Search

Bud dormancy is a crucial strategy for perennial plants to withstand adverse winter conditions. However, the regulatory mechanism of bud dormancy in tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) remains largely unknown. Here, we observed dramatically reduced and increased accumulation of abscisic acid (ABA) and bioactive gibberellins (GAs) GA1 and GA3, respectively, during bud endo-dormancy release of tree peony under prolonged chilling treatment. An Illumina RNA sequencing study was performed to identify potential genes involved in the bud endo-dormancy regulation in tree peony. Correlation matrix, principal component, and interaction network analyses identified a down-regulated MYB transcription factor gene, PsMYB306, the expression of which positively correlated with 9-CIS-EPOXYCAROTENOID DIOXYGENASE 3 (PsNCED3) expression. Protein modeling analysis revealed four residues within the R2R3 domain of PsMYB306 to possess DNA binding capability. Transcription of PsMYB306 was increased by ABA treatment. Overexpression of PsMYB306 in petunia (Petunia hybrida) inhibited seed germination and plant growth, concomitant with elevated ABA and decreased GA contents. Silencing of PsMYB306 accelerated cold-triggered tree peony bud burst, and influenced the production of ABA and GAs and the expression of their biosynthetic genes. ABA application reduced bud dormancy release and transcription of ENT-KAURENOIC ACID OXIDASE 1 (PsKAO1), GA20-OXIDASE 1 (PsGA20ox1), and GA3-OXIDASE 1 (PsGA3ox1) associated with GA biosynthesis in PsMYB306-silenced buds. In vivo and in vitro binding assays confirmed that PsMYB306 specifically transactivated the promoter of PsNCED3. Silencing of PsNCED3 also promoted bud break and growth. Altogether, our findings suggest that PsMYB306 negatively modulates cold-induced bud endo-dormancy release by regulating ABA production.

[Objective] To investigate the characteristics of lesions and clinical features of keloids. [Methods] This study included a total of 395 patients with keloids who were diagnosed and treated at the Dermatology Department of the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University between October 2022 and October 2023. Patients′ general information, characteristics of onset and treatment history were analyzed. [Results] The male-to-female ratio was 1∶1.04. The peak onset age was between 19~28 years old. The chest (48.35%) and shoulders/back (22.28%) were the two most commonly affected areas. One hundred sixty-two (41.01%) patients had single lesion on single site. Patients with a family history of keloids accounted for 4.30%. Among the 395 patients, 74.94% of the patients had not received any treatments, while 25.06% had a history of treatment prior to visiting our clinic. Twelve patients had received multiple or combination modality treatments, and 87 patients had received single modality treatment. Patients who had received previous treatments experienced recurrence. [Conclusions] Keloids primarily affect young individuals, predominantly on the chest and shoulders/back, and mostly present as single lesion on one body site. There are no significant differences in onset sites, clinical classification and lesion sizes between genders. Genetic factors can affect the development of keloids. Patients with keloids are often treated with local drug injection, surgical resection, and other methods. But the recurrence rate is high, indicating a challenge in the treatment of keloids.

