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Self-incompatibility (SI) poses a significant reproductive barrier, severely impacting the yield, quality, and economic value of Camellia oleifera. In this study, methyl jasmonate (MeJA) was employed as an exogenous stimulus to alleviate SI in C. oleifera. The research findings revealed that an exogenous dose of 1000 μmol·L−1 MeJA enhanced the germination and tube growth of C. oleifera self-pollen and greatly improved ovule penetration (18.75%) and fertilization (15.81%), ultimately increasing fruit setting (18.67%). It was discovered by transcriptome analysis that the key genes (CAD, C4H) involved in the lignin production process exhibited elevated expression levels in self-pistils treated with MeJA. Further analysis showed that the lignin concentration in the MeJA-treated pistils was 31.70% higher compared with the control group. As verified by pollen germination assays in vitro, lignin in the appropriate concentration range could promote pollen tube growth. Gene expression network analysis indicated that transcription factor bHLH may be pivotal in regulating lignin biosynthesis in response to MeJA, which in turn affects pollen tubes. Further transient knockdown of bHLH (Co_33962) confirmed its important role in C. oleifera pollen tube growth. In summary, the application of MeJA resulted in the stimulation of self-pollen tube elongation and enhanced fruit setting in C. oleifera, which could be associated with the differential change in genes related to lignin synthesis and the increased lignin content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall) is resistant to drought but not waterlogging. The main production areas of peony are prone to waterlogging, seriously affecting the growth and development of herbaceous peony. Polyamines have been observed to significantly enhance the ability of plants to defend and repair adverse damage and affect the synthesis and accumulation of the endogenous growth hormones indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA). In this study, two herbaceous peony varieties ('Lihong', 'Qihualushuang') with different waterlogging tolerances were selected for artificial simulated waterlogging treatment to observe their morphological indexes and to determine their endogenous polyamine and hormone contents. Simultaneously, transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were performed, focusing on screening differentially expressed genes in the polyamine metabolism pathway. The results showed that flood-tolerant varieties of herbaceous peony respond to waterlogging stress by continuously synthesizing spermidine (Spd) and spermine (Spm) through putrescine (Put) to counteract adversity. In the waterlogging-intolerant varieties, the expression of polyamine oxidase-related genes was annotated; their response to waterlogging stress was the simultaneous degradation of Spm and Spd to Put in the process of synthesis, and a decrease in the accumulation of Spm and Spd led to the early appearance of the symptoms of damage. In addition, polyamines influence key hormones that respond to plant adversity (IAA; ABA). The objective of this work was to initially analyze the mechanism of the polyamine signaling pathway in response to flooding in herbaceous peonies for further in-depth research on the mechanism of flooding tolerance in herbaceous peony, screen flood-tolerant varieties, and promote of their use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To identify herbaceous peony cultivars with strong photosynthetic productivity, we compared the photosynthetic characteristics of 20 herbaceous peony cultivars based on four photosynthetic characteristics parameters and established light–response curves under a light intensity gradient, using CIRAS-3 portable photosynthetic dynamic monitoring. The net photosynthetic rate (Pn) showed a "unimodal" diurnal variation pattern, with a peak around 12:00. The diurnal pattern of the transpiration rate was the same as that of Pn. Stomatal conductance values (Gs) showed similar patterns among the cultivars, with only small differences. The daily variation in intracellular CO2 concentration (Ci) showed an opposite trend to that of Pn. When the photosynthetically active radiation was 0–400 μmol·m−2s−1, Pn increased linearly and gradually with increasing light intensity. 'Xueyuanhonghua', 'Qingwen', 'Taohuafeixue', 'Chifen', and 'Qihualushuang' showed high photosynthetic productivity. 'Xueyuanhonghua', 'Fushi', 'Qingwen', 'Tianshanhongxing', 'Qingtianlan', 'Dafugui', and 'Hongfushi' had high light saturation points and the highest light resistance. 