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Four new [FeFe]-hydrogenase-mimic-containing CPs and a supramolecule, {(CO)6[Fe2S2–Ag](2-cpmt)2(SbF6)·0.5(CH2Cl2)}n(1), {(CO)6[Fe2S2–Ag](2-cpmt)2(ClO4)}n(2), {(CO)6[Fe2S2](2-cpmt)2Ag(p-xylene)(CF3SO3)}n(3), and {(CO)5(PPh3)[Fe2S2–Ag](2-cpmt)2(ClO4)·1.5(toluene)}n(4), were obtained from two new chelating ligands [FeFe](2-cpmt)2(CO)6(L1) and [FeFe](2-cpmt)2(CO)5(PPh3) (L2) by direct synthesis. All new compounds are characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, FTIR, solid-state UV–vis spectra, and CV. It was noteworthy that L1and L2serve as multidentate ligands with two terminal −CN groups, the μ2-S atoms, and the CC≡Oas coordination sites, and the coordination modes between Ag+and multidentate chelating ligands are completely different from each other in four complexes. The results of photochemical H2generation experiments indicated that L2has greatly improved catalytic performance over L1due to the PPh3substituent. The amount of hydrogen produced from four Ag complexes 1–4is different due to the coordination environment difference around catalytic active sites. This work enriched the coordination chemistry of [FeFe]-hydrogenase mimics and improved the H2production performance of heterogeneous [FeFe]-hydrogenase catalysts.

Single-atomic catalysts consisting of atomically dispersed metal sites within nitrogen-doped carbon matrix (M SAC@NC) have emerged as high-performance electrocatalytic materials in Li-S batteries due to their maximum atom utilization, unique physicochemical properties, and superior catalytic activity. In the present work, a series of M SAC@NC (M = Ni, Co, Fe) with similar structural and physicochemical properties have been successfully prepared by the combination of physical adsorption and pyrolysis. The combination of the aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy and X-ray adsorption spectra indicates the successful formation of single-atomic metal sites. Moreover, the catalytic activity trend toward sulfur redox reaction is observed to be Ni SAC@NC > Co SAC@NC > Fe SAC@NC, and the Ni SAC@NC delivers the highest capacity of 1,280.6 mAh g−1and long-time stability at a decay rate of 0.07% per cycle for 800 cycles at 0.5 C, demonstrating excellent battery performance.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor disability in children. To ascertain the role of major genetic variants in the etiology of CP, we conducted exome sequencing on a large-scale cohort with clinical manifestations of CP. The study cohort comprised 505 girls and 1,073 boys. Utilizing the current gold standard in genetic diagnostics, 387 of these 1,578 children (24.5%) received genetic diagnoses. We identified 412 pathogenic and likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants across 219 genes associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, and 59 P/LP copy number variants. The genetic diagnostic rate of children with CP labeled at birth with perinatal asphyxia was higher than the rate in children without asphyxia (P= 0.0033). Also, 33 children with CP manifestations (8.5%, 33 of 387) had findings that were clinically actionable. These results highlight the need for early genetic testing in children with CP, especially those with risk factors like perinatal asphyxia, to enable evidence-based medical decision-making.

Favipiravir (FPV) is used in the treatment of viral influenza, but it faces challenges due to its moderate solubility and poor tabletability. As an oral drug, it is necessary to develop a drug candidate that can improve its solubility and bioavailability. In addition, solution instability is one of the challenging issues of FPV cocrystals that should be noticed. On the premise of maintaining the solution stability, we aim to improve the solubility and tabletability through the preparation of FPV cocrystals to provide good alternative drugs. Herein, besides FPV-PHBA, we report the preparation and characterization of three new cocrystals of FPV with 3-hydroxybenzoic acid (FPV-3HBA, 1:1), 3,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (FPV-3,5DHBA, 1:1), and also a cocrystal-hydrate with 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (FPV-3,4DHBA-H2O, 1:1:1). All the cocrystals were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Hirshfeld surface (HS) analysis, and molecular electrostatic potential surface (MEPS) analysis. Furthermore, we evaluated the solubility, tabletability, hygroscopicity, and accelerated stability of the cocrystals and explored the relationship between their structure and properties. The cocrystals exhibited a 6-fold increase in solubility and improved tabletability while maintaining good stability under certain temperature and humidity conditions. The hygroscopicity of the FPV cocrystals slightly increased to 2%, which still meets the storage requirements. However, during the dissolution of FPV-3HBA or FPV-3,5DHBA cocrystals, high supersaturation levels led to the dissociation of these cocrystals, indicating poor solution stability, which may hinder the achievement of the desired bioavailability for FPV. To address this issue, we introduced polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), which significantly inhibited the dissociation of the cocrystals by interacting with their surfaces. Our research has presented promising FPV candidate drugs and thoroughly investigated the solution stability of the highly soluble FPV cocrystals.

The Sulige Gas Field in the Ordos Basin is the largest tight gas field in China, with proved reserves exceeding 2 × 1012 m3. As the main contributor to gas production in PetroChina Changqing Oilfield Company, The Sulige Gas Field is in the stage of stable production. Maximizing the stable production period is a focus and challenge for the gas field now. To address a series of problems influencing the efficient development of Sulige gas field, such as large-scale remaining gas reserves between wells/layers and low ratio of employed reserves, the main technologies for enhanced gas recovery (EGR) of tight gas reservoirs were developed by multidisciplinary research with respect to development geology, reservoir engineering, drilling and production process, and surface gathering and transportation. Experiments were conducted on reservoir description and remaining gas characterization, well pattern thickening optimization, vertical well separate-layer fracturing, horizontal-well multi-stage multi-cluster volume fracturing for their improvement and upgrading. The orientation of EGR for tight gas reservoirs is proposed. The following results are obtained. First, well pattern thickening optimization is the most important EGR method, which can increase the recovery rate by more than 6%. Second, based on continuous upgrading and promotion, either of reservoir stimulation technology and drainage gas recovery technology can increase the recovery rate by more than 2%. The gathering and transportation technology which further reduces the wellhead pressure can increase the recovery rate by about 1.5%. Third, the EGR technology should be oriented to maximize the quantity of employed reserves, especially by way of new technologies such as fine remaining gas characterization, well pattern/type optimization, cross-layer fracturing of a multi-thin-layer reservoir by horizontal wells, intelligent drainage gas recovery, and multi-stage pressurization. It is concluded that the development of key EGR technologies will help increase the recovery rate of The Sulige Gas Field by 10%–15%, and will provide an effective support for The Sulige Gas Field to maintain the production at 300 × 108 m3/a for a long term and for the Changqing gas province to increase the production to 500 × 108 m3/a, which will ultimately ensure the national energy security.

The global transition from fossil fuels to green energy underpins the need for efficient and reliable energy storage systems. Advanced analysis and characterization of battery materials is not only important to understand fundamental battery properties but also crucial for their continued development. A deep understanding of these systems is often difficult to obtain through only pre- and/or post-mortem analyses, with the full complexity of a battery being hidden in its operational state. Thus, we have developed an operandomethodology to analyze solid-state batteries (SSBs) structurally as well as chemically before, during, and after cycling. The approach is based on a specially designed sample holder, which enables a variety of electrochemical experiments. Since the entire workflow is performed within a single focused ion beam scanning electron microscope equipped with an in-house developed magnetic sector secondary ion mass spectrometer, we are able to pause the cycling at any time, perform analysis, and then continue cycling. Microstructural analysis is performed via secondary electron imaging, and the chemical mapping is performed using the secondary ion mass spectrometer. In this proof-of-concept study, we were able to identify dendrites in a short-circuited symmetric cell and to chemically map dendritic structures. While this methodology focuses on SSBs, the approach can directly be adapted to different battery systems and beyond. Our technique clearly has an advantage over many alternatives for battery analysis as no transfer of samples between instruments is needed and a correlation between the microstructure, chemical composition, and electrochemical performance is obtained directly.