BACKGROUND: Goji berries, renowned for their nutritional benefits, are traditionally dried to extend shelf life and preserve quality. However, conventional drying methods often result in uneven drying, color loss and reduced rehydration capacity. This study investigates an innovative hybrid strategy combining ultrasonic–ethyl oleate (US+AEEO) pretreatment with heat pump drying (HPD) to enhance the drying process of Goji berries. RESULTS: Fresh Goji berries underwent US+AEEO pretreatment, which significantly disrupted the waxy layer, enhancing drying efficiency and water infiltration during rehydration. Compared to freeze drying (FD), HPD combined with US+AEEO pretreatment resulted in higher retention of total polyphenol content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) in the Goji soaking soup. Specifically, the HPD‐US+AEEO samples exhibited the highest TPC and TFC levels, significantly outperforming FD samples. Additionally, the DPPH and ABTS antioxidant assays demonstrated higher scavenging activities in HPD‐US+AEEO samples. The rehydration kinetics revealed that HPD samples had a superior rehydration rate and final moisture content compared to FD samples. Low‐field nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance imaging analyses confirmed enhanced water distribution and higher mobility in HPD‐US+AEEO samples. Scanning electron microscopy indicated a more porous structure in US+AEEO‐treated samples, facilitating better water absorption and functional component retention. CONCLUSION: The combination of US+AEEO pretreatment with HPD significantly improves the drying process of Goji berries, enhancing nutrient retention, color preservation and rehydration properties. This innovative drying method offers a promising solution for producing high‐quality dried Goji berries, benefiting both the food industry and health‐conscious consumers. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a pathological condition characterized by the formation of bone within soft tissues. The development of HO is a result of abnormal activation of the bone formation programs, where multiple signalling pathways, including Wnt/β‐catenin, BMP and hedgehog signalling, are involved. The Wnt/β‐catenin signalling pathway, a conserved pathway essential for various fundamental activities, has been found to play a significant role in pathological bone formation processes. It regulates angiogenesis, chondrocyte hypertrophy and osteoblast differentiation during the development of HO. More importantly, the crosstalk between Wnt signalling and other factors including BMP, Hedgehog signalling, YAP may contribute in a HO‐favourable manner. Moreover, several miRNAs may also be involved in HO formation via the regulation of Wnt signalling. This review aims to summarize the role of Wnt/β‐catenin signalling in the pathogenesis of HO, its interactions with related molecules, and potential preventive and therapeutic measures targeting Wnt/β‐catenin signalling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The horizontal part of the third segment (V3) of the vertebral artery (VA) is a critical anastomotic site for bypass procedures involving either donor or recipient vessels. It is rare for the V3 segment to deviate from its typical course of passing through the atlanto-transverse foramen. V3 anomaly encountered in occipital artery (OA)-V3 bypass surgery has not been previously reported. Here, we present a case involving a patient undergoing bypass surgery due to recurrent post-stent occlusion at the first segment (V1) of the left VA. During the operation, it was noted that the V3 horizontal segment could not be identified within the left VA groove, leading to initial suspicion of left V3 disuse atrophy attributed to prolonged chronic ischaemia. Consequently, there was a need to modify the operative method and to transition from an OA-V3 bypass to an OA-posterior inferior cerebellar artery bypass. Post-operative computed tomography angiography confirmed that indeed, the left V3 did not traverse through the transverse foramen of the atlas and instead entered the dural membrane between the first cervical vertebra (C1) and the second cervical vertebra (C2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To report a case of staged surgical excision of giant porokeratosis. A 54-year-old man had been seeking medical attention for 29 years due to an itchy purplish-red spot on the right upper abdomen. Dermatological examination revealed a well-defined round purplish-red patch, approximately 15 cm X 15 cm, with rough keratinization and few attached scales on the surface. Brown color was observed around the lesion without any noticeable elevation, erosion or exudation. Histopathological analysis showed hyperkeratosis and parakeratosis, loss of granular layers, irregular thickening of the stratum spinosum, superficial dermal vasodilation and perivascular infiltration of mononucleated cells along with melanophages. Dermoscopy revealed dark red background with clear boundaries, whitish peripheral rim and linear vessels, focal hypopigmentation, comma-like vessels at center, as well as thickened yellow scales in the surrounding area. Diagnosis was porokeratosis of Mibelli. The skin lesion was surgically removed using a staged excision method over four stages, resulting in successful healing without recurrence during one-year follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The current study introduces a novel infrared‐assisted spouted bed drying technique for the dehydration of green soybeans, which aims to enhance the drying quality and efficiency. The investigation involves an examination of the flow pattern in the spouted bed to obtain relevant data, followed by an optimization of the entire drying process. The drying process of green soybeans was simulated using SolidWorks and ANSYS Fluent software, based on the principles of computational fluid dynamics. RESULTS: The simulation test results showed that the simulation outcomes were consistent with the experimental data. The optimal conditions for the process of green soybean infrared‐assisted spouted bed drying were found to be an inlet speed of 8 m/s and a temperature of 50 °C with the wavelength and power settings of the infrared board at 10 μm and 500 W, respectively. CONCLUSION: The simulation method selected in this article, based on gas–solid two‐phase flow dynamics, is feasible for green soybean infrared‐assisted spouted bed drying process. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Chlorogenic acid (CA) is a natural antioxidant with multiple biological activities, but its stability is poor. In this article, CA‐load pea protein nanoparticles (PPCNPs) were constructed by an anti‐solvent method to enhance CA stability and characterised by multiple technologies. The results exhibited that the particle size of PPCNPs ranged from 211.62 to 429.79 nm, and the zeta potential ranged from −41.21 to −35.85 mV. PPCNPs had the highest encapsulation efficiency (61.2%) at the CA/pea protein isolate (PPI) mass ratio of 1:20. The loading capacity increased with the ratio of CA/PPI ranging from 1.3% to 3.8%. SEM showed that the nanoparticle surface was an irregular lamellar structure. FTIR showed that O–H and C–H functional group interactions occurred between CA and PPI. DSC results showed that CA was encapsulated in PPCNPs with an amorphous structure. During in vitro digestion, the ABTS radical scavenging ability and retention ratio of CA in PPCNPs was higher than that of free CA. Moreover, PPCNPs increased the bio‐accessibility of CA in vitro by 7.75%, compared with unencapsulated CA. These results suggested that PPCNPs constructed by the anti‐solvent method can reduce the degradation of CA and improve the biological activity of CA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In vibration-based gear damage detection, the fault signatures are usually corrupted by noise and convolution of vibration transmission channels. Deconvolution techniques have been widely studied to solve the inverse problem for restoring fault signatures. The mainstream methods, however, often fail due to the requirement of prior knowledge about fault signatures or the experience-based determination of filter parameters. In this paper, a fully blind and adaptive filter method is proposed. Specifically, a new criterion is defined, and the filter method is formulated as a maximization problem based on the criterion. The detailed deduction and pseudo-code for iteratively solving the problem are presented. Moreover, the filter method embeds an advanced swarm intelligence algorithm—that is, the grey wolf optimizer to achieve the adaptive determination of the optimal filter parameters according to the signals. In this context, it is a fully blind and adaptive filter method without requiring any prior knowledge and experiences about the target signatures to pre-determine filter parameters. Analysis results of a simulated signal and the comparisons with several state-of-the-art methods show the effectiveness of the proposed method for restoring the repetitive fault impulses from the mixed signal containing complex interferences. Fault-injection experiment and engineering application are carried out and the results demonstrate the performance of the proposed method for solving the inverse problem in gear damage detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Cognitive impairment caused by cerebrovascular disease accounts for more than half of vascular dementia. However, neuropsychological tests are limited by their subjectivity. Additional effective approaches to evaluate cognitive impairment in patients with cerebrovascular disease are necessary. Method One hundred and thirty-two patients with cerebrovascular disease were recruited. One hundred participants met the criteria and completed neuropsychological scales. Sixty-nine participants proceeded with polysomnography, and 63 of them had their peripheral blood biomarkers measured. According to Mini-Mental State Examination scores, patients were divided into cognitively impaired and cognitively normal groups. The differences in biomarkers and sleep parameters between the groups were compared, and decision tree models were constructed to evaluate the evaluation ability of these indicators on cognitive decline. Results The integrated decision tree model of sleep parameters yielded an area under curve (AUC) of 0.952 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.911–0.993), while that of plasma biomarkers yielded an AUC of 0.872 (95% CI: 0.810–0.935) in the assessment of cognition status. Then the participants were automatically clustered into mild and severe cognitive impairment groups by multiple neuropsychological test results. The integrated plasma biomarker model showed an AUC of 0.928 (95% CI: 0.88–0.977), and the integrated sleep parameter model showed an AUC of 0.851 (95% CI: 0.783–0.919) in the assessment of mild/severe cognitive impairment. Discussion Integrated models which consist of sleep parameters and plasma biomarkers can accurately evaluate dementia status and cognitive impairment in patients with cerebral small vessel disease. This innovative study may facilitate drug development, early screening, clinical diagnosis, and prognosis evaluation of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To extract weak features of bearing faults, an enhanced minimum entropy deconvolution method was proposed based on unbiased autocorrelation analysis. In iterative solution of filter coefficients for the method, aperiodic components in the filtered signals were suppressed, the enhanced detection of the periodic fault impact features was realized, and the accurate identification of bearing faults was completed. The analysis results of simulated signals show that the enhanced minimum entropy deconvolution may accurately extract the periodic fault impact sequence from the signals with complex interferences. The applications