'Xueyuanhonghua', 'Qingwen', 'Taohuafeixue', 'Tianshanhongxing', 'Qingtianlan', 'Guifeichacui', 'Chifen', and 'Hongxiuqiu' had low light compensation points. Thus, two cultivars with strong photosynthetic productivity, 'Xueyuanhonghua' and 'Qingwen', can be cross-bred to obtain both light- and shade-tolerant plants. This study provides a theoretical basis for breeding new cultivars with high photosynthetic productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relative density of seabed determines its bearing capacity and affects the site selection, construction, and maintenance of offshore projects. As the modal-identification-based method for monitoring pile foundation scour depth does not account for the relative density of seabed, it cannot be implemented in engineering practice. Therefore, experiments and finite element simulations of a pile–soil model with different scour depths were conducted in this study to update and verify the modal-identification-based method to account for relative soil density using the Winkler foundation model. The results show that for a given scour depth, the average error decreased as the relative soil density increased, and for a given relative density, the average error decreased as the scour depth increased. The accuracy of the updated method was then improved according to the variation of the average error according to soil density and shown to exhibit strong engineering applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When used for ornamental purposes, the herbaceous peony is usually propagated by root ramets, but the replanting of divided seedlings in the original planting area results in poor growth and development. No research has reported on a compound microbial agent used for herbaceous peony. The purpose of this experiment is to provide a reference for low–cost soil improvement in production, promote the growth and development of herbaceous peony, and solve the problem of planting back obstacles. In this study, 3–year–old seedlings of herbaceous peony 'Zifengyu' were selected and planted into an ordinary garden and replanted soils. Four root irrigation treatments were conducted using the compound microbial agent 'Junzhongjun' to determine the physicochemical properties of rhizosphere soil, root physiology, and growth and development of 'Zifengyu' under different soil conditions. The growth and development of the aboveground parts of herbaceous peony were promoted by the treatment of the compound microbial agent in the following order: garden soil > sieved–root soil > unsieved–root soil. Root vigour was enhanced in the following sequence: sieved–root soil > unsieved–root soil > garden soil. The organic matter and available potassium in the rhizosphere soil of herbaceous peony increased, and the promotional effect in the sieved–root soil was significantly better than that in the other two soils. The results show that the compound microbial agent is low in cost and has a stimulating effect on the growth and development of herbaceous peony. In the process of production, the residual broken roots in the soil can be sieved and combined with the application of the compound microbial agent to further alleviate the barriers of replanting. The concentration and frequency of agent application should be further optimized at a later stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Anoectochilus formosanus polysaccharide (AFP) was acquired a via water extraction and alcohol precipitation method. The immunoregulatory activity of AFP was first evaluated on cyclophosphamide (Cy)-treated mice. Galacturonic acid, glucose and galactose were confirmed to be the main components of AFP. AFP demonstrated the ability to stimulate the production of TNF-α and IL-6 in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Not surprisingly, the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway by AFP was validated via Western blot analysis. Furthermore, AFP could alleviate Cy-induced immunosuppression, and significantly enhance the immunity of mice via increasing the thymus index and body weight, stimulating the production of cytokines (IgA, IgG, SIgA, IL-2, IL-6 and IFN-γ). The improvement in the intestinal morphology of immunosuppressed mice showed that AFP could alleviate Cy-induced immune toxicity. These results have raised the possibility that AFP may act as a natural immunomodulator. Overall, the study of AFP was innovative and of great significance for AFP's further application and utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) is a famous ornamental plant, and the study of its flower color is of great significance for cultivating new flower varieties. To explore the factors driving the formation and change of herbaceous peony flower color, we selected five herbaceous peony varieties at four flowering stages to determine the change in flower color, petal area, and microstructure. We also examined the composition and content of petal pigments, soluble sugar and soluble protein content, pH value of cell fluid, and water content. Finally, we analyzed the correlations between each factor. We found that Pn3G5G, Pg3G5G, and Cy3G5G were the main anthocyanin components in red and purple petals. Qu3G, Qu7G, Is3G, and lutein play important roles in yellow petal formation. The change in herbaceous peony flower color during the flowering process is directly caused by changes in the anthocyanin and carotenoid content in petals. In addition, changes in other physiological indices also influence the change in