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This study was conducted during October 2021 (autumn) and April 2022 (spring) to explore the phytoplankton community structure, their distribution characteristics, and the influence of environmental factors in the coastal waters of the Southern Beibu Gulf. The 15 sampling sites were grouped based on the difference in offshore distance to analyze the temporal and spatial differences in community structure and environmental driving in the investigated sea area of the coastal waters of the Southern Beibu Gulf. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance was conducted on the sample data in time and space, revealing that there is no significant difference in space (p > 0.05), but there is significant difference in time (p < 0.05). Notably, water pressure, pH, chemical oxygen demand, nitrite, and labile phosphate were higher in autumn, while total ammonia nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, and suspended solids were significantly higher in spring. Additionally, the study identified 87 phytoplankton species belonging to 6 phyla, dominating by Bacillariophyta, followed by Dinophyta and Cyanophyta. The phytoplankton density, Shannon Weiner's diversity index (H'), Pielou's evenness index (J), and Margalef's richness index (D) ranged from 84.88 to 4675.33 cells L -1 , 0.56 to 2.58, 0.26 to 0.89, and 1.21 to 3.64, respectively. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance showed non-significant spatial differences in phytoplankton composition (p > 0.05) but seasonal differences (p < 0.05). Furthermore, canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) identified pH, dissolved oxygen, suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand, nitrite, and labile phosphate as key environmental factors influencing the phytoplankton community structure (p < 0.05). In this study, the dynamic changes of phytoplankton community structure and environmental factors in the southern coastal waters of Beibu Gulf were analyzed in detail from two aspects of time and space. The key environmental factors to protect the ecological environment in the southern coastal area of Beibu Gulf were found out. It provides a reference method and theoretical basis for the management and protection of Beibu Gulf and other tropical marine environment., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Recently, some new Qi-Nan clones of Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Spreng which intensively produces high-quality agarwood have been identified and propagated through grafting techniques. Previous studies have primarily focused on ordinary A. sinensis and the differences in composition when compared to Qi-Nan and ordinary A. sinensis . There are few studies on the formation mechanism of Qi-Nan agarwood and the dynamic changes in components and endophytic fungi during the induction process. In this paper, the characteristics, chemical composition, and changes in endophytic fungi of Qi-Nan agarwood induced after 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years were studied, and Qi-Nan white wood was used as the control. The results showed that the yield of Qi-Nan agarwood continued to increase with the induction time over a period of 3 years, while the content of alcohol extract from Qi-Nan agarwood reached its peak at two years. During the formation of agarwood, starch and soluble sugars in xylem rays and interxylary phloem are consumed and reduced. Most of the oily substances in agarwood were filled in xylem ray cells and interxylary phloem, and a small amount was filled in xylem vessels. The main components of Qi-Nan agarwood are also chromones and sesquiterpenes. With an increasing induction time, the content of sesquiterpenes increased, while the content of chromones decreased. The most abundant chromones in Qi-Nan agarwood were 2-(2-Phenethyl) chromone, 2-[2-(3-Methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl) ethyl] chromone, and2-[2-(4-Methoxyphenyl) ethyl] chromone. Significant differences were observed in the species of the endophytic fungi found in Qi-Nan agarwood at different induction times. A total of 4 phyla, 73 orders, and 448 genera were found in Qi-Nan agarwood dominated by Ascomycota and Basidiomycota . Different induction times had a significant effect on the diversity of the endophytic fungal community in Qi-Nan. After the induction of agarwood formation, the diversity of Qi-Nan endophytic fungi decreased. Correlation analysis showed that there was a significant positive correlation between endophytic fungi and the yield, alcohol extract content, sesquiterpene content, and chromone content of Qi-Nan agarwood, which indicated that endophytic fungi play a role in promoting the formation of Qi-Nan agarwood. Qi-Nan agarwood produced at different induction times exhibited strong antioxidant capacity. DPPH free radical scavenging activity and reactive oxygen species clearance activity were significantly positively correlated with the content of sesquiterpenes and chromones in Qi-Nan agarwood., 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 Li, Fang, Cui, Hong, Liu, Li, Hu and Xu.)

