Search

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) are closely related to the treatment of human diseases. Traditional biological experiments often require time-consuming and labor-intensive in their search for mechanisms of disease. Computational methods are regarded as an effective way to predict unknown lncRNA-miRNA interactions (LMIs). However, most of them complete their tasks by mainly focusing on a single lncRNA-miRNA network without considering the complex mechanism between biomolecular in life activities, which are believed to be useful for improving the accuracy of LMI prediction. To address this, a heterogeneous information network (HIN) learning model with neighborhood-level structural representation, called HINLMI, to precisely identify LMIs. In particular, HINLMI first constructs a HIN by integrating nine interactions of five biomolecules. After that, different representation learning strategies are applied to learn the biological and network representations of lncRNAs and miRNAs in the HIN from different perspectives. Finally, HINLMI incorporates the XGBoost classifier to predict unknown LMIs using final embeddings of lncRNAs and miRNAs. Experimental results show that HINLMI yields a best performance on the real dataset when compared with state-of-the-art computational models. Moreover, several analysis experiments indicate that the simultaneous consideration of biological knowledge and network topology of lncRNAs and miRNAs allows HINLMI to accurately predict LMIs from a more comprehensive perspective. The promising performance of HINLMI also reveals that the utilization of rich heterogeneous information can provide an alternative insight for HINLMI to identify novel interactions between lncRNAs and miRNAs.

Abstract Understanding the sensing mechanism of metal oxide semiconductors is imperative to the development of high-performance sensors. The traditional sensing mechanism only recognizes the effect of surface chemisorbed oxygen from the air but ignores surface lattice oxygen. Herein, using in-situ characterizations, we provide direct experimental evidence that the surface chemisorbed oxygen participated in the sensing process can come from lattice oxygen of the oxides. Further density functional theory (DFT) calculations prove that the p-band center of O serves as a state of art for regulating the participation of lattice oxygen in gas-sensing reactions. Based on our experimental data and theoretical calculations, we discuss mechanisms that are fundamentally different from the conventional mechanism and show that the easily participation of lattice oxygen is helpful for the high response value of the materials.

Abstract Purpose Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a highly heterogeneous malignancy with an unfavorable prognosis. The purpose of this study was to address the heterogeneity of CRC by categorizing it into ion channel subtypes, and to develop a predictive modeling based on ion channel genes to predict the survival and immunological states of patients with CRC. The model will provide guidance for personalized immunotherapy and drug treatment. Methods A consistent clustering method was used to classify 619 CRC samples based on the expression of 279 ion channel genes. Such a method was allowed to investigate the relationship between molecular subtypes, prognosis, and immune infiltration. Furthermore, a predictive modeling was constructed for ion channels to evaluate the ion channel properties of individual tumors using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator. The expression patterns of the characteristic genes were validated through molecular biology experiments. The effect of potassium channel tetramerization domain containing 9 (KCTD9) on CRC was verified by cellular functional experiments. Results Four distinct ion channel subtypes were identified in CRC, each characterized by unique prognosis and immune infiltration patterns. Notably, Ion Cluster3 exhibited high levels of immune infiltration and a favorable prognosis, while Ion Cluster4 showed relatively lower levels of immune infiltration and a poorer prognosis. The ion channel score could predict overall survival, with lower scores correlated with longer survival. This score served as an independent prognostic factor and presented an excellent predictive efficacy in the nomogram. In addition, the score was closely related to immune infiltration, immunotherapy response, and chemotherapy sensitivity. Experimental evidence further confirmed that low expression of KCTD9 in tumor tissues was associated with an unfavorable prognosis in patients with CRC. The cellular functional experiments demonstrated that KCTD9 inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion capabilities of LOVO cells. Conclusions Ion channel subtyping and scoring can effectively predict the prognosis and evaluate the immune microenvironment, immunotherapy response, and drug sensitivity in patients with CRC.

Abstract To evaluate the current incidence of pulmonary hemorrhage and the potential factors contributing to its increased risk after percutaneous CT-guided pulmonary nodule biopsy and to summarize the technical recommendations for its treatment. In this observational study, patient data were collected from ten medical centers from April 2021 to April 2022. The incidence of pulmonary hemorrhage was as follows: grade 0, 36.1% (214/593); grade 1, 36.8% (218/593); grade 2, 18.9% (112/593); grade 3, 3.5% (21/593); and grade 4, 4.7% (28/593). High-grade hemorrhage (HGH) occurred in 27.2% (161/593) of the patients. The use of preoperative breathing exercises (PBE, p =0.000), semiautomatic cutting needles (SCN, p = 0.004), immediate contrast enhancement (ICE, p =0.021), and the coaxial technique (CoT, p = 0.000) were found to be protective factors for HGH. A greater length of puncture (p =0.021), the presence of hilar nodules (p = 0.001), the presence of intermediate nodules (p = 0.026), a main pulmonary artery diameter (mPAD) larger than 29 mm (p = 0.015), and a small nodule size (p = 0.014) were risk factors for high-grade hemorrhage. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.783. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the risks associated with percutaneous CT-guided pulmonary nodule biopsy and provide valuable insights for developing strategies to minimize pulmonary hemorrhage.