flower color. This study explored the physiological and biochemical factors affecting the color of herbaceous peony petals, which has an important practical significance for studying the physiological mechanism of herbaceous peony flower color formation and color breeding of new flowers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paeonia lactiflora Pall. is widely used in medicine, garden applications, and as a potted ornamental. Cultivated varieties of paeonifloras suitable for cut flowers are urgently needed. In this study, the pollen morphology of P. lactiflora was studied and the characters of different varieties were compared, so as to provide reference for selecting suitable parents for new hybrid varieties. We examined the pollen morphology of 15 herbaceous peony varieties using scanning electron microscopy and analyzed the external pollen morphology and genetic relationship of the varieties. The pollen grains of the studied varieties were spheroidal or subspheroidal, bilaterally symmetrical monads, circular in polar view, and circular or elliptical in equatorial view. The exine of the pollen grains was observed as being relatively smooth under the light microscope, with the area around the equatorial axis having more lumina under the scanning electron microscope. The pollen grain exine sculpture was either reticular or pit type. The pollen apertures were tricolporate, arranged longitudinally, and equally spaced. The pollen grains were of two sizes: medium and small. The differences between the varieties were mainly reflected in the exine sculpture of the pollen. The closer the genetic relationship between the 15 peony varieties, the more subtle the differences in the exine sculpture. In the same cluster group, the morphological characteristics of herbaceous peony pollen were correlated with the shapes of flower and scale buds and the texture of the petals. However, the study identified no direct correlation with the cultivar type and flower color. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in the induction of innate and adaptive immune responses against Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) infection. However, the role of Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) in the mouse lung during S. japonicum infection and the myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) affected by the absence of TLR7 are not clearly understood. In this study, the results indicated that the MDSCs were accumulated and the proportion and activation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were decreased in the lung of mice at 6–7 weeks after S. japonicum infection. Then, the expression of TLR7 was detected in isolated pulmonary MDSCs and the results showed that the expression of TLR7 in MDSCs was increased after infection. Furthermore, TLR7 agonist R848 could down-regulate the induction effect of the soluble egg antigen (SEA) on pulmonary MDSCs in vitro. Meanwhile, TLR7 deficiency could promote the pulmonary MDSCs expansion and function by up-regulating the expression of PD-L1/2 and secreting of IL-10 in the mice infected with S. japonicum. Mechanistic studies revealed that S. japonicum infection and the antigen effects are mediated by NF-κB signaling. Moreover, TLR7 deficiency aggravates S. japonicum infection-induced damage in the lung, with more inflammatory cells infiltration, interstitial dilatation and granuloma in the tissue. In summary, this study indicated that TLR7 signaling inhibits the accumulation and function of MDSCs in S. japonicum infected mouse lung by down-regulating the expression of PD-L1/2 and secreting of IL-10, via NF-κB signaling. Author summary: Schistosomiasis is a zoonotic parasitic disease that seriously affects human health. Many adults and children with schistosomiasis develop lung symptoms such as coughing, chest pain and bloody sputum. In addition to their respiratory and metabolic functions, the lungs also play a role in the immune system. MDSCs play an important role in Schistosoma infection-induced diseases. TLR7 is an intracellular member of the innate immune receptor. The role of TLR7 on MDSCs mediated immune response in the lung is still unclear. Here, our data showed that the percentage and numbers of MDSCs increased in the lung of infected mice, and the expression of TLR7 in pulmonary MDSCs was increased after infection. When TLR7 gene was knockout, the percentage of pulmonary MDSCs was increased after infection and the expression of PD-L1/2 and IL-10 were increased in S. japonicum infection-induced pulmonary MDSCs. Additionally, the effects of TLR7 on pulmonary MDSCs are dependent on the activation of NF-κB p65. Finally, we found TLR7 deficiency aggravates S. japonicum infection-induced damage in the lung, with more interstitial dilatation, thickened alveolar cavity and granuloma. In this study, the characteristic of MDSCs in the lung of S. japonicum infected C57BL/6 mice was explored, and the role of TLR7 on the progress of MDSCs activation and differentiation was investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a