in aero-engine fault diagnosis verify the effectiveness of the method for fault diagnosis of bearings in complex mechanical structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO2 electrochemical reduction (CO2RR) can mitigate environmental issues while providing valuable products, yet challenging in activity, selectivity, and stability. Here, a CuS‐Bi2S3 heterojunction precursor is reported that can in situ reconstruct to Cu‐doped Bismuth (CDB) electrocatalyst during CO2RR. The CDB exhibits an industrial‐compatible current density of −1.1 A cm−2 and a record‐high formate formation rate of 21.0 mmol h−1 cm−2 at −0.86 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode toward CO2RR to formate, dramatically outperforming currently reported catalysts. Importantly, the ultrawide potential region of 1050 mV with high formate Faradaic efficiency of over 90% and superior long‐term stability for more than 100 h at −400 mA cm−2 can also be realized. Experimental and theoretical studies reveal that the remarkable CO2RR performance of CDB results from the doping effect of Cu which optimizes adsorption of the *OCHO and boosts the structural stability of metallic bismuth catalyst. This study provides valuable inspiration for the design of element‐doping electrocatalysts to enhance catalytic activity and durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of flow-sensitive dephasing (FSD)-prepared steady-state free precession (SSFP) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) at 3 T for imaging infragenual arteries relative to contrast-enhanced MRA (CE-MRA) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA). Materials and Methods: A series of 16 consecutive patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) underwent a combined peripheral MRA protocol consisting of FSD-MRA for the calves and large field-of-view CE-MRA. DSA was performed on all patients within 1 week of the MR angiographies. Image quality and degree of stenosis was assessed by two readers with rich experience. Inter-observer agreement was determined using kappa statistics. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis determined the diagnostic value of FSD-MRA, CE-MRA, and CE-MRA combined with FSD-MRA (CE+FSD MRA) in predicting vascular stenosis. Results: At the calf station, no significantly difference of subjective image quality scores was found between FSD-MRA and CE-MRA. Inter-reader agreement was excellent for both FSD-MRA and CE-MRA. Both of FSD-MRA and CE-MRA carry a stenosis overestimation risk relative to DSA standard. With DSA as the reference standard, ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve was largest for CE+FSD MRA. The greatest sensitivity and specificity were obtained when a cut-off stenosis score of 2 was used. Conclusion: In patients with severe PAD,3 T FSD-MRA provides good-quality diagnostic images without a contrast agent and is a good supplement for CE-MRA. CE+FSD MRA can improve the accuracy of vascular stenosis diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To pathologically verify the correlation between native T1 mapping, postcontrast T1 mapping, and extracellular volume fraction (ECV) and myocardial diffuse fibrosis, as determined by collagen volume fraction (CVF).Materials and Methods: Thirty New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into the control group (n = 6), diabetes 3 months group (n = 8), diabetes 6 months group (n = 8), and diabetes 9 months group (n = 8). All the rabbits underwent clinical 3.0T magnetic resonance (MR) examinations with pre- and postcontrast modified Look-Locker inversion recovery T1 mapping. For the histological study, each rabbit was sacrificed after MR scanning, hematoxylin and eosin and Masson staining of the left ventricular myocardium were performed, and CVF was calculated. Pre- and postcontrast T1 values and ECV were compared to CVF using Pearson's correlation coefficients.Results: Two rabbits died in each diabetes group, thus each group included six rabbits. ECV calculated from pre- and postcontrast T1 values showed a very strong correlation with CVF (r = 0.876, P < 0.001), whereas postcontrast T1 values exhibited a moderate correlation with CVF (r = -0.564, P = 0.004). In contrast, precontrast T1 values showed no correlation with CVF (r = 0.311, P = 0.139).Conclusion: ECV has a very strong correlation with pathological CVF, and can be used to assess the degree of diffuse myocardial fibrosis better than the postcontrast T1 value. Precontrast T1 value has no significant correlation with diffuse myocardial fibrosis. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2016;44:1179-1185. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a pathological process that generates ectopic bone in soft tissues. Hedgehog signaling (Hh signaling) is a signaling pathway that plays an important role in embryonic development and involves three ligands: sonic hedgehog (Shh), Indian hedgehog (Ihh) and desert hedgehog (Dhh). Hh signaling also has an important role in skeletal development. This paper discusses the effects of Hh signaling on the process of HO formation and describes several signaling molecules that are involved in Hh-mediated processes: parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein (PTHrP) and Fkbp10 mediate the expression of Hh during chondrogenesic differentiation. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), GNAs and Yes-Associated Protein (YAP) interact with Hh signaling to play a role in osteogenic differentiation. Runt-Related Transcription Factor 2 (Runx2), Mohawk gene (Mkx) and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) mediate Hh signaling during both chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation. This paper also discusses possible therapeutic options for HO, lists several Hh inhibitors and explores whether they could serve as emerging targets for the treatment of HO., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Pei, Liu, Zhao, Lin and Huang.)

