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Chamaerhodos is a small genus with ca 7–8 species with a disjunct distribution in Asia and western North America. Due to limited sampling of species and genes in previous studies, little is known about the phylogenetic relationships among the species. Moreover, chloroplast genomic resources for Chamaerhodos have been limited. Herein, we conducted a comparative analysis of the complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of five Chamaerhodos species. The five cp genomes had a typical quadripartite structure with high conservation of gene content and gene order. These five cp genomes encoded an identical set of 129 genes, including 84 protein‐coding genes, 37 tRNA genes and eight rRNA genes. Comparison of the boundaries between the IRs and single copy regions revealed only very slight boundary differences and the five cp genomes showed only little sequence divergence. Seven regions (trnR‐UCU‐atpA, trnS‐GCU‐trnG‐UCC, TrnG‐GCC‐trnfM‐CAU, trnL‐UAA intron, trnH‐GUG‐psbA, trnF‐GAA‐ndhJ, matK‐5′‐trnK‐UUU) were identified as excellent candidate markers. A total of 117, 108, 116, 117 and 118 perfect SSRs were detected in the cp genomes of Ch. altaica, Ch. canescens, Ch. erecta, Ch. sabulosa and Ch. trifida, respectively. A phylogenetic analysis support the monophyly of Chamaerhodos and place it as part of the Fragariinae clade sister to the clade of Dasiphora, Drymocallis and Potaninia. Within Chamaerhodos, Ch. canescens was inferred sister to a clade containing the other four species. The detailed characterization of the Chamaerhodos chloroplast genomes sets the foundation for further studies on the genus and its close relatives in the economically important Rosaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe traumatic disease of the central nervous system, with a global prevalence of 236-4187 per million people. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in treating patients with SCI as well as the optimal source and transplantation method of MSCs. PubMed, OVID, Cochrane, Web of Science, and China Biomedical Database were searched up until April 01, 2021. The study was conducted for five endpoints: American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) motor and sensory score, ASIA grade improvement, Barthel Index (BI), and adverse reactions. Standard meta-analysis and network meta-analysis were performed using Stata 14.0. Eighteen studies with a total of 949 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. Standard meta-analysis showed that MSCs significantly improved ASIA motor score (P < 0.001), sensory score (P < 0.001), ASIA grade (P < 0.001), and BI (P < 0.001) compared to rehabilitation. In addition, in the network meta-analysis, autologous MSCs significantly improved the ASIA motor [MD = 8.01, 95% CI (4.27, 11.76)], sensory score [MD = 17.98, 95% CI (10.04, 25.91)], and BI [MD = 7.69, 95% CI (2.10, 13.29)] compared to rehabilitation. Similarly, compared to rehabilitation, intrathecal injection (IT) of MSCs significantly improved the ASIA motor [MD = 7.97, 95% CI (4.40, 11.53)] and sensory score [MD = 19.60, 95% CI (9.74, 29.46)]. Compared to rehabilitation, however, only the IL of MSCs was associated with more adverse reactions [OR = 17.82, 95% CI (2.48, 128.22)]. According to the results of SUCRA, both autologous MSCs and IT transplantation approaches most improved the neurological function in SCI patients. Cell transplantation using MSCs is effective in patients with SCI and IT of autologous MSCs may be more beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Multi-angle imaging spectroradiometer (MISR) land-surface (LS) bidirectional reflectance factor (BRF) product (MILS_BRF) has unique semi-simultaneous multi-angle sampling and global coverage. However, unlike on-satellite observations, the spatio-temporal characteristics of MILS_BRF data have rarely been explicitly and comprehensively analysed. Results from 5-yr (2011–2015) of MILS_BRF dataset from a typical region in central Northeast Asia as the study area showed that the monthly area coverage as well as MILS_BRF data quantity varies significantly, from the highest in October (99.05%) through median in June/July (78.09%/75.21%) to lowest in January (18.97%), and a large data-vacant area exists in the study area during four consecutive winter months (December through March). The data-vacant area is mainly composed of crop lands and cropland/natural vegetation mosaic. The amount of data within the principal plane (PP) ±30° (nPP) or cross PP ±30° (nCP), varies intra-annually with significant differences from different view zeniths or forward/backward scattering directions. For example, multiple off-nadir cameras have nPP but no nCP data for up to six months (September through February), with the opposite occurring in June and July. This study provides explicit and