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The vascular bundle in the ear-internode of maize is a key conduit for transporting photosynthetic materials between "source" and "sink", making it critically important to examine its micro-phenotypes and genetic architecture to identify advantageous characteristics and cultivate high-yielding and high-quality varieties. Unfortunately, the limited observation methods and scope of study precludes any comprehensive and systematic investigations into the microscopic phenotypes and genetic mechanisms of vascular bundle in maize ear-internode. In this study, 47 phenotypic traits were extracted in 495 maize inbred lines using micro computed tomography (Micro-CT) scanning technology and a deep learning-based phenotype acquisition method for stem vascular bundle, which included stem slice-related, epidermis zone-related, periphery zone-related, inner zone-related and vascular bundles-related traits. Phenotypic analysis indicated that there was extensive phenotypic variation of vascular bundle traits in ear-internode, especially that in the inner zone. Of these, 30 phenotypic traits with heritability greater than 0.70 were conducted for GWAS, and a total of 4,225 significant SNPs and 416 candidate genes with detailed functional annotations were identified. Furthermore, 20 genes were highly expressed in stem-related tissues, especially in maize internodes. Functional analysis of candidate genes indicated that the pathways obtained for candidate genes of different trait groups were distinct, mainly involved in vitamin synthesis and metabolism, transport of substances, carbohydrate derivative catabolic process, protein transport and localization, and anatomical structure development. The results of this study will help to further understand the phenotypic traits of stem vascular bundles and provide a reference for revealing the genetic mechanism of maize ear-internode vascular bundles., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to The Botanical Society of Japan.)

As the energy demand increases, there is a significant expansion and utilization of oil resources, resulting in the inevitable occurrence of environmental pollution. Oil has been identified as a prevalent soil contaminant, posing substantial risks to the soil ecosystems. The remediation of soil contaminated with oil is a formidable undertaking. Increasing evidence shows that chemical washing, a remediation technique employing chemical reagents like surfactants to augment the solubilization, desorption, and separation of petroleum hydrocarbons in soil, proves to be an efficacious approach, but the latest advances on this topic have not been systematically reviewed. Here, we present the state of knowledge about the surfactant-based chemical washing to remediate oil-contaminated soil. Using the latest data, the present article systematically summarizes the advancements on ex situ chemical washing of oil pollution and provides a concise summary of the underlying principles. The use of various surfactants in chemical washing and the factors influencing remediation efficiency are highlighted. Based on the current research status and knowledge gaps, future perspectives are proposed to facilitate chemical washing of oil-polluted soil. This review can help recognize the application of chemical washing in the remediation of oil-polluted soil.

Marked variations in the 3-dimensional (3D) shape of corn leaves can be discerned as a function of various influences, including genetics, environmental factors, and the management of cultivation processes. However, the causes of these variations remain unclear, primarily due to the absence of quantitative methods to describe the 3D spatial morphology of leaves. To address this issue, this study acquired 3D digitized data of ear-position leaves from 478 corn inbred lines during the grain-filling stage. We propose quantitative calculation methods for 13 3D leaf shape features, such as the leaf length, 3D leaf area, leaf inclination angle, blade-included angle, blade self-twisting, blade planarity, and margin amplitude. Correlation analysis, cluster analysis, and heritability analysis were conducted among the 13 leaf traits. Leaf morphology differences among subpopulations of the inbred lines were also analyzed. The results revealed that the 3D leaf traits are capable of revealing the morphological differences among different leaf surfaces, and the genetic analysis revealed that 84.62% of the 3D phenotypic traits of ear-position leaves had a heritability greater than 0.3. However, the majority of 3D leaf shape traits were strongly affected by environmental conditions. Overall, this study quantitatively investigated 3D leaf shape in corn, providing a reliable basis for further research on the genetic regulation of corn leaf morphology and advancing the understanding of the complex interplay among crop genetics, phenotypes, and the environment., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Weiliang Wen et al.)

Petroleum hydrocarbons as pervasive pollutants pose a significant threat to soil ecology and human health. Surfactant washing as an established technique can effectively remediate soils contaminated by hydrocarbons. Biosurfactants, which combine the properties of surfactants and environmental compatibility, have attracted increasing interest. However, due to the high production cost of biosurfactants, their practical application is restricted. This study addressed these limitations by selecting two biosurfactants, β-cyclodextrin (C1) and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (C2), and developed a promising cleaning agent formula through compounding and the addition of suitable additives. When the volume ratio of C1 to C2 was 8:2 and an 8 g/L mixture of sodium humate and sodium carbonate electrolyte was added, the surfactant system's surface tension reached a minimum, yielding optimal oil removal. The formation and synergistic behaviour of mixed micelles of surfactants were explained using ideal solution theory and the Rubingh model. By optimising the oil washing process parameters - normal temperature of 25 °C, pH 11, washing time of 2 h, solid-liquid ratio of 1:5, and oscillation frequency of 200 r/min - the oil removal rate achieved 76%. This cleaning agent, characterised by low production cost, straightforward application, environmental compatibility, and rapid, significant cleaning effect, shows potential for field-scale purification of petroleum-contaminated soil.

The loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra is a hallmark of pathology in Parkinson's disease (PD). Dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase-1 (DDAH-1) is the critical enzyme responsible for the degradation of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) which inhibits nitric oxide (NO) synthase and has been implicated in neurodegeneration. Mitochondrial dysfunction, particularly in the mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membrane (MAM), plays a critical role in this process, although the specific molecular target has not yet been determined. This study aims to examine the involvement of DDAH-1 in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway and PD pathogenesis. The distribution of DDAH-1 in the brain and its colocalization with dopaminergic neurons were observed. The loss of dopaminergic neurons and aggravated locomotor disability after rotenone (ROT) injection were showed in the DDAH-1 knockout rat. L-arginine (ARG) and NO donors were employed to elucidate the role of NO respectively. In vitro, we investigated the effects of DDAH-1 knockdown or overexpression on cell viability and mitochondrial functions, as well as modulation of ADMA/NO levels using ADMA or ARG. MAM formation was assessed by the Mitofusin2 oligomerization and the mitochondrial ubiquitin ligase (MITOL) phosphorylation. We found that DDAH-1 downregulation resulted in enhanced cell death and mitochondrial dysfunctions, accompanied by elevated ADMA and reduced NO levels. However, the recovered NO level after the ARG supplement failed to exhibit a protective effect on mitochondrial functions and partially restored cell viability. DDAH-1 overexpression prevented ROT toxicity, while ADMA treatment attenuated these protective effects. The declines of MAM formation in ROT-treated cells were exacerbated by DDAH-1 downregulation via reduced MITOL phosphorylation, which was reversed by DDAH-1 overexpression. Together, the abundant expression of DDAH-1 in nigral dopaminergic neurons may exert neuroprotective effects by maintaining MAM formation and mitochondrial function probably via ADMA, indicating the therapeutic potential of targeting DDAH-1 for PD., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The endothelial barrier plays a critical role in immune defense against bacterial infection. Efficient interactions between neutrophils and endothelial cells facilitate the activation of both cell types. However, neutrophil activation can have dual effects, promoting bacterial clearance on one hand while triggering inflammation on the other. In this review, we provide a detailed overview of the cellular defense progression when neutrophils encounter bacteria, focusing specifically on neutrophil-endothelial interactions and endothelial activation or dysfunction. By elucidating the underlying mechanisms of inflammatory pathways, potential therapeutic targets for inflammation caused by endothelial dysfunction may be identified. Overall, our comprehensive understanding of neutrophil-endothelial interactions in modulating innate immunity provides deeper insights into therapeutic strategies for infectious diseases and further promotes the development of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Accurately obtaining the pollution sources and their contribution rates is the basis for refining watershed management. Although many source analysis methods have been proposed, a systematic framework for watershed management is still lacking, including the complete process of pollution source identification to control. We proposed a framework for identification and abatement of pollutants and applied in the Huangshui River Basin. A newer contaminant flux variation method based on a one-dimensional river water quality model was used to calculate the contribution of pollutants. The contributions of various factors to the over-standard parameters of water quality sections at different spatial and temporal scales were calculated. Based on the calculation results, corresponding pollution abatement projects were developed, and the effectiveness of the projects was evaluated through scenario simulation. Our results showed that the large scale livestock and poultry farms and sewage treatment plants were the largest sources of total nitrogen (TP) in Xiaoxia bridge section, with contribution rates of 46.02% and 36.74%, respectively. Additionally, the largest contribution sources of ammonia nitrogen (NH 3 -N) were sewage treatment plants (36.17%) and industrial sewage (26.33%). Three towns that contributed the most to TP were Lejiawan Town (14.4%), Ganhetan Town (7.3%) and Handong Hui Nationality town (6.6%), while NH 3 -N mainly from the Lejiawan Town (15.9%), Xinghai Road Sub-district (12.4%) and Mafang Sub-district (9.5%). Further analysis found that point sources in these towns were the main contributor to TP and NH 3 -N. Accordingly, we developed abatement projects for point sources. Scenario simulation indicated that the TP and NH 3 -N could be significantly improved by closing down and upgrading relevant sewage treatment plants and building facilities for large scale livestock and poultry farms. The framework adopted in this study can accurately identify pollution sources and evaluate the effectiveness of pollution abatement projects, which is conducive to the refined water environment management., 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 Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Maize is sensitive to salt stress, especially during the germination and seedling stages., Methods: We conducted germination experiments on 60 maize materials under salt stress, and screened out the most salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive varieties based on germination indicators. Afterwards, transcriptome analysis was performed to screen for key regulators in the plumule and flag leaf at the germination and seedling stages, respectively. Following that, transgenic tobacco was developed to expose the roles and mechanisms of the candidate genes, enabling a deeper investigation of their functions., Results: Out of the 60 inbred lines of maize, "975-12" exhibits the highest level of salt tolerance, while "GEMS64" displays the lowest. The application of salt stress resulted in a significant increase in the levels of antioxidant enzymes in both "975-12" and "GEMS64". ABA signal transduction and jasmonic acid pathways were the pathways that mainly affected by salt stress. In addition, a significant finding has been made indicating that when exposed to high levels of salt stress, the expression of ZmHSP90 in '975-12' increased while in 'GEMS64' decreased. Furthermore, in tobacco plants overexpressing ZmHSP90 , there was an increase in antioxidant enzyme activity associated with salt tolerance. ZmHSP90 enhanced the expression levels of NtSOS1 , NtHKT1 , and NtNHX1 as compared to those in the salt treatment, causing the maintenance of Na + and K + homeostasis, suggesting that high expression of ZmHSP90 was conducive to regulate Na + transporters to maintain K + /Na + balanced in tobacco., Competing Interests: Xinyan Yu and Zhiqing Zou are employed by Win-all high-tech seed company limited. The authors declare that this work does not involve competing interests., (©2023 Yu et al.)