The Golgi apparatus plays a crucial role in intracellular protein transportation, processing, and sorting. Dysfunctions of the Golgi apparatus have been implicated in tumorigenesis and drug resistance. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic and treatment response assessment value of Golgi apparatus-related gene (GARGs) features in gastric cancer patients. Transcriptome data and clinical information of gastric cancer patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases. Cox regression analysis was employed to assess the prognostic significance of GARGs and construct risk features. The immune landscape, drug sensitivity, immune therapy response, gene expression patterns, and somatic mutation characteristics were analyzed between different risk groups. A nomogram model for predicting gastric cancer prognosis was developed and evaluated. Among 1643 GARGs examined, 365 showed significant associations with gastric cancer prognosis. Five independent prognostic GARGs (NGF, ABCG1, CHAC1, GBA2, PCSK7) were selected to construct risk features for gastric cancer patients. These risk features effectively stratified patients into high-risk and low-risk groups, with the former exhibiting worse prognosis than the latter. Patients in the high-risk group displayed higher levels of immune cell infiltration, while the expression levels of NGF, CHAC1, GBA2, PCSK7 were significantly correlated with immune cell infiltration. Notably, the low-risk group exhibited higher sensitivity to epothilone.B, metformin, and tipifarnib compared to the high-risk group. Moreover, patients in the low-risk group demonstrated greater responsiveness to immune therapy than those in the high-risk group. In terms of biological processes and KEGG pathways related to immunity regulation, significant suppression was observed in the high-risk group compared to the low-risk group; meanwhile cell cycle pathways exhibited significant activation in the high-risk group. Furthermore, the low-risk group exhibited a higher tumor mutation burden compared to the high-risk group. The risk features derived from GARGs, in conjunction with age, were identified as independent risk factors for gastric cancer. The nomogram incorporating these factors demonstrated improved performance in predicting gastric cancer prognosis. Our study established risk features derived from GARGs that hold potential clinical utility in prognostic assessment and immune therapy response evaluation of gastric cancer patients., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: In traditional Asian medicine, Gynostemma pentaphyllum Makino leaf extract (Gp) is used to treat aging, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases. Hair loss and hair-graying are common phenomena that haunt everyone. However, whether Gp activities on inhibition of hair loss and getting gray have been rarely studied., Aim: Study the Gp activity and mechanism by in vivo and in vitro experiments to explore its application on hair health., Methods: In the present study, we determined the effects of Gp on the expression of hair growth-related genes and proliferation of human dermal papilla cells (hDPCs). Furthermore, Gp was topically applied to the hair-shaved skin of male C57BL/6 mice, and the histological profile of the skin was studied. Because emotional stress may lead to melanocyte disappearance, norepinephrine-exposed mice B16 melanocytes were treated with Gp to elucidate the anti-hair graying capacity of Gp in response to this stress type., Results: Gp stimulated the proliferation of hDPCs and the Wnt signaling pathways associated with hair growth; furthermore, the expression of the hair loss-related gene transforming growth factor-β1 was suppressed. Gp treatment significantly increased the size of hair follicles in the treated mice and stimulated them. Moreover, Gp not only increased melanin synthesis but also tyrosinase activity in B16 cells. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that Gp increased melanin synthesis by increasing the expression of tyrosine-related protein-1, tyrosine-related protein-2, tyrosinase, and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor., Conclusion: Our study provides preclinical evidence regarding the potential of Gp as a promising hair growth and anti-graying agent., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Approximately 35% of pituitary adenoma (PA) display an aggressive profile, resulting in low surgical total resection rates, high recurrence rates, and worse prognosis. However, the molecular mechanism of PA invasion remains poorly understood. Although "a disintegrin and metalloproteinases" (ADAMs) are associated with the progression of many tumors, there are no reports on ADAM22 in PA., Methods: PA transcriptomics databases and clinical specimens were used to analyze the expression of ADAM22. PA cell lines overexpressing wild-type ADAM22, the point mutation ADAM22, the mutated ADAM22 without disintegrin domain, and knocking down ADAM22 were generated. Cell proliferation/invasion assays, flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, co-immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry, Reverse transcription-quantitative real-time PCR, phos-tag SDS-PAGE, and Western blot were performed for function and mechanism research. Nude mice xenograft models and rat prolactinoma orthotopic models were used to validate in vitro findings., Results: ADAM22 was significantly overexpressed in PA and could promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion of PA cells. ADAM22 interacted with integrin β1 (ITGB1) and activated FAK/PI3K and FAK/ERK signaling pathways through its disintegrin domain to promote PA progression. ADAM22 was phosphorylated by PKA and recruited 14-3-3, thereby delaying its degradation. ITGB1-targeted inhibitor (anti-itgb1) exerted antitumor effects and synergistic effects in combination with somatostatin analogs or dopamine agonists in treating PA., Conclusions: ADAM22 was upregulated in PA and was able to promote PA proliferation, migration, and invasion by activating ITGB1 signaling. PKA may regulate the degradation of ADAM22 through post-transcriptional modification levels. ITGB1 may be a potential therapeutic target for PA., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Somatostatin analogues (SSTA) are first-line pharmacological treatment choice for acromegaly, which received satisfying tumor shrinkage and normalization of growth hormone. However, there are still patients unresponsive to SSTA, and the underline mechanism remains unknown. Besides, there is no evidence regarding the role of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and its transmission in SSTA resistance, which also require investigation. Primary growth hormone adenoma cells and cell lines were treated with SSTA; autophagy double-labeled LC3 (mRFP-GFP) adenovirus transfection, flow cytometry sorting, western blotting, calcium imaging as well as immunofluorescence staining were used to determine ERS and autophagy signal transmission; xenograft and syngeneic tumor in vivo model were exploited to confirm the ERS signal transmission mediated effect. Our results revealed that SSTA induces ERS in pituitary growth hormone (GH) adenoma cells. The ERS signals can be intercellularly transmitted, leading to less responsible to SSTA treatment. Moreover, SSTA stimulates inositol triphosphate (IP 3 ) elevation, mediating ERS intercellular transfer. In addition, connexin 36 tunnels ERS transmission, and its blocker, Quinine, exhibits a synergistic effect with SSTA treating GH adenoma. Our study provided insight into ERS intercellular transmission mediated SSTA resistance, which could be translated into clinical usage to improve SSTA efficiency in GH adenoma treatment., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Previous studies revealed structural differences in subcortical regions between monolinguals and bilinguals; however, whether the functional neuroplasticity of the subcortex is modulated by different bilingual experiences remains unclear. Here, we examined the effect of age of second language acquisition (AoA-L2) and usage of L2 (Usage-L2) on subcorto-cortical and intra-subcortical functional connectivity (FC) in bilinguals by using resting-state fMRI data. The relations between brain measurements and bilingual experiences were revealed by using multiple regression analysis. We found that increased AoA-L2 was mainly related to decreased subcortical FC involving the anterior thalamus, basal ganglia, and hippocampus. Increased Usage-L2 at home was mainly associated with decreased subcortical FC of the amygdala, globus pallidus, hippocampus, and nucleus accumbens. The FC of these subcortical regions displayed a positive relation with Usage-L2 in social settings. These findings reveal that bilingual experiences modulate the functional neuroplasticity of the subcortex in different ways., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Human life and health are gravely threatened by brain diseases. The onset and progression of the illnesses are influenced by a variety of factors, including pathogenic causes, environmental factors, mental issues, etc. According to scientific studies, neuroinflammation and oxidative stress play a significant role in the development and incidence of brain diseases by producing pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative tissue damage to induce inflammation and apoptosis. Neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and oxidative stress-related changes are inseparable factors in the etiology of several brain diseases. Numerous neurodegenerative diseases have undergone substantial research into the therapeutic alternatives that target oxidative stress, the function of oxidative stress, and the possible therapeutic use of antioxidants. Formerly, tBHQ is a synthetic phenolic antioxidant, which has been widely used as a food additive. According to recent researches, tBHQ can suppress the processes that lead to neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, which offers a fresh approach to treating brain diseases. In order to achieve the goal of decreasing inflammation and apoptosis, tBHQ is a specialized nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) activator that decreases oxidative stress and enhances antioxidant status by upregulating the Nrf2 gene and reducing nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) activity. This article reviews the effects of tBHQ on neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in recent years and looks into how tBHQ inhibits neuroinflammation and oxidative stress through human, animal, and cell experiments to play a neuroprotective role in Alzheimer's disease (AD), stroke, depression, and Parkinson's disease (PD). It is anticipated that this article will be useful as a reference for upcoming research and the creation of drugs to treat brain diseases., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: We aim to investigate whether the neutrophil-to-serum iron ratio (N/SI) is a promising biomarker for acute myocardial infarction group (AMI) and Gensini score. Methods: A total of 263 patients were enrolled and divided into four groups. The Gensini score was used to gauge the severity of coronary artery stenosis, and inflammatory biomarkers were calculated. Results: The N/SI was substantially higher in the AMI group than those in other groups, and N/SI was an independent risk factor for AMI. In ROC analyses, N/SI had the highest area under curve (AUC) for AMI among those inflammatory biomarkers. N/SI was also proved to be related with Gensini score. Conclusion: N/SI was discovered to be a new and effective inflammatory biomarker for AMI and Gensini score.