In this work, four naphthalene diimide (NDI)-functionalized half-sandwich Ru(II) complexes Ru1–Ru4bearing the general formula [(η6-arene)RuII(N^N)Cl]PF6, where arene = benzene (bn), p-cymene (p-cym), 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (tmb), and hexamethylbenzene (hmb), have been synthesized and characterized. By introducing the NDI unit into the N,N-chelating ligand of these half-sandwich complexes, the poor luminescent half-sandwich complexes are endowed with excellent emission performance. Besides, modification on the arene ligand of arene-Ru(II) complexes can influence the electron density of the metal center, resulting in great changes in the kinetic properties, catalytic activities in the oxidative conversion of NADH to NAD+, and biological activities of these compounds. Particularly, Ru4exhibits the highest reactivity and the strongest inhibitory activity against the growth of three tested cancer cell lines. Further study revealed that Ru4can enter cells quickly in an energy-dependent manner and preferentially accumulate in the mitochondria of MDA-MB-231 cells, inducing cell apoptosis via reactive oxygen species overproduction and mitochondrial dysfunction. Significantly, Ru4can effectively inhibit the cell migration and invasion. Overall, the complexation with NDI and modification on the arene ligand endowed the half-sandwich Ru(II) complexes with improved spectroscopic properties and anticancer activities, highlighting their potential applications for cancer treatment.

When HC particles are contacting with DME-based ether electrolyte containing Na-Bp additive, the electrolyte and additive would spontaneously decompose and form a SEI on the particle surface. Meanwhile, Na+ are absorbed into HC particles.

Developing a cost-effective hydrogen (H2) evolution electrocatalyst can effectively solve the problem of environmental pollution caused by excessive fossil fuel use. Herein, we report an innovative synthetic strategy, involving hydrothermal electrodeposition of a NiCoZn film on commercial carbon fiber paper (CFP) and in situ cyclic voltammetric electrodeposition of NiMoP to prepare a heterostructure electrocatalyst (NiMoP/NiCoZn/CFP) with synergistic electrocatalytic activity toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). To deliver high current densities of 500 and 1000 mA cm–2, the NiMoP/NiCoZn/CFP electrode only required overpotentials of 230 and 268 mV, respectively, which were considerably superior to those of Pt–C/CFP (457 and 592 mV, respectively). Moreover, this electrode exhibited excellent ultrastability (40 h at 500 mA cm–2or 80 h at 1 A cm–2). The superior electrocatalytic HER activity is attributed to (1) cooperative electronic interactions between NiMoP and NiCoZn in the heterointerface and (2) the complete wettability, which is advantageous for gas formation and desorption and considerably reduces bubble adhesion and reaction resistance. This work provides a rational electrodeposition strategy for constructing heterointerface electrocatalysts for H2production at high current densities.

This paper investigates the stability problem of discrete-time neural networks with time-varying delays. Firstly, an augmented Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional (LKF) is constructed. The augmented LKF contains additional coupling information between the time delays and state variables. The double summation term is added to LKF, which is a necessary term of the selected summation inequality lemma. The conservatism of stability criterion can be further reduced by this way. Secondly, by using free matrices to improve the summation inequalities, a new delay-dependent stability criterion is derived in the form of linear matrix inequality (LMI). The stability criterion has less conservatism than some existing results and can be solved easily by MATLAB LMI-Tool. Finally, some numerical examples are given to illustrate that the upper bounds of time delay obtained in this paper are larger, which shows the effectiveness of this method.

Calcite particles (Source; CaCO3, ∼0.4 μm in size) were 3D-printed into cube honeycombs (honeycombs) with ∼0.7 mm thick struts and ∼0.6 mm cellular window opening. The sintered honeycombs, regardless of the presence of a sintering aid in the printing slurry, gave ∼3 MPa or more in the compressive stress, which exceeded that of trabecular bone. The conversion of calcite to hydroxyapatite (HAp) was assessed in 0.1 M K2HPO4(pH: 7.0 or 7.4) at 20 °C–80 °C due to the X-ray diffraction intensity of the calcite and HAp peaks, surface microstructure, and P(V) accumulation on the honeycomb strut surface. Although a premature HAp layer yielded on all samples within 1 h soaking, further conversion depended on the samples. The conversion continued on Source until the volume fraction of the HAp shell layer reached ∼35% (37 °C). It was hardly detected on the grains of sintered honeycombs (from the slurry with the sintering aid) within the whole soaking period (≤24 h). In contrast, the conversion on the sintered honeycombs (from the slurry without the aid) became vigorous when soaked for 5 h, and, it reached at 24 h the highest level that the as-printed honeycombs achieved. The critical factors controlling the conversion were calcite dissolution, the equilibria among the carbonate and phosphate ions, and the rates of migration of Ca(II) and P(V) through the inter-granular channels of pores within the struts. A particle stacking model was proposed for the most plausible interpretation of the present results.

Tumor hypoxia severely restrains the efficiency of irreversible O2-consumption photodynamic therapy. The deep hypoxia induced by photodynamic therapy can promote the level of hypoxia inducible factor 1α that participates in many tumor processes and eventually lead to poor therapeutic outcomes. Herein, a chemo-photodynamic antitumor strategy based on ultrathin graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets loaded with a hypoxia-targeting platinum(IV) prodrug is reported. Under low-intensity visible light irradiation, such integrated nanosheets effectively generate reactive oxygen species together with DNA binding platinum species to achieve enhanced antiproliferation efficacy by downregulating HIF-1α under hypoxic conditions.

Heterosis has been widely utilized in chickens. The nonadditive inheritance of genes contributes to this biological phenomenon. However, the role of circRNAs played in the heterosis is poorly determined. In this study, we observed divergent heterosis for residual feed intake (RFI) between 2 crossbreds derived from a reciprocal cross between White Leghorns and Beijing You chickens. Then, circRNA landscape for 120 samples covering the hypothalamus, liver, duodenum mucosa and ovary were profiled to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of heterosis. We detected that a small proportion of circRNAs (7.83–20.35%) were additively and non-additively expressed, in which non-additivity was a major inheritance of circRNAs in the crossbreds. Tissue-specific expression of circRNAs was prevalent across 4 tissues. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis revealed circRNA-mRNA co-expression modules associated with feed intake and RFI in the hypothalamus and liver, and the co-expressed genes were enriched in oxidative phosphorylation pathway. We further identified 8 nonadditive circRNAs highly correlated with 16 nonadditive genes regulating negative heterosis for RFI in the 2 tissues. Circ-ITSN2 was validated in the liver tissue for its significantly positive correlation with PGPEP1L. Moreover, the bioinformatic analysis indicated that candidate circRNAs might be functioned by binding the microRNAs and interacting with the RNA binding proteins. The integration of multi-tissue transcriptome firstly linked the association between tissue-specific circRNAs and the heterosis for feed intake and efficiency in chicken, which provide novel insights into the molecular mechanism underlying heterosis for feed efficiency. The validated circRNAs can act as potential biomarkers for predicting RFI and its heterosis.

This paper conducted series fire tests without load for glulam bolted joints with slotted-in steel plates, where the effects of fire exposure time, fire-retardant coating, fire exposure side and connecting steel bolts number for specimens were considered. Meanwhile, after fire tests, post-fire-performance (PFP) tests were conducted to explore and compare the residual load-carrying capacity and post-fire semi-rigid behavior of the glulam bolted joints with slotted-in steel plates. As a benchmark and comparison, two specimens were also conducted for bending tests without fire exposure. The test results showed that the steel inside the joints including steel box, slotted-in steel plate and steel bolts had a significant effect on the internal temperature distributions and the charring of outer timber. Moreover, the post-fire strength and ductility of the tested specimens decreased with the increase of the fire exposure time, while painting with fire-retardant coating, reducing fire exposure sides and increasing connecting steel bolts for specimens could appropriately increase their residual bending resistance and ductility deformation capacity. Finally, considering the different residual sections for timber after charring under different fire exposure times, a semi-rigid numerical model for the prediction of moment-rotation of the joints after fire exposure was established for the glulam bolted joints with slotted-in steel plates, and the numerical results demonstrated that the predicted moment-rotation curves were in good agreement with the tested curves. The test results could provide a reference for the performance-based fire protection design for timber structures.