facile facet regulation enabled by nanoarray architecture to achieve a high faradic efficiency of Fe2O3 catalyst for NRR. The α-Fe2O3 nanorod arrays (NAs) were directly grown on carbon cloth (CC) with specific (104) facet exposure. The highly exposed (104) facets provide abundant unsaturated Fe atoms with dangling bonds as nitrogen reduction reaction catalytically active sites. In addition, the NAs architecture enables the enhanced electrochemical surface area (ECSA) to fully manifest the active sites and maintain the mass diffusion. Thus, the selectively exposed (104) facets coupled with the high ECSA of NAs architecture achieve a high FE of 14.89% and a high yield rate of 17.28 µg h−1 cm−2. This work presents an effective strategy to develop highly efficient catalytic electrodes for electrochemical NRR via facet regulation and nanoarray architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many kinds of immune cells are involved in malaria infection. γδT cells represent a special type of immune cell between natural and adaptive immune cells that play critical roles in anti-parasite infection. Methods: In this study, malaria infection model was constructed. Distribution of γδT cells in various immune organs and dynamic changes of γδT cells in the spleens of C57BL/6 mice after infection were detected by flow cytometry. And activation status of γδT cells was detected by flow cytometry. Then γδT cells in naive and infected mice were sorted and performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). Finally, γδTCR KO mice model was constructed and the effect of γδT cell depletion on mouse T and B cell immunity against Plasmodium infection was explored. Results: Here, splenic γδT cells were found to increase significantly on day 14 after Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis NSM infection in C57BL/6 mice. Higher level of CD69, ICOS and PD-1, lower level of CD62L, and decreased IFN-γ producing after stimulation by PMA and ionomycin were found in γδT cells from infected mice, compared with naive mice. Moreover, 11 clusters were identified in γδT cells by scRNA-seq based t-SNE analysis. Cluster 4, 5, and 7 in γδT cells from infected mice were found the expression of numerous genes involved in immune response. In the same time, the GO enrichment analysis revealed that the marker genes in the infection group were involved in innate and adaptive immunity, pathway enrichment analysis identified the marker genes in the infected group shared many key signalling molecules with other cells or against pathogen infection. Furthermore, increased parasitaemia, decreased numbers of RBC and PLT, and increased numbers of WBC were found in the peripheral blood from γδTCR KO mice. Finally, lower IFN-γ and CD69 expressing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, lower B cell percentage and numbers, and less CD69 expressing B cells were found in the spleen from γδTCR KO infected mice, and lower levels of IgG and IgM antibodies in the serum were also observed than WT mice. Conclusions: Overall, this study demonstrates the diversity of γδT cells in the spleen of Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis NSM infected C57BL/6 mice at both the protein and RNA levels, and suggests that the expansion of γδT cells in cluster 4, 5 and 7 could promote both cellular and humoral immune responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B cells played an important role in Schistosoma infection-induced diseases. TLR7 is an intracellular member of the innate immune receptor. The role of TLR7 on B cells mediated immune response is still unclear. Here, C57BL/6 mice were percutaneously infected by S. japonicum for 5–6 weeks. The percentages and numbers of B cells increased in the infected mice (p < 0.05), and many activation and function associated molecules were also changed on B cells. More splenic cells of the infected mice expressed TLR7, and B cells were served as the main cell population. Moreover, a lower level of soluble egg antigen (SEA) specific antibody and less activation associated molecules were found on the surface of splenic B cells from S. japonicum infected TLR7 gene knockout (TLR7 KO) mice compared to infected wild type (WT) mice (p < 0.05). Additionally, SEA showed a little higher ability in inducing the activation of B cells from naive WT mice than TLR7 KO mice (p < 0.05). Finally, the effects of TLR7 on B cells are dependent on the activation of NF-κB p65. Altogether, TLR7 was found modulating the splenic B cell responses in S. japonicum infected C57BL/6 mice. Author summary: Schistosomiasis seriously jeopardizes public health and social development in tropical and subtropical regions. B cells play an important role in Schistosoma infection-induced diseases. TLR7 is an intracellular member of the innate immune receptor. The role of TLR7 on B cells mediated immune response is still unclear. Here, we found the percentage and numbers of B cells increased in the infected mice (p < 0.05), and the expression of many activation and function associated molecules were also changed on B cells. B cells were served as the main cell population expressed TLR7. When TLR7 gene was knockout, the soluble egg antigen (SEA) specific antibody and activation associated molecules were decreased in S. japonicum infected mice. Additionally, SEA could induce the activation of B cells by TLR7. Finally, we found the effects of TLR7 on B cells are dependent on the activation of NF-κB p65. In this study, the characteristic of B cells in the spleen of S. japonicum infected C57BL/6 mice was explored, and the role of TLR7 on the progress of B cell activation and differentiation was investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

