Search

Marine pearls from Pinctada fucata martensii are valuable for decoration, skin care, and health care, but their quality and yield can be threatened by diseases, pearl nuclei transplantation rejection, and other external factors. The present study investigated the immune function of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) gene in P. f. martensii to better understand immune responses related to nuclei rejection. The PmTNFR16 cDNA sequence obtained from cloning was 1675 bp in length and encoded 406 amino acid residues. Sequence analysis revealed that PmTNFR16 comprises one signal peptide domain, four TNFR domains, one transmembrane domain, and one death domain. Expression analysis revealed PmTNFR16 was highly expressed in the mantle and significantly up-regulated after exogenous stimuli. The effects of PmTNFR16 on immune effector molecules within the NF-κB signaling pathway were further explored using RNA interference probes for PmTNFR16. Pre-treatment of pearl oysters with dsRNA-PmTNFR before nucleus-insertion resulted in decreased expression of PmTNFR16 by 53 % at 24 h (p

The central nervous system, information integration center of the body, is mainly composed of neurons and glial cells. The neuron is one of the most basic and important structural and functional units of the central nervous system, with sensory stimulation and excitation conduction functions. Astrocytes and microglia belong to the glial cell family, which is the main source of cytokines and represents the main defense system of the central nervous system. Nerve cells undergo neurotransmission or gliotransmission, which regulates neuronal activity via the ion channels, receptors, or transporters expressed on nerve cell membranes. Ion channels, composed of large transmembrane proteins, play crucial roles in maintaining nerve cell homeostasis. These channels are also important for control of the membrane potential and in the secretion of neurotransmitters. A variety of cellular functions and life activities, including functional regulation of the central nervous system, the generation and conduction of nerve excitation, the occurrence of receptor potential, heart pulsation, smooth muscle peristalsis, skeletal muscle contraction, and hormone secretion, are closely related to ion channels associated with passive transmembrane transport. Two types of ion channels in the central nervous system, potassium channels and calcium channels, are closely related to various neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and epilepsy. Accordingly, various drugs that can affect these ion channels have been explored deeply to provide new directions for the treatment of these neurological disorders. In this review, we focus on the functions of potassium and calcium ion channels in different nerve cells and their involvement in neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, epilepsy, autism, and rare disorders. We also describe several clinical drugs that target potassium or calcium channels in nerve cells and could be used to treat these disorders. We concluded that there are few clinical drugs that can improve the pathology these diseases by acting on potassium or calcium ions. Although a few novel ion-channel-specific modulators have been discovered, meaningful therapies have largely not yet been realized. The lack of target-specific drugs, their requirement to cross the blood–brain barrier, and their exact underlying mechanisms all need further attention. This review aims to explain the urgent problems that need research progress and provide comprehensive information aiming to arouse the research community’s interest in the development of ion channel-targeting drugs and the identification of new therapeutic targets for that can increase the cure rate of nervous system diseases and reduce the occurrence of adverse reactions in other systems.

Many efforts have been made to understand excitotoxicity and develop neuroprotectants for the therapy of ischemic stroke. The narrow treatment time window is still to be solved. Given that the ischemic core expanded over days, treatment with an extended time window is anticipated. Bestrophin 1 (BEST1) belongs to a bestrophin family of calcium-activated chloride channels. We revealed an increase in neuronal BEST1 expression and function within the peri-infarct from 8 to 48 h after ischemic stroke in mice. Interfering the protein expression or inhibiting the channel function of BEST1 by genetic manipulation displayed neuroprotective effects and improved motor functional deficits. Using electrophysiological recordings, we demonstrated that extrasynaptic glutamate release through BEST1 channel resulted in delayed excitotoxicity. Finally, we confirmed the therapeutic efficacy of pharmacological inhibition of BEST1 during 6–72 h post-ischemia in rodents. This delayed treatment prevented the expansion of infarct volume and the exacerbation of neurological functions. Our study identifies the glutamate-releasing BEST1 channel as a potential therapeutic target against ischemic stroke with a wide time window.

This study proposes an empirical ensemble equating (3E) approach that collectively selects, adopts, weighs, and combines outputs from different sources to take and combine advantage of equating techniques in various score intervals. The ensemble idea was demonstrated and tailored to the Non-Equivalent groups with Anchor Test (NEAT) equating. A simulation study based on several published settings was conducted. Three outcome measures – average bias, its absolute value, and root mean square difference – were used to evaluate the selected methods’ performance. The 3E approach outperformed other counterparts in most given conditions, while the cautions, such as tuning weights and assuming possible scenarios for using the proposed approach were also addressed.