Egg production is an economically important trait in poultry breeding and production. Follicular development was regulated by several hormones released and genes expressed in the granulosa cells, impacting the egg production and fecundity of hens. However, the molecular functions of these candidate genes that modulate these processes remain largely unknown. In the present study, bioinformatics analyses were performed to identify the candidate genes related to egg production in the ovarian tissue of White Leghorns with high egg production and Beijing You chicken with low egg production during sexual maturity and peak laying periods. The ovarian granulosa cells were used to assess the function of CYP21A1by transfecting with CYP21A1-specific small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and overexpression plasmids. We identified 514 differentially expressed genes (|Log2(fold change) | >1, P<0.05) between the 2 chicken breeds in both laying periods. Among these genes, CYP21A1, which is involved in the steroid hormone biosynthesis pathway was consistently upregulated in White Leghorns. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) further suggested that CYP21A1was a hub gene, which could positively respond to treatment with follicle stimulation hormone (FSH), affecting egg production. The interference of CYP21A1significantly inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis. Overexpression of CYP21A1promotes cell proliferation and inhibits cell apoptosis. Furthermore, the interference with CYP21A1significantly downregulated the expression of STAR, CYP11A1, HSD3B1,and FSHRand also decreased the synthesis of progesterone (P4) and estradiol (E2) in granulosa cells. Overexpression of CYP21A1increased the synthesis of P4 and estradiol E2 and the expression of steroid hormone synthesis-related genes in granulosa cells. Our findings provide new evidence for the biological role of CYP21A1on granulosa cell proliferation, apoptosis, and steroid hormone synthesis, which lays the theoretical basis for improving egg production.

Trichomonas gallinae (T. gallinae) is a globally distributed protozoan parasite and could cause serious damage to the pigeon industry. MiRNAs have important roles in regulating parasite infection, but its impacts on T. gallinaeresistance have rarely been reported. In the present study, we identified a new miRNA (novel-miR-741) and its predicted target OTU deubiquitinase 1 (OTUD1) that might be associated with immunity to T. gallinaein pigeon. Novel-miR-741 and OTUD1over-expression vectors and interference vectors were constructed. Results from dual luciferase activity assay demonstrated that OTUD1was a downstream target of novel-miR-741. The Cell Counting Kit-8 and apoptosis assays showed that novel-miR-741 inhibited the proliferation and promoted apoptosis of pigeon crop fibroblasts. Meanwhile, mRNA levels of OTUD1were significantly reduced in novel-miR-741 mimic-transfected fibroblasts, while mRNA levels of OTUD1were significantly increased in the novel-miR-741 inhibitor-transfected fibroblasts. The regulatory roles of si-OTUD1on fibroblasts proliferation, apoptosis, and migration were similar to novel-miR-741 mimic. Our findings demonstrated that novel-miR-741 inhibited the proliferation, and migration of crop fibroblasts, while OTUD1promoted the proliferation and migration of crop fibroblasts. Therefore, the regulation of OTUD1by novel-miR-741 was proposed as a potential therapeutic strategy for T. gallinae.

The majority of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) association studies of salt sensitivity (SS) have focused on SNPs in protein-coding genes rather than on SNPs in noncoding RNAs. This study attempted to identify the association between whole blood microRNA (miRNA)-related SNPs and the risk of SS in a Han Chinese population. A case-control study of 762 individuals was performed. A modified Sullivan’s acute oral saline load and diuresis shrinkage test was used to assess SS. All SNPs were analysed by RT-PCR on a Sequenom Mass ARRAY Platform (Sequenom, San Diego, CA, USA). A genetic risk score (GRS) was used to evaluate the joint genetic effect. In total, 24 miRNA-related SNPs were genotyped, four of which (miR-1307-5p/rs11191676, miR-1307-5p/rs2292807, miR-145/rs41291957 and miR-4638-3p/rs6601178) were associated with both SS and salt sensitivity of blood pressure (SSBP) (p≤ 0.05). MiR-382-5p/rs4906032 and miR-15b-5/rs10936201 were associated with SSBP. Weighted GRS showed that participants in the second, third and fourth quartiles had 1.760-fold (95% CI: 1.068-2.903), 2.450-fold (95% CI: 1.470-4.083) and 2.774-fold (95% CI: 1.680-4.582) increased risk of SS, respectively. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that these four SNP risk alleles may affect transcription factor binding and influence promoter activity. A total of six miRNA-related SNPs were found to be associated with SS or SSBP, and the presence of multiple risk alleles resulted in increased risk level.

ABSTRACTPerfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) can accumulate in the livers of humans and animals via the food chain, resulting into liver injury, which is closely related to intestinal flora dysbiosis. Gastrodin has been reported to have hepatoprotective effect. However, whether gastrodin can alleviate PFOA-induced liver injury via modulating gut microbiota remains unclear. Herein, a PFOA-induced liver injury model was established by gavage of PFOA (5 mg/kg body weight) in 2% Tween 80 solution once daily for 6 weeks in mice, and then gastrodin in saline (20 mg/kg body weight) was used once daily for 8 weeks to treat liver damage. The biochemical indexes associated with liver function, oxidative stress, and inflammatory factors were examined. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to determine the liver histopathological changes. Besides, 16S rRNA sequencing was used to analyze the difference of gut microbiota between the model and treatment groups. The results showed that gastrodin significantly improved the oxidative stress caused by PFOA. Intestinal flora analysis showed that gastrodin treatment significantly increased the relative abundance of probiotics, such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium,and Bacteroides, while the harmful bacteria, including Desulfovibriowere decreased. Gastrodin treatment also significantly increased the level of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as butyric acid and isobutyric acid. Spearman correlation analysis showed that the composition changes of gut microbiota and SCFAs increase were both beneficial to alleviate the liver injury caused by PFOA. To sum up, gastrodin can effectively alleviate PFOA-induced liver injury through regulating gut microbiota composition.

A rapid fluorescent probe was constructed to selectively and sensitively detect Ag+in nonantibiotic fungicide and successfully applied to distinguish homologous cancer cells and normal cell.

The freezability of chicken spermatozoa is low, therefore, effective cryoprotectants is desiderated. Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) are widely found in cold-tolerant species and help them to survive in freezing environments. This study was the first to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of plant-originated antifreeze glycoprotein (AFGP) (0, 0.1, 1, and 5 μg/mL) on post-thawed sperm motion characteristics, morphology, mitochondrial function, antioxidant activity, and fertilizing potential in chickens. Results showed that the total motility of 0.1-1 μg/mL AFGP groups were significantly higher than those of the 5 μg/mL AFGP group (P< 0.05). The post-thawed sperm viability of 0.1 μg/mL AFGP group was significantly higher than any of test groups (P< 0.05). Higher abnormal morphology rate of post-thawed sperm was observed in the control group (0 μg/mL AFGP) than in the 0.1, 1, and 5 μg/mL AFGP groups (P< 0.05). The concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) decreased gradually with the increase of AFGP concentration. ATP was significantly higher in the 0.1 and 1 μg/mL AFGP groups than those of control and any of test groups (P< 0.05). The 0.1-1 μg/mL AFGP groups had increased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) level (P> 0.05). The 0.1 μg/mL AFGP group had the highest average fertility (61.36%) compared with control group (57.02%) and any of test groups of chickens at 31 wk of age, and the 1 μg/mL AFGP group had the highest average fertility (37.72%) compared with control group (21.73%) and any of test groups of chickens at 65 wk of age. In conclusion, the results from this study suggest lower concentration of AFGP (0.1-1 μg/mL) showed positive effect for sperm function. This study inspires the continuous evaluation and seeking right way of adopting different kinds of AFPs in rooster semen cryopreservation.