In this publication, we offer the first assessment of the long-term radiation impact on superconducting magnets utilized in MRI-guided proton therapy. We explore both uniform and non-uniform magnetic fields and create three improved therapy plans for shallow (brain), medium (liver), and deep (prostate) targets. The evaluation of radiation damage in superconducting magnets using therapy plans is carried out through the implementation of the Monte Carlo method, molecular dynamics method, and modified NRT model. The results of the three plans show that a large amount of particles do enter the superconducting magnet during the treatment, with a preponderance of photons and neutrons. For superconducting magnets in MRI systems, the closer the coil is to the target area, the greater the radiation damage, and the extent of radiation damage increases with the energy of the incident proton beam. The PKA with high energy can induce temperature fluctuations locally in the superconducting coils, but does not pose a threat to its mechanical properties. Following 20 years of continuous operation, the DPA of the internal coils is about 2.3097E-17, and the maximum dose to insulating layer is about 1.25 Gy. The results of this paper show that MRI-guided proton therapy poses no threat to the long-term operation of superconducting magnets.

Summary: Quantum secret sharing (QSS) represents the fusion of quantum mechanics principles with secret information sharing, allowing a sender to distribute a secret among receivers for collective recovery. This paper introduces the concept of quantum anonymous secret sharing (QASS) to enhance the practicality of such protocols. We propose a QASS protocol leveraging W states, ensuring both recover-security and anonymity of shared secrets. Our protocol undergoes rigorous evaluation verifying their accuracy and fortifying their security against scenarios involving the active adversary. Additionally, acknowledging the imperfections inherent in real-world communication channels, we conduct a comprehensive analysis of protocol security and efficacy in noisy quantum networks. Our investigations reveal that W states exhibit good performance in mitigating noise interference, making them apt for practical applications.

Abstract Background As an important task in bioinformatics, clustering analysis plays a critical role in understanding the functional mechanisms of many complex biological systems, which can be modeled as biological networks. The purpose of clustering analysis in biological networks is to identify functional modules of interest, but there is a lack of online clustering tools that visualize biological networks and provide in-depth biological analysis for discovered clusters. Results Here we present BioCAIV, a novel webserver dedicated to maximize its accessibility and applicability on the clustering analysis of biological networks. This, together with its user-friendly interface, assists biological researchers to perform an accurate clustering analysis for biological networks and identify functionally significant modules for further assessment. Conclusions BioCAIV is an efficient clustering analysis webserver designed for a variety of biological networks. BioCAIV is freely available without registration requirements at http://bioinformatics.tianshanzw.cn:8888/BioCAIV/ .

Temozolomide (TMZ) is an anticancer agent used to treat glioblastoma, typically following radiation therapy and/or surgical resection. However, despite its effectiveness, at least 50% of patients do not respond to TMZ, which is associated with repair and/or tolerance of TMZ-induced DNA lesions. Studies have demonstrated that alkyladenine DNA glycosylase (AAG), an enzyme that triggers the base excision repair (BER) pathway by excising TMZ-induced N3-methyladenine (3meA) and N7-methylguanine lesions, is overexpressed in glioblastoma tissues compared to normal tissues. Therefore, it is essential to develop a rapid and efficient screening method for AAG inhibitors to overcome TMZ resistance in glioblastomas. Herein, we report a robust time-resolved photoluminescence platform for identifying AAG inhibitors with improved sensitivity compared to conventional steady-state spectroscopic methods. As a proof-of-concept, this assay was used to screen 1440 food and drug administration-approved drugs against AAG, resulting in the repurposing of sunitinib as a potential AAG inhibitor. Sunitinib restored glioblastoma (GBM) cancer cell sensitivity to TMZ, inhibited GBM cell proliferation and stem cell characteristics, and induced GBM cell cycle arrest. Overall, this strategy offers a new method for the rapid identification of small-molecule inhibitors of BER enzyme activities that can prevent false negatives due to a fluorescent background.