S. japonicum infection can induce granulomatous inflammation in the liver of the host. Granulomatous inflammation limits the spread of infection and plays a role in host protection. Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) is an endosomal TLR that recognizes single-stranded RNA (ssRNA). In this study, the role of TLR7 in S. japonicum infection-induced hepatitis was investigated in both normal and TLR7 knockout (KO) C57BL/6 mice. The results indicated that TLR7 KO could aggravate S. japonicum infection-induced damage in the body, with less granuloma formation in the tissue, lower WBCs in blood, and decreased ALT and AST in the serum. Then, the expression of TLR7 was detected in isolated hepatic lymphocytes. The results indicated that the percentage of TLR7+ cells was increased in the infected mice. Hepatic macrophages, DCs, and B cells could express TLR7, and most of the TLR7-expressing cells in the liver of infected mice were macrophages. The percentage of TLR7-expressing macrophages was also increased after infection. Moreover, macrophages, T cells, and B cells showed significant changes in the counts, activation-associated molecule expression, and cytokine secretion between S. japonicum -infected WT and TLR7 KO mice. Altogether, this study indicated that TLR7 could delay the progression of S. japonicum infection-induced hepatitis mainly through macrophages. DCs, B cells, and T cells were involved in the TLR7-mediated immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Th cells (helper T cells) have multiple functions in Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) infection. Inducible co-stimulator (ICOS) is induced and expressed in activated T lymphocytes, which enhances the development of B cells and antibody production through the ICOS/ICOSL pathway. It remains unclear about the role and possible regulating mechanism of ICOS+ Th cells in the spleen of S. japonicum -infected C57BL/6 mice. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were infected with cercariae of S. japonicum through the abdomen. The expression of ICOS, activation markers, and the cytokine production on CD4+ ICOS+ Th cells were detected by flow cytometry (FCM) and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Moreover, the differentially expressed gene data of ICOS+ and ICOS− Th cells from the spleen of infected mice were obtained by mRNA sequencing. Besides, Western blot and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) were used to explore the role of Ikzf2 on ICOS expression. Results: After S. japonicum infection, the expression of ICOS molecules gradually increased in splenic lymphocytes, especially in Th cells (P < 0.01). Compared with ICOS− Th cells, more ICOS+ Th cells expressed CD69, CD25, CXCR5, and CD40L (P < 0.05), while less of them expressed CD62L (P < 0.05). Also, ICOS+ Th cells expressed more cytokines, such as IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-10, IL-2, and IL-21 (P < 0.05). RNA sequencing results showed that many transcription factors were increased significantly in ICOS+ Th cells, especially Ikzf2 (P < 0.05). And then, the expression of Ikzf2 was verified to be significantly increased and mainly located in the nuclear of ICOS+ Th cells. Finally, ChIP experiments and dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that Ikzf2 could directly bind to the ICOS promoter in Th cells. Conclusion: In this study, ICOS+ Th cells were found to play an important role in S. japonicum infection to induce immune response in the spleen of C57BL/6 mice. Additionally, Ikzf2 was found to be one important transcription factor that could regulate the expression of ICOS in the spleen of S. japonicum -infected C57BL/6 mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monitoring of scour depth is an important link in the later maintenance of offshore wind turbines. However, existing monitoring equipment and methods must be operated underwater and are greatly affected by currents and waves. A monitoring process that can be carried out above water would be safe and convenient. Therefore, a new scour depth monitoring method was developed in this study. Because the scouring causes the modal of pile foundation to change, the proposed method identifies the modal information obtained from the acceleration signal above the water surface to calculate the scour depth. This method breaks through the current situation that the existing modal