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Schistosomiasis is an immunopathogenic disease characterized by egg granuloma and fibrosis. The hepatic fibrosis of schistosomiasis is caused by the coordinated action of local immune cells, liver-resident cells and related cytokines around the eggs of the liver. B-cell-activating factor (BAFF), expressed in many cells, is an essential factor for promoting the survival, differentiation, and maturation of cells. The overexpression of BAFF is closely related to many autoimmune diseases and fibrosis, but has not been reported to play a role in liver fibrosis caused by schistosomiasis. In the study, we found that, during Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) infection in mice, the level of BAFF and its receptor BAFF-R progressively increased, then decreased with the extension of infection time, which was consistent with the progression of hepatic granuloma and fibrosis. Anti-BAFF treatment attenuated the histopathological damage in the liver of infected mice. The average areas of individual granulomas and liver fibrosis in anti-BAFF treatment mice were significantly lower than those in control mice, respectively. Anti-BAFF treatment increased the IL-10, decreased IL-4, IL-6, IL-17A, TGF-β, and downregulated the antibody level against S. japonicum antigens. These results suggested that BAFF acts a strong player in the immunopathology of schistosomiasis. Anti-BAFF treatment may influence Th2 and Th17 responses, and reduce the inflammatory reaction and fibrosis of schistosomiasis liver egg granuloma. It is suggested that BAFF might be a prospective target for the development of new methods to treat schistosomiasis liver fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the routine use of electrical impedance tomography (EIT) to diagnose pneumothorax (PTX) in mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted including mechanically ventilated supine patients who received EIT examinations. The EIT-based tidal variation was divided into ventral and dorsal regions of interest (ROIs): upper right (UR, ROI1), upper left (UL, ROI2) lower right (LR, ROI3), and lower left (LL, ROI4), and the ventilation defect score (DS) was calculated in each quadrant. Furthermore, horizontal ventral ventilation index (HVVI) was defined as ROI1% / ROI2% in the two ventral quadrants if ROI1% > ROI2%, otherwise HVVI = ROI2% / ROI1%. Results: A total of 203 patients were included, 25 of them with confirmed PTX. In the PTX patients, preceding cardiac surgery was the most common cause of PTX. Compared with the patients without PTX, the PTX patients had a higher DS in the ventral quadrants [median and interquartile range (IQR): 1.00 (0.00, 2.00) vs. 0.00 (0.00, 0.00), P < 0.001] respectively, but similar in the dorsal quadrants [median and IQR: 1.00 (0.00, 1.00) vs. 0.00 (0.00, 1.00), P = 0.722]. Moreover, a higher HVVI was found in the PTX group [median and IQR: 2.51 (1.58, 3.52) vs. 1.36 (1.15, 1.77), P < 0.001]. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the HVVI to differentiate PTX from non-PTX was 0.88, with a sensitivity of 70% and a specificity of 90% when the cut-off value was 2.57. Conclusion: The ventilation defect in the ventral regions and a high HVVI on EIT were observed in mechanically ventilated patients with PTX, which should trigger further diagnostics to confirm it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposures during pregnancy could lead to adverse birth outcomes, including neurobehavioral development defects. However, limited studies explored the effects and potential epigenetic mechanisms of maternal PM2.5 exposure on offspring spatial memory defects. This study aims to explore the effects and underlying epigenetic mechanisms of maternal concentrated ambient PM2.5 exposure in male mice offspring with spatial memory defects. Pregnant female C57BL/6 mice were exposed daily to concentrated ambient PM2.5 (CAP) or filtered air (FA) throughout gestation, with the concentration of particulates (102.99 ± 78.74 μg/m3) and (2.78 ± 1.19 μg/m3), respectively. Adult male mice offspring were subsequently assessed for spatial learning and memory ability using Morris Water Maze tests