Abstract Objective The prognostic role of the number of cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) after total mesorectal excision in stage III and high-risk stage II rectal cancer is unknown. As a result of this, our study was designed to assess the effect of the number of cycles of ACT on the prediction of cancer-specific survival. Methods Four hundred patients that were diagnosed as stage III and high-risk stage II rectal cancer from January 2012 to January 2018 and who had received total mesorectal excision were enrolled in this study. A nomogram incorporating the number of cycles of ACT was also developed in this study. For internal validation, the bootstrap method was used and the consistency index was used to evaluate the accuracy of the model. The patients were stratified into risk groups according to their tumor characteristics by recursive partitioning analysis. Results We found that the risk of death was decreased by 26% (HR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.61–0.89, P = 0.0016) with each increasing ACT cycle. The N stage, positive lymph node ratio (PLNR), carcinoembryonic antigen, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and the number of cycles of ACT were chosen and entered into the nomogram model. Recursive partitioning analysis-based risk stratification revealed a significant difference in the prognosis in rectal cancer patients with high-risk, intermediate-risk, and low-risk (3-year cancer-specific survival: 0.246 vs. 0.795 vs. 0.968, P < 0.0001). Seven or more cycles of ACT yielded better survival in patients with PLNR ≥ 0.28 but not in patients with PLNR < 0.28. Conclusion In conclusion, the nomogram prognosis model based on the number of cycles of ACT predicted individual prognosis in rectal cancer patients who had undergone total mesorectal excision. These findings further showed that in patients with PLNR ≥ 0.28, no fewer than 7 cycles of ACT are needed to significantly reduce the patient’s risk of death.

Abstract The decays of $$B_{d,s}^0 \rightarrow \sigma \sigma , \sigma f_0, f_0 f_0$$ B d , s 0 → σ σ , σ f 0 , f 0 f 0 , with $$\sigma $$ σ and $$f_0$$ f 0 denoting the light scalar mesons $$f_0(500)$$ f 0 ( 500 ) and $$f_0(980)$$ f 0 ( 980 ) in the two-quark picture, are studied in the perturbative QCD approach based on $$k_T$$ k T factorization. With the referenced value of the mixing angle $$|\varphi | \sim 25^\circ $$ | φ | ∼ 25 ∘ for the $$\sigma -f_0$$ σ - f 0 mixing in the quark-flavor basis, it is of great interest to obtain that: (a) these neutral B-meson decays into $$\sigma \sigma , \sigma f_0$$ σ σ , σ f 0 , and $$f_0 f_0$$ f 0 f 0 have large branching ratios in the order of $$10^{-6}{-}10^{-4}$$ 10 - 6 - 10 - 4 , which mean the possibly constructive interferences existed in the decays with different flavor states, and then are expected to be tested at the Large Hadron Collider beauty and/or Belle-II experiments in the (near) future; (b) the large direct CP violations could be easily found in the $$B_d^0 \rightarrow \sigma \sigma , f_0 f_0$$ B d 0 → σ σ , f 0 f 0 and $$B_{d,s}^0 \rightarrow \sigma f_0$$ B d , s 0 → σ f 0 decays, which indicate the considerable interferences between the tree and the penguin decay amplitudes involved in these four modes, and would be confronted with the future measurements; (c) these neutral B-meson decays could be examined through the secondary decay chain $$\sigma /f_0 \rightarrow \pi ^+ \pi ^-$$ σ / f 0 → π + π - , namely, the four-body decays of $$B_{d,s}^0 \rightarrow (\pi ^+ \pi ^-)_{\sigma (f_0)} (\pi ^+ \pi ^-)_{\sigma (f_0)}$$ B d , s 0 → ( π + π - ) σ ( f 0 ) ( π + π - ) σ ( f 0 ) with still large branching ratios. On the other side, it seems that other 4 four-body decays of $$B_d^0 \rightarrow (\pi ^+ \pi ^-)_{\sigma } (K^+ K^-)_{f_0}$$ B d 0 → ( π + π - ) σ ( K + K - ) f 0 , $$B_s^0 \rightarrow (\pi ^+ \pi ^-)_{\sigma (f_0)} (K^+ K^-)_{f_0}$$ B s 0 → ( π + π - ) σ ( f 0 ) ( K + K - ) f 0 , and $$B_s^0 \rightarrow (K^+ K^-)_{f_0} (K^+ K^-)_{f_0}$$ B s 0 → ( K + K - ) f 0 ( K + K - ) f 0 could also be detected at the relevant experiments, if the $$f_0 \rightarrow K^+ K^-$$ f 0 → K + K - could be identified from the $$\phi \rightarrow K^+ K^-$$ ϕ → K + K - clearly. The (near) future experimental confirmations with good precision would help to further study the perturbative and/or nonperturbative QCD dynamics involved in these considered decay modes, as well as to explore the intrinsic characters of these scalar mesons $$\sigma $$ σ and/or $$f_0$$ f 0 and to constrain both of the magnitude and the sign of $$\varphi $$ φ .