detection technology is only applicable to the field of structural damage, and the existing modal detection technology ignores the influence of the characteristics of the soil foundation. The pile foundation and surrounding soil are constructed into a vibration system, so that the change of the soil state is reflected in the modal information of the pile foundation. Then the scour depth can be identified by the model updating theory. Comparison between the calculated results and the pre-set scour depth indicates that the monitoring method was able to identify the scour depth conveniently and stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) is one of the major obstacles to achieve an appropriate anti-tumor immune response and successful tumor immunotherapy. MDSCs in tumor-bearing hosts are primarily polymorphonuclear (PMN-MDSCs). However, the mechanisms regulating the development of MDSCs remain poorly understood. In this report, we showed that interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) plays a key role in the development of PMN-MDSCs, but not monocytic MDSCs. IRF4 deficiency caused a significant elevation of PMN-MDSCs and enhanced the suppressive activity of PMN-MDSCs, increasing tumor growth and metastasis in mice. Mechanistic studies showed that c-Myc was up-regulated by the IRF4 protein. Over-expression of c-Myc almost abrogated the effects of IRF4 deletion on PMN-MDSCs development. Importantly, the IRF4 expression level was negatively correlated with the PMN-MDSCs frequency and tumor development but positively correlated with c-Myc expression in clinical cancer patients. In summary, this study demonstrated that IRF4 represents a novel regulator of PMN-MDSCs development in cancer, which may have predictive value for tumor progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many kinds of lymphocytes are involved in Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) infection-induced disease. γδ T cells comprise a small number of innate lymphocytes that quickly respond to foreign materials. In this study, the role of γδ T cells in the lung of S. japonicum -infected C56BL/6 mice was investigated. The results demonstrated that S. japonicum infection induces γδ T cell accumulation in the lung, expressing higher levels of CD25, MHCII, CD80, and PDL1, and lower levels of CD127 and CD62L (P < 0.05). The intracellular cytokines staining results illustrated higher percentages of IL-4-, IL-10-, IL-21-, and IL-6-producing γδ T cells and lower percentages of IFN-γ-expressing γδ T cells in the lung of infected mice (P < 0.05). Moreover, the granuloma size in lung tissue was significantly increased in Vδ−/− mice (P < 0.05). In the lung of S. japonicum -infected Vδ−/− mice, both type 1 and type 2 immune responses were decreased significantly (P < 0.05). In addition, the expression of CD80 and CD69 on B cells was decreased significantly (P < 0.05), and the SEA-specific antibody was markedly decreased (P < 0.05) in the blood of infected Vδ−/− mice. In conclusion, this study indicates that γδ T cells could adjust the Th2 dominant immune response in the lung of S. japonicum -infected mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately forecasting wind speed on a short-term scale has become essential in the field of wind power energy. In this paper, a multi-variable long short-term memory network model (MV-LSTM) based on Pearson correlation coefficient feature selection is proposed to predict the short-term wind speed. The proposed method utilizes multiple historical meteorological variables, such as wind speed, temperature, humidity, and air pressure, to predict the wind speed in the next hour. Hourly data collected from two ground observation stations in Yanqing and Zhaitang in Beijing were divided into training and test sets. The training sets were used to train the model, and the test sets were used to evaluate the model with the root-mean-square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), mean bias error (MBE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) metrics. The proposed method is compared with two other forecasting methods (the autoregressive moving average model (ARMA) method and the single-variable long short-term memory network (LSTM) method, which inputs only historical wind speed data) based on the same dataset. The experimental results prove the feasibility of the MV-LSTM method for short-term wind speed forecasting and its superiority to the ARMA method and the single-variable LSTM method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Community-based palliative care (CBPC) is only available in large cities in mainland China and little is known about who utilizes it., Objectives: This study examined the characteristics, outcomes, and factors associated with place of death (PoD) among inpatient CBPC patients., Design: This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study., Settings/subjects: All patients admitted to the inpatient CBPC unit in four community health centers in 2021 in Shanghai, China, were included., Methods: Characteristics and outcome data were extracted from electronic health records and paper version notes between September 4 and December 29, 2022. PoD was followed up on May 12, 2023. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and categorized using two-step clustering. Decision tree analysis was used to identify factors associated with PoD., Results: The cohort admitted in 2021 included 290 participants (Age: 75.7 ± 12.7 years; Male: n = 155, 53.4%) including two children, with a mortality rate of 59.0% and a median length of stay (LoS) of 14 days upon December 29, 2022. The primary diagnosis for 80.3% of participants was tumor. Two clusters were identified. Cluster 1 was smaller than Cluster 2 ( n = 45, 15.5% vs. n = 245, 84.5%) and dominated by noncancer participants ( n = 37, 82.2%), whereas Cluster 2 included 91.8% ( n = 225) tumor patients. Greatest significant differences in age, sex, marital status, education level, awareness of diagnosis and/or prognosis, mortality, LoS, and costs were found between the clusters. In total, 265 deaths derived from the cohort upon May 12, 2023, occur in inpatient CBPC units (75.5%), at home (18.9%), and in hospital wards (5.7%), influenced largely by participants' marital status and age., Conclusions: Establishing contextualized inpatient CBPC services in more places nationwide that are tailored to different characteristics between cancer patients (i.e., younger and shorter inpatient stay) and noncancer patients (i.e., older and longer stay) is essential to maintain that more dying patients remain in their community., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)

Objective To investigate the effect of T cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT) on the function of CD8 + T cells in the lungs of Plasmodium infected mice. Methods The lungs of the mice infected with Plasmodium yoelii were isolated, weighed and photographed after 12 days' infection. After dissolution, lung lymphocytes were isolated, counted and stained, and then the contents of CD8 + and TIGIT + CD8 + T cells were detected by flow cytometry. The expressions of L selectin (CD62L), CD69, programmed death 1 (PD-1), CD25, and C-X3-C motif chemokine receptor 1 (CX3CR1) on TIGIT + CD8 + T cells were detected by flow cytometry. After stimulation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and ionomycin, the ability of TIGIT + CD8 + T cells to secrete interferon γ(IFN-γ), interleukin 21 (IL-21), IL-4, IL-17, and IL-10 was detected. Results The body mass of mice with Plasmodium infection was reduced. The lungs became darker, and the ratio of the lung mass to body mass was significantly increased. Compared with the normal mice, the percentages and absolute quantity of CD8 + and TIGIT + CD8 + T cells in the lungs of the infected mice were significantly increased. The percentage of TIGIT + CD8 + T cells expressing CD62L in the infected group was significantly lower, while the percentage of the CD69, PD-1, and CX3CR1 cells were significantly higher than that of TIGIT + CD8 + T cells from the normal mice. The percentages of TIGIT + CD8 + T cells secreting IL-21, IL-4, IL-17 and IL-10 cells in the infected group were significantly lower. Conclusion The lung lesions from mice with Plasmodium infection are obvious, the numbers of TIGIT + CD8 + T cells increase, and these cells express a variety of activation-related molecules, but the ability to secrete cytokines is reduced.

The morbidity and mortality of malaria are still high. Programmed cell death-1(PD-1) is an important co-inhibitory factor and CD8 T cells with PD-1 were reported to be exhausted cells. It remains unknown what the role of CD4 T cells expressing PD-1 is and what the upstream regulating molecules of PD-1 in CD4 T cells are. The C57BL/6 mice were injected with Plasmodium yoelii ( P. yoelii ) in this study. Expressions of PD-1, activation markers, and cytokines were tested. The differentially expressed genes between PD-1 +/- CD4 T cells were detected by microarray sequencing. Western blot, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), siRNA, hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) inducer and inhibitor were used to explore PD-1's upstream molecules, respectively. The proportions of PD-1 + CD4 T cells increased post P. yoelii infection. PD-1 + CD4 T cells expressed more activated surface markers and could produce more cytokines. Nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 (NFATc1) was found to be a key transcription factor to induce PD-1 expression after infection. Both the inducer and the inhibitor of HIF-1α could change the expressions of NFATc1 and PD-1 in vivo and in vitro , respectively. Taken together, P. yoelii infection induced NFATc1 expression by HIF-1α. The highly expressed NFATc1 entered the nucleus and initiated PD-1 expression. PD-1 + CD4 T cells appeared to be more activated and could secrete more cytokines to regulate the host's immune responses against malaria., 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 Wei, Xie, Li, Fang, Liu, Xing, Shi, Mo, Chen, Xie, Yang, Pan, Tang and Huang.)