and locomotor activities in open field tests. The hippocampus of the male mice offspring was harvested to test mRNA expression and DNA methylation. Results from the probe test of Morris Water Maze showed that the mice offspring in the CAP group had shorter swimming distance travelled in the target quadrant, shorter duration in the target quadrant, and less number of entries into the target quadrant (p < 0.05), suggesting spatial memory impairments. The acquisition trials of Morris Water Maze did not show a significant difference in learning ability between the groups. The mRNA level of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in the CAP group hippocampus (10.80 ± 7.03) increased significantly compared to the FA group (1.08 ± 0.43). Interestingly, the methylation levels of the CpG sites in the IL-6 promoter region declined significantly in the CAP group, (5.66 ± 0.83)% vs. (4.79 ± 0.48)%. Prenatal exposure to concentrated ambient PM2.5 induced long-lasting spatial memory defects in male mice offspring. The underlying biological mechanism might be mediated by an inflammatory reaction which is regulated by DNA methylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and heavy metal resistance genes (MRGs) in extracellular and intracellular DNA (eDNA and iDNA) has received considerable attention in recent years owing to the potential threat to human health and the ecosystem. As a result, we investigated six ARGs, three MRGs, and two mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in the municipal wastewater treatment plant (MWWTP) and its adjacent environments. Results revealed that the absolute abundances of eARGs and eMRGs were lower than iARGs and iMRGs in MWWTP. By contrast, eARGs and eMRGs were higher in river sediments. Among ARGs, aminoglycoside resistance genes (aadA) was the most abundant gene (3.13 × 102 to 2.31 × 106 copies/mL in iDNA; 1.27 × 103 to 7.23 × 105 copies/mL in eDNA) in MWWTP, while zntA gene (9.4 × 102 to 3.97 × 106 copies/mL in iDNA; 3.2 × 103 to 6 × 105 copies/mL in eDNA) was amongst the MRGs. Notably, intI1 was enriched and positively correlated with iDNA (tetA, sul1, blaCTX-M, ermB, and merA) and eDNA (blaCTX-M, ermB, and merA), demonstrating its function in the proliferation of resistance genes. This widespread distribution of ARGs, MRGs, and MGEs in MWWTP and its adjacent river sediments will help clarify the transmission routes within these environments and provide a theoretical basis for better monitoring and mitigation of such dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: We compared analgesic outcomes between single-orifice and multiorifice wire-reinforced catheters under 480 mL/hour delivery rate with programmed intermittent epidural bolus administration.Methods: Between August and November 2021, 182 nulliparous and healthy women with singleton pregnancy, 2-5 cm cervical dilation, and requesting neuraxial analgesia were randomized to receive either single-orifice or multiorifice catheters. Epidural analgesia was initiated and maintained with 0.1% ropivacaine and 0.3 µg/mL sufentanil. Programmed intermittent epidural bolus volume of 10 mL was administered every 45 min at 480 mL/hour beginning immediately after the test dose. Primary outcome was the percentage of parturients in the two groups with adequate analgesia 20 min after the initial bolus.Results: Compared with multiorifice catheters, single-orifice catheters were associated with a higher proportion of parturients with adequate analgesia (71.8% vs 56.0%, respectively; 95% CI 1.3% to 29%, p=0.03) and more frequent S2 sensory blockade (37.6% vs 22.6%, respectively; 95% CI -30% to 1%, p=0.03) 20 min after block initiation. Median time (IQR) to adequate analgesia was 12 (8-30) min and 20 (10-47) min with single-orifice and multiorifice catheters, respectively (95% CI 0.1 to 0.7 min, p<0.01). The median (IQR) ropivacaine consumption per hour was higher in parturients receiving multiorifice catheters than those with single-orifice catheters (15.3 (13.3-17.0) mg/hour vs 13.3 (13.3-15.4) mg/hour, respectively; 95% CI 0.2 to 0.8 mg/hour, p<0.001).Conclusion: Single-orifice catheters used for programmed intermittent epidural bolus at 480 mL/hour for epidural labor analgesia had improved analgesic efficacy than multiorifice catheters.Trial Registration Number: ChiCTR2100049872. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed 2D/3D perovskite solar cells (PSCs) show promising performances in efficiency and long‐term stability. The functional groups terminated on a large organic molecule used to construct 2D capping layer play a key role in the chemical interaction mechanism and thus influence the device performance. In this study, 4‐(trifluoromethyl) benzamidine hydrochloride (TFPhFACl) is adopted to construct 2D capping layer atop 3D perovskite. It is found that there are two mechanisms synergistically contributing to the increase of efficiency: 1) The TFPhFA+ cations form a dipole layer promoting the interfacial charge transport. 2) The suppressed nonradiative recombination of perovskite through the coordination of TFPhFA+ cations with Pb–I octahedron, as well as the recrystallization of 3D perovskite induced by Cl‐ ions. As a result, the PSC delivers an efficiency of 24.0% with improved open‐circuit voltage (VOC) of 1.16 V, short‐circuit current density (JSC) of 25.42 mA cm‐2, and fill factor of 81.26%. The device shows no decrease in efficiency after 1500 h stored in the air indicating the good stability. The utilization of TFPhFACl not only provides a facile way to optimize the interfacial problems, but also gives a new perspective for rational design of large spacer molecule for constructing efficient 2D/3D PSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The β-ketoacyl CoA synthase encoded by the KCS genes is a rate-limiting enzyme for the synthesis of very-long-chain fatty acid (VLCFA), which catalyzes the VLCFA elongation. Yellow horn (Xanthoceras sorbifolium) is a horticultural tree species known for its kernel oil, which has strong resistance to drought, cold, high temperature, and saline-alkali. The conserved domain FAE1-CUT1-RPPA and ACP-syn-III_C of the KCS gene family were used to search the KCS sequences across the whole genomic sequence of yellow horn; a total of 20 XsKCS genes were identified and divided into four subfamilies. The conserved motif and transmembrane structure analysis revealed that most XsKCSs had a conserved transmembrane domain except XsKCS10 and XsKCS20. The prediction of cis-acting elements of XsKCS genes showed that XsKCS genes contained many stress and hormone response elements, such as ABRE, MBS, and LTR. Furthermore, XsKCS genes exhibited differential expression profiles under abiotic stress and stress-related hormone treatment conditions. Transcriptomic data showed that XsKCS1, XsKCS11, and XsKCS17 had higher expression in yellow horn with high leaf cuticular wax, indicating that they may function in the cuticular wax accumulation and drought response. This study laid a foundation for further functional verification of XsKCS genes in yellow horn stress response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK/MPK) cascades play crucial parts in plant growth, development processes, immune ability, and stress responses; however, the regulatory mechanism by which MAPK affects fruit ripening remains largely unexplored. Here, we reported that MaMPK14 cooperated with MaMYB4 to mediate postharvest banana fruit ripening. Transient overexpression of individual MaMPK14 and MaMYB4 in banana fruit delayed fruit ripening, confirming the negative roles in the ripening. The ripening negative regulator MaMYB4 could repress the transcription of genes associated with ethylene biosynthesis and fruit softening, such as MaACS1, MaXTH5, MaPG3, and MaEXPA15. Furthermore, MaMPK14 phosphorylated MaMYB4 at Ser160 via a direct interaction. Mutation at Ser160 of MaMYB4 reduced its interaction with MaMPK14 but did not affect its subcellular localization. Importantly, phosphorylation of MaMYB4 by MaMPK14 enhanced the MaMYB4-mediated transcriptional inhibition, binding strength, protein stability, and the repression of fruit ripening. Taken together, our results delineated the regulation pathway of MAPK module during banana fruit ripening, which involved the phosphorylation modification of MaMYB4 mediated by MaMPK14. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]