Plants mainly uptake inorganic nitrogen from soil as ammonium and nitrate. Less energy is required to assimilate ammonium compared to nitrates, and plants prefer to take up ammonium when the external nitrogen concentration is low. Investigating the patterns and mechanisms of ammonium absorption can help improve crop nitrogen utilization. In this study, we isolated MdSAT1, a gene of apple encoding an ammonium-responsive bHLH transcription factor. MdSAT1 promoted the growth and development of lateral roots and root hairs. Overexpression of MdSAT1 increased the transcript levels of genes related to ammonium uptake, indicating that MdSAT1 can regulate ammonium uptake and utilization at the transcriptional level. MdSAT1 also can modulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation to ultimately regulate plant growth. Taken together, these findings provide insight for us to further study the mechanisms by which MdSAT1 controls ammonium utilization as well as plant growth and development.

Members of Veratrum are perennial herbs widely used in traditional Chinese medicine to induce vomiting, resolve blood stasis and relieve pain. However, the intrageneric classification and phylogenetic relationships within Veratrum have long been controversial due to the complexity of morphological variations and lack of high-resolution molecular markers. In this study, we reevaluated the infrageneric relationships with the genus Veratrum using complete chloroplast genome sequence data. Herein, the complete cp genomes of ten species of Veratrum were newly sequenced and characterized. The complete cp genomes of ten species of Veratrum had the typical quadripartite structure, ranging from 151,597 bp to 153,711 bp in size and comprising a total of 135 genes. The structure of Veratrum cp genomes (i.e., gene order, content, and genome components) was highly similar across species. The number of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) ranged from 63 to 78, and of long repeats ranged from 31 to 35. Eight highly divergent regions (ndhF, psbC-psbZ, psbK-psbI, rpoB-trnC_GCA, trnK_UUU-trnQ_UUG, trnS_GCU-trnG_UCC, trnT_UGU-trnL_UAA and ycf1) were identified and are potentially useful for the DNA barcoding of Veratrum. Phylogenetic analysis among 29 taxa based on cp genomes, total genes, protein-coding genes and intergenic regions strongly supported the monophyly of Veratrum. The circumscription and relationships of the infrageneric taxa of Veratrum were well-presented with great resolution. These results will facilitate the identification, taxonomy, and utilization of Veratrum plants as well as the evolutionary studies of Melanthiaceae.

Isotrema pseudohei, a new species from Yunnan, Southwest China, is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to I. hei and I. moupinense, but differs from the former in the colour of flower and throat, the size of throat and the shape of gynostemium lobes, and from the latter in the shape of lamina and gynostemium lobes.

Saussurea wettsteiniana is a medicinally important herb endemic to Hengduan Mountains. Here, we report and characterize the complete chloroplast genome sequence of S. wettsteiniana to provide genomic resources useful for future study. The complete chloroplast genome is 152,631 bp in length, consisting of a large single copy and a small single copy of 83,552 bp and 18,637 bp, which were separated by a pair of inverted repeats of 25,221 bp. Totally 133 genes were annotated, including 87 protein-coding genes, 36 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. We also detected two pseudo-genes (ycf1 and rps19). The overall GC content of the whole genome is 37.7%. The phylogenetic tree based on 23 complete plastomes indicated that S. wettsteiniana was closely related to S. involucrata of Compositae.

A numerical study on cavitation in the centrifugal pump during the transportation of pure water and diesel is carried out. An improved cavitation model based on the Zwart–Gerber–Belamri Model is employed in the simulation. A Cash–Karp fourth–fifth order Runge–Kutta method was used to solve the original Rayleigh-Plesset equation to get the numerical solution. The effects from viscosity and surface tension on bubbles’ expansion and compression are taken into account in the improved model instead of the traditional simplification in which the bubble radius is just a function of pressure and density. The coefficients got by fitting the numerical solution are added to the constant pre-multiplier of the Zwart-Gerber-Belrami cavitation model and finally enhance the model. The vapor volume fraction was predicted to be larger in diesel compared to water. The distribution of pressure in diesel is more homogenous than that in pure water. Keywords: Pump, Cavitation, Viscosity, Surface tension, Simulation