C-type lectins are involved in nonself-recognition and pathogen clearance, and play an important role in innate immunity. Pinctada fucata martensii, which is an important shellfish in the pearl industry, is being attacked by pathogenic microorganisms; therefore, it is urgent to study its innate immune function. In the present study, a C-type lectin (designated as Pmlectin) containing two carbohydrate-recognition domains was identified in P. f. martensii. The open reading frame of Pmlectin encodes 293 amino acids and Pmlectin expression was detected in various tissues, with the highest expression being in the gill. Pathogen-associated molecular patterns, as stimulated by lipopolysaccharides, peptidoglycan and polyinosinic acid, could induce the expression of Pmlectin. Meanwhile, a recombinant protein of Pmlectin (rPmlectin) was used for antibacterial function analysis, and the rPmlectin was shown to be bacteriostatic against Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Overall, the results of this study provide evidence for understanding the diversity of C-type lectins in P. f. martensii. In particular, Pmlectin was shown to be involved in the innate immune response P. f. martensii.

The Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis, YFP) possesses the ability to detect distance through echolocation signals, and its sonar signal signature is adjusted to detect different targets. In order to understand the vocal characteristics of YFPs in different behavioral states and their differential performance, we recorded the vocal activities of YFPs in captivity during free-swimming, feeding, and nighttime resting and quantified their signal characteristic parameters for statistical analysis and comparison. The results showed that the number of vocalizations of the YFPs in the daytime free-swimming state was lower than that in the feeding and nighttime resting states, and the echolocation signals emitted in these three states showed significant differences in the −10 dB duration, −3 dB bandwidth, −10 dB bandwidth, and root-mean-square (RMS) bandwidth. Analysis of the resolution of the echolocation signals of the YFPs using the ambiguity function indicated that their distance resolution could reach the millimeter level. These results indicate that the echolocation signal characteristics of YFPs present diurnal differences and that they can be adjusted with changes in their detection targets. The results of this study can provide certain scientific references and foundations for the studies of tooth whale behavioral acoustics, and provide relevant scientific guidance for the conservation and management of YFPs.

Abstract We investigated the associations of plasma cystatin C with all-cause and cause-specific mortality risk and identified potential modifying factors affecting these associations in middle-aged and elderly people (≥ 50 years). This community-based prospective cohort study included 13,913 individuals aged ≥ 50 years from the Health and Retirement Study. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the associations between cystatin C concentrations and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular and cancer mortality after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, self-reported medical history, and other potential confounding factors. During a total of 71,988 person-years of follow-up (median: 5.8 years; interquartile range 3.3–7.6 years), 1893 all-cause deaths were documented, including 714 cardiovascular-related and 406 cancer-related deaths. The comparisons of the groups with the highest (quartile 4) and lowest (quartile 1) cystatin C concentrations revealed that the adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were 1.92 (1.62–2.28) for all-cause mortality, 1.98 (1.48–2.65) for cardiovascular mortality, and 1.62 (1.13–2.32) for cancer mortality. The associations of cystatin C concentrations with all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality did not differ substantially when participants were stratified by sex, age, BMI, current smoking status, current alcohol consumption, and regular exercise (all P for interactions > 0.05). Our study indicates that an elevated plasma cystatin C concentration is associated with an increased risk of all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality both men and women among the middle-aged and elderly individuals.

Drought is one of the main abiotic stress factors affecting yield of Paeonia ostii. In this study, we conducted bioinformatics and differential expression analyses of P. ostii ‘Feng Dan’ ptc-miR396g-5p in leaf samples under different drought stress. ptc-miR396g-5p belongs to the miR396 family. Among the 271 plant species registered in the miRBase database, at least one miR396 member was found in 48 Angiospermae species, 3 in Gymnospermae species, and 1 in Pteridophy. Mature sequence alignment showed that P. ostii ‘Feng Dan’ ptc-miR396g-5p had high sequence similarity with miR396 from other species. Secondary structure prediction showed that the precursor sequence of ‘Feng Dan’ ptc-miR396g-5p could form a stable stem-loop structure, and the mature sequence was located on the 5′ arm of the secondary structure. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that ‘Feng Dan’ was closely related to 20 species such as Glycine max, Medicago truncatula, Populus trichocarpa, Citrus sinensis, Vitis vinifera, and Theobroma cacao. The predicted target gene of the ‘Feng Dan’ ptc-miR396g-5p encodes a Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) transcription factor. The negative correlation of expression between the miRNA and its target gene was confirmed by qRT-PCR. Our data indicate that ‘Feng Dan’ ptc-miR396g-5p′s expression decreases under drought, leading to an expression increase of the STAT transcription factor.