comprehensive information about the spatio-temporal characteristics of product coverage and observation geometry of MILS_BRF in the study area. Results provide required user reference information for MILS_BRF to evaluate performance of BRDF models or to compare with other satellite-derived BRF or albedo products. Comparing this final product to on-satellite observations, what was found here reveals a new perspective on product spatial coverage and observation geometry for multi-angle remote sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This retrospective study concerns non-bacterial infections in Asian patients receiving alemtuzumab. The clinical data of 182 patients treated with alemtuzumab alone or alemtuzumab-containing chemotherapy between the years 2003 and 2009 was collected from six Asian countries. Alemtuzumab was used in the setting of frontline ( n =48) or salvage ( n =90) treatment, and as a part of the conditioning regimen for allogeneic stem cell transplant ( n =44). Reactivation of cytomegalovirus (66/182) and varicella zoster virus (25/182), and fungal infection (31/182) including invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, were the most common infectious complications in this retrospective analysis. Thus, we recommend routine prophylaxis with valganciclovir and itraconazole, especially when alemtuzumab is used in the conditioning regimen for allogeneic stem cell transplant. Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) was found in four patients (3%, 4/122) receiving alemtuzumab as conditioning for stem cell transplant or salvage treatment. Three cases of hepatitis B virus reactivation were found in antigen-negative patients, and 16 cases of tuberculosis were observed. Infection is the major complication of alemtuzumab therapy, and these infectious complications are potentially severe and life-threatening. Based on our retrospective analysis, we have constructed a guideline for antimicrobial prophylaxis in Asian patients receiving alemtuzumab therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chan TSY, Hwang Y-Y, Gill H, Au W-Y, Leung AYH, Tse E, Chim C-S, Loong F, Kwong Y-L. Post-transplant lymphoproliferative diseases in Asian solid organ transplant recipients: late onset and favorable response to treatment. Abstract: Nineteen consecutive patients with post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) in an Asian population were reviewed. The histopathologic diagnoses were monomorphic (CD20-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, n = 14); plasmacytic (n = 1); Burkitt-like (n = 1); natural killer cell lymphoma (n = 1); lymphomatoid papulosis (n = 1); and classical Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 1). Early-onset (

The AAPM & GEC-ESTRO Task Group No. 192 Report was published in 2014. Since then, improvements in robotic brachytherapy technology have been realized and a large number of new robotic systems were developed. In addition, progress has been made on translating some of these devices from laboratory to clinical practice. In response to these advances, the AAPM Brachytherapy subcommittee and GEC-ESTRO BRAPHYQS subcommittee convened a joint task group (TG-342) charged with updating the TG-192 report and providing comprehensive guidelines for implementation of these robotic devices in the clinic. The current report (TG-342) mainly focuses on newer robotic systems available or reported since 2013. The TG-342 committee has gathered information from literature and drafted a report. There is minimal or no overlap with TG-192, so far the robotic systems are concerned. However, there are some overlaps in the methodology of clinical applications and recommendations. Several robotics systems described in the TG-192 Report have gone through major modifications, whereas some of them are now discontinued. Several new robotic systems (not reported in TG-192) have successfully been translated to clinical use and the reported clinical outcomes are encouraging. In TG-342, eighteen new robotic systems have been described and their specifications, status and applications have been illustrated. In TG-192 Report, 13 robotic systems were presented. Most of the new systems in TG-342 (18 in total) differ from each other with respect to available features, functionalities and levels of automation. The systems are either US guided or CT guided, only 3 systems are MRI guided. About half of the systems are needle guides with manual needle insertion, the other half accommodates autonomous needle insertion. Reported accuracy of needle tip placement in a phantom ranges from 0.9 to 2.9 mm. Few of them have been developed for other needle-based procedures such as biopsy, RFA, etc. However, these systems are also being considered for brachytherapy with minor modifications. The robotic assistance in clinical applications for LDR (permanent seed/source