Hybridization is used extensively in commercial layer production. However, heterosis for carcass performance and meat quality of spent laying hens remains unclear, especially under the trend of extended laying cycles. In this study, indigenous Beijing-You chickens (Y) and elite White Leghorn layers (W) were selected to generate purebreds (WW and YY) and reciprocal crosses (WY and YW). Data on traits including carcass compositions, meat quality, and main nutrients for breast muscle were collected when chickens fed to 100 wk of age. Results showed that body weight (BW) and dressed weight for WY and YW with positive heterosis were significantly higher than WW (P< 0.05). YW had the heaviest breast and thigh of 232.28 g and 278.48 g, respectively. The abdominal fat weight for WY and YW were greatly higher than that for WW (P> 0.05). The yields of carcass compositions, including the dressed yield, half eviscerated yield, eviscerated yield, breast yield and thigh yield, did not differ among 4 genetic groups (P> 0.05), except for the yield of abdominal fat. The largest heterosis differences appeared in breast weight (12.26% in YW vs. −0.46% in WY) and abdominal fat yield (15.26% in YW vs. 24.55% in WY). Although BW for crossbreds were similar, the specific parts of the carcass between them were different. For meat quality, WY had negative heterosis (P< 0.05) with the lowest lightness and yellowness, whereas YW had the completely opposite trend. Neither pH1hnor pH24hvalues had difference among purebreds and reciprocal crossbreds (P> 0.05). The drip loss and cooking loss were 4.01%-4.77% and 15.59%-21.31% respectively among 4 genetic groups. The main nutrients of breast, including moisture, crude protein, intramuscular fat and unsaturated fatty acid, did not differ for purebreds and crossbreds (P> 0.05), except for saturated fatty acid. In general, the crossbreds even at the later laying period still showed divergent heterosis on carcass performance and meat characteristics. In view of the heterosis, Beijing-You chickens can use as the sire line in the crossbreeding to improve carcass compositions of spent hens.

Molnupiravir (MPV) is a widely used oral anti-COVID-19 drug. Owing to the rotatable bonds and the large number of acceptors and donors of hydrogen bonds in the molecular structure of MPV, three pure polymorphs (forms I, II, and III) and four solvates (ethanol, isopropanol, isobutanol, and tetrahydrofuran) of MPV (MPV-EtOH, MPV-IPA, MPV-IBA, and MPV-THF) were obtained. Importantly, the crystal structures of form I and the four solvates were successfully determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction for the first time. Interestingly, all solvates are isostructural and have very similar unit cell parameters. Meanwhile, the solvent molecules in their structures are all in the voids surrounded by MPV molecules, forming a channel structure that facilitates desolvation. The formation mechanism of the solvates was also investigated based on the molecular electrostatic potential and hydrogen-bond energy of possible synthons. Moreover, a detailed stability study of MPV was conducted by using thermal analysis and dynamic vapor sorption. Finally, the phase transformations of the different solid forms were summarized. Our study provides a comprehensive understanding of the crystal landscape of the MPV.

This study aimed to systematically determined the effect of 28 h ahemeral light cycle on production performance, egg quality, blood parameters, uterine morphological characteristics, and gene expression of hens during the late laying period. At 74 wk, 260 Hy-Line Brown layers were randomly divided into 2 groups of 130 birds each and in duplicates. Both a regular (16L:8D) and an ahemeral light cycle (16L:12D) were provided to the hens. The oviposition pattern in an ahemeral cycle shifted into darkness, with oviposition mostly occurring 3 to 5 h after light out. Production performance was unaffected by light cycle (P> 0.05). Nonetheless, compared to the normal group, the ahemeral group exhibited increased egg weight, eggshell weight, eggshell percentage, yolk percentage, eggshell thickness, and eggshell strength (P< 0.05). There were rhythmic changes in the uterine morphological structure in both cycles, however, the ahemeral group maintained a longer duration and had more uterine folds than the normal group. In the ahemeral cycle, the phases of the CLOCKand PER2genes were phase-advanced for 3.96 h and 4.54 h compared to the normal cycle. The PHLPP1gene, which controls clock resetting, exhibited a substantial oscillated rhythm in the ahemeral group (P< 0.05), while the expression of genes presenting biological rhythm, such as CRY2and FBXL3, was rhythmically oscillated in normal cycle (P< 0.05). The ITPR2gene, which regulates intracellular Ca2+transport, displayed a significant oscillated rhythm in ahemeral alone (P< 0.05), while the CA2gene, which presents biomineralization, rhythmically oscillated in both cycles (P< 0.05). The ahemeral cycle caused 2.5 h phase delays in the CA2gene compared to the normal cycle. In conclusion, the 28 h ahemeral light cycle preserved the high condition of the uterine folds and changed the uterine rhythms of CLOCK, PER2, ITPR2, and CA2gene expression to improve ion transport and uterine biomineralization.

The continuous increasing demand for egg quality and quantity, and the expanding market share have enabled the egg industry to achieve significant benefits through genetic improvement. This study aims to estimate the genetic parameters and explore selectable breeding traits in the purebred Rhode Island Red (RIR) and White Leghorn (WL), which are 2 high-yielding layer breeds, and better understand their underlying genetic basis and accelerate genetic progress. The DMU software was utilized to analyze 12 egg quality traits, including egg length (EL), egg width (EW), egg shape index (ESI), egg weight (EWT), albumen height (AH), yolk color (YC), Haugh unit (HU), yolk weight (YW), albumen weight (AW), albumen-to-egg weight ratio (AWR), yolk-to-albumen ratio (YAR), and yolk-to-egg weight ratio (YWR). In RIR, the heritability of egg quality traits ranged from 0.196 to 0.427, while the repeatability ranged from 0.395 to 0.668. In WL, the heritability of egg quality traits ranged from 0.203 to 0.347, and the repeatability ranged from 0.424 to 0.656. In both RIR and WL, highly strong genetic correlations were observed between AW and EW, as well as between AW and EWT. The genetic correlations for AW and EW were 0.902 in RIR and 0.864 in WL, while the genetic correlations for AW and EWT were 0.981 in RIR and 0.960 in WL. The egg quality traits in both breeds showed moderate heritability, indicating great genetic potential for improvement through selective breeding. This can help breeders meet the increasingly diverse egg preferences of consumers through genetic selection. Additionally, there is a highly strong correlation between egg width/egg weight, and albumen weight in both breeds. In practical production, it is feasible to estimate albumen weight by measuring egg width and egg weight, which can simplify the method for measuring albumen weight. In conclusions, our finding provided valuable insights into the genetic architecture of egg quality traits in RIR and WL chickens. They help our understanding of the potential for genetic improvement of these traits through selective breeding programs.

Crossbreeding advantage in hybrids compared with their parents, termed heterosis, has been exhaustively exploited in chicken breeding over the last century. Reports for crossbreeding of elite laying chickens covering rearing and laying period remain infrequent. In this study, resource populations of Rhode Island Red (RIR) and White Leghorn (WL) pure-bred chickens were reciprocally crossed to generate 4 distinct groups that were evaluated for prelaying growth, egg production, and egg quality. Birds monitored for prelaying growth consists of 105 (RIR), 131 (WL), 207 (RIR × WL) and 229 (WL × RIR), and 30 pullets from each group were evaluated. Egg laying records were collected from 102, 89, 147, and 191 hens in the 4 populations, respectively. In addition, expression of 5 candidate genes for egg production in the ovarian follicles was measured by RT-qPCR. Results showed that BW of hatched chicks in the WL line was higher than the other populations. However, the 2 crossbreds grew faster than WL purebred throughout the prelaying period. Low to medium heterosis was observed for BW and body length before the onset of lay. White Leghorn and the hybrids commenced laying earlier than RIR pullets and egg production traits were favorable in the crossbreds compared with purebreds. Heterosis for egg number and clutch size was moderate in WL × RIR but low in RIR × WL hens. Expression of antimullerian hormone gene was high in WL and RIR × WL hybrids, suggesting WL parent-specific enhancing dominant expression. Shell weight was higher in the crossbreds than purebreds at 52 wk of age, but RIR hens laid eggs with higher shell ratio than the other populations (P < 0.05). Conversely, WL and the hybrids had higher eggshell strength than RIR birds (P < 0.05). Eggshell strength was the only egg quality trait that showed heterosis above 10% in WL × RIR hybrids at 32 and 52 wk of age. White Leghorn × RIR hens demonstrated higher percent heterosis for economic traits than birds of the reciprocal hybrid. This means that RIR breed is a better dam than a sire line for growth, egg laying, and egg quality traits.