Soil salinization is a worldwide problem that limits agricultural production. It is important to understand the salt stress tolerance ability of maize seedlings and explore the underlying related genetic resources. In this study, we used a high-throughput phenotyping platform with a 3D laser sensor (Planteye F500) to identify the digital biomass, plant height and normalized vegetation index under normal and saline conditions at multiple time points. The result revealed that a three-leaf period (T3) was identified as the key period for the phenotypic variation in maize seedlings under salt stress. Moreover, we mapped the salt-stress-related SNPs and identified candidate genes in the natural population via a genome-wide association study. A total of 44 candidate genes were annotated, including 26 candidate genes under normal conditions and 18 candidate genes under salt-stressed conditions. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using a high-throughput phenotyping platform to accurately, continuously quantify morphological traits of maize seedlings in different growing environments. And the phenotype and genetic information of this study provided a theoretical basis for the breeding of salt-resistant maize varieties and the study of salt-resistant genes.

Genome-wide analyses of maize populations have clarified the genetic basis of crop domestication and improvement. However, limited information is available on how breeding improvement reshaped the genome in the process of the formation of heterotic groups. In this study, we identified a new heterotic group (X group) based on an examination of 512 Chinese maize inbred lines. The X group was clearly distinct from the other non-H&L groups, implying that X × HIL is a new heterotic pattern. We selected the core inbred lines for an analysis of yield-related traits. Almost all yield-related traits were better in the X lines than those in the parental lines, indicating that the primary genetic improvement in the X group during breeding was yield-related traits. We generated whole-genome sequences of these lines with an average coverage of 17.35× to explore genome changes further. We analyzed the identity-by-descent (IBD) segments transferred from the two parents to the X lines and identified 29 and 28 IBD conserved regions (ICRs) from the parents PH4CV and PH6WC, respectively, accounting for 28.8% and 12.8% of the genome. We also identified 103, 89, and 131 selective sweeps (SSWs) using methods that involved the π, Tajima's D, and CLR values, respectively. Notably, 96.13% of the ICRs co-localized with SSWs, indicating that SSW signals concentrated in ICRs. We identified 171 annotated genes associated with yield-related traits in maize both in ICRs and SSWs. To identify the genetic factors associated with yield improvement, we conducted QTL mapping for 240 lines from a DH population (PH4CV × PH6WC, which are the parents of X1132X) for ten key yield-related traits and identified a total of 55 QTLs. Furthermore, we detected three QTL clusters both in ICRs and SSWs. Based on the genetic evidence, we finally identified three key genes contributing to yield improvement in breeding the X group. These findings reveal key loci and genes targeted during pedigree breeding and provide new insights for future genomic breeding., 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 Li, Li, Zhang, Duan, Tian, Yi, Xu, Wang, Shi, Wang, Wang, Su, Wang, Sun, Zhao, Wang, Zhang, Wang, Song and Zhao.)

Both nitrogen deposition (ND) and microplastics (MPs) pose global change challenges. The effects of MPs co-existing with ND on ecosystem functions are still largely unknown. Herein, we conducted a 10-month soil incubation experiment to explore the effects of polyethylene (PE) and polylactic acid (PLA) MPs on soil multifunctionality under different ND scenarios. We found that the interactions between ND and MPs affected soil multifucntionality. FAPROTAX function prediction indicated that both ND and MPs affected C and N cycling. ND increased some C-cycling processes, such as cellulolysis, ligninolysis, and plastic degradation. MPs also showed stimulating effects on these processes, particularly in the soil with ND. ND significantly decreased the abundance of functional genes NifH, amoA, and NirK, leading to inhibited N-fixation, nitrification, and denitrification. The addition of MPs also modified N-cycling processes: 0.1% PE enriched the bacterial groups for nitrate reduction, nitrate respiration, nitrite respiration, and nitrate ammonification, and 1% PLA MPs enriched N-fixation bacteria at all ND levels. We found that ND caused lower soil pH but higher soil N, decreased bacterial diversity and richness, and changed the composition and activity of functional bacteria, which explains why ND changed soil functions and regulated the impact of MPs., 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 B.V. All rights reserved.)