Objectives Patient-centred care has been raised as an important component in providing high-quality healthcare services. This research aims to measure physicians’ attitudes towards patient-centred care in Chinese healthcare settings and to identify the sociodemographic predictors of their attitudes using an exploratory research design.Design A cross-sectional survey.Setting Twelve hospitals in Beijing, China.Participants 1290 physicians from 12 hospitals in Beijing were invited to take part in the survey using snowball sampling methods. There was a response rate of 84% (n=1084), of which 1053 responses (82%) were valid and included in this research.Methods This research used a survey containing a previously validated 6-point Likert scale called ‘Chinese-revised Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale’ (CR-PPOS). Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to measure participants’ attitudes and to identify the sociodemographic predictors of Chinese physicians’ attitudes towards patient-centred care.Results Gender, professional title (ie, seniority) and hospital type influence Chinese physicians’ attitudes towards patient-centred care. Female physicians, physicians with intermediate titles and those who work in tertiary (ie, top-level) hospitals tend to have higher patient-centred attitudes (OR=1.532, 95% CI 1.160 to 2.022; OR=2.089, 95% CI 1.206 to 3.618; OR=2.198, 95% CI 1.465 to 3.297) than male physicians with other titles, and than those who work in first, secondary or private hospitals. Physicians working in non-surgical departments, those who have received training in doctor–patient communication, and those who are satisfied with their income obtained high patient-centred scores, both on the overall CR-PPOS and its two subscales.Conclusions This research identified sociodemographic predictors of Chinese physicians’ attitudes towards patient-centred care. The findings contribute to knowledge of factors to be considered in reforming medical education and the Chinese healthcare system to improve physician–patient relationships and provide high-quality healthcare to patients. However, these findings are exploratory in nature and require further investigation to establish their validity and generalisability.

Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factors (TRAFs) have been studied in a few mollusks and participate in various biological processes, like apoptosis, immune response, stress, and inflammatory response. However, TRAFs’ function and mechanism of pearl oysters (Pinctada fucata martensii) are still unclear. In this study, the novel PmTRAF2 and PmTRAF4 from P. f. martensii were cloned by rapid amplification of complementary DNA ends and their mRNA expression were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). The interacting protein of PmTRAF2 was verified by the yeast two-hybrid assay. The result shows that full-length of PmTRAF2 and PmTRAF4 cDNA were 2055 bp and 2365 bp, respectively. The deduced PmTRAF2 and PmTRAF4 proteins contain TRAF-type zinc finger domain and MATH domain, while PmTRAF4 lacks a RING finger domain. Multiple sequence alignment revealed that PmTRAF2 and PmTRAF4 had high homology with the ortholog of other species. Phylogenic analysis indicated that PmTRAF4 clustered with the homolog protein of Mytilus edulis and Mytilus galloprovincialis, and PmTRAF2 has the closest genetic relationship to Crassostrea gigas TRAF2. The qPCR analysis revealed that PmTRAF2 and PmTRAF4 were expressed in all six tissues, and both of them were significantly expressed in hepatopancreas and gill (p < 0.01). Under lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation, polyinosinic acid (PolyI:C) stimulation, and nucleus insertion surgery, the transcripts of PmTRAF2, PmTRAF3, PmTRAF4 and PmTRAF6 in hepatopancreas were markedly changed at corresponding time points. These results have indicated that these genes may play a role in P. f. martensii innate immunity. Yeast two-hybrid assays show that PmTRAF2 interacts with PmTRAF6 but not PmTRAF3, potentially affecting downstream immune signaling pathways. Our findings provide new perspectives for further investigation of TRAFs’ immune mechanisms in bivalves.

