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Abstract Dryocosmus kuriphilus, commonly known as the chestnut gall wasp, belongs to the family Cynipidae and is native to China. It is a highly invasive insect species causing serious damage to chestnut trees and has rapidly spread to various continents, including Europe, North America, and Oceania. The D. kuriphilus has become one of the important pests of chestnut plants in the world and is listed as a quarantine object by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). In this study, we used PacBio long reads, Illumina short reads, and Hi-C sequencing data to construct a chromosome-level assembly of the D. kuriphilus genome. The assembled genome includes 14,729 contigs with a total length of 2.28 Gb and a contig N50 of 0.8 Mb. With Hi-C technology, 2.17 Gb (95.02%) of contigs were anchored and oriented into the 10 pseudochromosomes with the scaffold N50 of 198.8 Mb and the scaffold N90 of 158.8 Mb. In total, 24,086 protein-coding genes were predicted in the assembled D. kuriphilus genome as the reference gene set. A total of 1.82 Gb repeats (occupying 79.7% of the genome), including 1.42 Gb of transposable elements and 0.40 Gb of tandem repeats, were identified in D. kuriphilus genome. In the evaluation of completeness, the BUSCO analysis determined a level of 98.1% completeness for the assembled genome sequences based on the Insecta database (OrthoDB version 10). The high-quality genome assembly of D. kuriphilus will not only provide a valuable reference for the study of its evolutionary history and genetic structure but also facilitate the research of host-pest interactions and invasiveness. Moreover, this genome assembly will promote in the development of effective management strategies to mitigate the economic and ecological impacts of this invasive pest on chestnut trees and ecosystems.

In this study, in order to establish an electrochemical method for the rapid and sensitive determination of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in barbecued meat products, a Fe3O4/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-COOH/Nafion/glassy carbon electrode (GCE) electrochemical sensor was prepared using magnetic ferric oxide (Fe3O4), MWCNTs-COOH and Nafion as composite modifying materials and a GCE as carrier. The optimal conditions were determined as follows: disodium hydrogen phosphate-potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution at pH 2.5 as electrolyte solution, 0.5% Nafion as dispersant, 6 µL of modifying solution (2 mg/mL), and enrichment time 15 min. Under these conditions, there was a good linear relationship between BaP concentration in the range of 0–100 nmol/L and peak current, with a determination coefficient (R2) of 0.997 0. The detection limit of this method was 3.12 × 10–10 mol/L, and the spiked recoveries ranged from 86.65% to 96.97%. In conclusion, the electrochemical sensor has good stability and reproducibility and is suitable for the rapid detection of BaP in barbecued meat products.

In this study, the structural characteristics, functional properties, and in vitro gastrointestinal digestibility of glutenin from Tiger nut seed meal (TNSMG) treated by microwave (140–700 W, 20–60 s) and water-bath heating (40–100 °C, 10–30 min) were investigated. Analysis of the surface hydrophobicity, intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that both microwave and water-bath heating treatments caused structure changes of TNSMG. The results showed an increase in the exposure of sulfhydryl groups and the content of β-sheet, coupled with a decrease in the content of α-helix and β-turn. These structural changes contributed to the improved solubility, foamability, emulsification properties, and digestibility of TNSMG under proper thermal treatment conditions. TNSMG exhibited the best solubility (68.48%) and foamability (85.56%) after water-bath heating treatment for 20 min at 80 °C. Furthermore, TNSMG showed the best emulsification property (9.61 m2/g) and digestibility (78.58%) when treated by microwave treatment at 560 W for 40 s.

Abstract Preeclampsia (PE) is a significant threat to all pregnancies that is highly associated with maternal mortality and developmental disorders in infants. However, the etiopathogenesis of this condition remains unclear. This study aims to explore the regulatory roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and the mediated competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNA) in the etiopathogenesis of PE through analysis of lncRNA expression patterns in PE and healthy pregnant women (HPW), as well as the construction of lncRNA-mediated ceRNA regulatory networks using bioinformatics. A total of 896 significant differentially expressed lncRNAs, including 586 upregulated lncRNAs and 310 downregulated lncRNAs, were identified in comparison between PE and HPW. Analysis of these differential expressed lncRNAs revealed their predominant enrichment in molecular functions such as sphingosine-1-phosphate phosphatase activity, lipid phosphatase activity, phosphatidate phosphatase activity, thymidylate kinase activity, and UMP kinase activity. Moreover, these differential expressed lncRNAs were predominantly enriched in KEGG analyses such as fat digestion and absorption, lysine degradation, ether lipid metabolism, glycerolipid metabolism, and sphingolipid metabolism. Two ceRNA regulatory networks were constructed based on ceRNA score, including one that had 31 upregulated lncRNAs, 11 downregulated miRNAs, and 34 upregulated mRNAs, while the other contained 128 downregulated lncRNAs, 40 upregulated miRNAs, and 113 downregulated mRNAs. These results may provide a clue to explore the roles of lncRNAs in the etiopathogenesis of PE.