Semen quality is important for roosters' fertility. The correlations between semen quality traits and fertility has less been analyzed, impeding the selection of effective parameters for roosters selection. This research aimed to investigate the variation in semen quality traits in relation to fertilization capacity between 2 chicken breeds. A total of 156 Rhode Island Red (n = 78) and White Leghorn (n = 78) roosters of 53 wk were selected for semen quality estimation including semen volume, pH, sperm concentration, motility, viability, abnormal sperm percentage, and sperm kinematic parameters. Individual fertility was measured by artificial insemination using each 30 birds from 2 breeds. Significant variations were observed between breeds in semen volume, pH, sperm motility (MOT), viability, and abnormal sperm percentage (P < 0.05). The volume, MOT, and viability in Rhode Island Red were higher than those of White Leghorn roosters (P < 0.001). In addition, sperm kinematic parameters such as curvilinear velocity (VCL), straight line velocity (VSL), amplitude lateral head displacement (ALH), and average path velocity (VAP) in Rhode Island Red were higher than those of White Leghorn (P < 0.001). Fertility rate was positively correlated with MOT (r = 0.57), concentration (r = 0.43), viability (r = 0.39), VSL (r = 0.36), ALH (r = 0.43), and ALH (r = 0.38) for Rhode Island Red roosters (P < 0.05). Fertility rate of White Leghorn roosters was positively correlated with MOT (r = 0.71), concentration (r = 0.39), VCL (r = 0.52), ALH (r = 0.50), and VAP (r = 0.39) (P < 0.05). Principal component analysis of sperm kinematic descriptors revealed 2 principal components explaining more than 65% of total variance. In addition, for both genetic lines, the whole population was divided into 3 independent clusters. These results indicated that selection of roosters based on semen quality traits for may improve the fertility, and multivariate analysis may help to precise selection by comprehensive usage of different measures of sperm quality.

Providing green light during incubation has been shown to accelerate the embryo development and shorten the hatching time in broilers. Few studies have concentrated on the exact effects on layer breeders in the aspects of hatching and posthatch performance. In this study, 4 strains of layer breeder eggs, namely White Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, Columbia Rock, and Barred Rock were used to assess the effects of monochromatic green light during embryogenesis on hatching performance, chick quality, and pubertal growth. Each strain of 600 eggs was incubated under photoperiods of either 12 h of light and 12 h of darkness (12L:12D, light group) or 0 h of light and 24 h of darkness (0L:24D, dark group) for 18 D, with 2 replicates for each treatment. The results showed hatch time, time reaching 90% hatch, and average hatch time were significantly shorter among the 4 strains in the light group (P < 0.01). In addition, hatch window and peak hatching period were not extended by the green light stimulation (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in hatchability of fertile eggs, chick weight/egg weight, or chick quality among the 4-strain eggs between the light group and dark group (P > 0.05). There was no difference (P > 0.05) in posthatch BW between different light treatments of the 3 strains (White Leghorn, Columbia Rock, and Barred Rock), whereas the BW of Rhode Island Red was higher in light group than that of the dark group at 8 to 12 wk of age (P < 0.05) and the difference disappeared from week 14. The results demonstrate that 12L:12D monochromatic green light stimulation during embryogenesis shortens the hatching time with no negative effects on hatching and posthatch performance. These effects were consistent among the 4 layer strains.

The prevalence of crossed beaks ranging from 0.2 to 7.4% was documented in at least 12 chicken strains. Previous studies focused largely on candidate molecules, whereas the morphological observation was missing. This study reported a detailed phenotype and prevalence of crossed beaks based on morphological observation in nine thousand nine hundred 1-day-old female Beijing-You chicks. Affected chicks were classified into 2 categories based on the direction of the mandibular deformation: left and right. Each category was selected to sacrifice for the measurement of length, width, and thickness of the bilateral mandibular ramus (MR). The normal chicks were used as controls. Paraffin section was made for the bilateral MR of a crossed beak and a normal control for histology analysis. A total of 97 out of 9,900 chickens showed beak deformity including 71 crossed beaks (0.72%) and 26 side beaks (0.26%) for which the upper and lower beak were both bent in the same direction. There was no difference in the direction of the bend of the lower beak in crossed beaks (P > 0.05). The incidence of crossed beaks increased quickly from 0 to 56 d and no new incidence after 56 d. The angle of the crossed beaks was below 5° in the first week and had grown more severe with age until 56 d. The mandible structure showed that condyle served as a growth center for the MR extension. The short-side MR of crossed beaks was thicker than normal ones (P < 0.05) and caused the mandible deviated to the same direction. Meanwhile, the short-side MR prevented the occlusion, leading the jugal arch deformity, which in turn resulted in a bent maxillary horizontally. Similarly, chicks with side beaks also had asymmetry in MR length and the deformities of the jugal arch after dissection. In summary, asymmetric growth of bilateral MR induced crossed beaks and side beaks; the mandibular condyle could be an ideal sample for the related molecular mechanism studies underlying this trait.

Two novel fac-Re(CO)3-based rectangles {[(CO)3Re(μ-Cl)2Re(CO)3]2(μ-L)2} (1) and {[(CO)3Re(μ-OC4H9)2Re(CO)3]2(μ-L)2}(2) based on new photochromic dithienylethene-containing ligand 2,7-di(pyridin-4-yl)-9,10-bis(5-chloro-2-methylthien-3-yl)-phenanthrene (L) were prepared. They displayed varying photochromic properties both in solution and in the single-crystal state. Through a judicious choice of the bridging ligands along the short sides of the rectangles, the photophysical and electrochemical properties of the complexes could also be readily tuned.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of replacing antibiotics with a combination of plant essential oils on the growth performances and gastrointestinal health of broilers. A total of 720 1-day-old male AA broilers were randomly divided into 3 treatments: the control treatment (CON), the Aureomycin supplementation treatment (AGP), and the combined plant oils supplementation treatment (POC), with a 42-D period feeding procedure. Growth performances, carcass performances, intestinal sections, and cecal microbiota were investigated. Results indicated that POC supplementation decreased the feed conversion ratio compared with CON and AGP treatments, though not significantly. No significant differences were found for feed intake, BW gain, and culling rate among the 3 treatments (P > 0.05). In addition, no significant differences were seen on carcass performance. For the aspects of intestinal section, POC supplementation did not make significant effects on intestinal wall thickness, villus heights, crypt depths, and the ratio of villus heights/crypt depths compared with CON and AGP treatments. Cecal microbiota results demonstrated that bacterial diversity and some representative probiotic bacteria were significantly increased in numbers (P< 0.05) after POC supplementation. In conclusion, the combination of essential oils promoted intestinal health through improving gut bacterial diversity and probiotic bacteria, as well as improving feed conversion ratio of broilers. These results indicated that the combination of essential oils may benefit the gastrointestinal health and be applied as an antibiotic alternative.

Seventy proteins, including both secretory and sperm part proteins, were identified differentially abundant in seminal plasma of chickens differ in sperm motility using a label-free mass spectrometry-based method. Higher abundance of sperm acrosome, mitochondrial and cytoskeleton proteins were noted in seminal plasma of low sperm motility (LSM). Higher spermatozoa ROS level and lower seminal plasma total antioxidant capacity in LSM suggested the occurrent oxidative stress. ROS-induced spermatozoa degradation and mitochondrial dysfunction could be causal factors for LSM.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of age at photostimulation on sexual maturity and performance of layer breeders. A total of 192 fourteen-wk-old White Leghorn (WL) breeder hens were randomly allocated to 4 treatments of 48 birds each, with 2 replicates per treatment. The birds were photostimulated at 16 (PS16), 18 (PS18), 20 (PS20), and 22 (PS22) wk of age. Four birds per treatment were randomly selected to evaluate sexual organ development at 1 D before photostimulation and 2, 4, and 6 wk after photostimulation. The ovary weight, large yellow follicles number (LYF), oviduct weight, and oviduct length of PS18 increased sharply after photostimulation. Conversely, the increase in PS16 was not observed until 2 wk after photostimulation. There was no difference in age at sexual maturity between treatments (P> 0.05). The PS16 had the longest interval (28 D) from photostimulation to 5% egg production, while PS22 reached 5% egg production 7 D before photostimulation. The PS22 had lower peak production (P= 0.02) and less egg production (P= 0.02) than other treatments. The PS16 had more broken and abnormal eggs (P= 0.01) and lower hatchability (P= 0.04) than other treatments. In conclusion, photostimulation at 16 and 22 wk of age decreases hatchability and egg production, respectively, and photostimulation at 18 wk is appreciated for the WL breeder hens.