Background: Th cells (helper T cells) have multiple functions in Schistosoma japonicum ( S. japonicum ) infection. Inducible co-stimulator (ICOS) is induced and expressed in activated T lymphocytes, which enhances the development of B cells and antibody production through the ICOS/ICOSL pathway. It remains unclear about the role and possible regulating mechanism of ICOS + Th cells in the spleen of S. japonicum -infected C57BL/6 mice., Methods: C57BL/6 mice were infected with cercariae of S. japonicum through the abdomen. The expression of ICOS, activation markers, and the cytokine production on CD4 + ICOS + Th cells were detected by flow cytometry (FCM) and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Moreover, the differentially expressed gene data of ICOS + and ICOS - Th cells from the spleen of infected mice were obtained by mRNA sequencing. Besides, Western blot and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) were used to explore the role of Ikzf2 on ICOS expression., Results: After S. japonicum infection, the expression of ICOS molecules gradually increased in splenic lymphocytes, especially in Th cells ( P < 0.01). Compared with ICOS - Th cells, more ICOS + Th cells expressed CD69, CD25, CXCR5, and CD40L ( P  < 0.05), while less of them expressed CD62L ( P < 0.05). Also, ICOS + Th cells expressed more cytokines, such as IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-10, IL-2, and IL-21 ( P < 0.05). RNA sequencing results showed that many transcription factors were increased significantly in ICOS + Th cells, especially Ikzf2 ( P < 0.05). And then, the expression of Ikzf2 was verified to be significantly increased and mainly located in the nuclear of ICOS + Th cells. Finally, ChIP experiments and dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that Ikzf2 could directly bind to the ICOS promoter in Th cells., Conclusion: In this study, ICOS + Th cells were found to play an important role in S. japonicum infection to induce immune response in the spleen of C57BL/6 mice. Additionally, Ikzf2 was found to be one important transcription factor that could regulate the expression of ICOS in the spleen of S. japonicum -infected C57BL/6 mice., 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 Xie, Wei, Peng, Xie, Li, Fang, Shi, Yang, Huang, Xie, Pan, Tian and Huang.)

Chemokine C-X-C ligand 16 (CXCL16), a single-pass Type I membrane protein belonging to the CXC chemokine family, is related to the inflammatory response in liver injury. In present study, we investigated the pathophysiological role of CXCL16, a unique membrane-bound chemokine, in acetaminophen (APAP)-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. Mice were injected with APAP, and blood and tissue samples were harvested at different time points. The serum high-mobility group box 1 and CXCL16 levels were quantified by sandwich immunoassays. The liver tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin or with dihydroethidium staining. The expressions of CXCL16 and other cytokines were examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Ly6-B, p-jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), and JNK expressions were measured by western blot analysis. Intracellular glutathione, reactive oxygen species, and malondialdehyde levels were also measured. APAP overdose increased hepatic CXCL16 mRNA and serum CXCL16 protein levels. CXCL16-deficient mice exhibited significantly less liver injury and hepatic necrosis, as well as a lower mortality than wild-type (WT) mice in response to APAP-overdose treatment. APAP elevated the production of oxidative stress and decreased mitochondrial respiratory chain activation in WT mice, which was strongly reversed in CXCL16-knockout mice. In addition, CXCL16 deficiency inhibited the neutrophil infiltration and the production of proinflammatory cytokines triggered by APAP-overdose treatment. Our study revealed that CXCL16 is a critical regulator of liver immune response to APAP-induced hepatotoxicity, thus providing a potential strategy for the treatment of drug-induced acute liver failure by targeting CXCL16., (© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)