Abstract Background There is few evidence of right ventricular (RV) function in fetuses with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the RV function of fetuses using routine and two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2D STE) to determine the effects of well-controlled GDM in the third trimester. Methods We used a Philips Epiq7C ultrasound instrument to obtain RV data sets from 63 subjects from July 2019 to February 2022. We compared the free wall thickness (FWT), fractional area change (FAC), Tei index (TEI), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and free wall longitudinal strain(FWLS)of the RV in mothers with well-controlled GDM and normal gestational age-matched fetuses. Results 63 third trimester fetuses (32 GDM; 31 healthy controls) met the enrolment criteria. Significant differences in fetal RV were detected between the GDM and control groups for the FAC (36.35 ± 6.19 vs. 41.59 ± 9.11; P = 0.008) and the FWLS (-18.28 ± 4.23 vs. -20.98 ± 5.49; P = 0.021). There was a significant difference among the segmental strains of the base, middle and apex of the RV free wall in the healthy controls (P = 0.003), but in the GDM group, there was no statistical difference (p = 0.076). RV FWLS had a strong correlation with FAC (r = 0.467; P = 0.0002). Conclusions In well-controlled GDM, there was measurable fetal RV hypertrophy and significant systolic function decline, indicating the presence of ventricular remodeling and dysfunction. 2D-STE can evaluate the RV free wall contraction in a more comprehensive way.

BackgroundSepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is prevalent in intensive care unit (ICU) environments but lacks established treatment protocols, necessitating prompt diagnostic methods for early intervention. Traditional symptom-based diagnostics are non-specific and confounded by sedatives, while emerging biomarkers like neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B) have limited specificity. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) indicators, although is particularly relevant for SAE, requires high operator expertise, limiting its clinical utility.ObjectiveThis pilot study aims to utilize cerebral circulation time (CCT) assessed via contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) as an innovative approach to investigate the accuracy of SAE prediction. Further, these CCT measurements are integrated into a nomogram to optimize the predictive performance.MethodsThis study employed a prospective, observational design, enrolling 67 ICU patients diagnosed with sepsis within the initial 24 h. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were conducted to assess the predictive accuracy of potential markers including NSE, S100B, TCD parameters, and CCT for SAE. A nomogram was constructed via multivariate Logistic Regression to further explore the combined predictive potential of these variables. The model's predictive performance was evaluated through discrimination, calibration, and decision curve analysis (DCA).ResultsSAE manifested at a median of 2 days post-admission in 32 of 67 patients (47.8%), with the remaining 35 sepsis patients constituting the non-SAE group. ROC curves revealed substantial predictive utility for CCT, pulsatility index (PI), and S100B, with CCT emerging as the most efficacious predictor, evidenced by an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.846. Multivariate Logistic Regression identified these markers as independent predictors for SAE, leading to the construction of a nomogram with excellent discrimination, substantiated by an AUC of 0.924 through bootstrap resampling. The model exhibited satisfactory concordance between observed and predicted probabilities, and DCA confirmed its clinical utility for the prompt identification of SAE.ConclusionThis study highlighted the enhanced predictive value of CCT in SAE detection within ICU settings. A novel nomogram incorporating CCT, PI, and S100B demonstrated robust discrimination, calibration, and clinical utility, solidifying it as a valuable tool for early SAE intervention.