The degradation of metoprolol (MTP) by the UV/sulfite with oxygen as an advanced reduction process (ARP) and that without oxygen as an advanced oxidation process (AOP) was comparatively studied herein. The degradation of MTP by both processes followed the first-order rate law with comparable reaction rate constants of 1.50×10 -3 sec -1 and 1.20×10 -3 sec -1 , respectively. Scavenging experiments demonstrated that both e aq - and H• played a crucial role in MTP degradation by the UV/sulfite as an ARP, while SO 4 •- was the dominant oxidant in the UV/sulfite AOP. The degradation kinetics of MTP by the UV/sulfite as an ARP and AOP shared a similar pH dependence with a minimum rate obtained around pH 8. The results could be well explained by the pH impacts on the MTP speciation and sulfite species. Totally six transformation products (TPs) were identified from MTP degradation by the UV/sulfite ARP, and two additional ones were detected in the UV/sulfite AOP. The benzene ring and ether groups of MTP were proposed as the major reactive sites for both processes based on molecular orbital calculations by density functional theory (DFT). The similar degradation products of MTP by the UV/sulfite process as an ARP and AOP indicated that e aq - /H• and SO 4 •- might share similar reaction mechanisms, primarily including hydroxylation, dealkylation, and H abstraction. The toxicity of MTP solution treated by the UV/sulfite AOP was calculated to be higher than that in the ARP by the Ecological Structure Activity Relationships (ECOSAR) software, due to the accumulation of TPs with higher toxicity., 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 © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a non-selective cation channel, whose aberrant function in neurons has been reported to participate in the progression of brain disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the influence of TRPV4 activation on tau hyperphosphorylation in AD has not yet been elucidated. Since disturbed brain cholesterol homeostasis is considered to be related to excessive tau phosphorylation, this study aimed to explore whether dysregulation of TRPV4 affects tau phosphorylation and whether it involves cholesterol unbalance. Our data indicated that TRPV4 activation increased tau phosphorylation in the cortex and hippocampus of P301S tauopathy mouse model and aggravated its cognitive decline. In addition, we detected that TRPV4 activation upregulated cholesterol levels in primary neurons, and the elevation of cholesterol promoted hyperphosphorylation of tau. TRPV4 knockdown improved tau hyperphosphorylation by reducing intracellular cholesterol accumulation. Our results suggest that activation of TRPV4 may take part in the pathological mechanism of AD by promoting intraneuronal tau hyperphosphorylation in a cholesterol-dependent manner., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Vegetable oil is an important part of the human diet and has multiple industrial uses. The rapid increase in vegetable oil consumption has necessitated the development of viable methods for optimizing the oil content of plants. The key genes regulating the biosynthesis of maize grain oil remain mostly uncharacterized. In this study, by analyzing oil contents and performing bulked segregant RNA sequencing and mapping analyses, we determined that su1 and sh2-R mediate the shrinkage of ultra-high-oil maize grains and contribute to the increase in the grain oil content. Functional kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) markers developed for su1 and sh2-R detected su1su1Sh2Sh2 , Su1Su1sh2sh2 , and su1su1sh2sh2 mutants among 183 sweet maize inbred lines. An RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis indicated that genes differentially expressed between two conventional sweet maize lines and two ultra-high-oil maize lines were significantly associated with linoleic acid metabolism, cyanoamino acid metabolism, glutathione metabolism, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, and nitrogen metabolism. A bulk segregant analysis and sequencing (BSA-seq) analysis identified another 88 genomic intervals related to grain oil content, 16 of which overlapped previously reported maize grain oil-related QTLs. The combined analysis of BSA-seq and RNA-seq data enabled the identification of candidate genes. The KASP markers for GRMZM2G176998 (putative WD40-like beta propeller repeat family protein), GRMZM2G021339 (homeobox-transcription factor 115), and GRMZM2G167438 (3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase) were significantly related to maize grain oil content. Another candidate gene, GRMZM2G099802 (GDSL-like lipase/acylhydrolase), catalyzes the final step of the triacylglycerol synthesis pathway and was expressed at significantly higher levels in the two ultra-high-oil maize lines than in the two conventional sweet maize lines. These novel findings will help clarify the genetic basis of the increased oil production in ultra-high-oil maize lines with grain oil contents exceeding 20%. The KASP markers developed in this study may be useful for breeding new high-oil sweet maize varieties., 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 Luo, Lu, Shi, Zhao, Liu, Zhang, Wang, Liu, Shi, Fan, Xu, Wang and Zhao.)

Moderate stimuli in mitochondria improve wide-ranging stress adaptability in animals, but whether mitochondria play similar roles in plants is largely unknown. Here, we report the enhanced stress adaptability of S-type cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS-S) maize and its association with mild expression of sterilizing gene ORF355. A CMS-S maize line exhibited superior growth potential and higher yield than those of the near-isogenic N-type line in saline fields. Moderate expression of ORF355 induced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and activated the cellular antioxidative defense system. This adaptive response was mediated by elevation of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide concentration and associated metabolic homeostasis. Metabolome analysis revealed broad metabolic changes in CMS-S lines, even in the absence of salinity stress. Metabolic products associated with amino acid metabolism and galactose metabolism were substantially changed, which underpinned the alteration of the antioxidative defense system in CMS-S plants. The results reveal the ORF355-mediated superior stress adaptability in CMS-S maize and might provide an important route to developing salt-tolerant maize varieties., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.)

Objective: Currently, the risk of occult atrial fibrillation (AF) could not be predicted in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) using a simple scoring system. Therefore, in this study, we developed and externally validated a nomogram to predict occult AF in patients with AIS., Methods: In this study, we prospectively conducted a development cohort study with data collected at our stroke center from July 2017 to February 2018, and an external validation cohort from March 2019 to December 2019., Results: Follow-up data were collected from 177 participants (56.5% older than 65 years, 29.4% female) for generating the nomogram model. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed with AF as the dependent variable indicated that age >65 years, heart rate >100, C-reactive protein (CRP), N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) >270, hemorrhagic transformation (HT) as independent variables for predicting the development of AF, and a nomogram was generated based on these factors. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) for the model was 0.937, the C-index was 0.926, and the AUC-ROC for the validation cohort was 0.913., Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first nomogram developed and externally validated in a stroke center cohort for individualized prediction of risk of developing AIS in patients with occult AF. This nomogram could provide valuable information for the screening of occult AF after a stroke., 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 Wang, Meng, Zhao and Liu.)

The spatial morphological structure of plant leaves is an important index to evaluate crop ideotype. In this study, we characterized the three-dimensional (3D) data of the ear leaf midrib of maize at the grain-filling stage using the 3D digitization technology and obtained the phenotypic values of 15 traits covering four different dimensions of the ear leaf midrib, of which 13 phenotypic traits were firstly proposed for featuring plant leaf spatial structure. Cluster analysis results showed that the 13 traits could be divided into four groups, Group I, -II, -III and -IV. Group I contains HorizontalLength, OutwardGrowthMeasure, LeafAngle and DeviationTip; Group II contains DeviationAngle, MaxCurvature and CurvaturePos; Group III contains LeafLength and ProjectionArea; Group IV contains TipTop, VerticalHeight, UpwardGrowthMeasure, and CurvatureRatio. To investigate the genetic basis of the ear leaf midrib curve, 13 traits with high repeatability were subjected to genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis. A total of 828 significantly related SNPs were identified and 1365 candidate genes were annotated. Among these, 29 candidate genes with the highest significant and multi-method validation were regarded as the key findings. In addition, pathway enrichment analysis was performed on the candidate genes of traits to explore the potential genetic mechanism of leaf midrib curve phenotype formation. These results not only contribute to further understanding of maize leaf spatial structure traits but also provide new genetic loci for maize leaf spatial structure to improve the plant type of maize varieties., 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 Wu, Wang, Zhao, Wen, Zhang, Lu, Wang, Liu, Chen, Guo and Zhao.)