Background: Pubertal development is a complex physiological process regulated by the neuroendocrine system and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Sexual precocity is a common childhood endocrine disease.The pathogenesis of sexual precocity has not been fully elucidated. RFRP3/GPRl47 signal pathway is able to inhibit the reproductive capability in avians and mammals, probably by acting on the GnRH neuron and pituitary to regulate gonadotrophin synthesis and release. However, little is known about the role of RFRP3 in puberty development and sexual precocity. Objective: To observe the dynamic changes of RFamide related peptide 3/G proteincoupled receptor 147 (RFRP3/GPR147) in hypothalamic during puberty development and explore their role in precocious puberty based on a female rat model. Methods: The Sprague-Dawley female rats were randomly divided into three groups, normal, vehicle, and precocious puberty model. At 5 days old, the rat model with precocious puberty was prepared by subcutaneously injecting a mixture of danazoldissolved ethanol and glycol. At different day-age (15, 25, 30, 35, and 40 days), the levels of estradiol(E2), follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) in the peripheral blood were detected by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expressions of RFRP3, gonadotropin releasing hormone and GPR147 were examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction(R-T PCR). RFRP3 positive cells were observed using Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy. Results: At 25 and 30 days, the levels of sex hormones and the uterus coefficients were significantly higher in the precocious puberty model group than those in the normal and vehicle groups. The ovarian morphological development in the precocious puberty model rats was significantly earlier than those in the normal and vehicle groups. The mRNA expressions of RFRP3/GPR147 and GnRH in the precocious puberty model group gradually increased and peaked at 25 days. The different day-age and the interaction have significant statistical significance on the expression of RFRP3 mRNA, while the levels of RFRP3 mRNA in the model group and vehicle groups have no significant statistical significance. There was statistical significance between the model group and vehicle groups in different day-age on the expression of GPR147 mRNA.The expression of hypothalamic RFRP3/GPR147 mRNA and RFRP3 positive cells gradually decreased with puberty onset. At 35 days, the levels of RFRP3 mRNA and GPR147 mRNA were significantly lower in the precocious puberty model group than those in the vehicle groups. Meanwhile, the levels of LH in the precocious puberty model rats reached its peak at this age. In the vehicle group, the levels of RFRP3 mRNA and serum LH were gradually increased and LH nearly peaked at 35 day-age. Subsequently, it gradually decreased and reached the lowest level at 35 day-age. The expression of RFRP3 mRNA and LH were positively correlated. Conclusion: The findings suggested that RFRP3/GPR147 signaling pathway may be involved in the pathogenesis of sexual precocity by regulating puberty development and sexual maturity in rats.

In poultry industry, around 5 to 12% roosters were eliminated from the breeding program because of low sperm motility. Relatively few studies have been directed toward understanding and explaining the genetics mechanisms involved in sperm motility regulation in chickens. In the present study, digital gene expression (DGE) profiling and bioinformation analysis were used to explore the globally differentially expressed genes (DEG) in the testis of low sperm motility and high sperm motility roosters. Further validation study of key candidate genes was also performed. The DGE identified 652 DEGs, including 473 up-regulated and 179 down-regulated genes in the low sperm motility testis. Those DEGs were enriched on 21 terms of biological process category, 10 terms of cellular component category, including motile cilium, and 13 terms of molecular function category including microtubule motor activity and ATP binding. The kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis indicated that these DEGs were involved in the FoxO signaling pathway and insulin resistance pathway. Quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) studies of 8 DEGs were used to validate the DGE results. A key candidate gene Cyclin F (CCNF) was extremely low expressed in the low sperm motility testis (log2ratio (low sperm motility/high sperm motility) = −5.23). The CCNFgene silencing in the chicken DF-1 cell line induced the reduced cell activity and proliferation. In summary, the present study provides insight into the potential genetic regulation of sperm motility and highlighted the underlying pathways (Insulin resistance and FoxO signaling pathways) and important candidate genes such as CCNF.

This work studied the effect of age at photostimulation on reproductive performance of Beijing-You Chicken (BYC) breeders. A total of 384 fourteen-week-old BYC breeder hens were randomly allocated to 4 treatments of 96 birds each, with 2 replicates per treatment. The treatments represent photostimulation at 16, 18, 20, and 22 wk of age, respectively (PS16, PS18, PS20, and PS22) by incrementally increasing day length from 8L:16D to 14L:10D and by increasing lighting intensity from 10 to 80 lx. Egg production was recorded for each replicate until 51 wk. Four birds randomly selected from each treatment were sacrificed to characterize sexual organ development at 4 time points: 1 D before photostimulation and 2, 4, and 6 wk after photostimulation. Eggshell quality at peak laying was measured. The results showed that the changes in ovary and oviduct weight in PS22 were 8.68- and 4.27-fold higher than in PS16 at 6 wk after photostimulation. PS16 had an earlier age at 5% egg production than PS20 and PS22 (P= 0.003). The interval from photostimulation to age at 5% egg production in PS20 and PS22 was shorter than in other treatments (P= 0.005). Later peak egg production was seen in PS20 (211.0 D) and PS22 (218.0 D) than in PS16 (183.0 D) and PS18 (190.0 D, P= 0.020), but the laying rate of PS20 decreased slowly after peak laying. PS20 and PS22 had higher egg weights than PS16 and PS18 at peak laying (P= 0.018). Age at photostimulation had no effect on egg number, defective egg number, or hatchability (P> 0.05). In summary, the onset of lay can be advanced by photostimulation at early ages, but there is no difference on egg production until 51 wk. Photostimulation at 20 wk improves peak of laying and laying uniformity.

The presence of EVs in seminal plasma (SPEVs) suggests their involvement on fertility via transmitting information between the original cells and recipient cells. SPEVs-coupled miRNAs have been shown to affect sperm motility, maturation, and capacitation in mammals, but rarely in poultry species. The present study aims to reveal the profile of SPEVs miRNAs and their potential effect on sperm storage and function in poultry. The SPEVs was successfully isolated from 4 different chicken breeds by ultracentrifugation and verified. Deep sequencing of SPEVs small RNA library of each breed identified 1077 miRNAs in total and 563 shared ones. The top 10 abundant miRNAs (such as miR-10-5p, miR-100-5p, and miR-10a-5p etc.) accounted for around 60% of total SPEVs miRNA reads and are highly conserved across species, predisposing their functional significance. Target genes prediction and functional enrichment analysis indicated that the most abundantly expressed miRNAs may regulate pathways like ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, endocytosis, mitophagy, glycosphingolipid biosynthesis, fatty acid metabolism, and fatty acid elongation. The high abundant SPEVs-coupled miRNAs were found to target 107 and 64 functionally important mRNAs in the potential recipient cells, sperm and sperm storage tubules (SST) cells, respectively. The pathways that enriched by target mRNAs revealed that the SPEVs-coupled miRNA may rule the fertility by affecting the sperm maturation and regulating the female's immune response and lipid metabolism. In summary, this study presents the distinctive repertoire of SPEVs-coupled miRNAs, and extends our understanding about their potential roles in sperm maturation, capacitation, storage, and fertility, and may help to develop new therapeutic strategies for male infertility and sperm storage.