Abstract Background ​Extracranial metastasis can occur in intracranial germ cell tumors (GCTs), but it is very rare. Recurrence or metastasis of non-germinomatous germ cell tumors (NGGCTs) is often accompanied by elevated tumor markers. ​Occult extracranial metastases or recurrences with negative markers are often difficult to detect in time, resulting in a very poor prognosis. Case presentation A 12-year-old boy was admitted to our institution with dizziness, headache, vomiting, and sleepiness. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a pineal mass, accompanied by a significant increase in serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). The patient subsequently underwent total removal of the tumor. Pathology revealed that the tumor was a mixed GCT, consisting of mature teratoma, germinoma, and yolk sac tumor. Intracranial GCT achieved complete remission after intensive adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Regular follow-up MRI revealed no recurrence of the intracranial tumor and continued monitoring of tumor markers revealed no abnormalities. ​Eight months later, the patient was readmitted due to progressive abdominal pain. Imaging and physical examination revealed abdominal occupation and lymphatic mass in the neck. He received salvage chemotherapy, anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, and palliative chemotherapy, but still developed multiple organ dysfunction syndromes (MODS) due to tumor progression and eventually died after one month. Conclusions ​This profound case suggests that intracranial NGGCTs may develop occult extracranial malignancy, which can be very severe at the time of clinical symptoms and has an extremely poor prognosis. Therefore, in addition to tumor marker monitoring, regular follow-up with extracranial imaging may be warranted to detect extracranial tumors as early as possible, although perhaps not as frequently as with neuroimaging.

NASICON (sodium (Na) superionic conductor) compounds have attracted considerable attention as promising solid electrolyte materials for advanced Na-based batteries. In this study, we investigated the improvement in ionic conductivities of von-Alpen-type NASICON (vA-NASICON) ceramic electrolytes by introducing a magnesium ion (Mg2+) as a heterogeneous element. The optimal Mg-doped vA-NASICON exhibited a high ionic conductivity of 3.64×10−3 S·cm−1, which was almost 80% higher than that of un-doped vA-NASICON. The changes in physicochemical properties of the vA-NASICONs through the Mg introduction were systematically analyzed, and their effects on the ionic conductivities of the vA-NASICON were studied in detail. When the optimal ratio of Mg2+ was used in a synthetic process, the relative density (96.6%) and grain boundary ionic conductivity (σgb) were maximized, which improved the total ionic conductivity (σt) of the vA-NASICON. However, when Mg2+ was introduced in excess, the ionic conductivity decreased because of the formation of an undesired sodium magnesium phosphate (NaxMgyPO4) secondary phase. The results of this study are expected to be effectively applied in the development of advanced sodium-based solid electrolytes with high ionic conductivities.

Abstract Mesenchymal glioblastoma (GBM) is highly resistant to radio‐and chemotherapy and correlates with worse survival outcomes in GBM patients; however, the underlying mechanism determining the mesenchymal phenotype remains largely unclear. Herein, it is revealed that FBXO7, a substrate‐recognition component of the SCF complex implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease, confers mesenchymal properties and chemoresistance in GBM by controlling Rbfox2‐mediated alternative splicing. Specifically, FBXO7 ubiquitinates Rbfox2 Lys249 through K63‐linked ubiquitin chains upon arginine dimethylation at Arg341 and Arg441 by PRMT5, leading to Rbfox2 stabilization. FBXO7 controls Rbfox2‐mediated splicing of mesenchymal genes, including FoxM1, Mta1, and Postn. FBXO7‐induced exon Va inclusion of FoxM1 promotes FoxM1 phosphorylation by MEK1 and nuclear translocation, thereby upregulates CD44, CD9, and ID1 levels, resulting in GBM stem cell self‐renewal and mesenchymal transformation. Moreover, FBXO7 is stabilized by temozolomide, and FBXO7 depletion sensitizes tumor xenografts in mice to chemotherapy. The findings demonstrate that the FBXO7‐Rbfox2 axis‐mediated splicing contributes to mesenchymal transformation and tumorigenesis, and targeting FBXO7 represents a potential strategy for GBM treatment.

Abstract Background The accuracy of transvaginal digital examination in determining foetal head position is not high enough. This study aimed to evaluate whether an additional training on our new theory could improve the diagnostic accuracy of the foetal head position. Methods This was a prospective study conducted at a 3a grade hospital. The study included 2 residents in their first year of training in obstetrics without prior experience in transvaginal digital examination. In the observational study, 600 pregnant women without contraindications to vaginal delivery were included. Two residents were simultaneously trained in the theory of traditional vaginal examination, but resident B received an additional theoretical training program. The pregnant women were randomly assigned to have the foetal head position examined by resident A and resident B. The foetal head position was then confirmed by ultrasound, which was performed by the main investigator. After 300 examinations were independently performed by each resident, the accuracy of foetal head position and perinatal outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results During the 3-month period, 300 post training transvaginal digital examinations were performed by each resident in our hospital. The two groups were found to be homogeneous for age at delivery, BMI before delivery, parity, gestational weeks at delivery, the rate of epidural analgesia, foetal head position, presence of caput succedaneum, presence of moulding and foetal head station(p > 0.05). The diagnostic accuracy of head position by digital examination was higher for resident B, who was subjected to an additional theoretical training program, than for resident A (75.00% vs. 60.67%, p 0.05). Conclusion An additional theoretical training program for residents increased the accuracy of vaginal assessment of foetal head position. Trial registration Registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Platform (ChiCTR2200064783), October 17, 2022. https://www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=182857&htm=4