Veratrum oxysepalum Turcz. is a medicinal plant belonging to Melanthiaceae occurring in Northeast China. However, there are still limited genomic resources available for genus Veratrum. The complete chloroplast (cp) genome of V. oxysepalum was determined and analyzed in this study. The complete cp genome was 153,705 bp. That contains a large single copy (LSC) region of 83,384 bp, a small single copy (SSC) region of 17,607 bp, which were separated by a pair of 26,358 bp inverted repeat regions (IRs). A total of 135 genes were annotated, including 83 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNAs, and eight rRNAs. Phylogenetic analysis using total chloroplast genome sequence of 21 species revealed that V. oxysepalum was closely relates to V. patulum of Veratrum with 100% bootstrap value.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy of salvage percutaneous radiofrequency ablation in patients with unresectable colorectal cancer liver metastases. Methods: The cohort consisted of 81 patients with 126 colorectal cancer liver metastases who underwent radiofrequency ablation between January 2012 and September 2016. The clinical data and ablation data were retrospectively analyzed. The local tumor progression-free survival, overall survival, and prognostic factors were analyzed using the log-rank test and Cox regression model. Results: The technique success rate was 99.21%. The primary efficacy rate was 100% at the 1-month follow-up. Minor complications were observed in 2 patients, which recovered within 1 week. The median local tumor progression-free survival time of all patients was 29.8 months. The absence of subsequent chemotherapy was an independent predictor of a shorter local tumor progression-free survival time ( P < 0.001, hazard ratio: 2.823, 95% confidence interval: 1.603, 4.972). The median overall survival time was 26.8 months. A lesion size greater than 3 cm ( P = 0.011, hazard ratio: 2.112, 95% confidence interval: 1.188, 3.754) and the presence of early local tumor progression ( P = 0.011, hazard ratio: 2.352, 95% confidence interval: 1.217, 4.545) were related to a shorter survival time. Conclusions: Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation is safe in patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases refractory from chemotherapy. Subsequent chemotherapy is important to enhance local control. Small lesions and favorable early responses are related to prolonged overall survival.

Earth-abundant water splitting materials are highly desirable for renewable fuel production, but such catalysts are rarely tested for long-term use. Here, the authors prepare active water-splitting electrocatalysts via corrosion engineering that are stable for thousands of hours.

Glaucoma is a progressive optic neurodegenerative disease with specific characteristics of structural optic nerve head(ONH)and with changes in the inner retinal layer(ganglion cell complex)along with the presence of corresponding functional visual field(VF)changes that are irreversible. Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome(OSAHS)is characterized by recurrent complete or partial interruption of normal breathing due to functional occlusion or collapse of upper airway during sleep that leads to apnea or hypopnea and hypoxia. This causes decrease in the arterial oxygen(O2)saturation and a rise in the carbon dioxide saturation during sleep and results in transient hypoxia and increased vascular resistance in body tissues. OSAHS is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular, and many reports showed that OSAHS is one of the systemic risk factors for glaucoma which causes irreversible visual field damage, but lacks a systematic analysis of the relationship between the two. Comprehensive glaucoma evaluation should be recommended in patients with OSAHS.

ABSTRACT: Purpose: The present study retrospectively analyzed thesafety and efficacy of computed tomography (CT)-guided cryoablationin the treatment ofunresectable or recurrent advanced colorectal cancer, which did not respond well to or experienced progression with radiotherapy or chemotherapy.Materials and Methods: From January 2013 to April 2015, 31 lesions in 27 patients (16 males, 11 females; mean age of 57.2 years) with pelvic unresectableadvanced or recurrent colorectal cancer were included in the study. The tumor diameter was approximately 3.37 ±1.41 cm. The primary tumor included 25 rectal cancers, 1 sigmoid colon adenocarcinoma, and 1 ileocecal mucinous adenocarcinoma. Cryoablation was performed with 17-gauge cryoprobes and monitored by 64-slice spiral CT. Follow-up was carried out by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The treatment efficacy was evaluated by symptom palliation, decreased carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) serum level, and tumor response.Results: The cryoablation procedure was well-tolerated in all patients without major complications or procedure-related mortality. Long-term complications included abscess formation (1 patient), skin frostbite and post-sacrum antrum formation (1 patient). Pain relief was satisfactory in patients with perineal pain (P

Lagotis brevituba is a famous Tibetan medicine plant and its complete chloroplast genome is determined in this study. The complete chloroplast genome is 152,967 bp in length, with a large single-copy (LSC) region of 83,740 bp, a small single copy (SSC) region of 17,845 bp, and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 25,691 bp. The whole genome contained 131 genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes and 8 rRNA genes. The phylogenetic tree showed that L. brevituba clustered with L. yunnanensis in family Plantaginaceae.

The complete chloroplast (cp) genome of Aconitum austroyunnanense W. T. Wang, a rare and endangered medicinal plant endemic to southwestern China, was sequenced to be 155,818 bp in length, including two inverted repeat (IR, 26,128 bp) regions, one large single-copy region (LSC) and one small single-copy region (SSC) of 86,555 bp and 17,007 bp, respectively. The cp genome has 131 annotated genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, 8 rRNA genes, and a pseudogene (ycf1). The overall GC content of it is 38.1%. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the cp genome of A. austroyunnanense is closely related to that of Aconitum hemsleyanum.