Electrified ceramic membranes (ECMs) achieve high water decontamination efficiency mainly through implementing in situ radical-mediated oxidation in membrane filtration, whereas ECMs leveraging non-radical pathways are rarely explored. Herein, we demonstrated a Janus ECM realizing ultra-efficient micropollutant (MP) removal via electro-activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) in a fast, flow-through single-pass electro-filtration. The Janus ECM features two separate palladium (Pd) functionalized electrocatalytic reaction zones engineered on its two sides. We confirmed that the PMS/electro-filtration system induced non-radical pathways for MP degradation, including singlet oxygenation and mediating direct electron transfer (DET) from MP to PMS. Under the design of the ECM featuring dual electrocatalytic reaction zones in the ceramic membrane intrapores, the Janus ECM showed over one-fold increase in micropollutant removal rate as 94.5% and lower electric energy consumption as 1.78 Wh g -1 MP in the PMS electro-activation process, as compared with the conventional ECM assembly implementing only half-cell reaction. This finding manifested the Janus ECM configuration advantage for maximizing the PMS electro-activation efficiency via singlet oxygenation intensification and direct usage of cathode for DET mediation. The Janus ECM boosted the PMS electro-activation and water decontamination efficiency by enhancing the convective mass transfer and the spatial confinement effect. Our work demonstrated a high-efficiency PMS electro-activation method based on electro-filtration and maximized the non-radical mediated PMS oxidation for MP removal, expanding the ECM filtration strategies for water decontamination., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:Yumeng Zhao reports financial support was provided by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation. Yumeng Zhao reports financial support was provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China. Meng Sun reports financial support was provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China. Yumeng Zhao reports financial support was provided by Heilongjiang Postdoctoral Science Foundation., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is a trait of economic importance in the production of hybrid seeds. In CMS-S maize, exerted anthers appear frequently in florets of field-grown female populations where only complete male-sterile plants were expected. It has been reported that these reversions are associated with the loss of sterility-conferring regions or other rearrangements in the mitochondrial genome. However, the relationship between mitochondrial function and sterility stability is largely unknown., Results: In this study, we determined the ratio of plants carrying exerted anthers in the population of two CMS-S subtypes. The subtype with a high ratio of exerted anthers was designated as CMS-Sa, and the other with low ratio was designated as CMS-Sb. Through next-generation sequencing, we assembled and compared mitochondrial genomes of two CMS-S subtypes. Phylogenetic analyses revealed strong similarities between the two mitochondrial genomes. The sterility-associated regions, S plasmids, and terminal inverted repeats (TIRs) were intact in both genomes. The two subtypes maintained high transcript levels of the sterility gene orf355 in anther tissue. Most of the functional genes/proteins were identical at the nucleotide sequence and amino acid sequence levels in the two subtypes, except for NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1). In the mitochondrial genome of CMS-Sb, a 3.3-kilobase sequence containing nad1-exon1 was absent from the second copy of the 17-kb repeat region. Consequently, we detected two copies of nad1-exon1 in CMS-Sa, but only one copy in CMS-Sb. During pollen development, nad1 transcription and mitochondrial biogenesis were induced in anthers of CMS-Sa, but not in those of CMS-Sb. We suggest that the impaired mitochondrial function in the anthers of CMS-Sb is associated with its more stable sterility., Conclusions: Comprehensive analyses revealed diversity in terms of the copy number of the mitochondrial gene nad1-exon1 between two subtypes of CMS-S maize. This difference in copy number affected the transcript levels of nad1 and mitochondrial biogenesis in anther tissue, and affected the reversion rate of CMS-S maize. The results of this study suggest the involvement of mitochondrial robustness in modulation of sterility stability in CMS-S maize., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Key Message: The novel ZmR1 CQ01 allele for maize anthocyanin synthesis was identified, and the biological function and regulatory molecular mechanisms of three ZmR1 alleles were unveiled. Anthocyanins in maize are valuable to human health. The R1 gene family is one of the important regulatory genes for the tissue-specific distribution of anthocyanins. R1 gene allelic variations are abundant and its biological function and regulatory molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. By exploiting genetic mapping and transgenic verification, we found that anthocyanin pigmentation in maize leaf midrib was controlled by ZmR1 on chromosome 10. Allelism test of maize zmr1 EMS mutants confirmed that anthocyanin pigmentation in leaf sheath was also controlled by ZmR1. ZmR1 CQ01 was a novel ZmR1 allelic variation obtained from purple maize. Its overexpression caused the whole maize plant to turn purple. ZmR1 B73 allele confers anthocyanin accumulation in near ground leaf sheath rather than in leaf midribs. The mRNA expression level of ZmR1 B73 was low in leaf midribs, resulting in no anthocyanin accumulation. ZmR1 B73 overexpression promoted anthocyanin accumulation in leaf midribs. Loss of exon 5 resulted in ZmR1 ZN3 allele function destruction and no anthocyanin accumulation in leaf midrib and leaf sheath. DNA affinity purification sequencing revealed 1010 genes targeted by ZmR1 CQ01 , including the bz2 in anthocyanin synthesis pathway. RNA-seq analysis showed 55 genes targeted by ZmR1 CQ01 changed the expression level significantly, and the expression of genes encoding key enzymes in flavonoid and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathways were significantly up-regulated. ZmR1 functional molecular marker was developed. These results revealed the effects of transcriptional regulation and sequence variation on ZmR1 function and identified the genes targeted by ZmR1 CQ01 at the genome-wide level., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background and Purpose: The gut-brain axis is bidirectional and the imbalance of the gut microbiota usually coexists with brain diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Accumulating evidence indicates that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is a core lesion in AD and persistent ER stress promotes AD pathology and impairs cognition. However, whether the imbalance of the gut microbiota is involved in triggering the ER stress in the brain remains unknown., Materials and Methods: In the present study, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was performed with gut microbiota from AD patients and APP/PS1 mice, respectively, resulting in two mouse models with dysregulated gut microbiota. The ER stress marker protein levels in the cerebral cortex were assessed using western blotting. The composition of the gut microbiota was assessed using 16S rRNA sequencing., Results: Excessive ER stress was induced in the cerebral cortex of mice after FMT. Elevated ER stress marker proteins (p-perk/perk, p-eIF2α/eIF2α) were observed, which were rescued by 3,3-dimethyl-1-butanol (DMB). Notably, DMB is a compound that significantly attenuates serum trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), a metabolite of the gut microbiota widely reported to affect cognition., Conclusion: The findings indicate that imbalance of the gut microbiota induces ER stress in the cerebral cortex, which may be mediated by TMAO., 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 Wang, Gu, Xu, Du, Zhao, Zhao and Liu.)

Endowing ceramic membrane (CM) catalytic reactivity can enhance membrane fouling control in the aid of in situ oxidation process. Peracetic acid (PAA) oxidant holds great prospect to integrate with CM for membrane fouling control, owing to the prominent advantages of high oxidation efficacy and easy activation. Herein, this study, for the first time, presented a PAA/CM catalytic filtration system achieving highly-efficient protein fouling alleviation. A FeOCl functionalized CM (FeOCl-CM) was synthesized, possessing high hydrophilicity, low surface roughness, and highly-efficient activation towards PAA oxidation. Using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the model protein foulant, the PAA/FeOCl-CM catalytic filtration notably alleviated fouling occurring in both membrane pores and surface, and halved the flux reduction degree as compared with the conventional CM filtration. The PAA/FeOCl-CM catalytic oxidation allows quick and complete disintegration of BSA particles, via the breakage of the amide I and II bands and the ring opening of the aromatic amino acids (e.g., Tryptophan, Tyrosine). In-depth investigation revealed that the in situ generated • OH and 1 O 2 were the key reactive species towards BSA degradation during catalytic filtration, while the organic radical oxidation and the direct electron transfer pathway from BSA to PAA via FeOCl-CM played minor roles. Overall, our findings highlight a new PAA/CM catalytic filtration strategy for achieving highly-efficient membrane fouling control and provide an understanding of the integrated PAA catalytic oxidation - membrane filtration behaviors., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Southern corn rust (SCR) caused by Puccinia polysora Underw. poses a major threat to maize production worldwide. The utilization of host SCR-resistance genes and the cultivation of resistant cultivars are the most effective, economical strategies for controlling SCR. Here, we identified and cloned a new SCR resistance gene, RppM , from the elite maize inbred line Jing2416K. RppM was found to encode a typical CC-NBS-LRR protein localized in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. This gene was constitutively expressed at all developmental stages and in all tissues examined, with the strongest expression detected in leaves at the mature stage. A transcriptome analysis provided further evidence that multiple defense systems were initiated in Jing2416K, including pathogen-associated molecular pattern-triggered immunity and effector-triggered immunity, reinforcement of cell walls, accumulation of antimicrobial compounds, and activation of phytohormone signaling pathways. Finally, we developed functional Kompetitive allele-specific PCR markers for RppM using two conserved SNP sites and successfully applied these functional markers for the detection of RppM and the cultivation of resistant maize cultivars, demonstrating their great potential utility in maize breeding., 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 Wang, Wang, Zhang, Liu, Sun, Wang, Wang, Xing, Liu, Zhao, Shi, Su, Li, Xiao, Jiao, Li, Wang, Song and Zhao.)

Water quality deterioration and eutrophication of urban shallow lakes are global ecological problems with increasing concern and greater environmental efforts. In this study, spatiotemporal changes of water quality and eutrophication were assessed by trophic level index (TLI), cluster analysis, and spatial interpolation methods in Lake Taihu and its sub-lakes from 2015 to 2019. Results showed that the Taihu had poor water quality and maintained a light-eutropher state overall, mainly astricted by the total nitrogen (TN) and the total phosphorus (TP). All nutrient parameters reached relatively higher concentrations in the northwestern and northern areas. Meiliang Bay was the most polluted and nutrient-rich area. In terms of trend, the Mann-Kendall test highlighted that the TP and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentrations increased significantly while the TN and five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD 5 ) decreased. The massive nutrient loads caused by human activity from the northwestern Taihu and the geomorphological characteristic of the north closed bays were the main contributors to the spatial heterogeneity in water quality. The main driving force of the alleviative nitrogen pollution was the declining river inflow nitrogen loading, and phosphorus pollution was affected more by accumulated endogenous pollution and decline in aquatic plants area, as well as closely linked with algae biomass. Further water pollution and eutrophication restoration of Taihu should focus on the nutrient reductions and those heavily polluted closed bays., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The rapid development of high-throughput phenotypic detection techniques makes it possible to obtain a large number of crop phenotypic information quickly, efficiently, and accurately. Among them, image-based phenotypic acquisition method has been widely used in crop phenotypic identification and characteristic research due to its characteristics of automation, non-invasive, non-destructive and high throughput. In this study, we proposed a method to define and analyze the traits related to leaf sheaths including morphology-related, color-related and biomass-related traits at V6 stage. Next, we analyzed the phenotypic variation of leaf sheaths of 418 maize inbred lines based on 87 leaf sheath-related phenotypic traits. In order to further analyze the mechanism of leaf sheath phenotype formation, 25 key traits (2 biomass-related, 19 morphology-related and 4 color-related traits) with heritability greater than 0.3 were analyzed by genome-wide association studies (GWAS). And 1816 candidate genes of 17 whole plant leaf sheath traits and 1,297 candidate genes of 8 sixth leaf sheath traits were obtained, respectively. Among them, 46 genes with clear functional descriptions were annotated by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) that both Top1 and multi-method validated. Functional enrichment analysis results showed that candidate genes of leaf sheath traits were enriched into multiple pathways related to cellular component assembly and organization, cell proliferation and epidermal cell differentiation, and response to hunger, nutrition and extracellular stimulation. The results presented here are helpful to further understand phenotypic traits of maize leaf sheath and provide a reference for revealing the genetic mechanism of maize leaf sheath phenotype formation., 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 Wang, Wang, Lu, Zhang, Zhao, Wen, Song and Guo.)

