors of poor prognosis in HCC patients. At the same time, we conducted an analysis of CNOTs mutations in HCC patients. Moreover, we selected CNOT6, CNOT10, and CNOT11 for protein interaction network analysis and Gene Ontology enrichment analysis to investigate their related biological processes and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Finally, the results of western blot and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) experiments were consistent with the database findings. Results of this study suggest that CNOT6, CNOT10, and CNOT11, acting as regulators of transcription, may play an important role in the development of HCC and may serve as biological markers in the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC.

Pancreatic cancer is characterized by the absence of early specific clinical symptoms, accompanied with rapid metastasis and invasion. It is one of the most prevalent types of cancer and more importantly, one of the most common types of malignant cancer with the highest mortality rate of all cancer types. The heparanase (HPA)/syndecan-1 (SDC1) axis has been reported to promote tumor growth, invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis in a variety of cancer types; however, studies into the role and mechanism of the HPA/SDC1 axis in pancreatic cancer are limited. The present study aimed to investigate the biological function and clinical significance of the HPA/SDC1 axis in pancreatic cancer. The results demonstrated that HPA is elevated in pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines, and that its high expression was associated with poor prognosis. HPA was revealed to mediate an increase in fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) expression by upregulating the expression of SDC1. Conversely, silencing HPA mediated the suppression of FGF2 expression. Furthermore, upregulated FGF2 was observed to increase the expression of downstream Palladin proteins by activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and also lead to the activation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Subsequently, EMT was found to promote the migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. In summary, the HPA/SDC1 axis was revealed to serve an important role in the regulation of FGF2, and was found to promote the invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells. These findings indicated that the HPA/SDC1 axis may be used as an effective therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer., (Copyright: © Chen et al.)

Recently, the impacts of microRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified in epilepsy (EP), this study was designed to assess the role of miR-183 in hippocampal neuron injury in EP. Rat EP models were established by injected with lithium-pilocarpine. The pathological observation of rats' hippocampus sections was conducted. Expression of miR-183, Foxp1, Jak1, Stat1, and Stat3 in rats' hippocampal tissues was determined by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot analysis. The proliferation ability and the apoptosis of the rats' neurons were measured. Furthermore, the target relation between miR-183 and Foxp1 was determined by bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase gene reporter assay. The levels of miR-183, Jak1, Stat1, and Stat3 were elevated, and the expression of Foxp1 was declined in EP rats' hippocampal tissues. Inhibited miR-183 could up-regulate Foxp1, inhibited miR-183 together with up-regulated Foxp1 could repress hippocampal neuron injury, promote neuron proliferation, suppress neuron apoptosis, and inactivate the Jak/Stat signaling pathway, resulting in an attenuation of EP progression. Moreover, down-regulated Foxp1 could reverse the attenuation of EP progression which was contributed by inhibited miR-183. Our study implies that inhibited miR-183 could up-regulate Foxp1, resulting in an inactivation of the Jak/Stat signaling pathway and promotion of neuron proliferation, as well as inhibition of apoptosis of hippocampal neurons in EP rats, by which the hippocampal neuron injury and EP progression could be repressed.