The first complete chloroplast genome of Wikstroemia chamaedaphne, a poisonous shrub with important medicinal value, is reported in this study. The plastome is a quadripartite circular shape with 173,042 bp in length. It consists of a large single-copy (LSC) region of 86,330 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 2868 bp, separated by two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 41,922 bp each. The chloroplast genome contains 137 genes, including 91 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The GC content values in the whole cp genome, LSC region, SSC region, and IR region are 36.6%, 34.6%, 28.3%, and 38.9%, respectively. The corresponding numbers of mono-, di-, tri-, tetra- and penta-nucleotides SSRs were 73, 13, 9, 13, and 1. Phylogenetic study revealed that W. chamaedaphne and W. indica formed a monophyletic branch and having a close relationship with Stellera chamaejasme.

Anisodus acutangulus is a Solanaceae perennial plant, which is endemic to China and classified as an endangered species. In this study, we have sequenced the complete chloroplast genome of A. acutangulus, which is 156,079 bp in length, containing a large single-copy (LSC) region of 86,526 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 17,741 bp and comprises a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRs) of 25,906 bp. Totally 134 genes were annotated, including 87 protein-coding genes, 39 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Its overall GC content is 37.6%. Phylogenetic analysis using total chloroplast genome DNA sequence of 21 species revealed that A. acutangulus was closely related to Hyoscyamus niger with 100% bootstrap value.

Lagotis yunnanensis is a perennial plant in the Scrophulariaceae family with a high value of medicinal in Tibetan medicine. In this study, we assembled and characterized the complete chloroplast genome of L. yunnanensis as a resource for future studies on this species. The chloroplast genome was 152,789 bp in size, with a large single-copy (LSC) region of 83,642 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 17,795 bp, separated by two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 25,676 bp each. A total of 131 genes were predicted. Phylogenetic analysis showed a close relationship between L. yunnanensis and Veronicastrum sibiricum with 100% bootstrap value.

Abstract 2D layered materials with atomic thickness have attracted extensive research interest due to their unique physicochemical and electronic properties, which are usually very different from those of their bulk counterparts. Heterojunctions or heterostructures based on ultrathin 2D materials have attracted increasing attention due to the integrated merits of 2D ultrathin components and the heterojunction effect on the separation and transfer of charges, resulting in important potential values for catalytic applications. Furthermore, 2D/2D heterostructures with face‐to‐face contact are believed to be a preferable dimensionality design due to their large interface area, which would contribute to enhanced heterojunction effect. Here, the cutting‐edge research progress in 2D/2D heterojunctions and heterostructures is highlighted with a specific emphasis on synthetic strategies, reaction mechanism, and applications in catalysis (photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, and organic synthesis). Finally, the key issues and development perspectives in the applications of 2D/2D layered heterojunctions and heterostructures in catalysis are also discussed.

Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) is a strong candidate susceptibility gene for a spectrum of neuropsychiatric diseases including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression, all of which are thought to result from interactions between gene mutations and environmental risk factors such as influenza, trauma and stress. Adolescence is a key period susceptible to stress and stress-related mental illnesses. In a previous study, we found that although DISC1 L100P point mutation mice shows object recognition deficits, their sociability and social memory are relatively normal. Therefore, in this article, we investigated whether the interaction between adolescent stress and DISC1 L100P point mutation affects adult social memory, and we explored the underlying mechanisms. We found that adolescent stress (isolation from 5 weeks to 8 weeks of age) specifically impaired social memory of adult DISC1 L100P mice but not that of WT littermates, which could be rescued by administration of atypical antipsychotic drug clozapine. On the other hand, it did not induce anxiety or depression in adult mice. Adolescent isolation exacerbated adult neurogenesis deficits in the hippocampus of DISC1 L100P mice, while it had no effect on WT mice. In addition, we found that adolescent isolation led to long lasting changes in synaptic transmission and plasticity in the hippocampal circuits, some of which are specific for DISC1 L100P mice. In summary, we identified here the specific interaction between genetic mutation (DISC1 L100P) and adolescence social stress that damages synaptic function and social memory in adult hippocampal circuits.Highlights–Adolescent isolation (from 5 weeks to 8 weeks of age) impairs adult social memory when combined with DISC1 L100P point mutation.–Adolescent isolation exacerbates adult neurogenesis deficit in the hippocampus of L100P mice but has no similar effect on WT mice.–Adolescent isolation causes long lasting changes in synaptic transmission and plasticity of the hippocampal network in DISC1 L100P mice.