Accurately quantifying nutrient budget is an essential step toward sustainable nutrient management in large watersheds increasingly disturbed by human activity. A town-scale nutrient budget framework based on the Soil and Water Assessment Tool was developed for 2010-2012 in the Three Gorges Reservoir area in China (TGRA). Moran's I spatial correlation test and Geodetector spatial heterogeneity test were employed to systematically analyze the spatial characteristics of the resulting nutrient budget. The Moran's I value of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) gradually increased from input to output in the range of 0.091-0.232 and 0.102-0.484, respectively. Towns with higher TN and TP inputs were largely concentrated in the main urban area of Chongqing because of its high population density. By contrast, towns with higher TN and TP outputs were concentrated in the head of the TGRA. The Moran's I values of the TN and TP retention coefficients (R) were 0.433 and 0.524, respectively, demonstrating clear spatial consistency. Towns with a "High-high" spatial consistency pattern and positive R value were concentrated in the tail and hinterland, while those with a "Low-low" spatial consistency pattern and negative coefficient value were located mainly in the head of the TGRA. This phenomenon was mostly caused by differences in regional elevation, the normalized difference vegetation index, and soil erosion factor. The interaction effect between any two of these three factors on nutrient retention (Geodetector q-value) was greater than 60%. Therefore, future nutrient management should be based on a full understanding of regional biophysical conditions, especially in large areas. These findings provide a new perspective on fine nutrient management., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Paraquat (PQ) is a pesticide, exposure to which has been associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease; however, PQ transport mechanisms in the brain are still unclear. Our previous studies indicated that the organic cation transporter 3 (OCT3) expressed on astrocytes could uptake PQ and protect the dopaminergic (DA) neurons from a higher level of extracellular PQ. At present, it is unknown how OCT3 levels are altered during chronic PQ exposure or aging, nor is it clear how the compensatory mechanisms are triggered by OCT3 deficiency. Dynamic related protein 1 (DRP1) was previously reported to ameliorate the loss of neurons during Parkinson's disease. Nowadays, mounting studies have revealed the functions of astrocyte DRP1, prompting us to hypothesize that DRP1 could regulate the PQ transport capacity of astrocytes., Objectives: The present study aimed to further explore PQ transport mechanisms in the nigrostriatal system and identify pathways involved in extracellular PQ clearance., Methods: Models of PQ-induced neurodegeneration were established by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of PQ in wild-type (WT) and organic cation transporter-3-deficient ( O c t 3 - / - ) mice. DRP1 knockdown was achieved by viral tools in vivo and small interfering RNA (siRNA) in vitro . Extracellular PQ was detected by in vivo microdialysis. In vitro transport assays were used to directly observe the functions of different transporters. PQ-induced neurotoxicity was evaluated by tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry, in vivo microdialysis for striatal DA and behavior tests. Western blotting analysis or immunofluorescence was used to evaluate the expression levels and locations of proteins in vitro or in vivo ., Results: Older mice and those chronically exposed to PQ had a lower expression of brain OCT3 and, following exposure to a 10 -mg / kg i.p. PQ 2 + loading dose, a higher concentration of extracellular PQ. DRP1 levels were higher in astrocytes and neurons of WT and O c t 3 - / - mice after chronic exposure to PQ; this was supported by finding higher levels of DRP1 after PQ treatment of dopamine transporter-expressing neurons with and without OCT3 inhibition and in primary astrocytes of WT and O c t 3 - / - mice. Selective astrocyte DRP1 knockdown ameliorated the PQ 2 + -induced neurotoxicity in O c t 3 - / - mice but not in WT mice. GL261 astrocytes with siRNA-mediated DRP1 knockdown had a higher expression of alanine-serine-cysteine transporter 2 (ASCT2), and transport studies suggest that extracellular PQ was transported into astrocytes by ASCT2 when OCT3 was absent., Discussion: The present study mainly focused on the transport mechanisms of PQ between the dopaminergic neurons and astrocytes. Lower OCT3 levels were found in the older or chronically PQ-treated mice. Astrocytes with DRP1 inhibition (by viral tools or mitochondrial division inhibitor-1) had higher levels of ASCT2, which we hypothesize served as an alternative transporter to remove extracellular PQ when OCT3 was deficient. In summary, our data suggest that OCT3, ASCT2 located on astrocytes and the dopamine transporter located on DA terminals may function in a concerted manner to mediate striatal DA terminal damage in PQ-induced neurotoxicity. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9505.

Dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 1 (DDAH1) protects against cerebral ischemia injury via regulating the level of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA). This study is aimed at exploring the effect of adiponectin resistance on ADMA-induced neuronal loss in ischemic stroke (IS) and the underlying mechanism. DDAH1 knockout (DDAH1 -/- ) and wild-type (DDAH1 +/+ ) rats underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R). Plasma and brain adiponectin levels and the expressions of adiponectin receptor 1 (APR1), adaptor protein, phosphotyrosine interacting with PH domain and leucine zipper 1 (APPL1), adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and phosphorylated AMPK were determined after 24 h, 3 days, and 7 days. Neurological behavior, infarct volume, and adiponectin signaling were evaluated using adiponectin peptide or AdipoRon. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) (a transcription factor for APR1) were also assessed. An oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) model was established in primary neurons. DDAH1 was overexpressed in neurons, after which FOXO1 expression, ROS production, adiponectin resistance, and cell viability were detected. DDAH1 -/- rats showed no significant difference in adiponectin level in either plasma or brain after MCAO/R in DDAH1 +/+ rats, but downregulated APR1 expression and suppressed adiponectin signaling were observed. AdipoRon, but not adiponectin peptide, attenuated the neurological deficits and adiponectin resistance in DDAH1 -/- rats. ROS accumulation and phosphorylated FOXO1 expression also increased with DDAH1 depletion. Following DDAH1 overexpression, decreased cell viability and inhibited adiponectin signaling induced by OGD/R were alleviated in primary neurons, accompanied by reduced ROS production and phosphorylated FOXO1 expression. Our study elucidated that in IS, DDAH1 protected against adiponectin resistance in IS via the ROS/FOXO1/APR1 pathway., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this manuscript., (Copyright © 2022 Yichen Zhao et al.)

A part of the axonal cytoskeleton protein complex, neurofilament light chain (NF-L) has been suggested as a pathological hallmark in various neurological disorders, including hemorrhagic stroke, vascular dementia, and cerebral small vessel disease. Neuroaxonal debris are mainly engulfed and phagocytosed by microglia, while the effects of NF-L on microglia have not been elucidated. Ferritin heavy chain (FTH) not only reflects the age-related status of microglia but may also be secreted into the extracellular space. After treatment of microglia with varying concentrations of NF-L (0-3  μ g/ml), we found robust increases in the number of secretory FTH-containing exosomes in the medium. Induction of the FTH-containing exosomes secreted from microglia stimulates neuronal loss and membrane lipid peroxidation, as assessed by CKK8 and C11-Bodipy 581/591 , respectively. However, this oxidative stress damage was attenuated by blocking Fth1 expression. Our results suggest that NF-L, as a biomarker of axonal injury itself, could participate in neuronal ferroptosis in a nonclassical manner by secreting FTH-containing exosomes from microglia into the extracellular matrix., 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 Li Gong et al.)