Abstract Background Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is the most common oral cancer with a poor prognosis. At present, there is not any systematic study on autophagy-related long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) to predict the survival of patients with TSCC. Material and methods In this research, the cohort of TSCC patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that ten lncRNAs related to autophagy AC010326.3, AL160006.1, AL122010.1, AC139530.1, AC092747.4, AL139287.1, MIR503HG, AC009318.2, LINC01711, and LINC02560 are significantly correlated with prognosis. Based on these lncRNAs, a prognostic signature was established. This signature has an AUC value of 0.782, which accurately distinguishes patients of TSCC into high-risk and low-risk groups in different clinical hierarchical information (such as gender, age, etc.). Results The clinical nomogram with autophagy-related lncRNA prognostic characteristics has a concordance index of 0.81, and accurately predicts the survival time at 1-year and 3-year of TSCC patients. Related functional enrichment results indicate that the pathways of the high-risk group are enriched on cancer and autophagy. Conclusions The autophagy-related lncRNA prognostic signature established in this study could accurately predict the prognosis of TSCC patients and may be a molecular biomarker and therapeutic target.

PurposeThis study aimed to determine the diagnostic value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and to elucidate the clinical characteristics of medial group retropharyngeal lymph nodes (RLNs) based on multi-modal imaging. Also, we intended to explore the feasibility of optimizing the CTV60 boundary based on the characteristics of medial group RLNs.MethodsA total of 549 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma received magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), DWI, and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) to detect and evaluate clinical characteristics of medial group RLNs. [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography was utilized to identify fluorodeoxyglucose uptaking and contrast-enhanced CT to ensure the reliability of CTV optimization during radiotherapy. The DESdC (Drinking, Eating, Swallowing Difficulties, and Coughing while Eating or Drinking) score was utilized to evaluate swallowing disability.ResultsFourteen of 549 patients had medial group RLNs with a transverse diameter of 2.0–19.0 mm, which distributed between the upper margin of 1st cervical vertebra (C1) and the upper one-third of C3. Lasso regression and Pearson chi-square test suggested that its occurrence was associated with stage N, bilateral cervical lymph node metastases, especially when the transverse diameter of cervical lymph nodes was > 3 cm. The sensitivity of DWI, T2 STIR, and contrast-enhanced CT was 100%, 57.1%, and 21.4%, respectively. We optimized CTV60 of medial group RLNs from the base of skull to the upper edge of C2 excluding specific cases. For patients with CTV60 optimization, radiation dose and volume of swallowing structures decreased obviously. Based on our radiotherapy strategy on CTV60, acute toxicities of enrolled patients were well tolerated. Ninety-six of 549 patients had scores with DESdC score. Eighty-three patients scored 1, seven patients scored 2, one patient scored 3, and three patients scored 4. The median interval from the onset of symptoms was 72 (4–114) months. The 5-year overall survival, progression-free survival, local recurrence-free survival, and distant metastasis-free survival were 87%, 80%, 93%, and 85%, respectively. None of the patients with regional recurrence happened in the optimized region.ConclusionDWI possesses superiorities in displaying lymph nodes. Based on the low incidence of the medial RLNs, CTV60 of medial group RLNs from the base of skull to the upper edge of C2 is feasible and has dosimetric advantages for protecting swallowing structures.

