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ABSTRACT Background This study compares the efficacy and safety of single autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) versus tandem ASCT for multiple myeloma (MM) patients in the era of novel agents. Methods A total of 112 high‐risk MM patients were included (single ASCT, (n = 57) or tandem ASCT(n = 55) in this retrospective multicenter study. Responses and outcomes were evaluated. Results At 100 days after ASCT1 and ASCT2, 36 (63.2%) versus 45 (81.8%) patients achieved sCR/CR, 16 (28.1%) versus 7 (12.7%) patients achieved VGPR, and 5 (8.8%) versus 1 (1.8%) patient achieved PR, respectively, in the single and tandem ASCT cohorts. The 3‐year cumulative incidence of non‐relapse mortality and disease progression was 0% versus 7.3% (p = 0.083), and 45.8% versus 25.8% (p = 0.039), respectively, for the single and tandem ASCT cohort. The tandem ASCT cohort showed a trend of better 3‐year probability of PFS (58.1% vs. 64.7%, p = 0.064) compared with the single ASCT cohort. In multivariate analysis, ultra high‐risk and achieving

Abstract Food safety incidents frequently occur in China and other countries. Food safety risk management has evolved from harm‐based to risk‐based approaches to control risks more scientifically and effectively. Risk assessment is at the core of risk control and provides a scientific basis for the development of risk management measures. Therefore, analyzing the research status and development trends of food safety risk assessment technologies and methods is important for improving food safety risk assessment and risk management. In this study, CiteSpace software was used to analyze a knowledge graph of popular research topics in the field of food safety risk assessment over the past 14 years, identify research keywords, and provide centrality statistics. Food safety risk assessments primarily focus on in vitro high‐throughput testing, computational toxicology, predictive microbiology, mechanistic research, and other technical methods. In the future, international coordination, cooperation, and cross‐integration of relevant disciplines should be strengthened, and research on and application of innovative technologies for food safety risk assessment should be promoted. Research on food safety risk assessment technologies and methods is in an active development stage and has good prospects for further exploration and application.

ObjectiveTo analyze the family food environment of students in key monitoring counties of the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students in Henan province in 2021, to provide data support for further strengthening nutrition education. MethodsThe study participants were 5 682 students from 20 primary schools and 20 secondary schools selected by stratified random cluster sampling in five key monitoring counties of the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students in Henan province. Students were measured for height and weight in 2021, and their parents were anonymously surveyed on-site using a questionnaire developed by researchers at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on knowledge and behaviors related to child nutrition and health. ResultsAmong the parents of 5 673 students with valid data, the awareness rate of child nutrition and health knowledge was 68.94% and the prevalence rate of behaviors related to child nutrition and health was 26.65%. The detection rate of overweight and obesity among students was 27.38%. There were 55.37% of parents who reported accurate perception on their children's body size, but 41.62% of parents underestimated their children's body size, and parents' biased perception on children's body size was not related to their knowledge and practices related to child nutrition and health. The agreement between parents' perception of children's body type and the measurement based body size assessment was poor (Kappa = 0.203, P < 0.001). Conclusion In the key monitoring counties of the Nutrition Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students in Henan province, the awareness rate of child nutrition and health knowledge among parents of primary and secondary school students is relatively high, but the prevalence of child nutrition and health behaviors and accurate perception of their children's body size are low, indicating a gap between knowledge and practice. Parents of students generally underestimate their children's body size, which is not conducive to controlling overweight and obesity among students.

Hydrocarbon production in oil and gas fields generally progresses through stages of production ramp-up, plateau (peak), and decline during field development, with the whole process primarily modeled and forecasted using lifecycle models. SINOPEC's conventional gas reservoirs are dominated by carbonates, low-permeability tight sandstone, condensate, volcanic rocks, and medium-to-high-permeability sandstone. This study identifies the optimal production forecasting models by comparing the fitting coefficients of different models and calculating the relative errors in technically recoverable reserves. To improve forecast precision, it suggests substituting exponential smoothing method-derived predictions for anomalous data caused by subjective influences like market dynamics and maintenance activities. The preferred models for carbonate gas reservoir production forecasts are the generalized Weng's, Beta, Class-I generalized mathematical, and Hu-Chen models. The Vapor pressure and Beta models are optimal for forecasting the annual productivity of wells (APW) from gas-bearing low-permeability tight sandstone reservoirs. The Wang-Li, Beta, and Yu QT tb models are apt for moderate-to-small-reserves, single low-permeability tight sandstone gas reservoirs. The Rayleigh, Hu-Chen, and generalized Weng's models are suitable for condensate gas reservoirs. For medium-to-high-permeability sandstone gas reservoirs, the lognormal, generalized gamma, and Beta models are recommended.

Highlights An efficient moist-electric generator with ultra-fast electric response to moisture is achieved by triggering Grotthuss protons hopping in the moisture-electric–moisture-sensitive heterostructure. The moist-electric generator produces a quick response (0.435 s), an unprecedented ultra-fast response rate of 972.4 mV s−1 to alternating moisture stimulation and stable output for 8 h. An obstructive sleep apnea hypoventilation syndrome diagnostic system based on a moist-electric generator was developed to monitor hypopnea and apnea in real time and successfully diagnose them with early warning.