Method: In the present study, 126 patients, 90 cases in the WML group and 36 cases in the control group, were analyzed to explore the relationship between adiponectin and WMLs. All patients underwent an MRI scan to assess whether white matter lesions happened. And the serum levels of adiponectin were detected by ELISA., Results: In this study, according to Fazekas criteria, WMLs were divided into different severity groups. With the increase of WML score, the level of adiponectin decreased, and linear correlation analysis shows that adiponectin is negatively correlated with the severity of white matter lesions ( p < 0.001). And adiponectin level was significantly positively correlated with MoCA score ( p < 0.05). Moreover, adiponectin in the WMLs combined with the cognitive impairment group was significantly reduced ( p < 0.01)., Conclusion: The level of adiponectin is independently associated with WMLs and cognitive function, which suggests that adiponectin may be a protective factor for WMLs and cognitive function., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 Hui Quan et al.)

Background: Orthostatic hypotension (OH) in Parkinson's disease (PD) can lead to falls, impair quality of life, and increase mortality. A trajectory analysis of OH could be useful to predict and prevent the hypotension incidence early. Methods: The longitudinal data of 660 patients with PD with disease duration up to 12 years were extracted from an integrated PD database. We used latent class mixed modeling (LCMM) to identify patient subgroups, demonstrating trajectories of changes in orthostatic blood pressure (BP) over time. The optimal number of subgroups was selected by several criteria including the Bayesian Information Criterion. Baseline information comparison between groups and backward stepwise logistic regression were conducted to define the distinguishing characteristics of these subgroups and to investigate the predictors for BP trajectory. Results: We identified three trajectories for each orthostatic change of systolic blood pressure (ΔSBP), namely, Class 1 (i.e., the increasing class) consisted of 18 participants with low ΔSBP that increased continuously during the follow-up; Class 2 (i.e., the low-stable class) consisted of 610 participants with low ΔSBP that remained low throughout the follow-up; and Class 3 (i.e., the high-stable class) consisted of 32 participants with high ΔSBP at baseline that was relatively stable throughout the follow-up. Several parameters differed among subgroups, but only male sex [odds ratio (OR) = 4.687, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.024-21.459], lower supine diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (OR = 0.934, 95% CI = 0.876-0.996), and lower level of total protein at baseline (OR = 0.812, 95% CI = 0.700-0.941) were significant predictors of an increasing ΔSBP trajectory. Conclusion: This study provides new information on the longitudinal development of ΔSBP in patients with PD with distinct trajectories of rapidly increasing, low-stable, and high-stable class. The parameters such as male sex, lower supine DBP, and lower total proteins help to identify the rapidly increasing class., 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 Chen, Du, Zhao, Gu and Zhao.)

Sudden water pollution incidents (SWPI) are random and harmful, which is a problem that cannot be ignored in ecological environment governance and economic development. Identifying spatial-temporal distribution characteristics of SWPI is essential for the disaster prevention and the early warning of water environment. The Kernel Density (DE) and spatial mean center of SWPI transfer curve were used to explore the characteristics with the dataset of 1174 cases from 2006 to 2018 in China. Results showed that: (1) From the time point of view, there was an overall upward trend in the overall number of SWPI. (2) At a regional scale, Eastern China, Southwest China, and Southern China underwent a high frequency with 69.93% of SWPI. The Fujian, Guangdong and Chongqing provinces were specified as the top 3 provinces with incident frequencies. The Yangtze River Basin and the Pearl River Basin were two regions where water pollution incidents occur more often, more than 50% of incidents among basins in China every year. (3) In general, SWPI presents a northeast-southwest distribution pattern and center of SWPI moves in the direction of west by south. (4) More than half of the incidents (57.24% of the total) were induced by illegal pollutant discharge and production safety accidents., 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 © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The ratio of excitatory to inhibitory neurotransmitters is essential for maintaining the firing patterns of neural networks, and is strictly regulated within individual neurons and brain regions. Excitatory to inhibitory (E/I) imbalance has been shown to participate in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Glutamate excitotoxicity and GABAergic neuron dysfunction appear to be key components of the neuronal cell death that takes place in AD. Since extracellular vesicles (EVs) are now explored as an important vehicle in transmitting signals between cells, we hypothesized that the function of neuron-derived small EVs (sEVs) might be regulated by the status of neurotransmitter balance and that sEVs might affect amyloid β (Aβ) toxicity on neurons. This study aimed to reveal the effects of sEVs from unbalanced neurotransmitter-stimulated neurons on Aβ-induced toxicity. We demonstrated the opposite effects of the two groups of sEVs isolated from neurons stimulated by glutamate or GABA on Aβ toxicity in vivo and in vitro. The sEVs released from GABA-treated neurons alleviated Aβ-induced damage, while those released from glutamate-treated neurons aggravated Aβ toxicity. Furthermore, we compared the microRNA (miRNA) composition of sEVs isolated from glutamate/GABA/PBS-treated neurons. Our results showed that glutamate and GABA oppositely regulated miR-132 levels in sEVs, resulting in the opposite destiny of recipient cells challenged with Aβ. Our results indicated that manipulating the function of sEVs by different neurotransmitters may reveal the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of AD and provide a promising strategy for AD treatment., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Salt stress is a major devastating abiotic factor that affects the yield and quality of maize. However, knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of the responses to salt stress in maize is limited. To elucidate the genetic basis of salt tolerance traits, a genome-wide association study was performed on 348 maize inbred lines under normal and salt stress conditions using 557 894 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The phenotypic data for 27 traits revealed coefficients of variation of >25%. In total, 149 significant SNPs explaining 6.6%-11.2% of the phenotypic variation for each SNP were identified. Of the 104 identified quantitative trait loci (QTLs), 83 were related to salt tolerance and 21 to normal traits. Additionally, 13 QTLs were associated with two to five traits. Eleven and six QTLs controlling salt tolerance traits and normal root growth, respectively, co-localized with QTL intervals reported previously. Based on functional annotations, 13 candidate genes were predicted. Expression levels analysis of 12 candidate genes revealed that they were all responsive to salt stress. The CRISPR/Cas9 technology targeting three sites was applied in maize, and its editing efficiency reached 70%. By comparing the biomass of three CRISPR/Cas9 mutants of ZmCLCg and one zmpmp3 EMS mutant with their wild-type plants under salt stress, the salt tolerance function of candidate genes ZmCLCg and ZmPMP3 were confirmed. Chloride content analysis revealed that ZmCLCg regulated chloride transport under sodium chloride stress. These results help to explain genetic variations in salt tolerance and provide novel loci for generating salt-tolerant maize lines., (© 2021 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Cadmium (Cd) accumulation in maize grains is detrimental to human health. Developing maize varieties with low Cd content is important for safe consumption of maize grains. However, the key genes controlling maize grain Cd accumulation have not been cloned. Here, we identified one major locus for maize grain Cd accumulation (qCd1) using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and bulked segregant RNA-seq analysis with a biparental segregating population of Jing724 (low-Cd line) and Mo17 (high-Cd line). The candidate gene ZmHMA3 was identified by fine mapping and encodes a tonoplast-localized heavy metal P-type ATPase transporter. An ethyl methane sulfonate mutant analysis and an allelism test confirmed that ZmHMA3 influences maize grain Cd accumulation. A transposon in intron 1 of ZmHMA3 is responsible for the abnormal amino acid sequence in Mo17. Based on the natural sequence variations in the ZmHMA3 gene of diverse maize lines, four PCR-based molecular markers were developed, and these were successfully used to distinguish five haplotypes with different grain Cd contents in the GWAS panel and to predict grain Cd contents of widely used maize inbred lines and hybrids. These molecular markers can be used to breed elite maize varieties with low grain Cd contents., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Early morning off (EMO) refers to off-states in the morning in people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PwPD). This study determined the clinical manifestations of EMO and the association with nocturnal sleep problems and quality of life (QOL) in Chinese PwPD. Methods: In this multicenter, observational, cross-sectional study, data concerning the clinical manifestations of EMO were collected from PwPD in Shanghai by questionnaire. The stepwise logistic regression was performed to analyze the potential risk factors, as well as whether EMO was an independent risk factor for functional dependency in daily life. The mediation analyses were conducted to evaluate whether nocturnal sleep problems might mediate the association between EMO and the QOL. Results: Among the 454 subjects evaluated, EMO occurred in 39.43% of PwPD across all disease stages. The prevalence of EMO increased as the Hoehn and Yahr stage increased and was observed in 35.60% of patients in stages 1-2.5 and 48.85% of patients in stages 3-5. EMO was associated with non-motor symptoms (NMSs). The predominant NMSs associated with EMO were nocturnal sleep problems (98.90%), mood/cognition impairment (93.90%), decreased attention/memory (91.60%), gastrointestinal symptoms (91.60%), and urinary urgency (90.50%). The QOL of PwPD with EMO was significantly reduced ( P < 0.001). Moreover, nocturnal sleep problems might partially mediate this relationship (indirect effect: β = 13.458, 95% boot CI: 6.436, 22.042). Conclusion: PwPD have EMO throughout all stages of the disease. Patients with EMO have severe motor symptoms and NMSs. EMO decreases the QOL in PwPD and this relationship is partially mediated by nocturnal sleep problems. In light of these findings, it is suggested that recognition and appropriate treatment of EMO and nocturnal sleep problems could improve the management of PwPD., 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 Zhang, Zhang, Shi, Zhao, Huang, Zhao, Wang, Zhao, Wang, Zhao, Gao, Wei, Huang and Liu.)