Abstract This paper carried out a classification study on the quality of different types of apples. In order to achieve a high‐precision classification of high‐quality apples in various dimensions, shorten the classification time, improve efficiency, and make it feasible for practical applications. This paper proposes an automatic recognition and classification model OB‐Net (for apple appearance quality) based on a dual‐branch structure. The model consists of two branches, an O branch and a B branch. The O branch extracts the shape and contour features of the apple surface defect by decomposing the feature map into high and low frequencies. The B branch extracts the shape size and texture characteristics of the apple surface defect by fusing channel attention and spatial attention mechanisms; this is done to further increase the feature distance between different types of defects. Experimental results show that the classification accuracy rates of rot, insect bites, russeting, scratches, and intact apples are 95.65%, 98.17%, 94.62%, 92.02% and 97.67%, respectively; the overall classification and recognition accuracy rate reaches 95.64%. Finally, the three aspects of the feature map, heat map and category probability statistics map extracted from the OB‐Net network model prove the validity of the network model in the classification of apple appearance quality.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a notably global health challenge with high mortality rates and poor prognosis. The deregulation of the Hippo signalling pathway, especially the overexpression and activation of downstream effector Yes-associated protein (YAP), has been demonstrated to result in the rapid malignant evolution of HCC. In this context, multiple efforts have been dedicated to targeting YAP for HCC therapy, but effective YAP inhibitors are still lacking. In this study, through a YAP-TEAD (8×GTIIC) luciferase reporter assay, we identified fingolimod, an immunomodulatory drug approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, as a novel YAP inhibitor. Fingolimod suppressed the proliferation of HCC cell lines by downregulating the protein levels as well as the trans-activating function of YAP. Overall, our current study not only identifies fingolimod as a novel YAP-targeting in hibitor, but also indicates that this clinically-approved drug could be utilized as a potential and feasible therapeutic drug for HCC.

IntroductionAbnormal placental development can lead to adverse outcomes for both mother and fetus. The effect of different types of endometrium preparation regimens of frozen-thawed cycles on the placental development features associated with the perinatal outcomes remains unclear. Hence, we conducted a retrospective cohort study to assess the impact of specific endometrial preparation regimens on placenta-mediated pregnancy complications in singleton live births.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted evaluating data of all singleton live births both conceived naturally or by in vitro fertilization (IVF) therapy from 2018 to 2020 at our hospital. Two exposed groups of frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) were created by the endometrium preparation regimen as the modified natural cycles (mNC) and the programmed cycles. The nonexposed group was the singleton pregnancies conceived naturally. The obstetrical and perinatal outcomes were compared among the three groups using multivariate analysis to adjust the results for determinants potentially associated with the abnormal placental development.ResultsA total of 2186 pregnant women with singleton live births were included in our final analysis and were divided into three groups as naturally conceived group (n=1334), mNC-FETs group (n=217) and programmed-FETs group(n=635). After adjusting for maternal age and parity, no significant difference was observed on the risk of placental disorders between mNC-FET cycles and natural conceived pregnancies (aOR 1.16; 95%CI 1.31-7.01), while programmed-FET cycles were associated with a higher occurrence of placental disorders (aOR 5.36; 95%CI 3.63-8.05). Using the mNC-FET group as a reference and adjusting for confounders such as maternal age, parity, endometrial thickness, and number of embryos transferred, we found that the main manifestation of abnormal placentation in programmed FET cycles was abnormal placental attachment, including placental adhesion and placenta increta (aOR 2.50, 95%CI 1.36-4.90). The dysfunction of placentation in programmed-FET cycles was independently associated with the type of infertility, the total dose of Femostone and thinner endometrium. Additionally, placental disorders in the programmed-FET group were associated with higher rate of preeclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage and Cesarean section.ConclusionOur retrospective study revealed that the programmed-FET has a substantial impact on placental development, resulting in a higher incidence of preeclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage and Cesarean section. These findings have significant implications on clinical decision-making.

Tillering onion is a herbaceous plant belonging to the Liliaceae family. We cloned the cDNAs of the actin gene (AcACT, GenBank: MF919598) of tillering onion using rapid amplification of the cDNA ends. The full-length cDNA of AcACT was 1,357 bp long with an open reading frame of 1,131 bp encoding 376 amino acids. The amino acid sequence of AcACT shared > 96% similarity with the amino acid sequences of other ACTs and was found (by means of phylogenetic tree analysis) to be closely related to those of Ananas comosus and Papaver somniferum. AcACT expressions showed no significant differences (p > 0.01) in two cultivars L-SH and L-SY over three growth periods and under suitable conditions, low temperature, and short-day conditions. In addition, AcACT was used as an internal reference gene to analyse the expression of the alliinase gene (AcALL). AcALL expression trends in the roots, stems and leaves were consistent with those of diallyl disulphide and diallyl trisulphide. Thus, AcACT is highly conserved and can be used as a suitable internal reference gene when analysing gene expression in tillering onion.