implantation) remains almost the same, while the applications for HDR procedures with robotic assistance have been elaborated. In addition, the recommendation section has been expanded. International efforts in developing brachytherapy robots have been realized; the vast majority of the new systems are reported from Asia and Europe (17 out of 18). Some of those robotic systems have been used clinically. Due to the wide variability among the available robotic systems, various sections such as safety, commissioning, and recommendations have been written focusing on brachytherapy procedures rather than any specific robotic system. Current available brachytherapy robotic systems greatly vary in design, characteristics, features, and imaging modalities. Therefore, the TG-342 report provides general rather than very strict recommendations and encourages all researchers to develop and document their own calibration procedures specific for their robotic system. The final draft of TG-342 report is ready for review and approval by the parent committees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Oreocnid e was monophyletic, 7 species were monophylotic, whereas the three species were paraphyletic. • Oreocnide diversified ∼6.06 Ma, implying that last important geological event in SE Asia might be 1 Ma older than suggested. • Immigration from the mainland could be an underestimated factor in the assembly of biotic communities in SE Asia. • Pleistocene sea level and climate fluctuations drove adaptive radiation in Oreocnide. Climate change and geological events have long been known to shape biodiversity, implying that these can likewise be viewed from a biological perspective. To study whether plants can shed light on this, and how they responded to climate change there, we examined Oreocnide , a genus widely distributed in SE Asia. Based on broad geographic sampling with genomic data, we employed an integrative approach of phylogenomics, molecular dating, historical biogeography, and ecological analyses. We found that Oreocnide originated in mainland East Asia and began to diversify ∼6.06 Ma, probably in response to a distinct geographic and climatic transition in East Asia at around that time, implying that the last important geological change in mainland SE Asia might be 1 Ma older than previously suggested. Around six immigration events to the islands of Malesia followed, indicating that immigration from the mainland could be an underestimated factor in the assembly of biotic communities in the region. Two detected increases of diversification rate occurred 3.13 and 1.19 Ma, which strongly implicated climatic rather than geological changes as likely drivers of diversification, with candidates being the Pliocene intensification of the East Asian monsoons, and Pleistocene climate and sea level fluctuations. Distribution modelling indicated that Pleistocene sea level and climate fluctuations were inferred to enable inter-island dispersal followed by allopatric separation, underpinning radiation in the genus. Overall, our study, based on multiple lines of evidence, linked plant diversification to the most recent climatic and geological events in SE Asia. We highlight the importance of immigration in the assembly and diversification of the SE Asian flora, and underscore the utility of plant clades, as independent lines of evidence, for reconstructing recent climatic and geological events in the SE Asian region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is an important center of origin and diversification for many northern temperate plants. The hypothesis "out-of-QTP" suggests that the majority of northern temperate plants have originated and dispersed from the QTP and adjacent regions. An interesting question is whether the biogeographic history of the platycodonoids (Campanulaceae), a group mainly distributed in the QTP and adjacent regions, coincides with the hypothesis "out-of-QTP"? Furthermore, how have the diagnostic characters of the platycodonoids evolved? In the present study, all 10 genera of the platycodonoids were sampled for molecular phylogeny and dating analyses, and ancestral states of distribution and characters were reconstructed. The results do not support the platycodonoids as an "out-of-QTP" group, but instead they might have descended from Tethyan ancestors. The dispersal and diversification of the platycodonoids in Asia might have been driven by the uplift of the QTP. The present study highlights the importance of the Tethyan Tertiary flora for the origin of the Sino-Himalayan flora and the influence of the uplift of QTP on diversification of northern temperate plants. In addition, character state reconstruction reveals that the inferior ovary, capsule, long-colpate pollen, and chromosome number 2n = 14 are probably ancestral states., (© 2014 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.)