Cognitive dysfunction is one of the complications of diabetes. Unfortunately, there is no effective methods to block its progression currently. One of the pathophysiological mechanisms is synaptic protein damage and neuronal signal disruption because of glucose metabolism disorder. Dystroglycan protein, located in the post-synaptic membrane of neurons, links the intracellular cytoskeleton with extracellular matrix. Abnormal expression of dystroglycan protein affects neuronal biological functions and leads to cognitive impairment. However, there are no relevant studies to observe the changes of β-dystroglycan protein in diabetes rat brain and in primary neurons under high glucose exposure. Our data demonstrated the alterations of cognitive abilities in the diabetic rats; β-dystroglycan protein degradation occurred in hippocampal and cortical tissues in diabetic rat brain. We further explored the mechanisms underlying of this phenomenon. When neurons are exposed to high glucose environment in long-term period, microRNA-132 (miR-132) would be down-regulated in neurons. Matrix Metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9) mRNA, as a target of miR-132, could be up-regulated; higher expression and overlay activity of MMP-9 protein could increase β-DG protein degradation. In this way, β-DG degradation may affect structure and functions among the synapses, which related to cognition decline. It may provide some theoretical basis for elucidating the molecular mechanism of diabetes-induced cognitive dysfunction., (© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Na + , K + and pH homeostasis are important for plant life and they are controlled by the monovalent cation proton antiporter (CPA) superfamily. The roles of ZmCPAs in salt tolerance are not fully elucidated. In this study, we identified 35 ZmCPAs comprising 13 Na + /H + exchangers (ZmNHXs), 16 cation/H + exchanger (ZmCHXs), and 6 K + efflux antiporters (ZmKEAs). All ZmCPAs have transmembrane domains and most of them were localized to plasma membrane or tonoplast. ZmCHXs were specifically highly expressed in anthers, while ZmNHXs and ZmKEAs showed high expression in various tissues. ZmNHX5 and ZmKEA2 were up-regulated in maize seedlings under both NaCl and KCl stresses. Yeast complementation experiments revealed the roles of ZmNHX5, ZmKEA2 in NaCl tolerance. Analysis of the maize mutants further validated the salt tolerance functions of ZmNHX5 and ZmKEA2. Our study highlights comprehensive information of ZmCPAs and provides new gene targets for salt tolerance maize breeding., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Dimethylarginine dimethylamino hydrolase-1 (DDAH-1) is an important regulator of nitric oxide (NO) metabolism that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. Nevertheless, its role in cerebral ischemia still needs to be elucidated. Herein, we examined the expression of DDAH-1 in the brain of rat by double-label immunofluorescence staining. DDAH-1 knock-out (DDAH-1 -/- ) and wild-type rats underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R). After 24 h, neurological scores, TTC staining and TUNEL assay were used to evaluate neurological damages. 3 and 7-days infarct outcomes were also shown. Blood-brain-barrier (BBB) permeability was examined via Evans blue extravasation and tight junction (TJ) proteins expression and mRNA levels by western blot and RT-qPCR. The levels of plasma asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), NO and ADMA in brain tissue were also assessed. In addition, supplementation of L-arginine to DDAH-1 -/- rats was used to explore its role in regulating NO. DDAH-1 was abundantly distributed in cerebral cortex and basal nuclei, and mainly expressed in neurons and endothelial cells. DDAH-1 -/- rats showed aggravated neurological damage and BBB disruption, including decrease of TJ proteins expression but indistinguishable mRNA levels after MCAO/R. DDAH-1 depletion and neurological damages were accompanied with increased ADMA levels and decreased NO concentrations. The supplementation with L-arginine partly restored the neurological damages and BBB disruption. To sum up, DDAH-1 revealed to have a protective role in ischemia stroke (IS) and IS-induced leakage of BBB via decreasing ADMA level and possibly via preventing TJ proteins degradation.

Mechanical thrombectomy is not only effective for managing patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), but it also enables a valuable histological analysis of thrombi. Previous studies indicated that regulatory T cells (Treg) adoptive transfer might alleviate the hemorrhagic transformation. However, whether Treg in intracranial thrombi correlates with hemorrhagic transformation after mechanical thrombectomy remains unclear. This study mainly analyzed the colocation of Treg markers in serial thrombus sections stained serially for CD4 and CD25 in groups of hemorrhagic or nonhemorrhagic transformation. Second, to investigate whether these immunohistochemical parameters could provide any additional information beyond hemorrhagic transformation, we compared the overlap between Treg markers among other groups, such as functional outcomes, stroke subtypes, and gender. Our results showed that the number of CD4 + CD25 + Treg cells was lower in the hemorrhagic transformation thrombi than in the nonhemorrhagic group ( p < 0.001) but there were no significant differences otherwise. The present finding of CD4 + CD25 + Treg cell reductions in thrombi associated with hemorrhagic transformation provides the histological evidence supporting that thromboinflammation might involve in the pathological process of an acute stroke after mechanical thrombectomy., 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 Li Gong et al.)

Objectives: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is one of the most critical risk factors of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We aimed to investigate the effects of maintenance hemodialysis on hematoma volume, edema volume, and prognosis in patients with comorbid ESRD and ICH., Materials and Methods: Patients with comorbid ESRD and ICH were divided into two groups based on whether receiving maintenance hemodialysis. Hematoma and perihemorrhagic edema (PHE) volumes and relative edema ratio after admission were assessed on head computed tomography scans., Results: During the initial diagnosis, the dialysis group had lower PHE volume (16.41 vs 35.90 mL, P = 0.010), total volume of hematoma and edema (31.58 vs 54.58 mL, P = 0.013), and relative edema ratio (0.57 vs 0.92, P = 0.033) than the non-dialysis group. In addition, the peak PHE volume (36.68 vs 84.30 mL, P < 0.001), peak total volume of hematoma and edema (53.45 vs 127.69 mL, P = 0.011), and peak relative edema ratio (1.12 vs 1.92, P = 0.001) within one week after onset were lower in the dialysis group than in the non-dialysis group. The dialysis group had a higher in-hospital mortality rate than the non-dialysis group (40% vs 10%, P = 0.007). At 1-year follow-up, the two groups had similar 1-year-mortality rates and modified Rankin Scale., Conclusions: Hemodialysis can prevent the enlargement of edema and reduce PHE volume shortly after onset. Although dialyzed patients had a higher in-hospital mortality rate, hemodialysis did not affect 1-year survival rate and functional neurologic scales., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

An easily scoring system to predict the risk of cognitive impairment after minor ischemic stroke has not been available. We aimed to develop and externally validate a nomogram for predicting the probability of post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) among hospitalized population with minor stroke. Moreover, the association of Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) with PSCI is also investigated. We prospectively conducted a developed cohort on collected data in stroke center from June 2017 to February 2018, as well as an external validation cohort between June 2018 and February 2019. The main outcome is cognitive impairment defined as <22 Montreal Cognition Assessment (MoCA) score points 6 - 12 months following a minor stroke onset. Based on multivariate logistic models, the nomogram model was generated. Plasma TMAO levels were assessed at admission using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 228 participants completed the follow-up data for generating the nomogram. After multivariate logistic regression, seven variables remained independent predictors of PSCI to compose the nomogram included age, female, Fazekas score, educational level, number of intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS), HbA1c, and cortical infarction. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUC-ROC) curve of model was 0.829, C index was good (0.810), and the AUC-ROC of the model applied in validation cohort was 0.812. Plasma TMAO levels were higher in patients with cognitive impairment than in them without cognitive dysfunction (median 4.56 vs. 3.22 μmol/L; p ≤ 0.001). In conclusion, this scoring system is the first nomogram developed and validated in a stroke center cohort for individualized prediction of cognitive impairment after minor stroke. Higher plasma TMAO level at admission suggests a potential marker of PSCI., 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 Gong, Wang, Zhu, Dong, Yu, Mao, Meng, Zhao and Liu.)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by both genetic and environmental factors. This study aimed to explore the underlying molecular mechanism of AD by bioinformatic gene analysis. The gene expression profiles of GSE16759 and GSE28146 were downloaded, and co-differentially expressed genes (co-DEGs) were identified by R software. Subsequently, the data were analyzed using a combined bioinformatics approach and predicted the microRNAs (miRNAs) targeting the key gene using miRNA databases. Based on the results of these analyses, ADAMTS1, CITED2, and GABRA2 were identified as co-DEGs. They were all associated with learning disorders (inference Score: 103.22, 140.41, and 96.26, respectively) and memory disorders (inference Score: 102.77, 132.68, and 81.80, respectively). The hub-genes of ADAMTS1, CITED2, and GABRA2 may be associated with AD. Additionally, miR-548c- 3p is probably a common target for ADAMTS1, CITED2, and GABRA2., (© 2021 by the Association of Clinical Scientists, Inc.)