Intracranial germ cell tumors (GCTs) are highly heterogeneous and rare, and the recurrence of mature teratomas is uncommon. There is limited data on the systematic management of multiple recurrent tumors following total teratoma removal. Herein, we report repeated relapsing GCTs with different histological subtypes and locations after en bloc total resection of a pineal mature teratoma. A 14-year-old patient underwent total resection of a tumor in the pineal region and histopathology revealed a mature cystic teratoma. Four years later, the patient experienced a recurrence of the suprasellar tumor, which occurred several times over the next eight years. The tumor was successfully eliminated after multiple surgeries, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. By the time the paper was submitted, the patient had not had a recurrence of the tumor and was in the good physical condition and leading a normal life. Based on this case, we discussed the pathogenesis of recurrent mature teratoma and the therapeutic strategy of multiple recurrent GCTs.

IntroductionThe genus Wolbachia provides a typical example of intracellular bacteria that infect the germline of arthropods and filarial nematodes worldwide. Their importance as biological regulators of invertebrates, so it is particularly important to study the evolution, divergence and host adaptation of these bacteria at the genome-wide level.MethodsHere, we used publicly available Wolbachia genomes to reconstruct their evolutionary history and explore their adaptation under host selection.ResultsOur findings indicate that segmental and single-gene duplications, such as DNA methylase, bZIP transcription factor, heat shock protein 90, in single monophyletic Wolbachia lineages (including supergroups A and B) may be responsible for improving the ability to adapt to a broad host range in arthropod-infecting strains. In contrast to A strains, high genetic diversity and rapidly evolving gene families occur in B strains, which may promote the ability of supergroup B strains to adapt to new hosts and their large-scale spreading. In addition, we hypothesize that there might have been two independent horizontal transfer events of cif genes in two sublineages of supergroup A strains. Interestingly, during the independent evolution of supergroup A and B strains, the rapid evolution of cif genes in supergroup B strains resulted in the loss of their functional domain, reflected in a possible decrease in the proportion of induced cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) strains.DiscussionThis present study highlights for reconstructing of evolutionary history, addressing host adaptation-related evolution and exploring the origin and divergence of CI genes in each Wolbachia supergroup. Our results thus not only provide a basis for further exploring the evolutionary history of Wolbachia adaptation under host selection but also reveal a new research direction for studying the molecular regulation of Wolbachia- induced cytoplasmic incompatibility.

Convergent evolution in plants has important roles in understanding the coexistence of species and the construction of communities in the same habitat. However, evidence that determines whether this phenomenon also occurs in soil bacteria is lacking. In this study, the communities of Suaeda salsa, Phragmites australis, and Tamarix chinensis on the same succession sequence in the supratidal habitat of the Yellow River Delta are taken as research objects. 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology was used to test the diversity, structure, and function of rhizosphere soil bacteria. Result shows that the diversity of bacteria increases in the order of S. salsa

BackgroundFerroptosis, a novel mode of apoptosis has recently been shown to be associated with fibrosis, tumor, cardiovascular, and other diseases. In this study, using bioinformatic analysis, we identified ferroptosis genes associated with Crohn’s disease (CD) and performed biological function analysis, identified potential drug targets, and provided new directions for the future treatment of CD.MethodsDifferential expression analysis was performed using the GSE186582 dataset from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Ferroptosis-associated genes were downloaded from the FerrDB database, and overlapping genes associated with CD and ferroptosis were extracted. Then, we performed functional enrichment analysis, constructed a protein-protein interaction network (PPI), identified the correlation between hub genes and immune infiltration, performed external validation using a second and third dataset (GSE102133, GSE95095), and identified potential therapeutic agents. Finally, we validated the protein expression levels of the identified hub genes by immunohistochemical staining in the colon tissues from CD and healthy participants.ResultsA total of 28 ferroptosis-associated genes associated with CD were identified in our analysis, which included 22 up-regulated and 6 down-regulated genes. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that these genes are essential for the apical plasma membrane and amide transport, and Metascape analysis showed that these genes mainly act on IL-4 and IL-13 signaling pathways. Five hub genes, PTGS2, IL6, IL1B, NOS2, and IDO1, were identified by a protein interaction network, and external validation of these hub genes showed statistically significant differences in expression between the CD patients and normal participants (p < 0.05), and all AUC values were greater than 0.8. Further, we predicted the top 10 drugs used to treat CD. Immune infiltration results suggest that Hub gene is related to T cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, and other immune cells. Finally, the results of immunohistochemical experiments showed that the protein expression of the hub gene was higher in CD colon tissue than in normal subjects (p < 0.05).ConclusionBioinformatics analysis showed that ferroptosis is closely related to the development of CD, and the prediction of potential drugs provides new targets for the treatment of CD. Moreover, five hub genes identified are potentially new and effective markers for the diagnosis of CD.