IntroductionFlight and echolocation are two crucial behaviors associated with niche expansion in bats. Previous researches have attempted to explain the interspecific divergence in flight morphology and echolocation vocalizations in some bat groups from the perspective of foraging ecology. However, the relationship between wing morphology and echolocation vocalizations of bats remains obscure, especially in a phylogenetic context.ObjectivesHere, we aimed to assess the correlated evolution of wing morphology and echolocation calls in bats within a phylogenetic comparative framework.MethodsWe integrated the information on search-phrase echolocation call duration, peak frequency, relative wing loading, aspect ratio, and foraging guilds for 152 bat species belonging to 15 families. We quantified the association among wing morphology, echolocation call parameters, and foraging guilds using phylogeny-based comparative analyses.ResultsOur analyses revealed that wing morphology and echolocation call parameters depended on families and exhibited a marked phylogenetic signal. Peak frequency of the call was negatively correlated with relative wing loading and aspect ratio. Call duration was positively correlated with relative wing loading and aspect ratio among open-space aerial foragers, edge-space aerial foragers, edge-space trawling foragers, and narrow-space gleaning foragers. Wing morphology, call duration, and peak frequency were predicted by foraging guilds.ConclusionThese results demonstrate that adaptive response to foraging ecology has shaped the correlated evolution between flight morphology and echolocation calls in bats. Our findings expand the current knowledge regarding the link between morphology and vocalizations within the order Chiroptera.

Golden camellia flowers are treasured for their unique yellow color and bioactive chemical compounds. Because of its high market demand, there is strong interest in inducing early flowering in golden camellias for earlier harvest. Previously, we have successfully induced flowering in Camelia chrysantha (Hu) Tuyama juvenile grafted plants and seedlings with paclobutrazol (PBZ). During this study, we investigated the efficacy of PBZ on C. tamdaoensis juvenile rooted cuttings. C. tamdaoensis is a yellow-flowering camellia species that is native to Vietnam and valued by the local population. It was found that applications of 100 and 200 ppm PBZ generated an average of 13 and 30 flowers per 5-year-old plant, respectively. None of the control plants flowered. The average flower diameter was 17.2 cm for 100-ppm-induced flowers and 26.0 cm for 200-ppm-induced flowers. The dynamics of various phytohormones (indoleacetic acid, abscisic acid, salicylic acid, and jasmonic acid) were altered by PBZ treatment. It is suggested that low indoleacetic acid, high abscisic acid, and jasmonic acid and a gradual increase in salicylic acid benefit floral initiation of golden camellias. The study provided the first insight regarding the action mechanism of PBZ for the initiation of camellia flowering.

In the present study, a g-type lysozyme was successfully screened and cloned from Pinctada fucata martensii (designated as PmlysG). The cDNA has a length of 973 bp with an open reading frame (ORF) of 769 bp, encoding a protein of 255 amino acids. The PmlysG transcript was detected in multiple tissues by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), with the highest expression being in the hepatopancreas. Additionally, the temporal expression of PmlysG mRNA in the hepatopancreas after in vivo stimulation with pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), peptidoglycan (PGN) and polyinosinic acid (PolyI:C) was detected by qRT-PCR. Although PmlysG responded to all three stimulation modes, it rapidly responded to PGN stimulation. Meanwhile, the recombinant protein of g-type lysozyme of P.f. martensii (rPmlysG) was used for antibacterial function analysis, and the results showed that rPmlysG has antibacterial function against Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Aeromonas hydrophila, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Overall, these study results suggest that the identified PmlysG participates in the innate immune responses of P.f. martensii against pathogen infection.

Dacrydium pectinatum de Laubenfels is a perennial dioeciously gymnosperm species dominant in tropical montane rain forests. Due to deforestation, natural disasters, long infancy, and poor natural regeneration ability, the population of this species has been significantly reduced and listed as an endangered protected plant. To better understand the female cone development in D. pectinatum, we examined the morphological and anatomical changes, analyzed the endogenous hormone dynamics, and profiled gene expression. The female reproductive structures were first observed in January. The morpho-histological observations suggest that the development of the D. pectinatum megaspore can be largely divided into six stages: early flower bud differentiation, bract primordium differentiation, ovule primordium differentiation, dormancy, ovule maturity, and seed maturity. The levels of gibberellins (GA), auxin (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA), and cytokinin (CTK) fluctuate during the process of female cone development. The female cones of D. pectinatum need to maintain a low level of GA3-IAA-ABA steady state to promote seed germination. The first transcriptome database for female D. pectinatum was generated, revealing 310,621 unigenes. Differential expression analyses revealed several floral (MADS2, AGL62, and LFY) and hormone biosynthesis and signal transduction (CKX, KO, KAO, ABA4, ACO, etc.) genes that could be critical for female cone development. Our study provides new insights into the cone development in D. pectinatum and the foundation for female cone induction with hormones.