A three-dimensional (3D) Silverton-type polyoxomolybdate (POMo) with the formula of NH 4 {Mn 4 [PrMo 12 O 42 ]}·18H 2 O (1) was successfully isolated and well characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, X-ray powder diffraction pattern, infrared spectrum, thermogravimetric and elemental analyses. The inorganic building block {PrMo 12 O 42 } has formed 3D frameworks via the {MnO 6 } linker. The excitation of compound 1 in solid state at 375 nm displays red emission. Moreover, variable temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that the magnetic behavior in compound 1 is dominated by antiferromagnetic interactions., 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, Sun, Ji, Kong, Chen, Ma, Niu and Wang.)

Dry matter accumulation and partitioning during the early phases of development could significantly affect crop growth and productivity. In this study, the aboveground dry matter (DM), the DM of different organs, and partition coefficients of a maize association mapping panel of 412 inbred lines were evaluated at the third and sixth leaf stages (V3 and V6). Further, the properties of these phenotypic traits were analyzed. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were conducted on the total aboveground biomass and the DM of different organs. Analysis of GWAS results identified a total of 1,103 unique candidate genes annotated by 678 significant SNPs ( P value < 1.28e-6). A total of 224 genes annotated by SNPs at the top five of each GWAS method and detected by multiple GWAS methods were regarded as having high reliability. Pathway enrichment analysis was also performed to explore the biological significance and functions of these candidate genes. Several biological pathways related to the regulation of seed growth, gibberellin-mediated signaling pathway, and long-day photoperiodism were enriched. The results of our study could provide new perspectives on breeding high-yielding maize varieties., 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 Lu, Wang, Wang, Wen, Zhang, Du, Zhao and Guo.)

High-throughput phenotyping is increasingly becoming an important tool for rapid advancement of genetic gain in breeding programmes. Manual phenotyping of vascular bundles is tedious and time-consuming, which lags behind the rapid development of functional genomics in maize. More robust and automated techniques of phenotyping vascular bundles traits at high-throughput are urgently needed for large crop populations. In this study, we developed a standard process for stem micro-CT data acquisition and an automatic CT image process pipeline to obtain vascular bundle traits of stems including geometry-related, morphology-related and distribution-related traits. Next, we analysed the phenotypic variation of stem vascular bundles between natural population subgroup (480 inbred lines) based on 48 comprehensively phenotypic information. Also, the first database for stem micro-phenotypes, MaizeSPD, was established, storing 554 pieces of basic information of maize inbred lines, 523 pieces of experimental information, 1008 pieces of CT scanning images and processed images, and 24 192 pieces of phenotypic data. Combined with genome-wide association studies (GWASs), a total of 1562 significant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) were identified for 30 stem micro-phenotypic traits, and 84 unique genes of 20 traits such as VBNum, VBAvArea and PZVBDensity were detected. Candidate genes identified by GWAS mainly encode enzymes involved in cell wall metabolism, transcription factors, protein kinase and protein related to plant signal transduction and stress response. The results presented here will advance our knowledge about phenotypic trait components of stem vascular bundles and provide useful information for understanding the genetic controls of vascular bundle formation and development., (© 2020 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

This study aimed to investigate the long-term safety and benefits of antiplatelet therapy in patients with cerebral infarction with thrombocytopenia, as evidence regarding this was limited. This cohort trial assessed patients with acute cerebral infarction with thrombocytopenia treated in the Neurology Department of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital from January 2016 to December 2018, and enrolled patients were followed up for 9 months. The patients were divided into non-antiplatelet and antiplatelet groups based on the actual intake of antiplatelet drugs. Primary endpoints included hemorrhagic events, recurrence of cerebral infarction, and activity of daily living (ADL) score changes. To balance baseline clinical data, propensity score matching was applied, and there were finally 65 matched patients, including 30 and 35 in the antiplatelet and non-antiplatelet groups, respectively. There were no differences in hemorrhagic and cerebral infarction recurrence rates between the 2 groups. ADL score change was higher in the antiplatelet group than in the non-antiplatelet group (10 vs 5, p = 0.039). In multivariate regression analysis, antiplatelet therapy significantly predicted a positive change in ADL scores [B = 8.381, 95% confidence interval (0.56-16.19)]. In patients with acute cerebral infarction with thrombocytopenia, antiplatelet therapy could the improve the quality of life in the chronic stage.

An easy scoring system to predict the risk of poor outcome after mechanical thrombectomy among the elderly is currently not available. Therefore, we aimed to develop a nomogram for predicting the probability of negative prognosis in aged patients with acute ischemic stroke undergoing thrombectomy. In addition, we sought to investigate the association between histological thrombus composition and stroke characteristics. To this end, we prospectively studied a developed cohort using data collected from a stroke center from November 2015 to December 2019. The main outcome was functional independence, defined as a modified Rankin Scale score ≤ 2 at 90 days following a mechanical thrombectomy. A nomogram model based on multivariate logistic models was generated. The retrieved thrombi were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and assessed according to histological composition. Our results demonstrated that age ≥ 72 years was independently associated with poor outcome. A total of 304 participants completed the follow-up data to generate the nomogram model. After multivariate logistic regression, five variables remained independent predictors of outcome, including older age, hemorrhagic transformation, thrombolysis in cerebral infarction score, National Institute of Health Stroke score, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and were used to generate the nomogram. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve of the model was 0.803. The clots from elderly subjects with large-artery atherosclerosis, anterior circulation, and successful recanalization groups had a higher percentage of fibrin compared to those of younger patients. This is the first nomogram to be developed and validated in a stroke center cohort for individualized prediction of poor outcome in elderly patients after mechanical thrombectomy. Clot composition provides valuable information on the underlying pathogenesis of oxidation in older patients., 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 © 2020 Longyan Meng et al.)

Microglia activation contributes to Alzheimer's disease (AD) etiology, and microglia migration is a fundamental function during microglia activation. The repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor (REST), a powerful transcriptional factor, was found to play a neuroprotective role in AD. Despite its possible role in disease progression, little is known about whether REST participates in microglia migration. In this study, we aimed to explore the function of REST and its molecular basis during microglia migration under A β 1-42 -treated pathological conditions. When treated by A β 1-42 REST was upregulated through JAK2/STAT3 signal pathway in BV2 cells. And transwell coculture system was used to evaluate cell migration function of microglia-like BV2. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting progranulin (PGRN) were delivered into BV2 cells, and results showed that PGRN functions to promote BV2 migration. REST expression was inhibited by sh-RNA, which induced BV2 cell migration obviously. On the contrary, REST was overexpressed by REST recombinant plasmid transfection, which repressed BV2 cell migration, indicating that REST may act as a repressor of cell migration. To more comprehensively examine the molecular basis, we analyzed the promoter sequence of PGRN and found that it has the potential binding site of REST. Moreover, knocking-down of REST can increase the expression of PGRN, which confirms the inhibiting effect of REST on PGRN expression. Further detection of double luciferase reporter gene also confirmed the inhibition of REST on the activity of PGRN promoter, indicating that REST may be an inhibitory transcription factor of PGRN which governs microglia-like BV2 cell migration. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that transcription factor REST may act as a repressor of microglia migration through PGRN., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2020 Tongya Yu et al.)