Background: Although several studies have assessed the effect of Tai Chi in management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), these studies have a wide sample variation and convey inconclusive results. This study aims to determine if a 3-month Tai Chi program improves lung function, exercise capacity, and health related quality of life (HRQoL) in people with COPD., Methods: A randomised controlled, single blind trial was undertaken. Patients were randomly allocated to either Tai Chi group (n=26) or control group (n=24). Participants in the Tai Chi group received a Tai Chi exercise program three times weekly for 3-months while participants in the control group were advised to maintain their routine activities. Outcome measures included lung function, 6-minute walk distance (6WMD) and COPD Assessment Test (CAT). The measurements took place at baseline and immediately after the 3-month intervention period., Results: Of 50 participants, 46 completed the intervention. Compared to control, Tai Chi significantly increased 6WMD (mean difference 60.5m, 95% CI 30.27-78.69), and reduced score of CAT (mean difference 14 points, 95% CI 11-24). An 86% compliance to the Tai Chi training was noted and no adverse events were observed in Tai Chi group., Conclusions: The Tai Chi program is a safe, effective and feasible method to improve exercise capacity and health-related quality of life in people with COPD., (Copyright © 2018 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Extrahepatic biliary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (EBNHL) is rare, with a prevalence of 0.6% of malignant biliary tumors. Primary biliary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma accounts for 0.4% of extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), accounting for approximately 0.016% of all NHL cases. The patient presented with typical bile duct disappearance syndrome. The late performance is a bloodthirsty syndrome., Presentation of Case: This patient was admitted to the hospital with "intermittent fever, abdominal pain for 19 days". The relevant laboratory tests showed severe infection. The patients were treated according to abdominal infection, and then laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed. After the operation, the patient's condition did not relieve and further deteriorated. Postoperative patient performance was not based on preoperative estimates, and surgery did not achieve the desired results. Postoperative pathological diagnosis confirmed gallbladder non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The patient eventually died., Discussion: Non-calculus inflammation occurs more frequently in the gallbladder. Non-calculus infections are generally caused by bile stasis and ischemia, resulting in bacterial reproduction and reduced blood supply, and gangrene and perforation of the gallbladder are more likely to occur. This patient is also diagnosed and treated according to this idea. The development after surgery completely exceeded our expectations. Gallbladder non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is very rare, and this case also includes hemophagocytic syndrome and bile duct disappearance syndrome, which is rare., Conclusion: Malignant lymphoma of the extrahepatic biliary system is extremely rare, and its clinical manifestations are easily misdiagnosed. At the same time, non-calculous cholecystitis with fever, jaundice and hepatosplenomegaly should be considered., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The novel reductive graphene oxide-based magnetic molecularly imprinted poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) polymers (rGO@m-MIPs) were successfully synthesized as adsorbents for six kinds of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish samples. rGO@m-MIPs was prepared by surface molecular imprinting technique. Besides, Fe3 O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were employed as magnetic supporters, and rGO@Fe3 O4 was in situ synthesis. Different from functional monomer and cross-linker in traditional molecularly imprinted polymer, here, 3,4-dichlorobenzidine was employed as dummy molecular and poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) was adopted as the imprinted polymers. After morphology and inner structure of the magnetic adsorbent were characterized, the adsorbent was employed for disperse solid phase extraction toward PCBs and exhibited great selectivity and high adsorption efficiency. This material was verified by determination of PCBs in fish samples combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method. According to the detection, the low detection limits (LODs) of PCBs were 0.0035-0.0070 µg l(-1) and spiked recoveries ranged between 79.90 and 94.23%. The prepared adsorbent can be renewable for at least 16 times and expected to be a new material for the enrichment and determination of PCBs from contaminated fish samples., (Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Atomic steps, a defect common to all crystal surfaces, can play an important role in many physical and chemical processes. However, attempts to predict surface dynamics under nonequilibrium conditions are usually frustrated by poor knowledge of the atomic processes of surface motion arising from mass transport from/to surface steps. Using low-energy electron microscopy that spatially and temporally resolves oxide film growth during the oxidation of NiAl(100) we demonstrate that surface steps are impermeable to oxide film growth. The advancement of the oxide occurs exclusively on the same terrace and requires the coordinated migration of surface steps. The resulting piling up of surface steps ahead of the oxide growth front progressively impedes the oxide growth. This process is reversed during oxide decomposition. The migration of the substrate steps is found to be a surface-step version of the well-known Hele-Shaw problem, governed by detachment (attachment) of Al atoms at step edges induced by the oxide growth (decomposition). By comparing with the oxidation of NiAl(110) that exhibits unimpeded oxide film growth over substrate steps we suggest that whenever steps are the source of atoms used for oxide growth they limit the oxidation process; when atoms are supplied from the bulk, the oxidation rate is not limited by the motion of surface steps.

Novel multi-walled carbon nanotube modified dummy-template molecularly imprinted microspheres (MWCNTs@DMMIPs) were successfully synthesized as adsorbents for six kinds of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). MWCNTs@DMMIPs were prepared by a surface molecular imprinting technique. Core-shell Fe3 O4 @SiO2 nanoparticles were employed as magnetic support. 3,4-Dichlorobenzene acetic acid was used as a dummy template instead of PCBs, methacrylic acid was used as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate was used as the cross-linker. The resulting absorbent was characterized by various methods. The adsorbent was employed for extracting PCBs and exhibited good selectivity and high adsorption efficiency. Furthermore, it was reusable and capable of magnetic separation. Adsorption kinetics fit well with a pseudo-second-order kinetic equation and also exhibited a three-stage intra-particle diffusion model. The Freundlich model was used to describe the adsorption isotherms. The materials were successfully applied to the magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction of six kinds of PCBs followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry determination in fish samples, the limit of detection of six kinds of PCBs were 0.0028-0.0068 μg/L and spiked recoveries ranged between 73.41 and 114.21%. The prepared adsorbent was expected to be a new material for the removal and recovery of PCBs from contaminated foods., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)