The complete chloroplast genomes of Erigeron breviscapus (Vant.) Hand-Mazz and Erigeron multiradiatus (Lindl.) Benth were reported in this study. The complete chloroplast genomes were 152,367 bp and 152,281 bp for E. breviscapus and E. multiradiatus, respectively. Erigeron breviscapus including two inverted repeat (IRs, 24,692 bp) regions, one large singe copy region (LSC) and one small singe copy region (SSC) of 84,881 bp and 18,102 bp, whereas E. multiradiatus contained IRs of 24,691 bp, LSC of 84,789 bp and SSC of 18,110 bp. The chloroplast genomes both contained 129 genes, including 84 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes.

Amomum tsao-ko and Amomum paratsaoko are well known medicinal and edible plants with a strong fragrance and flavour in China. Here, we have sequenced the two complete chloroplast genomes of Amomum tsao-ko and Amomum paratsaoko, which are 163,612 bp and 163,487 bp in length, respectively, and exhibited LSC and SSC regions separated by a pair of inverted repeat regions. The cp genome of A. tsao-ko has 120 annotated genes, including 82 protein-coding genes, while A. paratsaoko has 121 annotated genes, including 83 protein-coding genes. Both cp genomes contained 30 tRNA genes and 8 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis using a total chloroplast genome DNA sequence of 28 species revealed a close relationship between A. tsao-ko and A. paratsaoko with 100% bootstrap value.

Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora (Pennell) Hong, an endangered perennial species, is endemic to the Eastern Himalayas and Hengduan Mountains. In this study, we have sequenced the complete chloroplast genome of N. scrophulariiflora, which is 152,643 bp in length, including two inverted repeat (IR, 25,829 bp) regions, one large single copy region (LSC) and one small single copy region (SSC) of 83,191 bp and 17,794 bp, respectively. The cp genome has 131 annotated genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. The overall GC content of it is 38.1%. Phylogenetic analysis using total chloroplast genome DNA sequence of 14 species revealed that N. scrophulariiflora was closely relates to two species of Veronica with 100% bootstrap value.

Amomum longiligulare T. L. Wu (Zingiberaceae) is a herbaceous perennial grown in Hainan Province, China, which is an important medicinal plant used for the improvement of gastrointestinal motility. The complete chloroplast genome of A. longiligulare was assembled based on next-generation sequencing. The plastome was a quadripartite circular with 16,3608 bp in length, including two inverted repeat (IR, 22,696 bp) regions, one large single-copy region (LSC) and one small single-copy region (SSC) of 88,680 bp and 29,536 bp, respectively. The chloroplast genome contained 123 genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The overall GC content of the whole genome is 36.1%. Phylogenetic analysis strongly supported A. longiligulare and its congeneric species, A. kravanh and A. compactum, as sister group with 100% bootstrap value.

Swertia mileensis is an important medicinal plant endemic to South-east Yunnan, China, which has been widely used to treat icteric hepatitis. The complete chloroplast genome sequence of S. mileensis is presented in this study, the total size is 153,015 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure including a pair of inverted repeat (IRs, 25,786 bp) regions separated by a large single copy (LSC, 83,048 bp) region and a small single copy (SSC, 18,395 bp) region. The overall GC content of it is 38.2%. The cp genome has 134 annotated genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes and 8 rRNA genes. Among these genes, nine genes have one intron and two genes contain two introns. The phylogenetic tree based on 16 complete plastomes of support close relationships among two species of Swertia with 100% bootstrap value.

Veratrum mengtzeanum Loes. F. is a medicinal plant belonging to the genus Veratrum (Liliaceae). In the present study, we assembled and characterized the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of this species. The chloroplast genome is 152,051 bp in length, with one large single copy (LSC) region and one small single copy (SSC) region of 82,112 bp and 17,544 bp, respectively; two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 26,198 bp. It contains 131 annotated genes, including 85 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 38 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and 8 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that V. mengtzeanum was closely related to Veratrum japonicum with 100% bootstrap value.

Aquilaria crassna Pierre ex Lecomte is a principal agarwood tree resource. It has been listed as a critically endangered species. The complete chloroplast genome of A. crassna was assembled based on next-generation sequencing. The plastome was a quadripartite circular shape with 174,830 bp in length, including a large single-copy (LSC) region of 87,450 bp and small single-copy (SSC) region of 3346 bp, separated by two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 42,017 bp each. The chloroplast genome contained 125 genes, including 79 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The overall GC content of the whole genome was 36.7%. The phylogenetic tree showed that three species of Aquilaria formed one monophyletic clade with 100% bootstrap value.

Oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) application in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) mimics ischemic injuries. AntagomiR-451, the miroRNA-451 ("miR-451") inhibitor, could activate pro-survival AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling. In the current study, we showed that forced-expression of antagomiR-451 depleted miRNA-451 and significantly attenuated OGD-induced necrosis of HUVECs. Activation of AMPK was required for antagomiR-451-mediated pro-survival actions. AMPK inhibition, by AMPKα shRNA or dominant negative mutation, almost completely abolishedantagomiR-451-mediated HUVEC protection again OGD. Reversely, forced-activation of AMPK by exogenous expression of constructively-active AMPKα inhibited OGD-induced HUVEC necrosis. At the molecular level, antagomiR-451 expression in HUVECs inhibited OGD-induced programmed necrosis, the latter was evidenced by mitochondrial p53-cyclophilinD (Cyp-D) association, mitochondrial depolarization as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) breach. Together, we suggest that antagomiR-451 activates AMPK to inhibit OGD-induced programmed necrosis in HUVECs.

A universal and multi-mode OSPF vulnerability detection system was designed based on analysis and research of OSPF vulnerability.The system implements denial of service attack model with the method of forging entity router and man-in-middle attack model with zero-copy technology.The method combining SNMP and bypass monitoring was adopted to achieve real-time monitoring of test results.Finally,the system proves the vulnerability of different types of routing equipments in the test environment and the vulnerability hazards were analyzed quantitatively.

Overcoming drug-resistance is one of the major challenges to control tuberculosis (TB). The up-regulation of efflux pumps is one common mechanism that leads to drug-resistance. Therefore, immunotherapy targeting these efflux pump antigens could be promising strategy to be combined with current chemotherapy. Considering that CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) induced by antigenic peptides (epitopes) could elicit HLA-restricted anti-TB immune response, efflux pumps from classical ABC family (Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mtb) were chosen as target antigens to identify CTL epitopes. HLA-A2 restricted candidate peptides from Rv2937, Rv2686c and Rv2687c of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were predicted, synthesized and tested. Five peptides could induce IFN-γ release and cytotoxic activity in PBMCs from HLA-A2+ PPD+ donors. Results from HLA-A2/Kb transgenic mice immunization assay suggested that four peptides Rv2937-p168, Rv2937-p266, Rv2686c-p151, and Rv2686c-p181 could induce significant CTL response in vivo. These results suggested that these novel epitopes could be used as immunotherapy candidates to TB drug-resistance.

Ghrelin is an orexigenic brain-gut hormone promoting feeding and regulating energy metabolism in human and rodents. An increasing number of studies have reported that ghrelin and its identified receptor, the growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHS-R1a), produces remarkably wide and complex functions and biological effects on specific populations of neurons in central nervous system. In this study, we sought to explore the in vivo effects of acute ghrelin exposure on lateral amygdala (LA) neurons at the physiological and behavioral levels. In vivo extracellular single-unit recordings showed that ghrelin with the concentration of several nanomolars (nM) stimulated spontaneous firing of the LA neurons, an effect that was dose-dependent and could be blocked by co-application of a GHS-R1a antagonist D-Lys3-GHRP-6. We also found that D-Lys3-GHRP-6 inhibited spontaneous firing of the LA neurons in a dose-dependent manner, revealing that tonic GHS-R1a activity contributes to orchestrate the basal activity of the LA neurons. Behaviorally, we found that microinfusion of ghrelin (12 ng) into LA before training interfered with the acquisition of conditioned taste aversion (CTA) as tested at 24 h after conditioning. Pre-treatment with either purified IgG against GHS-R1a or GHS-R1a antagonist blocked ghrelin's effect on CTA memory acquisition. Ghrelin (12 ng) had no effect on CTA memory consolidation or the expression of acquired CTA memory; neither did it affect the total liquid consumption of tested rats. Altogether, our data indicated that ghrelin locally infused into LA blocks acquisition of CTA and its modulation effects on neuronal firing may be involved in this process.

Highly porous carbon-doped TiO2 (C-TiO2) has been prepared, for the first time, through a light-driven approach using crystalline titanium glycolate (TG) as the single-source precursor. Although the nonthermally prepared porous C-TiO2 is amorphous, it shows a remarkable visible-light photocatalytic activity higher than that of nitrogen-doped TiO2 (N-TiO2) due to its significant surface area (530 m2/g) and pore-rich structure. X-ray photoelectron, electron paramagnetic resonance, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy reveal that the as-prepared porous C-TiO2 photocatalyst contains Ti–O–C bonds which result in visible-light absorption of the material at wavelengths less than 550 nm. Furthermore, it is discovered that the Ti–O–C bonds in the as-prepared C-TiO2 is easily transformed to coke-type species under mild thermal treatment (200°C). The resulting coke-containing porous TiO2 is an even better visible-light photocatalyst, almost twice as effective as N-TiO2, because of its stronger visible-light absorption. The Ti–O–C and the coke-containing porous TiO2 materials follow two different mechanisms in the visible-light photocatalysis process for degradation of methylene blue.