TAF participated in the progression of various cancers, including PA via the release of soluble factors. Exosomes belonged to extracellular vesicles, which were revealed as a crucial participator in intercellular communication. However, the expression pattern and effect of TAF-derived exosomes remained largely unknown in PA. In the present study, we performed in silico analysis based on public RNA-seq datasets to generate the circRNA/miRNA regulatory network. The qRT-PCR, Western blotting, RNA pull-down, and luciferase assay were performed to investigate the effect of TAF-derived exosomes. TAF-derived exosomal circDennd1b was significantly upregulated in PA and promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of PA cells via sponging miR-145-5p in PA cells. In addition, miR-145-5p directly regulated One Cut homeobox 2 (ONECUT2/OC2) expression and inhibited the promoting effect of ONECUT2 on PA. We further demonstrated that ONECUT2 transcriptionally increased fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) expression, which further activates the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) pathway, thus promoting PA progression. Moreover, the suppression of TAFs by ABT-263 and ONECUT2 by CSRM617 inhibited the growth of PA. In conclusion, our study illustrated that TAF-derived exosomal circDennd1b affected PA progression via regulating ONECUT2 expression, which provides a potential therapeutic strategy against aggressive PA.

The Portevin-Le Chatelier effect of Cu-2.0Be alloy was investigated using hot isothermal compression at varying strain rates (0.01-10 s -1 ) and temperature (903-1063 K). An Arrhenius-type constitutive equation was developed, and the average activation was determined. Both strain-rate-sensitive and temperature-sensitive serrations were identified. The stress-strain curve exhibited three types of serrations: type A at high strain rates, type B (mixed A + B) at medium strain rates, and type C at low strain rates. The serration mechanism is mainly affected by the interaction between the velocity of solute atom diffusion and movable dislocations. As the strain rate increases, the dislocations outpace the diffusion speed of the solute atoms, limiting their ability to effectively pin the dislocations, resulting in lower dislocation density and serration amplitude. Moreover, the dynamic phase transformation triggers the formation of nanoscale dispersive β phases, which impede dislocation and cause a rapid increase in the effective stress required for unpinning, leading to the formation of mixed A + B serrations at 1 s -1 .

Sandalwood is one of the most expensive woods in the world and is well known for its long-lasting and distinctive aroma. In our study, chromosome-level genome assemblies for two sandalwood species (Santalum album and Santalum yasi) were constructed by integrating NGS short reads, RNA-seq, and Hi-C libraries with PacBio HiFi long reads. The S. album and S. yasi genomes were both assembled into 10 pseudochromosomes with a length of 229.59 Mb and 232.64 Mb, containing 21,673 and 22,816 predicted genes and a repeat content of 28.93% and 29.54% of the total genomes, respectively. Further analyses resolved a Santalum-specific whole-genome triplication event after divergence from ancestors of the Santalales lineage Malania, yet due to dramatic differences in transposon content, the Santalum genomes were only one-sixth the size of the Malania oleifera genome. Examination of RNA-seq data revealed a suite of genes that are differentially expressed in haustoria and might be involved in host hemiparasite interactions. The two genomes presented here not only provide an important comparative dataset for studying genome evolution in early diverging eudicots and hemiparasitic plants but will also hasten the application of conservation genomics for a lineage of trees recovering from decades of overexploitation., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

NiCoP constructed on a conductive substrate can achieve efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalytic activity. Herein, we report the in-situ growth of NiCoP on the surface of an MXene nanosheet (MXene@NiCoP). The MXene nanosheet accelerated the electron transfer and enhanced the surface activity of the NiCoP. Density functional theory calculations indicated that MXene@NiCoP possessed the advantages of a low overpotential and high OH* adsorption energy in the ORR process. MXene@NiCoP proved to be a highly active catalyst for the ORR with a half-wave potential of 0.71 V vs. RHE. The assembled single-chamber air-cathode microbial fuel cell obtained high electricity generation performance.

Introduction: Previous fMRI studies revealed that the abnormal functional connectivity (FC) was related to cognitive impairment in patients with SLE. However, it remains unclear how the disease severity affects the functional topological organization of the whole-brain network in SLE patients without neuropsychiatric symptoms (non-NPSLE)., Objective: We aim to examine the impairment of the whole-brain functional network in SLE patients without neuropsychiatric symptoms (non-NPSLE), which may improve the understanding of neural mechanism in SLE., Methods: We acquired resting-state fMRI data from 32 non-NPSLE patients and 32 healthy controls (HC), constructed their whole-brain functional network, and then estimated the topological properties including global and nodal parameters by using graph theory. Meanwhile, we also investigated the differences in intra- and inter-network FC between the non-NPSLE patients and the HC., Results: The non-NPSLE patients showed significantly lower clustering coefficient, global and local efficiency, but higher characteristic path length than the HC. The non-NPSLE patients had significantly lower nodal strength in two regions, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and anterior PFC (aPFC) than the HC. We found the non-NPSLE patients had significantly lower intra-network FC within frontal-parietal network (FPN) and within default mode network (DMN), and significantly lower inter-network FC between DMN and FPN than the HC. The intra-network FC within DMN was negatively correlated with systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI)., Conclusion: Abnormal whole-brain functional network properties and abnormal intra- and inter-network FC may be related to cognitive impairment and disease degree in the non-NPSLE patients. Our findings provide a network perspective to understand the neural mechanisms of SLE.

Background: Pituitary adenoma (PA) bone invasion results in adverse outcomes, such as reduced rates of complete surgical resection and biochemical remission as well as increased recurrence rates, though few studies have been conducted., Methods: We collected clinical specimens of PAs for staining and statistical analysis. Evaluation of the ability of PA cells to induce monocyte-osteoclast differentiation by coculturing PA cells with RAW264.7 in vitro. An in vivo model of bone invasion was used to simulate the process of bone erosion and evaluate the effect of different interventions in alleviating bone invasion., Results: We found an overactivation of osteoclasts in bone-invasive PAs and concomitant aggregation of inflammatory factors. Furthermore, activation of PKCθ in PAs was established as a central signaling promoting PA bone invasion through the PKCθ/NF-κB/IL-1β pathway. By inhibiting PKCθ and blocking IL1β, we were able to significantly reverse bone invasion in an in vivo study. Meanwhile, we also found that celastrol, as a natural product, can obviously reduce the secretion of IL-1β as well as alleviate the progression of bone invasion., Conclusions: By activating the PKCθ/NF-κB/IL-1β pathway, pituitary tumors are able to induce monocyte-osteoclast differentiation in a paracrine manner and promote bone invasion, which can be alleviated by celastrol.