Abstract The expansion of anthropogenic noise poses an emerging threat to the survival and reproductive success of various organisms. Previous investigations have focused on the detrimental effects of anthropogenic noise on the foraging behavior in some terrestrial and aquatic animals. Nevertheless, the role of airport noise in impairing foraging activities of most wild animals has been neglected. Here, we aimed to assess whether foraging behavior in free‐living Japanese pipistrelle bats (Pipistrellus abramus) can be disturbed by airport noise. We used audio recording to monitor foraging activities of bats at 11 sites around the runway of a municipal airport. We quantified noise level and spectra, aircraft activity, habitat type, nightly temperature, wind speed, and moon phase for each site. The analysis revealed that noise level and aircraft activity were significant negative predictors for the number of bat passes and feeding buzzes around the runway, even after controlling for the effects of other environmental factors. There was no marked spectral overlap between bat echolocation pulses and airport noise in the presence and absence of low‐flying aircraft. The spectro‐temporal parameters of echolocation vocalizations emitted by bats were dependent on noise level, aircraft activity, and habitat type. These results provide correlative evidence that airport noise can reduce foraging activities of wild pipistrelle bats. Our findings add to the current knowledge of adverse impacts of airport noise on foraging bats in artificial ecosystems and provide a basis for further research on the mechanisms behind noise pollution near airports.

Lithocarpus polystachyus is a unique medicinal tree species that is valued for its abundant flavonoids in leaves. Currently, genes and metabolites involved in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway remain largely unknown. To elucidate the flavonoid biosynthesis pathways, transcriptome and metabolome analyses of young, mature, and old leaves were conducted. A total of 86,927 unigenes were obtained, and 51.4% of them were annotated in eight public databases. The majority of the 44 candidate genes in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway were downregulated as leaves aged. Metabolome profiling revealed a set of 427 metabolites in leaves. Consistent with the transcriptome results, 15 of the 19 metabolites in the flavonoid pathway decreased during the development of leaves. The data indicate that young leaf is the optimal stage for tea harvest. This is the first report of integrated transcriptome and metabolome profiling of L. polystachyus. This study demonstrates the correlation of gene expression and metabolites related to flavonoid biosynthesis and reveals the key genes responsible for flavonoid accumulation in young leaf. The information can be applied to future studies performed to elucidate and manipulate flavonoid biosynthesis in L. polystachyus.

Abstract Background Sepsis is life-threatening disease with systemic inflammation and can lead to various diseases, including septic acute kidney injury (AKI). Recently, diverse circular RNAs (circRNAs) are considered to be involved in the development of this disease. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the role of circ-FANCA and the potential action mechanism in sepsis-induced AKI. Methods HK2 cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to establish septic AKI cell model. The expression of circ-FANCA, microRNA-93-5p (miR-93-5p) and oxidative stress responsive 1 (OXSR1) mRNA was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell viability was assessed using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle distribution were measured by flow cytometry. The inflammatory response was monitored according to the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The activities of oxidative indicators were examined using the corresponding kits. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were applied to validate the interaction between miR-93-5p and circ-FANCA or OXSR1. Protein analysis was conducted through western blot. Results Circ-FANCA was upregulated in septic AKI serum specimens and LPS-treated HK2 cells. Functionally, circ-FANCA knockdown facilitated cell proliferation and restrained apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress in LPS-triggered HK2 cells. Further mechanism analysis revealed that miR-93-5p was a target of circ-FANCA and circ-FANCA modulated LPS-induced cell damage by targeting miR-93-5p. Meanwhile, miR-93-5p overexpression repressed LPS-treated HK2 cell injury by sponging OXSR1. Furthermore, circ-FANCA regulated OXSR1 expression by sponging miR-93-5p. Besides, exosome-derived circ-FANCA was upregulated in LPS-induced HK2 cells, which was downregulated by GW4869. Conclusion Circ-FANCA knockdown attenuated LPS-induced HK2 cell injury by regulating OXSR1 expression via targeting miR-93-5p.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis antimicrobial resistance has been continually reported and is a major public health issue worldwide. Rapid prediction of drug resistance is important for selecting appropriate antibiotic treatments, which significantly increases cure rates. Gene sequencing technology has proven to be a powerful strategy for identifying relevant drug resistance information. This study established a sequencing method and bioinformatics pipeline for resistance gene analysis using an Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencer. The pipeline was validated by Sanger sequencing and exhibited 100% concordance with the identified variants. Turnaround time for the nanopore sequencing workflow was approximately 12 h, facilitating drug resistance prediction several weeks earlier than that of traditional phenotype drug susceptibility testing. This study produced a customized gene panel assay for rapid bacterial identification via nanopore sequencing, which improves the timeliness of tuberculosis diagnoses and provides a reliable method that may have clinical application.