ABSTRACTOral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the subtype of head and neck cancers, is notorious for its high incidence and death rate. The role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) is discovered to be significant for the canceration and cancer progression. Long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 958 (LINC00958) is discovered as a carcinogene in multiple cancers, such as gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, and glioma, but there has been no report about how LINC00958 functions in OSCC. The objective of our study is to unfold function and mechanism investigation on LINC00958 in OSCC. First, TCGA database showed the upregulation and prognostic significance of LINC00958 in head and neck squamous carcinoma. Then, we discovered in OSCC clinical samples that LINC00958 presented high expression and predicted poor prognosis. Also, LINC00958 was elevated in OSCC cells. In vitrogain- and loss-function experiments proved that LINC00958 facilitated cell growth, retarded apoptosis, accelerated migration, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in OSCC. Mechanistically, we confirmed the cytoplasmic expression of LINC00958 in OSCC cells, and revealed that LINC00958 sequestered miR-627-5p to upregulate YBX2 expression. Rescue assays indicated that LINC00958 regulated OSCC cell proliferation, motility and EMT through YBX2. Together, we showed that LINC00958 promoted OSCC progression through miR-627-5p/YBX2 axis, indicating LINC00958 as a new prognostic marker, and provided new perspectives for molecular targeted treatment for OSCC.

Tubular epithelial cell–derived profibrotic factors are known as the driving force in renal fibrosis for their roles in activating the surrounding fibroblast. However, the mechanisms driving their expressions remain undefined. Here, we find that kidney human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor family, significantly increased in unilateral ureteral obstruction–induced renal fibrosis, in type 1 and type 2 diabetic nephropathy, and in kidney biopsies from patients with renal fibrosis. Notably, the upregulation of HER2 mainly occurred in proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTECs). In vivo, the ectopic expression of HER2 in these cells was sufficient to activate the interstitial fibroblast and initiate interstitial fibrosis, whereas inhibiting HER2 reduced the accumulation of myofibroblasts and the extent of renal fibrosis in the mouse obstruction model and in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. We also generated a tubular epithelial cell subline stably expressing HER2 and performed transcriptome RNA sequence analysis. This showed that sustained HER2 expression significantly induced the expression of profibrotic connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). Mechanistically, the induction of CTGF depended on the HER2-mediated activation of Stat3 in the tubular epithelium. In vitro, the incubation of kidney fibroblasts with culture medium from HER2-overexpressed tubular epithelial cells promoted fibroblast proliferation and activation, whereas silencing CTGF impeded the profibrotic effects of the tubular epithelial cell preconditioned media. Thus, our results highlight the significance of HER2 in tubular injury and characterize its role in promoting surrounding fibroblast activation and renal fibrosis in a paracrine manner.

Nitrogen-doped carbon materials featuring atomically dispersed metal cations (M–N–C) are an emerging family of materials with potential applications for electrocatalysis. The electrocatalytic activity of M–N–C materials toward four-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to H2O is a mainstream line of research for replacing platinum-group-metal-based catalysts at the cathode of fuel cells. However, fundamental and practical aspects of their electrocatalytic activity toward two-electron ORR to H2O2, a future green “dream” process for chemical industry, remain poorly understood. Here we combined computational and experimental efforts to uncover the trends in electrochemical H2O2production over a series of M–N–C materials (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu) exclusively comprising atomically dispersed M–Nxsites from molecular first-principles to bench-scale electrolyzers operating at industrial current density. We investigated the effect of the nature of a 3d metal within a series of M–N–C catalysts on the electrocatalytic activity/selectivity for ORR (H2O2and H2O products) and H2O2reduction reaction (H2O2RR). Co–N–C catalyst was uncovered with outstanding H2O2productivity considering its high ORR activity, highest H2O2selectivity, and lowest H2O2RR activity. The activity–selectivity trend over M–N–C materials was further analyzed by density functional theory, providing molecular-scale understandings of experimental volcano trends for four- and two-electron ORR. The predicted binding energy of HO* intermediate over Co–N–C catalyst is located near the top of the volcano accounting for favorable two-electron ORR. The industrial H2O2productivity over Co–N–C catalyst was demonstrated in a microflow cell, exhibiting an unprecedented production rate of more than 4 mol peroxide gcatalyst–1h–1at a current density of 50 mA cm–2.

1,3-Propanediol (1,3-PDO) is an important chemical and feedstock in the synthesis of polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) resin, but the catalytic production of 1,3-PDO is difficult. In this work, a carbon film encapsulated Co nanoparticle catalyst (Co@NC) was synthesized viapyrolysis of Co2(1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid)2(triethylenediamine) and tested in the synthesis of 1,3-PDO from glycidol. It was found that this Co@NC catalyst was highly active, selective and stable for this reaction under mild conditions. Characterization results indicated that the formation of 1,3-PDO was sensitive to the adsorbed hydrogen. The selectivity to 1,3-PDO reached its maximum over the Co@NC catalyst as carbon film encapsulation can inhibit the excessive adsorption and activation of H2molecules, while the adsorbed dissociated hydrogen on naked Co NPs and/or N atoms (in the carbon shell) promoted the formation of propanol.

Egg products from indigenous chickens have growing market shares as consumers are pursuing differentiation in egg consumption. The genetic improvement in egg production performance of those breeds is crucial for increasing the economic profit. This study aimed to estimate genetic parameters for egg production and clutch-related traits in indigenous Beijing-You chickens for understanding the genetic architecture and exploring proper biological traits for selection. Data on traits including age at first egg (AFE), egg number (EN), average clutch length (ACL), maximum clutch length (MCL), number of clutches (NC) and pauses (NP), and average pause length (APL) were collected from 4 generations of purebred Beijing-You chickens based on the 43-wk and 66-wk of individual egg production record. The heritabilities, genetic and phenotypic correlations were analyzed by the DMU software with the restricted maximum likelihood method in a multivariate animal model. The results showed that the AFE of Beijing-You chickens was 174.45 d of age, and its heritability was as high as 0.62. The heritability was 0.26 for EN43 and 0.18 for EN66. The clutch traits including ACL, MCL, NC, and NP were moderate to high heritable (h2 = 0.15–0.39), but APL was very low heritable (h2 = 0.05). Genetic correlations were high between AFE and EN (rG(AFE, EN43) = −0.79, rG(AFE, EN66) = −0.39), whereas low between AFE and ACL (rG(AFE, ACL43) = −0.08, rG(AFE, ACL66) = 0.01) and MCL (rG(AFE, MCL) = −0.07). EN had higher correlations with ACL (rG(EN43, ACL43) = 0.59, rG(EN66, ACL66) = 0.40) than that with MCL (rG(EN43, MCL43) = 0.56, rG(EN66, MCL66) = 0.32). The heritability for ACL43 (h2 = 0.38) was higher than that for MCL43 (h2 = 0.33). ACL43 had a positive correlation with EN66 (rG(ACL43, EN66) = 0.62). These results indicated that the egg production of whole laying period could be improved by early selection for AFE and ACL at the same time in Beijing-You chickens.

ABSTRACTIL-33 binding to IL1RL1 is involved in asthma. The data show that involvement of the IL33/IL1RL1 genes in asthma is biologically plausible. The objective of this study was to investigate the association of IL33 and IL1R1 gene polymorphisms and serum IL-33 levels with asthma within the population of Xinjiang (China). A case group of 279 patients and 277 healthy controls were genotyped using the MassARRAY SNP genotyping system. In 113 asthma patients and 112 controls, the IL-33 levels were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The statistical analysis showed that IL-33 levels were associated with asthma and the rs16924159 (AA), rs1420102 (TT) genotype was associated with a significantly increased risk of asthma compared with the GG (rs16924159) or CC (rs1420102) genotypes. However, neither the rs13431828C/T genotypes, nor the rs928413 A/G genotypes were significantly associated with risk of asthma. In addition, the patients carrying the rs16924159 AA genotype presented with higher IL-33 levels compared to the GG group. This result suggested that the increase of IL-33 in patients with asthma may affect the expression level of serum IL-33. Furthermore, the rs16924159 G-A variant was associated with IL-33 levels in patients with asthma.

Carbon-based materials are a popularly-used catalyst support due to their large surface area, high stability, and easy accessibility for reactants, but metal NPs on carbon are prone to sintering and leaching due to weak metal–support interactions. In this work, a 3D carbonaceous material composed of 1D carbon nanotubes sprouting from 2D graphene sheets (denoted Ni@N-CNTs-GS) was synthesized viathe direct pyrolysis of mixed agar, melamine, and Ni(en)3(NO3)2. Characterization indicated that the newly formed CNTs were rooted in and anchored by the graphene sheets, and carbon film-encapsulated Ni NPs were dispersed evenly both in the chambers of the CNTs and on the surface of the graphene. It was found that Ni@N-CNTs-GS was active and stable for the selective hydrogenation of nitroarenes to anilines viaa direct route.