Nervous system diseases (NSDs) are characterized by a wide range of symptoms, a complex pathophysiology, an unclear etiology, a great deal of variation in treatment response, and lengthy therapy cycles, all of which pose considerable hurdles to clinical treatment. A traditional valuable medicine known as Ganoderma lucidum (GL) has a significant role to play in preserving health and treating diseases. Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides (GLP) is one of the cardinal effective active ingredients of GL, which has a number of pharmacological actions, including liver protection, immune regulation, antioxidant activity, anticancer activity, antibacterial activity, and antiviral activity. Recently, studies on the structural characterization and biological functions of GLP were presented in this article to review the progress of researches about GLP on NSDs and summarize the potential mechanisms of action. These studies were anticipated to provide new research ideas for GLP as a novel promising neuroprotective agent and provide a reference for better development and utilization of GLP., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report no declarations of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Glycosylation is the most common posttranslational modification of proteins. Glycosyltransferase gene differential expression dictates the glycosylation model and is epigenetically regulating glioma progression and immunity. This study is aimed at identifying the glycosyltransferase gene signature to predict the prognosis and immune characteristics of glioma. The glycosyltransferase gene signature of glioma was identified in the TCGA database and validated in the CGGA database. Glioma patients were then divided into high- and low-risk groups based on risk scores to compare survival differences and predictive capacity. Subsequently, validation of glycosyltransferase gene signature merits by comparing with other signatures and utility in clinical judgment. The immune cell infiltration, immune pathways, and immune checkpoint expression level were also analyzed and compared in the high- and low-risk groups. Finally, the signature and its gene function were tested in our cohort and in vitro experiments. Eight glycosyltransferase genes were identified to establish the glycosyltransferase signature to predict the prognosis of glioma patients. The survival time was shorter in the high-risk group compared to the low-risk group based on glycosyltransferase signature and was confirmed in an independent external cohort. The glycosyltransferase signature displayed outstanding predictive capacity than other signatures in the TCGA and CGGA database cohorts. Furthermore, patients in the high-risk group were positively correlated with TAM infiltration, immune checkpoint expression level, and protumor immune pathways in TCGA cohorts. Validation of clinical tissue specimens revealed that the high-risk group was closely associated with infiltration of M2 TAMs. High-risk genes in the signature promote glioma proliferation, invasion, and macrophage recruitment in an in vitro validation of U87 and U251 cell lines. This carefully constructed that glycosyltransferase signature can predict the prognosis and immune profile of gliomas and help us evaluate subsequent macrophage-targeted therapies as well as other immune microenvironment modulation therapeutic strategies., 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 © 2023 Yiwei Qi et al.)

Aims: To explore the methylation status, function, and underlying mechanism of the imprinted gene Neuronatin (NNAT) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression., Main Methods: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to evaluate the expression of NNAT in HCC samples. Bisulfite genomic sequencing PCR (BSP) was applied to examine the methylation status of the NNAT promoter. In addition, colony formation, 5-Ethynyl-20-deoxyuridine (EdU) assays and subcutaneous xenograft nude models were used to explore the roles of NNAT in HCC cell proliferation. Furthermore, RNA-seq and phospho-specific protein microarray assays were conducted to illustrate the underlying mechanism by which NNAT regulates HCC progression., Key Findings: NNAT was obviously downregulated in HCC tissues, and its expression level was closely associated with tumor growth and patient prognosis. The downregulation of NNAT in HCC was induced by hypermethylation of CpG islands in the promoter region, and hypermethylation was correlated with overall survival of HCC. Moreover, the enforced expression of NNAT significantly inhibited HCC cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Transcriptome analysis showed that the alteration of NNAT expression was mainly related to dysregulation of the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Finally, phospho-specific antibody microarray detection further revealed that overexpressed NNAT can increase the phosphorylation levels of LKB1, Met, and elF4E and decrease the phosphorylation levels of PTEN, which are all involved in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway., Significance: Our research provides new insights into the epigenetic regulation of imprinted genes in tumorigenesis and implies that the imprinted gene NNAT may act as a prognostic biomarker and tumor suppressor in HCC., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Getting rid of multidimensional poverty is both the people's wish and the direction of governance. Based on 2018 China Household Tracking Survey (CFPS) data, this paper identifies household multidimensional poverty in rural areas using a combination of the MPI index and the A-F method. The relationship between social capital and multidimensional poverty was also empirically analyzed using a Logit model. The results showed that: (1) 1599 multidimensional poverty households were identified, the incidence of multidimensional poverty was 24.94%, and the multidimensional poverty index was 0.103. In terms of poverty incidence, the three highest indicators of poverty incidence are adult education, health, and chronic diseases, reaching 42.06%, 37.65%, and 29.90%, respectively, and mainly concentrated in the education and health care systems. (2) Social capital can significantly reduce the probability of multidimensional poverty in rural households. Among them, social network significantly and negatively affects the occurrence of multidimensional poverty in rural households, social trust in neighbors has a significant negative effect on multidimensional poverty in rural households at the 1% level, and social prestige is positively related to multidimensional poverty in rural households. (3) Age of household head, household size, and income from working outside the home are significantly associated with multidimensional poverty in rural households. This paper expands the scope of social capital theory research and provides new perspectives and empirical evidence for alleviating multidimensional poverty.

The "time-space compression" effect of high-speed rail (HSR) has effectively improved the accessibility of the cities and has had a profound impact on tourism. This study explores the impact of HSR on tourism development in cities along HSR lines from the perspective of transfer of transport advantages, then evaluates the impact of HSR on tourism development using panel data of 286 cities in China from 2005 to 2013 by the difference-in-differences (DID) method. The empirical results show that the opening of HSR has significantly increased the tourism revenue and tourist arrivals. These results are still holds after considering endogenous HSR lines placement, and by various robustness checks. Further analysis of nodal effect shows that node cities experienced greater growth in tourism revenue than non-node cities. The analysis of mechanism found that tourism development in node cities relied on hotel industry, while tourism development in non-node cities relied on scenic spots industry. The findings of this study validate the role of HSR as a catalyst for urban tourism development, and reveal the comparative advantages of tourism in different cities under the influence of HSR. This study has important reference value for the development of tourism industry policies in cities along and around HSR lines., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2022 Shi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Purpose: Optimal treatment of breast abscesses has been controversial. Herein, we report an innovative method for the operative treatment of lactational mammary abscesses., Methods: Nineteen lactating patients diagnosed with breast abscesses were enrolled in the study, and abscess debridement and drainage were performed using an arthroscopic system. The clinical characteristics of the patients were recorded to evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, and cosmetic results of arthroscopic surgery for breast abscesses., Results: All 19 patients were cured and did not relapse within the 6-month-follow-up period. One patient stopped breastfeeding due to breast leakage. All patients were satisfied with the postoperative appearance of the breast., Conclusion: Arthroscopic debridement and drainage are effective treatment methods for lactational breast abscesses, with a high cure rate, few complications, and satisfactory cosmetic outcomes., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Ferroptosis is a new type of cell death caused by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. In recent years, it has been found that ferroptosis can promote the progression of atherosclerosis (AS). Macrophages have been proven to play multiple roles in the occurrence and development of AS. Iron is a necessary mineral that participates in different functions of macrophages under physiological conditions. But iron overload and ferroptosis in macrophages may promote the progression of AS. Herein, we summarize the role of iron overload and ferroptosis in macrophages in AS from the perspective of iron metabolism, and iron overload and ferroptosis are significant contributors to AS development.