Rubia yunnanensis Diels 1912 (Rubiaceae) is a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine. We here assembled a complete chloroplast (cp) genome for R. yunnanensis using Illumina HiSeq reads. The genome is 155,108 bp in length. The genome contains 113 genes, including 79 protein coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. The large single-copy (LSC) region is 84,848 bp, inverted repeat A (IRa) region is 26,573 bp, small single-copy (SSC) region is 17,114 bp, and inverted repeat B (IRb) region is 26,573 bp. A phylogenomic analysis found that R. yunnanensis is close to R. cordifolia. The assembled cp genome in this study provided a basis for the conservation and phylogenetic studies of R. yunnanensis.

A composite gearbox fault diagnosis method based on multi-resolution singular value decomposition (MRSVD) energy characteristic and fuzzy kernel clustering (KFCM) is proposed for the complex fault signal components of the gearbox and the difficulty in identifying fault characteristic. Firstly, the vibration signal of the gearbox under different working conditions is acquired to obtain a similar signal and five detail signals by performing MRSVD decomposition. Then, the energy characteristic of the six component signals are extracted and normalized to obtain the relative value of the energy. Finally, KFCM is used for fault diagnosis. The experimental results show that the MRSVD energy characteristic extraction method can effectively extract the composite fault characteristic of the gearbox, and KFCM can accurately diagnose the gearbox composite fault.

Background: Studies on the Omicron variant infection have generally been restricted to descriptions of its initial clinical and epidemiological characteristics. We investigated the timeline-related progression and clinical outcome in hospitalized individuals with the Omicron variant. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, single-centered study including 226 laboratory-confirmed cases with the Omicron variant between 6 April and 11 May 2022 in Shanghai, China. The final date of follow-up was 30 May 2022. Results: Among 226 enrolled patients, the median age was 52 years, and 118 (52.2%) were female. The duration from onset of symptoms to hospitalization was 3 days (interquartile range (IQR): 2–4 days) for symptomatic patients. Cough occurred in 168 patients (74.3%). The median interval to negative reverse-transcriptase PCR tests of nasopharynx swab was 10 days ((IQR): 8–13 days). No radiographic progressions were found in 196 patients on the 7th day after onset of symptoms. The median duration of fever in all participants was 5 days (IQR: 4–6 days). The median PCR conversion time of Paxlovid-treated patients was 8 days (IQR: 7–10 days) compared with that of a traditional Chinese herb medicine lianhuaqingwen (10 days, IQR: 8–13 days) (p = 0.00056). Booster vaccination can significantly decrease the severity of Omicron infection when compared with unvaccinated patients (p = 0.009). In multivariate logistic analysis, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (OR = 1.05) was independently related to the severity of the infection. Conclusions: The majority of clinical symptoms of Omicron infection were not severe. Early and aggressive administration of Paxlovid can significantly reduce the PCR conversion time. Booster vaccination should also be highly recommended in the population over 14 years old.

During its operation, a rotor system can be exposed to multiple faults, such as rub-impact, misalignment, cracks and unbalancing. When a crack fault occurs on the rotor shaft, the vibration response signals contain some nonlinear components that are considerably tougher to be extracted through some linear diagnosis methods. By combining the Nonlinear Output Frequency Response Functions weighted contribution rate (WNOFRFs) and Kullback–Leibler (KL) divergence, a novel fault diagnosis method of improved WNOFRFs is proposed. In this method, an index, improved optimal WNOFRFs (IOW), is defined to represent the nonlinearity of the faulty rotor system. This method has been tested through the finite element model of a cracked rotor system and then verified experimentally at the shaft crack detection test bench. The results from the simulation and experiment verified that the proposed method is applicable and effective for cracked rotor systems. The IOW indicator shows high sensitivity to crack faults and can comprehensively represent the nonlinear properties of the system. It can also quantitatively detect the crack fault, and the relationship between the values of IOW and the relative depth of the crack is approximately positively proportional. The proposed method can precisely and quantitatively diagnose crack faults in a rotor system.