Selective oxidation of glycerol is a hot topic. Increased biodiesel production has led to glycerol oxidation over Au- and Pt-based catalysts being widely studied. However, Pt catalysts suffer from deactivation because of weak metal-support interactions. In this study, multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNTs)-pillared nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) was prepared by direct pyrolysis of melamine on MWCNTs, and the synthesized NG-MWCNT composite was used as the support for Pt. Characterization results showed that the surface area (173 m2/g) and pore volume of the NG-MWCNT composite were greater than those of bare MWCNTs and the separated melamine pyrolysis product (CNx). Pt (1.4 ± 0.4 nm) dispersion on the NG-MWCNTs was favorable and the Pt/NG-MWCNT catalyst was highly active and selective in the oxidation of glycerol to glyceric acid (GLYA) in base-free aqueous solution. For example, the conversion of glycerol reached 64.4% with a GLYA selectivity of 81.0%, whereas the conversions of glycerol over Pt/MWCNTs and Pt/CNxwere 29.0% and 31.6%, respectively. The unique catalytic activity of the Pt/NG-MWCNTs is attributed to well-dispersed Pt clusters on the NG-MWCNTs and the electron-donating effect of the nitrogen dopant in the NG-MWCNTs.

Pigeon has the specific biological ability to produce pigeon milk (also known as crop milk) by its crop. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are important noncoding RNAs acting as the sponges of miRNAs, but the molecular mechanism of circRNAs regulating crop milk production has not been reported in pigeon. We compared expression profiles of crops during lactating and nonlactating crops, and networks of competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) were constructed. The results showed a total of 8,723 circRNAs were identified, and there were 770 differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs) between these two different periods of crops. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the host genes of DECs were enriched in GnRH, MAPK, Insulin, Wnt, and AMPK signaling pathways. Furthermore, gga_circ_0000300 interacted with miR-92-2-5p, which targeted genes participating in lactation and milk composition synthesis. Gga_circ_0003018, gga_circ_0003019 and gga_circ_0003020 could bind with let-7c-5p regulating SOCS3in crop milk production. These findings provide the circRNAs expression profiles and facilitate the analysis of molecular mechanism of crop milk production in pigeon.

The study investigated the effects of supplementation of bile acids in drinking water on antitrichomonal activity, growth performance, immunity, and microbial composition of pigeon. A total of 180 pairs of White King parent pigeons were randomly assigned to 5 treatments of 6 replications with 6 pairs of parent pigeons and 12 squabs in each replicate. The control (CON) group drank water without any additions. The metronidazole (MTZ) group drank water with 500 μg/mL metronidazole for 7 d and without any additions for other days. The else groups drank water with 500, 750, and 1,250 μg/mL bile acid (BAL, BAM, BAH) for 28 d. The results showed that Trichomonas gallinae(T. gallinae) in MTZ, BAL, BAM, and BAH groups were lower than that in CON group at 14, 21, and 28 d of parent pigeons (P< 0.05) and at 21 and 28 d of squabs (P< 0.05). Albumin and alanine transaminase in CON group were higher than those in MTZ, BAL, and BAH groups (P< 0.05). The levels of soluble CD8 were higher in MTZ and BAH groups compared with CON group (P< 0.05). The lesions in oral mucosa, thymus, liver, and spleen tissues of CON group could be observed. Abundance-based coverage estimator (ACE) index in BAH group was higher than that in CON and MTZ groups. Simpson index in CON and BAH groups was higher than MTZ group (P< 0.05). Lactobacillus was the highest colonized colonic bacteria in genera that were 77.21, 91.20, and 73.19% in CON, MTZ, and BAH, respectively. In conclusion, drinking water supplemented with 500, 750, and 1,250 μg/mL bile acid could inhibit growth of T. gallinaein both parent pigeons and squabs. Squabs infected with T. gallinaein control group had higher mortality rate and more serious tissue lesions. Squabs in bile acids treated group had more sCD8 in serum and abundant intestinal morphology. Bile acids could be an efficient drinking supplements to inhibit T. gallinaeand improve pigeon adaptive immunity and intestinal health.

Heterosis is the major benefit of crossbreeding and has been exploited in laying hens breeding for a long time. This genetic phenomenon has been linked to various modes of nonadditive gene action. However, the molecular mechanism of heterosis for egg production in laying hens has not been fully elucidated. To fill this research gap, we sequenced mRNAs and lncRNAs of the ovary stroma containing prehierarchical follicles in White Leghorn, Rhode Island Red chickens as well as their reciprocal crossbreds that demonstrated heterosis for egg number and clutch size. We further delineated the modes of mRNAs and lncRNAs expression to identify their potential functions in the observed heterosis. Results showed that dominance was the principal mode of nonadditive expression exhibited by mRNAs and lncRNAs in the prehierarchical follicles of crossbred hens. Specifically, low-parent dominance was the main mode of mRNA expression, while high-parent dominance was the predominant mode of lncRNA expression. Important pathways enriched by genes that showed higher expression in crossbreds compared to either one or both parental lines were cell adhesion molecules, tyrosine and purine metabolism. In contrast, ECM-receptor interaction, focal adhesion, PPAR signaling, and ferroptosis were enriched in genes with lower expression in the crossbred. Protein network interaction identified nonadditively expressed genes including apolipoprotein B (APOB), transferrin, acyl-CoA synthetase medium-chain family member (APOBEC) 3, APOBEC1complementation factor, and cathepsin S as hub genes. Among these potential hub genes, APOBwas the only gene with underdominance expression common to the 2 reciprocal crossbred lines, and has been linked to oxidative stress. LncRNAs with nonadditive expression in the crossbred hens targeted natriuretic peptide receptor 1, epidermal differentiation protein beta, spermatogenesis-associated gene 22, sperm-associated antigen 16, melanocortin 2 receptor, dolichol kinase, glycine amiinotransferase, and prolactin releasing hormone receptor. In conclusion, genes with nonadditive expression in the crossbred may play crucial roles in follicle growth and atresia by improving follicle competence and increasing oxidative stress, respectively. These 2 phenomena could underpin heterosis for egg production in crossbred laying hens.

A series of novel ruthenium(II) and iridium(III) complexes (Ru1–Ru3and Ir1–Ir3) with different ancillary ligands and a PARP-1-inhibitory chelating ligand 2-(2,3-dibromo-4,5-dimethoxybenzylidene)hydrazine-1-carbothioamide (L1) were designed and prepared. The target complexes were structurally characterized by NMR and ESI–MS techniques. Among them, the crystal and molecular structures of Ir1and Ir2were also determined by X-ray crystallography. These complexes retained the PARP-1 enzyme inhibitory effect of L1and showed potent antiproliferative activity on the tested cancer cell lines. The ruthenium(II) complexes Ru1–Ru3were found to be more cytotoxic than the iridium(III) complexes Ir1–Ir3. Further investigations revealed that the most active complex Ru3induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells by multiple modes, inclusive of inducing DNA damage, suppressing DNA damage repair, disturbing cell cycle distribution, decreasing the mitochondrial membrane potential, and increasing the intracellular reactive oxygen species levels.

The oxygen adsorption ability of the photocatalyst is essential for photocatalytic production of H2O2, whereas the investigation of influence of oxygen adsorption ability on the photocatalytic H2O2production seems to be overlooked in most studies. Herein a facile ammonium persulfate assisted hydrothermal method is developed to synthesize porous and fluffy graphite carbon nitride (CN) with sulfur doping and nitrogen vacancies. The introduction of sulfur doping and nitrogen vacancies in combination of high surface area is found to be beneficial to improve the oxygen adsorption ability, which results in the increased H2O2yield of 293.2μM within 4h compared to the pristine CN (123.2μM). The developed strategy provides new insight for the design of highly efficient photocatalysts in a facile way.