Background: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) reconstitute cancer stemness. This study aims to investigate whether the loss of CAF-derived exosomal miR-34c-5p contributes to the maintenance of stem-like properties of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC)., Methods: Exosomes from primarily cultured CAFs and paired normal fibroblasts (NFs) were collected and identified. The differential expression of exosomal miR-34c-5p between CAFs and NFs was detected by next-generation sequencing. In vitro and in vivo assays were performed to examine the effects of miR-34c-5p on the maintenance of stem-like properties., Results: MiR-34c-5p expression is significantly reduced in CAF-derived exosomes. In vitro and in vivo assays revealed that exosomal miR-34c-5p can regulate the stem-like properties of LSCC cells, such as proliferation, invasion, sphere and plate colony formation, chemoresistance, tumorigenicity in nude mice, as well as the expression of cancer stem cell genes., Conclusions: Loss of miR-34c-5p in CAF-derived exosomes contributes to the maintenance of stem-like phenotypes of LSCC., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Metabolomics is an essential method to study the dynamic changes of metabolic networks and products using modern analytical techniques, as well as reveal the life phenomena and their inherent laws. Currently, more and more attention has been paid to the development of metabolic histochemistry in the fungus field. This paper reviews the application of metabolomics in fungal research from five aspects: identification, response to stress, metabolite discovery, metabolism engineering, and fungal interactions with plants.

Nocardiosis is a rare but life-threatening infection particularly affecting immuno-compromised hosts, causing localized or systemic suppurative disease usually in human beings. Nocardia species, as the pathogen of nocardiosis, are difficult to differentiate because of their complex colony morphological features. In this study, we describe two patients who had been misdiagnosed for a long time infected with Nocardia cyriacigeorgica with completely different morphology were accurately diagnosed. Single colonies were analyzed by Gram staining, acid-fast stain, mass spectrometry and whole genome resequencing (WGRS). These two bacterial, strains L5.53 and L5.54, were found to be Gram-negative and acid-fast-weak positive. Blood sample culturing of strain L5.53 yielded white colonies, which were like a layer of hoarfrost, while colonies of L5.54 were yellow, rough, slightly convex. The two strains were identified as Nocardia sp. by mass spectrometry, and WGRS accurately determined them as N. cyriacigeorgica. After medical treatment, one patient was cured and the other was still receiving treatment in the hospital. It can be seen that Nocardia sp. cannot be accurately classified and identified only by phenotypic tests such as bacterial morphological differences, so it is necessary to identify Nocardia spp. with phenotypic tests in combination with other molecular biology technologies, such as WGRS., 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 © 2022 Liu, Liu, Lu, Gao, Tang, Huang, Zheng, Fan and He.)

Standard chemotherapy of Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) using temozolomide (TMZ) frequently fails due to acquired chemoresistance. Tumor-associated macrophages and microglia (TAMs) as major immune cell population in the tumor microenvironment are potential modulators of TMZ response. However; little is known about how TAMs participate in TMZ induced chemoresistance. Members of the metzincin superfamily such as Matrix Metalloproteases (MMPs) and A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease (ADAM) proteases are important mediators of cellular communication in the tumor microenvironment. A qPCR screening was performed to identify potential targets within the ADAM and MMP family members in GBM cells. In co-culture with macrophages ADAM8 was the only signature gene up-regulated in GBM cells induced by macrophages under TMZ treatment. The relationship between ADAM8 expression and TAM infiltration in GBM was determined in a patient cohort by qPCR; IF; and IHC staining and TCGA data analysis. Moreover; RNA-seq was carried out to identify the potential targets regulated by ADAM8. CCL2 expression levels were determined by qPCR; Western blot; IF; and ELISA. Utilizing qPCR; IF; and IHC staining; we observed a positive relationship between ADAM8 expression and TAMs infiltration level in GBM patient tissues. Furthermore; ADAM8 induced TAMs recruitment in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically; we revealed that ADAM8 activated HB-EGF/EGFR signaling and subsequently up-regulated production of CCL2 in GBM cells in the presence of TMZ treatment; promoting TAMs recruitment; which further induced ADAM8 expression in GBM cells to mediate TMZ chemoresistance. Thus; we revealed an ADAM8 dependent positive feedback loop between TAMs and GBM cells under TMZ treatment which involves CCL2 and EGFR signaling to cause TMZ resistance in GBM.

Santalum album is a semi parasitic plant and its growth is often restricted due to a lack of a host or water during plantation establishment. In this study, the effects of water and the host on the growth of S. album seedlings were studied in pot culture. The results showed that the net photosynthetic rate and height of S. album seedlings decreased significantly under drought stress. Compared with the seedlings of S. album grown without a host, the host could significantly increase the growth of S. album seedlings. The contents of soluble sugar and proline in S. album leaves increased significantly under drought stress. Drought stress resulted in a significant accumulation of malondialdehyde, increments of antioxidant enzymes activity, and non-enzymatic antioxidant substances. Antioxidant capacity was stronger and malondialdehyde content was lower in the seedling leaves of S. album with a host than in the seedlings without a host. RNA-seq was used to analyze the transcription expression profiles of S. album leaves and the results were consistent with the physiological data. These results indicate that the host can promote the seedling growth of S. album and it can increase the antioxidant capacity and osmotic adjustment substance content of the seedlings of S. album , alleviating the damage caused by drought.

As a herbal medicine, the extract from the fruits of Gardenia florida has been widely used for its antioxidative, hypoglycemic, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, whether G. florida fruit extract (GFFE) regulates hair growth has been rarely studied. This study was the first application of GFFE on hair growth both in vitro (human dermal papilla cells, hDPCs) and in vivo (C57BL/6 mice). The effects of GFFE on cell proliferation and hair growth-associated gene expression in hDPCs were examined. Moreover, GFFE was applied topically on the hair-shaved skin of male C57BL/6 mice, the hair length was measured, and the skin histological profile was investigated. GFFE promoted the proliferation of hDPCs and significantly stimulated hair growth-promoting genes, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Wnt/ β -catenin signals, but suppressed the expression of the hair loss-related gene transforming growth factor- β 1 (TGF- β ). Furthermore, GFFE treatment resulted in a significant increase in the number, size, and depth of cultured hair follicles and stimulated the growth of hair with local effects in mice. In summary, the results provided the preclinical data to support the much potential use of the natural product GFFE as a promising agent for hair growth., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Xiaojin Liu et al.)

