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Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the leading malignant diseases worldwide, especially in Asia. CAST is a potential oncogene in GC carcinogenesis. The character of macrophage infiltration in the GC microenvironment also remains unaddressed. Methods: We first applied machine searching to evaluate gene candidates for GC. CAST expression and pan-cancer surveyance were analyzed using the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2 (GEPIA2) database. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was downloaded from STRING. We investigated the impact of CAST on clinical prognosis using a Kaplan–Meier plotter. The correlations between CAST and Lgr5 and macrophage infiltration in GC were determined using TIMER 2.0. Finally, GeneMANIA was also used to evaluate the possible functional linkages between genes. Results: After the machine-assisted search, CAST expression was found to significantly influence the overall survival of GC patients. STRING revealed CAST-related proteomic and transcriptomic associations, mainly concerning the CAPN family. Moreover, CAST significantly impacts the prognosis of GC based on the validation of other datasets. Notably, high CAST expression was correlated with worse overall survival in GC patients (hazard ratio = 1.59; log-rank P = 9.4 × 10−8). CAST and Lgr5 expression were both positively correlated with WNT 2 and WNT 2B. Among the GC patients in several datasets, CAST and macrophage infiltration, evaluated together, showed no obvious association with poor clinical overall survival. Conclusions: CAST plays an important role in the clinical prognosis of GC and is associated with WNT 2/WNT 2B/Lgr5. Our study demonstrates that CAST's influence on overall survival in GC is regulated by macrophage infiltration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monochoria C. Presl is a genus of Pontederiaceae and confined to the Old World, with species mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia, and Australia. However, phylogenetic relationships and biogeography within Monochoria are yet to be fully resolved. Here, we sequenced 14 Monochoria plastomes, representing around eight of the ~10 species of Monochoria, and two plastomes from related genera. We undertook comparative analyses and phylogenetic reconstructions of Monochoria using these and other available sequences. We found the plastomes of Pontederiaceae to be highly conserved in structure, and identified six regions as mutational hotspots among species of Monochoria. Our data strongly support the monophyly of Monochoria and two main clades within the genus. We confirm that Monochoria australasica Ridl. is sister to the rest of the genus and that Monochoria korsakowii (Regel & Maack) defines the second split within Monochoria. In addition, we inferred the African endemic species Monochoria africana (Solms) N. E. Br. to be closely related to Monochoria plantaginea (Roxb.) Kunth and an undetermined specimen from Australia (Monochoria sp. AU63). Estimation of divergence times and biogeography implied that the African species M. africana originated in Asia, and the most recent common ancestor of Monochoria was distributed in Australasia/Asia at approximately 15 Ma, followed by diversification in Asia during the late Miocene and Pliocene. Long‐distance dispersal, likely mediated by migratory birds, to Africa and Australia during the Pliocene and Pleistocene, might have contributed to the extant transoceanic distribution of the genus. Additionally, based on our phylogenetic results, we revised the description of Monochoria valida G. X. Wang & Nagam here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tinnitus and hearing impairment are prevalent among headache patients. This study aims to investigate the risk of tinnitus, sensorineural hearing impairment, and sudden deafness in patients with non-migraine headache. Participants included 43 294 patients with non-migraine headache (non-migraine headache cohort) and 173 176 patients with no headache of any type (control cohort) frequency-matched with respect to 10-year age interval and sex from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005 of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. The mean age of the non-migraine headache cohort was 28.4 ± 14.9 years, and 58.5% of this cohort was male. The incidence rates of tinnitus, sensorineural hearing impairment, and sudden deafness were compared between cohorts using the Kaplan–Meier method with the log-rank test. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to examine the association of tinnitus, sensorineural hearing impairment, and sudden deafness with non-migraine headache, with adjustment for all covariates. The combined risk of either tinnitus, sensorineural hearing impairment, or sudden deafness was higher in the non-migraine headache cohort than in the control cohort (adjusted odds ratio [aHR], 2.73; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 2.62–2.84; p < 0.0001). Subgroup analysis showed that patients in the non-migraine headache cohort were at significantly higher risk of developing tinnitus (aHR, 3.05; 95% CI, 2.91–3.19; p < 0.0001), sensorineural hearing impairment (aHR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.74–2.05; p < 0.0001), and sudden deafness (aHR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.77–2.59; p < 0.0001) than were controls. In this population-based study, the risks of tinnitus, sensorineural hearing impairment, and sudden deafness were found to be significantly higher in patients with non-migraine headache than in those without headache. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The daily precipitation data of 740 stations in China (1958-2001) and the daily upper air data of European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts reanalysis dataset (1958-2001) are used to define an East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) index based on dynamic and thermal factors. The index is used to represent the front (or leading edge) of EASM to describe and characterize the advance and retreat of EASM objectively. During 1958-2001, the EASM movement underwent three interdecadal abrupt shifts in 1965, 1980 and 1994, respectively. During 1958-1964, the front primarily concentrated in South China and North China, while it stayed at the mid- and lower-Yangtze River for a short period. During 1965-1979, the front was located in South China and the lower reach of Yellow River for a long time. During 1980-1993, the time in which the front of EASM stayed at the mid- and lower-Yangtze River was much longer, but it settled in North China for just a short time. During 1994-2001, the front generally concentrated in the south of the mid- and lower-Yangtze River. The three interdecadal shifts of EASM directly resulted in rainfall anomalies, as well as frequent disasters of flood and drought in East China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High-throughput sequencing was applied to Rhacophoridae for the first time. • The uniquely robust time-calibrated phylogeny for Rhacophoridae is obtained. • A more detailed spatiotemporal process of Rhacophoridae is provided. • All transitions of reproductive modes evolved in an ordered, gradual sequence. • The reproductive mode is linked to diversification rates for Rhacophoridae. Rhacophoridae are one of the most speciose and ecologically diverse families of amphibians. Resolution of their evolutionary relationships is key to understanding the accumulation of biodiversity, yet previous hypotheses based on Sanger sequencing exhibit much discordance amongst generic relationships. This conflict precludes the making of sound macroevolutionary conclusions. Herein, we conduct the first phylogenomic study using broad-scale sampling and sequences of 352 nuclear DNA loci obtained using anchored hybrid enrichment targeted sequencing. The robust time-calibrated phylogenetic hypothesis clarifies several long-disputed relationships and facilitates the testing of evolutionary hypotheses on spatiotemporal diversification and reproductive modes. The major extant lineages of Rhacophoridae appear to have radiated in mainland Asia, and the spatiotemporal process corresponds with several common accumulations of biodiversity in Asia. Analyses do not detect any case of "Out of Himalaya" in Rhacophoridae. All transitions of reproductive modes appear to have evolved in an ordered, gradual sequence associated with gaining independence of standing water for larval development. The different reproductive modes are phylogenetically conserved and the completion of their transitions appear to have occurred over a period of ~30 Ma, which does not fit a pattern of a rapid burst of diversification. Innovations in reproductive modes associate statistically with the uneven distribution of species-richness between clades, where higher diversification is linked to increased terrestrial modes of reproduction. These results strengthen the hypothesis that breeding innovations drive diversification by providing new opportunities for ecological release and dispersion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Numerous studies have reported associations between particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters of ≤2.5 μm (PM 2.5 ) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) hospitalizations and mortality in cities worldwide. Nonetheless, the evidence of an association remains varied and limited., Methods: Systematic searches were conducted in 6 common English and Chinese electronic databases (i.e., PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Ovid, Google Scholar, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure [CNKI]). A meta-analysis was performed to estimate the odds ratio (OR) to evaluate the relationship between PM 2.5 and COPD hospitalizations and mortality. Publication bias and heterogeneity of samples were tested using a funnel plot and the Egger's test. Studies were analyzed using either a random-effect model or a fixed-effect model., Results: The search yielded 18 studies suitable for meta-analysis during the period from Jan 1, 2010 to Dec 31, 2018. A 10-μg/m³ increase in PM 2.5 was associated with a 2.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.8-3.2%) increase in COPD hospitalizations, with an OR of 1.025 (95% CI: 1.018-1.032), and a 1.5% (95% CI: 0.9-2.2%) increase in COPD mortality, with an OR of 1.015 (95% CI: 1.009-1.022). Comparing different age groups, elderly people were more sensitive to the adverse effects. The estimated risk was higher in European countries than Asian countries, and in warm compared cold seasons. Various additional confounding factors also led to different results., Conclusions: PM 2.5 is associated with COPD hospitalizations and mortality. Controlling ambient air pollution would provide benefits to COPD patients., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)