Twenty new polymorphic genic SSRs (EST-SSRs) and 13 genomic SSRs were developed in honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos) using Illumina transcriptome and low-coverage genome sequencing. A diversity panel of 40 honeylocust samples covering large parts of the species distribution range was characterized. As expected the level of genetic variation was lower in EST-SSRs than for non-genic genomic SSRs. This is the first report of EST-SSRs for honeylocust. All markers are polymorphic and produce clear single locus amplification products and can be used for genetic diversity and gene flow analyses. The transcriptome sequencing data provide a rich resource for new marker development.

Dacrydium pectinatum de Laubenfels is a perennial gymnosperm species dominant in tropical montane rain forests. Due to severe damages by excessive deforestation, typhoons, and other external forces, the population of the species has been significantly reduced. Furthermore, its natural regeneration is poor. To better understand the male cone development in D. pectinatum, we examined the morphological and anatomical changes, analyzed the endogenous hormone dynamics, and profiled gene expression. The morpho-histological observations suggest that the development of D. pectinatum male cone can be largely divided into four stages: microspore primordium formation (April to May), microspore sac and pollen mother cell formation (July to November), pollen mother cell division (January), and pollen grain formation (February). The levels of gibberellins (GA), auxin (IAA), abscisic Acid (ABA), cytokinin (CTK), and jasmonic acid (JA) fluctuated during the process of male cone development. The first transcriptome database for a Dacrydium species was generated, revealing >70,000 unigene sequences. Differential expression analyses revealed several floral and hormone biosynthesis and signal transduction genes that could be critical for male cone development. Our study provides new insights on the cone development in D. pectinatum and the foundation for male cone induction with hormones and studies of factors contributing to the species’ low rate of seed germination.

Abstract Background Sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) is a hardwood tree species native to northeastern North America and economically valued for its wood and sap. Yet, few molecular genetic resources have been developed for this species to date. Microsatellite markers have been a useful tool in population genetics, e.g., to monitor genetic variation and to analyze gene flow patterns. The objective of this study is to develop a reference transcriptome and microsatellite markers in sugar maple. Findings A set of 117,861 putative unique transcripts were assembled using 29.2 Gb of RNA sequencing data derived from different tissues and stress treatments. From this set of sequences a total of 1068 microsatellite motifs were identified. Out of 58 genic microsatellite markers tested on a population of 47 sugar maple trees in upper Michigan, 22 amplified well, of which 16 were polymorphic and 6 were monomorphic. Values for expected heterozygosity varied from 0.224 to 0.726 for individual loci. Of the 16 polymorphic markers, 15 exhibited transferability to other Acer L. species. Conclusions Genic microsatellite markers can be applied to analyze genetic variation in potentially adaptive genes relative to genomic reference markers as a basis for the management of sugar maple genetic resources in the face of climate change.

Chestnuts are popular edible nuts that are rich in starch. In order to enhance the transcriptomic resources and further understand starch and sucrose metabolism in maturing chestnuts, a comparative transcriptomic study of Chinese chestnut kernels was conducted at three ripening stages (70, 82, and 94 DAF). At 82 and 94 days after flowering (DAF), starch continued to accumulate, and the amylopectin/amylose ratio increased. Transcriptomic profiling of kernels at 70 (stage I), 82 (stage II), and 94 DAF (stage III) indicated that soluble starch synthase and α-1,4-glucan branching enzyme genes are actively expressed at 82 and 94 DAF. The starch degradation enzymes amylase, phosphoglucan phosphatase DSP4, and maltose exporter did not show differential gene expression, while glycogen phosphorylase-encoding unigenes were significantly down-regulated at 94 DAF. In addition to starch and sucrose metabolism, RNA transport, RNA degradation, pyrimidine metabolism, purine metabolism, plant hormone signal transduction, plant–pathogen interactions, and glycerophospholipid metabolism were found to be significantly enriched in all comparisons included in the study. As Chinese chestnut matured, the unique enriched pathways switched from ribosomal biogenesis and RNA polymerase of eukaryotes to endocytosis and spliceosomes. These genomic resources and findings are valuable for further understanding starch and sucrose metabolism in the Chinese chestnut.