Purpose: Given that Vitamin D (VD) has been confirmed to reinforce the toxic effects of 5-aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) towards breast cancer, this study was designed to decipher the combined effects of VD, ALA-PDT and paclitaxel (PTX)., Methods: Thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide assay was conducted to gauge the viability of breast cancer cells treated with ALA-PDT and PTX alone or in combination. The cell migration, invasion and apoptosis were measured by wound healing, transwell and flow cytometry assays, respectively. Xenograft tumor models were established and tumor volume and weight were recorded. The expression of Bcl-2, Bax and cleaved caspase-3 in cells and tumor tissues was determined by western blot assay., Results: Both ALA-PDT and PTX alone inhibited viability in a dose-dependent manner, blocked migration and invasion, boosted apoptosis, down-regulated Bcl-2 expression and upregulated the expression of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 in breast cancer cells. More significant effects on the above-mentioned factors were induced by ALA-PDT and PTX in combination. Moreover, ALA-PDT and PTX in combination also suppressed the growth of xenograft tumors and Bcl-2 expression while promoting the expression of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 in tumors. In contrast, VD had no effect on tumor growth and the expression of Bcl-2, Bax and cleavedcaspase-3, but intensified the combined effects of ALA-PDT and PTX., Conclusion: VD could enhance the therapeutic effects of ALA-PDT combined with PTX on tumor growth and cell apoptosis., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Induction of heartwood formation in 6-year-old Indian sandalwood ( Santalum album L.) trees by treatment with carbon dioxide, ethylene, nitrogen, and wounding was investigated. All treatments induced fragrant heartwood formation upward and downward from the drill hole. The amount of heartwood formed above and below the drill hole depended on the treatment in the order nitrogen>carbon dioxide>ethylene>wounding, whereas the radial extension proportion was, in order, nitrogen>carbon dioxide>ethylene=wounding. Based on the chemical analysis (GC-MS) and evaluation of the essential oil quality and heartwood properties, heartwood induced by carbon dioxide showed the maximum similarities to naturally formed heartwood, which included the same color, similar chemical composition, reasonable oil content, and quality essential oil, whereas ethylene, nitrogen, and wounding treatment showed fewer similarities to natural heartwood. The results suggest that carbon dioxide is a promising candidate gas elicitor for inducing heartwood formation in young S. album ., 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 © 2022 Liu, Zhang, Hong and Xu.)

Competing Interests: Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests.

Based on the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis, this paper examines whether rural broadband adoption affects agricultural carbon reduction efficiency (ACRE), using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2011 to 2019. This paper achieves a measurement of ACRE by taking the carbon sink of agricultural as one of the desired outputs and using a Slacks-Based Measure (SBM) model and the global Malmquist-Luenberger (GML) index. The results show that: (1) Rural broadband adoption has a positive effect on ACRE. The relationship between the income of rural residents and ACRE was an inverted U-shaped, which confirms the EKC hypothesis. (2) Land transfer has a significant promoting effect on the relationship between rural broadband adoption and ACRE. When the land transfer rate is high, the positive effect of broadband adoption is obvious. (3) The positive effect of broadband adoption on ACRE was more obvious when farmers invested more in production equipment, that is to say, it has a significant positive moderating effect. As farmers in many developing countries suffer from increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events, we believe that the results of this study also have implications for the implementation of agricultural carbon reduction and smart agricultural equipment roll-out in many countries.

It is commonly recognized, that glioblastoma is a large complex composed of neoplastic and non-neoplastic cells. Tumor-associated macrophages account for the majority of tumor bulk and play pivotal roles in tumor proliferation, migration, invasion, and survival. There are sophisticated interactions between malignant cells and tumor associated-macrophages. Tumor cells release a variety of chemokines, cytokines, and growth factors that subsequently lead to the recruitment of TAMs, which in return released a plethora of factors to construct an immunosuppressive and tumor-supportive microenvironment. In this article, we have reviewed the biological characteristics of glioblastoma-associated macrophages and microglia, highlighting the emerging molecular targets and related signal pathways involved in the interaction between TAMs and glioblastoma cells, as well as the potential TAMs-associated therapeutic targets for glioblastoma., 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 © 2022 Liu, Liu, Qi, Huang, Hu, Dong, Shu and Lei.)

Warfarin and rivaroxaban were the two most commonly-used anticoagulant drugs for Deep venous thrombosis (DVT). The aim of this study was to explore the effects of post-discharge pharmacist-led follow-up on drug treatment in patients with DVT in primary hospitals from a pharmacological perspective. A total of 125 patients were recruited from July 2017 to June 2019 and randomized to either a control group or an intervention group. The control group was given routine medication guidance, clinical pharmacists followed up at 3 and 6 months after discharge. The intervention group was based on the control group and was followed up weekly for 6 months after discharge. For patients taking warfarin, the percentage of time in therapeutic range (TTR) and TTR>65% were significantly higher in the intervention group (p<0.05) and they also had less frequent dose changes. For patients taking warfarin or rivaroxaban, vascular ultrasonography showed better improvement rate in the intervention group (p<0.05). Pharmacist-led follow-up showed that the medication adherence (p<0.05) were significantly improved. There were lower risks of total and minor hemorrhage events and thrombosis events in the intervention group (p<0.05). Pharmacist-led follow-up not only reduced the risk of hemorrhage and thrombosis events, but also improved adherence to anticoagulation drugs.

Background: Early diagnosis of tuberculosis meningitis (TBM) remains a great challenge during clinical practice. The diagnostic efficacies of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-based mycobacterial growth indicator tube (MGIT) culture, modified Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining, Xpert MTB/RIF, and metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) for TBM remained elusive., Methods: A total of 216 adult patients with suspicious TBM were retrospectively enrolled in this multi-cohort study. The diagnostic performances for MGIT, modified ZN staining, Xpert MTB/RIF, and mNGS using CSF samples were evaluated., Results: Uniform clinical case definition classified 88 (40.7%) out of 216 patients as the definite TBM, 5 (2.3%) patients as probable TBM cases, and 24 (11.1%) patients as possible TBM cases. The sensitivities of MGIT, modified ZN staining, Xpert MTB/RIF, and mNGS for TBM diagnosis against consensus uniform case definition for definite TBM were 25.0%, 76.1%, 73.9%, and 84.1%, respectively. Negative predictive values (NPVs) were 66.0%, 85.9%, 84.8%, and 90.1%, respectively. The sensitivities of MGIT, modified ZN staining, Xpert MTB/RIF, and mNGS for TBM diagnosis against consensus uniform case definition for definite, probable, and possible TBM were 18.8%, 57.3%, 55.5%, and 63.2%, respectively. Negative predictive values (NPVs) were 51.0%, 66.4%, 65.6%, and 69.7%, respectively. mNGS combined with modified ZN stain and Xpert could cover TBM cases against a composite microbiological reference standard, yielding 100% specificity and 100% NPV., Conclusion: Metagenomic next-generation sequencing detected TBM with higher sensitivity than Xpert, ZN staining and MGIT culture, but mNGS cannot be used as a rule-out test. mNGS combined with Xpert or modified ZN staining could enhance the sensitivity of diagnostic tests for TBM., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: As the pathogenesis of plurihormonal pituitary adenoma (PPA) is unclear and the diagnostic criteria are inconsistent, clinicians still find it challenging to diagnose. To analyze the relationship between clinical and pathological characteristics in PPA., Methods: The clinical data of patients with 70 PPAs admitted during 2008-2010 and 2019-2020 were collected and analyzed. In particular, hormone examination using cell culture supernatant was performed to confirm PPA cases from 2019 to 2020., Results: PPA accounted for 13% of all pituitary cases recorded in the same period. There were 30 men and 40 women. Fifty-three percent of patients had one endocrine manifestation, and 1% presented with two endocrine symptoms. However, none of the patients had three endocrine manifestations. The level of one and two types of hormones was elevated in 52 (74.3%) and 5 (7.1%) patients, respectively and that of three types of hormones was increased only in one patient. Immunohistochemical staining for PRL + TSH or FSH/LH was most commonly performed ( n = 17), followed by that for PRL + GH + ACTH and PRL + GH + TSH or FSH/LH ( n = 14) and PRL + ACTH ( n = 10). The primary culture results in vitro were consistent with the pathological findings in five (41.7%) patients. Moreover, 4 of 12 patients diagnosed with PPA during 2019-2020 tested positive for SOX2., Conclusion: The pathogenesis of PPA remains elusive due to the lack of specific clinical symptoms and endocrine changes. Examination of hormones on tumor culture supernatant is helpful for its diagnosis., 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 © 2022 Shi, Wan, Yan, Tan, Liu and Lei.)

