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In the last decade, the emergence of variant strains of avian orthoreovirus (ARV) has caused an enormous economic impact on the poultry industry across China and other countries. This study aimed to evaluate the molecular evolution of the ARV lineages detected in Chinese commercial broiler farms. Firstly, ARV isolation and identification of commercial broiler arthritis cases from different provinces in China from 2016 to 2021 were conducted. A total of 51 pure ARV isolates were obtained. Sequencing results showed that there were five genotypes of the strains isolated in this study, of which genotype 1 ARV predominated, accounting for 56.9% (29/51). The whole gene sequences of 19 ARV representative isolates were successfully obtained. The genetic evolution analysis of 10 genome segments of 19 ARV isolates showed that the σC-encoding gene had evolved into six different lineages, while the other genome segments only differentiated into two to four different lineages. The results of recombination analysis showed that recombination events were present in the L3, M1 and S1 genome segments. Analysis of the variation of the key factor σC protein showed that the nucleotide and amino acid homologies of the σC were low among the different genotypes. Three-dimensional structural visualization analysis showed that all the structural changes of σC protein were concentrated in the spherical domain at the C-terminal, which is associated with host receptor binding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a vital method in neurorehabilitation used to reanimate paralyzed muscles, enhance the size and strength of atrophied muscles, and reduce spasticity. FES often leads to increased muscle fatigue, necessitating careful monitoring of the patient's response. Ultrasound (US) imaging has been utilized to provide valuable insights into FES-induced fatigue by assessing changes in muscle thickness, stiffness, and strain. Current commercial FES electrodes lack sufficient US transparency, hindering the observation of muscle activity beneath the skin where the electrodes are placed. US-compatible electrodes are essential for accurate imaging and optimal FES performance, especially given the spatial constraints of conventional US probes and the need to monitor muscle areas directly beneath the electrodes. This study introduces specially designed body-conforming US-compatible FES (US-FES) electrodes constructed with a silver nanowire/polydimethylsiloxane (AgNW/PDMS) composite. We compared the performance of our body-conforming US-FES electrode with a commercial hydrogel electrode. The findings revealed that our US-FES electrode exhibited comparable conductivity and performance to the commercial one. Furthermore, US compatibility was investigated through phantom and in vivo tests, showing significant compatibility even during FES, unlike the commercial electrode. The results indicated that US-FES electrodes hold significant promise for the real-time monitoring of muscle activity during FES in clinical rehabilitative applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a highly conserved post-transcriptional gene expression regulatory mechanism in eukaryotic cells. NMD eliminates aberrant mRNAs with premature termination codons to surveil transcriptome integrity. Furthermore, NMD fine-tunes gene expression by destabilizing RNAs with specific NMD features. Thus, by controlling the quality and quantity of the transcriptome, NMD plays a vital role in mammalian development, stress response, and tumorigenesis. Deficiencies of NMD factors result in early embryonic lethality, while the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. SMG5 is a key NMD factor. In this study, we generated an Smg5 conditional knockout mouse model and found that Smg5-null results in early embryonic lethality before E13.5. Furthermore, we produced multiple lines of Smg5 knockout mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) and found that the deletion of Smg5 in mESCs does not compromise cell viability. Smg5-null delays differentiation of mESCs. Mechanistically, our study reveals that the c-MYC protein, but not c-Myc mRNA, is upregulated in SMG5-deficient mESCs. The overproduction of c-MYC protein could be caused by enhanced protein synthesis upon SMG5 loss. Furthermore, SMG5-null results in dysregulation of alternative splicing on multiple stem cell differentiation regulators. Overall, our findings underscore the importance of SMG5-NMD in regulating mESC cell-state transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Re-poling of unexpected partially depoled piezoelectric materials conventionally needs to be first fully depoled through annealing above their Curie temperature to revive piezoelectric performances. Here, we investigated de-poling and re-poling of Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 single crystals under electric fields at room temperature. We found that alternating current electric fields with amplitudes near the coercive field at low frequencies (<10 Hz) can be employed to successfully depolarize poled crystals at room temperature. We also demonstrated a reversible polarization switching process with a relaxor-PbTiO3 single crystal ultrasound transducer without device performance degradations. This experimental observation is supported by phase-field simulation, showing that alternating current electric fields can readily induce de-poling at room temperature, while direct current electric fields induce a transient depoled state only within an uncontrollable short period of time. The findings suggest new strategies for unprecedented in-device tailoring of the polarization states of ferroelectric materials. The authors find that alternating current electric fields with amplitudes near the coercive field at low frequencies (<10 Hz) can be employed to depolarize poled relaxor-PbTiO3 single crystals at room temperature, without conventional heat treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]