Forest health issues are on the rise in the United States, resulting from introduction of alien pests and diseases, coupled with abiotic stresses related to climate change. Increasingly, forest scientists are finding genetic/genomic resources valuable in addressing forest health issues. For a set of ten ecologically and economically important native hardwood tree species representing a broad phylogenetic spectrum, we used low coverage whole genome sequencing from multiplex Illumina paired ends to economically profile their genomic content. For six species, the genome content was further analyzed by flow cytometry in order to determine the nuclear genome size. Sequencing yielded a depth of 0.8X to 7.5X, from which in silico analysis yielded preliminary estimates of gene and repetitive sequence content in the genome for each species. Thousands of genomic SSRs were identified, with a clear predisposition toward dinucleotide repeats and AT-rich repeat motifs. Flanking primers were designed for SSR loci for all ten species, ranging from 891 loci in sugar maple to 18,167 in redbay. In summary, we have demonstrated that useful preliminary genome information including repeat content, gene content and useful SSR markers can be obtained at low cost and time input from a single lane of Illumina multiplex sequence.

The title compound, C34H34N2, adopts a Z,E configuration with respect to the N=C—C=N backbone, with an N—C—C—N torsion angle of 41.1 (4)° The dihedral angle between the benzene rings in the 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene moiety is 18.0 (1)°.

CONSTANS (CO) is an important flowering-time gene in the photoperiodic flowering pathway of annual Arabidopsis thaliana in which overexpression of CO induces early flowering, whereas mutations in CO cause delayed flowering. The closest homologs of CO in woody perennial poplar (Populus spp.) are CO1 and CO2. A previous report showed that the CO2/FLOWERING LOCUS T1 (FT1) regulon controls the onset of reproduction in poplar, similar to what is seen with the CO/FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) regulon in Arabidopsis. The CO2/FT1 regulon was also reported to control fall bud set. Our long-term field observations show that overexpression of CO1 and CO2 individually or together did not alter normal reproductive onset, spring bud break, or fall dormancy in poplar, but did result in smaller trees when compared with controls. Transcripts of CO1 and CO2 were normally most abundant in the growing season and rhythmic within a day, peaking at dawn. Our manipulative experiments did not provide evidence for transcriptional regulation being affected by photoperiod, light intensity, temperature, or water stress when transcripts of CO1 and CO2 were consistently measured in the morning. A genetic network analysis using overexpressing trees, microarrays, and computation demonstrated that a majority of functionally known genes downstream of CO1 and CO2 are associated with metabolic processes, which could explain their effect on tree size. In conclusion, the function of CO1 and CO2 in poplar does not appear to overlap with that of CO from Arabidopsis, nor do our data support the involvement of CO1 and CO2 in spring bud break or fall bud set.

The objective of this study was to explore the effect of goserellin on the levels of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), anti-endometrial antibody (EMAb) and sex hormone in patients with endometriosis. Participants in the study, 92 patients with endometriosis admitted from June 2016 to May 2017 to our hospital, randomly were divided into control group and study group (46 cases in each group). The control group was given routine treatment such as medroxyprogesterone acetate tablet, and the study group was given injection of goserellin on the basis of the control group. The changes of serum VEGF, EMAb, CA125 and sex hormones (FSH, LH, E2, P) were compared before and after treatment. Adverse reactions were recorded during the treatment The occurrence and recurrence were followed up for 1 year. After treatment, the total effective rate of the study group was 95.65%, which was significantly higher than the control group of 80.43% (P <0.05). After treatment, the VEGF level in the study group was significantly lower than the control group, and the EMAb, CA125 levels, and EMAb positive rates were significantly higher In the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05); after treatment, the levels of FSH, LH, E2, and P in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P <0.05); there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups; After a 1-year follow-up, the relapse rate in the study group was 8.69%, which was significantly lower than the control group's 52.17%. It was concluded that Goserellin has a definite clinical effect in the treatment of endometriosis. It can significantly reduce the levels of VEGF, EMAb and CA125 in serum, regulate the level of sex hormone, inhibit the growth of endometriosis, reduce the recurrence rate, and have a high safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an analysis of the teacher-student power relationship embedded in three English for Medical Purposes (EMP) course syllabuses at a case study university. The study employs Fairclough's critical discourse analytical approach to examine the linguistic elements of the syllabuses, including verbs, modality, and quantifying adjectives. The findings reveal that the syllabuses textually represent an unequal power relationship, with the teachers holding significant authority over the students. This finding is significant as it contradicts some recommendations that ESP teaching should avoid a teacher-centred approach. By analysing the linguistic elements of the syllabuses, this study provides valuable insights into the power dynamics in EMP courses and highlights the importance of critically examining course materials for equitable and student-centred learning environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]