Spinal tuberculosis (TB), the most common form of musculoskeletal tuberculosis, is an infection-related disease globally, with paraplegia occurring in severe cases. Therefore, identification of spinal TB at an early stage is important for early intervention and eventual therapy. In this study, we conducted a prospective cohort study in routine clinical practice to investigate the diagnosis of different TB tests. A total of 519 patients were recruited based on the radiology of spinal TB. The diagnostic model was computed by regression analysis and was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Specificity, sensitivity, predictive value, likelihood ratio, and accuracy were also computed and compared. GeneXpert MTB/RIF showed a higher positive rate compared to that in the acid-fast bacilli smear and Mycobacterium culture. The results also showed that the Mycobacterium tuberculosis -specific antigen/phytohemagglutinin ratio in the T-SPOT assay had a good performance in the preoperative diagnosis and prediction of spinal TB. The diagnostic model based on the ratio of tuberculosis-specific antigen/phytohemagglutinin combined with GeneXpert MTB/RIF showed better efficiency for spinal TB diagnosis. In summary, the tuberculosis-specific antigen/phytohemagglutinin ratio combined with GeneXpert MTB/RIF could provide an early diagnosis of spinal TB., 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 © 2022 Qi, Liu, Liu, Fang, Liu and Li.)

Background: Agarwood is a highly sought-after resinous wood for uses in medicine, incense, and perfume production. To overcome challenges associated with agarwood production in Aquilaria sinensis, several artificial agarwood-induction treatments have been developed. However, the effects of these techniques on the metabolome of the treated wood samples are unknown. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of four treatments: fire drill treatment (F), fire drill + brine treatment (FS), cold drill treatment (D) and cold drill + brine treatment (DS)) on ethanol-extracted oil content and metabolome profiles of treated wood samples from A. sinensis., Results: The ethanol-extracted oil content obtained from the four treatments differed significantly (F < D < DS < FS). A total of 712 metabolites composed mostly of alkaloids, amino acids and derivatives, flavonoids, lipids, phenolic acids, organic acids, nucleotides and derivatives, and terpenoids were detected. In pairwise comparisons, 302, 155, 271 and 363 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAM) were detected in F&#95;vs&#95;FS, D&#95;vs&#95;DS, F&#95;vs&#95;D and FS&#95;vs&#95;DS, respectively. The DAMs were enriched in flavonoid/flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, sesquiterpenoid and triterpenoid biosynthesis. Generally, addition of brine to either fire or cold drill treatments reduced the abundance of most of the metabolites., Conclusion: The results from this study offer valuable insights into synthetically-induced agarwood production in A. sinensis., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Glioma is the most common and fatal tumor of the central nervous system in humans. Despite advances in surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapeutic agents, glioma still has a poor prognosis. The tumor microenvironment (TME) of glioma is of highly complex heterogeneity, which relies on a network-based communication between glioma cells and other stromal cell types. Exosomes are the most common type of naturally occurring extracellular vesicles, ranging in size from 40 to 160 nm, and can serve as carriers for proteins, RNAs, and other biologically active molecules. Recent evidence has shown that glioma-derived exosomes (GDEs) can be integrally detected in the local tissue and circulatory blood samples, and also can be transferred to recipient cells to mediate transmission of genetic information. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) mainly including microRNA, long non-coding RNA, and circular RNA, account for a large portion of the human transcriptome. A broad range of ncRNAs encapsulated in GDEs is reported to exert regulatory functions in various pathophysiological processes of glioma. Herein, this review summarizes the latest findings on the fundamental roles of GDE ncRNAs that have been implicated in glioma behaviors, immunological regulation, diagnosis potential, and treatment resistance, as well as the current limitations and perspectives. Undoubtedly, a thorough understanding of this area will provide comprehensive insights into GDE-based clinical applications for combating gliomas., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

COVID-19 has spread globally, causing a pandemic and medical interruptions. As more countries control the epidemic, the resumption of work is imperative. However, asymptomatic carriers become the main source of infection. After several months of recovery, Wuhan had much experience with facing the challenge of work resumption. The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety of the resumption strategies, as well as the outcome of the resumption efforts, in the early post-epidemic period. A retrospective study was conducted in patients admitted between April 8 and June 30 to the neurosurgery department of Tongji Hospital, Wuhan. The medical information, past medical history, COVID-19 tests, laboratory parameters, CT results, and management were reviewed and recorded. 768 patients were admitted to the neurosurgery department at Tongji Hospital, and none of them became new infections. Our department recovered to 70% efficiency one month after the resumption of work. Two patients were found to have asymptomatic infections in the outpatient department. Two patients who recovered from COVID-19 underwent the surgery without recurrence of COVID-19. Tumor patients accounted for more than 50% of the surgery patients in the early period. It is feasible and helpful to follow our strict admission algorithm in the early post-epidemic period, even though the challenges of asymptomatic infectors exist. Two COVID-19 tests in 3 days are suggested within the early period. Protective downgrades should be based on the testing of asymptomatic patients in the area. Recovered COVID-19 patients can undergo surgery without recurrence., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