The intrinsic sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) limit the improvement of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance, and substituting the anodic oxidation of biomass materials is an alternative approach, given its lower oxidation potential and higher added value compared to those of OER. In this study, a Ni 3 S 2 -MoS 2 nanoheterojunction catalyst with strong electronic interactions is prepared. It exhibits high efficiency for both the HER and the electrooxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). In a two-electrode cell with Ni 3 S 2 -MoS 2 serving as both the anode and cathode, the potential is only 1.44 V at a current density of 10 mA cm -2 , which is much lower than that of pure water splitting. Density functional theory calculations confirm that the strong chemisorption of H and HMF at the interface leads to outstanding electrocatalytic activity. The findings not only provide a strategy for developing efficient electrocatalysts, but also provide an approach for the continuous production of high value-added products and H 2 ., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Purpose: To pathologically verify the correlation between native T 1 mapping, postcontrast T 1 mapping, and extracellular volume fraction (ECV) and myocardial diffuse fibrosis, as determined by collagen volume fraction (CVF)., Materials and Methods: Thirty New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into the control group (n = 6), diabetes 3 months group (n = 8), diabetes 6 months group (n = 8), and diabetes 9 months group (n = 8). All the rabbits underwent clinical 3.0T magnetic resonance (MR) examinations with pre- and postcontrast modified Look-Locker inversion recovery T 1 mapping. For the histological study, each rabbit was sacrificed after MR scanning, hematoxylin and eosin and Masson staining of the left ventricular myocardium were performed, and CVF was calculated. Pre- and postcontrast T 1 values and ECV were compared to CVF using Pearson's correlation coefficients., Results: Two rabbits died in each diabetes group, thus each group included six rabbits. ECV calculated from pre- and postcontrast T 1 values showed a very strong correlation with CVF (r = 0.876, P < 0.001), whereas postcontrast T 1 values exhibited a moderate correlation with CVF (r = -0.564, P = 0.004). In contrast, precontrast T 1 values showed no correlation with CVF (r = 0.311, P = 0.139)., Conclusion: ECV has a very strong correlation with pathological CVF, and can be used to assess the degree of diffuse myocardial fibrosis better than the postcontrast T 1 value. Precontrast T 1 value has no significant correlation with diffuse myocardial fibrosis. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2016;44:1179-1185., (© 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.)

Aims: In images of magnetic resonance and computed tomography (CT) there are visible angles between pulmonary veins and the coronary, transversal or sagittal section of body. In this study these angles are measured and defined as Projective Angles of pulmonary veins. Several possible influential factors and characters of distribution are studied and analyzed for a better understanding of this imaging anatomic character of pulmonary veins. And it could be the anatomic base of adjusting correctly the angle of the central X-ray of the angiography of pulmonary veins undergoing the catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF)., Method: Images of contrast enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CEMRA) and contrast enhanced computer tomography (CECT) of the left atrium and pulmonary veins of 137 health objects and patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are processed with the technique of post-processing, and Projective Angles to the coronary and transversal sections are measured and analyzed statistically., Result: Project Angles of pulmonary veins are one of real and steady imaging anatomic characteristics of pulmonary veins. The statistical distribution of variables is relatively concentrated, with a fairly good representation of average value. It is possible to improve the angle of the central X-ray according to the average value in the selective angiography of pulmonary veins undergoing the catheter ablation of AF.