An increasing number of studies have found that a few, specific subcortical regions are involved in creative visual divergent thinking. In addition, creative thinking is heavily reliant on the fronto-striatal dopaminergic pathways. This study aimed to explore whether spontaneous fluctuations in the subcortex, which contribute to our creative abilities, showed significant differences between individuals with different levels of creativity based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data. We calculated subcortical regions' seed-wise and dynamic functional connectivity (dFC), and then examined the differences between the high and low visual creativity groups. Furthermore, the topological properties of the subcortical network were measured, and their relationship with creative visual divergent thinking was calculated using brain-behavior correlation analyses. The results showed that functional connectivity (FC) between the putamen, pallidum, and thalamus indicated group differences within the subcortex. Whole-brain FC results showed group differences across subcortical (i.e., the thalamus and pallidum) and cerebral regions (i.e., the insula, middle frontal gyrus, and middle temporal gyrus). In addition, subcortical FC demonstrated a positive correlation with visual divergent thinking scores across the pallidum, putamen, and thalamus. Our findings provide novel insights into the relationship between visual divergent thinking and the activities of the subcortex. It is likely that not only fronto-striatal dopaminergic pathways, but also "motor" pathways, are involved in creative visual divergent thinking processing., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Previous studies showed that the onset age of second language acquisition (AoA-L2) can modulate brain structure of bilinguals. However, the underlying mechanism of anatomical plasticity induced by AoA-L2 is still a question in debate. In order to explore the issue, we recruited two groups of native Cantonese-Mandarin speakers, the early group began to speak in Mandarin at about 3.5 and the late group at about 6.5 years old. In addition, the early group had earlier experience in reading Chinese characters than the late group did. Through estimating the cortical thickness (CT), we found that (1) compared with the late group, the early group had thicker CT in the lateral occipital region, left middle temporal gyrus, and left parahippocampal region, which are all involved in visuospatial processing, probably reflecting the effect induced by the earlier or later experiences in processing the characters of Chinese for the two groups; and (2) compared with the late group, the early group had thicker CT in left superior parietal region, which is believed to be involved in language switching, maybe for the early group had the earlier experience in switching back and forth between Cantonese and Mandarin and therefore recruited the executive control network earlier. Our findings revealed the effects of the AoA-L2 in oral language acquisition as well as in written language acquisition as the main determinants of bilingual language structural representation in human brain., (© 2020. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

A wide homology between human and macaque striatum is often assumed as in both the striatum is involved in cognition, emotion and executive functions. However, differences in functional and structural organization between human and macaque striatum may reveal evolutionary divergence and shed light on human vulnerability to neuropsychiatric diseases. For instance, dopaminergic dysfunction of the human striatum is considered to be a pathophysiological underpinning of different disorders, such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and schizophrenia (SCZ). Previous investigations have found a wide similarity in structural connectivity of the striatum between human and macaque, leaving the cross-species comparison of its functional organization unknown. In this study, resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) derived striatal parcels were compared based on their homologous cortico-striatal connectivity. The goal here was to identify striatal parcels whose connectivity is human-specific compared to macaque parcels. Functional parcellation revealed that the human striatum was split into dorsal, dorsomedial, and rostral caudate and ventral, central, and caudal putamen, while the macaque striatum was divided into dorsal, and rostral caudate and rostral, and caudal putamen. Cross-species comparison indicated dissimilar cortico-striatal RSFC of the topographically similar dorsal caudate. We probed clinical relevance of the striatal clusters by examining differences in their cortico-striatal RSFC and gray matter (GM) volume between patients (with PD and SCZ) and healthy controls. We found abnormal RSFC not only between dorsal caudate, but also between rostral caudate, ventral, central and caudal putamen and widespread cortical regions for both PD and SCZ patients. Also, we observed significant structural atrophy in rostral caudate, ventral and central putamen for both PD and SCZ while atrophy in the dorsal caudate was specific to PD. Taken together, our cross-species comparative results revealed shared and human-specific RSFC of different striatal clusters reinforcing the complex organization and function of the striatum. In addition, we provided a testable hypothesis that abnormalities in a region with human-specific connectivity, i.e., dorsal caudate, might be associated with neuropsychiatric disorders., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All authors claim that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Purpose: To explore the clinical and dynamic computed tomography features of coronavirus disease 2019., Methods: We enrolled 24 patients with coronavirus disease 2019 treated at a regional center in Dezhou, China, from January 22 to February 5, 2020, and analyzed data retrospectively., Results: Nineteen cases had close contact with people with coronavirus disease 2019, and five patients denied a travel history in Wuhan City or contact with patients having coronavirus disease 2019. Symptoms were fever, cough, chest tightness, dyspnea, fatigue, and muscle pain. Chest computed tomography showed multiple ground-glass opacities distributed along peribronchial bundles and subpleural areas, often accompanied by bronchiectasis, vascular thickening, and interlobular septal thickening after coronavirus disease 2019 progression., Conclusions: Coronavirus disease 2019 has certain clinical characteristics and typical computed tomography features.

Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Evolution, as we currently understand it, strikes a delicate balance between animals' ancestral history and adaptations to their current niche. Similarities between species are generally considered inherited from a common ancestor whereas observed differences are considered as more recent evolution. Hence comparing species can provide insights into the evolutionary history. Comparative neuroimaging has recently emerged as a novel subdiscipline, which uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify similarities and differences in brain structure and function across species. Whereas invasive histological and molecular techniques are superior in spatial resolution, they are laborious, post-mortem, and oftentimes limited to specific species. Neuroimaging, by comparison, has the advantages of being applicable across species and allows for fast, whole-brain, repeatable, and multi-modal measurements of the structure and function in living brains and post-mortem tissue. In this review, we summarise the current state of the art in comparative anatomy and function of the brain and gather together the main scientific questions to be explored in the future of the fascinating new field of brain evolution derived from comparative neuroimaging., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Despite the marked interindividual variability in the clinical presentation of schizophrenia, the extent to which individual dimensions of psychopathology relate to the functional variability in brain networks among patients remains unclear. Here, we address this question using network-based predictive modeling of individual psychopathology along 4 data-driven symptom dimensions. Follow-up analyses assess the molecular underpinnings of predictive networks by relating them to neurotransmitter-receptor distribution patterns., Methods: We investigated resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 147 patients with schizophrenia recruited at 7 sites. Individual expression along negative, positive, affective, and cognitive symptom dimensions was predicted using a relevance vector machine based on functional connectivity within 17 meta-analytic task networks following repeated 10-fold cross-validation and leave-one-site-out analyses. Results were validated in an independent sample. Networks robustly predicting individual symptom dimensions were spatially correlated with density maps of 9 receptors/transporters from prior molecular imaging in healthy populations., Results: Tenfold and leave-one-site-out analyses revealed 5 predictive network-symptom associations. Connectivity within theory of mind, cognitive reappraisal, and mirror neuron networks predicted negative, positive, and affective symptom dimensions, respectively. Cognitive dimension was predicted by theory of mind and socioaffective default networks. Importantly, these predictions generalized to the independent sample. Intriguingly, these two networks were positively associated with D 1 receptor and serotonin reuptake transporter densities as well as dopamine synthesis capacity., Conclusions: We revealed a robust association between intrinsic functional connectivity within networks for socioaffective processes and the cognitive dimension of psychopathology. By investigating the molecular architecture, this work links dopaminergic and serotonergic systems with the functional topography of brain networks underlying cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia., (Copyright © 2020 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)