Abstract Background The TNM staging system cannot accurately predict the prognosis of postoperative gastric signet ring cell carcinoma (GSRC) given its unique biological behavior, epidemiological features, and various prognostic factors. Therefore, a reliable postoperative prognostic evaluation system for GSRC is required. This study aimed to establish a nomogram to predict the overall survival (OS) rate of postoperative patients with GSRC and validate it in the real world. Methods Clinical data of postoperative patients with GSRC from 2002 to 2014 were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database and randomly assigned to training and internal validation sets at a 7:3 ratio. The external validation set used data from 124 postoperative patients with GSRC who were admitted to the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Harbin Medical University between 2002 and 2014. The independent risk factors affecting OS were screened using univariate and multivariate analyses to construct a nomogram. The performance of the model was evaluated using the C-index, receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), calibration curve, decision analysis (DCA) curve, and adjuvant chemotherapy decision analysis. Results Univariate/multivariate analysis indicated that age, stage, T, M, regional nodes optimized (RNE), and lymph node metastasis rate (LNMR) were independent risk factors affecting prognosis. The C-indices of the training, internal validation, and external validation sets are 0.741, 0.741, and 0.786, respectively. The ROC curves for the first, third, and fifth years in three sets had higher areas under the curves, (training set, 0.782, 0.864, 0.883; internal validation set, 0.781, 0.863, 0.877; external validation set, 0.819, 0.863, 0.835). The calibration curve showed high consistency between the nomogram-predicted 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS and the actual OS in the three queues. The DCA curve indicated that applying the nomogram enhanced the net clinical benefits. The nomogram effectively distinguished patients in each subgroup into high- and low-risk groups. Adjuvant chemotherapy can significantly improve OS in high-risk group (P = 0.034), while the presence or absence of adjuvant chemotherapy in low-risk group has no significant impact on OS (P = 0.192). Conclusions The nomogram can effectively predict the OS of patients with GSRC and may help doctors make personalized prognostic judgments and clinical treatment decisions.

Abstract Background Gossypium hirsutum undergoes rapid clonal propagation to regenerate a mature plant through tissue culture. However, the correlation between cotton leaf regeneration, callus induction, and regeneration ability was still obscure. In this research, cotton leaf regeneration level for 21 accessions in the field (new leaves) was observed after the first harvest, and a comparison between field regeneration level and callus induction with its regeneration capacity (new shoots and roots) for the same 21 accessions was carried out. Agronomic traits, including plant height, leaf area, fresh leaf weight, dry leaf weight, the number of flowers and bolls, and biochemical (proline content) and physiological (chlorophyll and carotenoid content) traits during the flowering stage of 21 upland cotton accessions, were investigated. Result A significant correlation between physiological parameters and callus induction was discovered. Callus induction and regeneration capacity of roots and shoots for hypocotyl, cotyledons, and shoot tip tissues were used to validate field leaf regeneration level after the first harvest. CCRI 24 showed significant leaf regeneration in the field and callus induction capacity through callus induction and regeneration. Conclusion We found a substantial relationship between field regeneration capability and callus induction with its regeneration capacity for the hypocotyl, cotyledons, and shoot tip. The results showed that ZS061, Lumian 378, Jimian 863, and ZS065 have the highest moisture retention capacity, while CCRI 24, Liaoyang Duomaomian, and Beizhe Gongshemian have the lowest moisture retention capacity. CCRI 24 has the highest leaf regeneration capacity in the field, while Beizhe Gongshemian has the lowest leaf regeneration capacity. All our result provides a clue for checking the regeneration capacity through leaf regeneration level in the field.

Mesotrione (MET) belongs to the p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD)-inhibiting class of maize post-emergence herbicides, and it is safe for maize at the recommended doses, but the safety of MET differs among maize varieties in actual field production. In this study, four different maize varieties, ZD958, SN3, ST6 and POP16, were used as experimental materials to analyze their physiological responses to MET by comparing the activities of photosynthesis and antioxidant enzymes as well as the HPPD activity. The results showed that ZD958 was the most resistant to MET, followed by SN3 and ST6, and POP16 was the most sensitive to MET. The primary photosynthetic and antioxidant enzyme indices of all four maize varieties indicated that the resistant variety ZD958 was significantly higher than the sensitive variety POP16. HPPD activity was highest in ZD958 followed by SN3 and ST6 in both treated and control groups. POP16 exhibited the lowest HPPD activity. The results showed that the differences in resistance to MET in different types of maize varieties were closely related to the photosynthetic efficiency of plants and the HPPD activity. MET had minimal impact on common maize but showed a significant effect on popcorn.

Based on an analysis of the limitations of conventional production component methods for natural gas development planning, this study proposes a new one that uses life cycle models for the trend fitting and prediction of production. In this new method, the annual production of old and new wells is predicted by year first and then is summed up to yield the production for the planning period. It shows that the changes in the production of old wells in old blocks can be fitted and predicted using the vapor pressure model (VPM), with precision of 80%–95%, which is 6.6%–13.2% higher than that of other life cycle models. Furthermore, a new production prediction process and method for new wells have been established based on this life cycle model to predict the production of medium-to-shallow gas reservoirs in western Sichuan Basin, with predication error of production rate in 2021 and 2022 being 6% and 3% respectively. The new method can be used to guide the medium- and long-term planning or annual scheme preparation for gas development. It is also applicable to planning for large single gas blocks that require continuous infill drilling and adjustment to improve gas recovery.

The most important goal in cotton breeding is to increase the fiber yield which can be increased by improving a key trait, lint percentage (LP). However, narrow genetic background of upland cotton resulting in stagnant yield. In order to effectively dissect the genetic mechanism and enrich the gene loci of LP in cotton, the genetic diversity and population structure and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted using 204 upland cotton accessions based on 191 pairs of polymorphic microsatellite markers. The results were as follows: (1) The agronomic traits of the materials especially LP varied widely. (2) The SSRs revealed relatively high degree level of genetic diversity at DNA level. (3) Similarity coefficient cluster analysis of SSR markers indicated the influence of male parent on female parents was different after cross, the variation sites of agronomic traits could be further excavate in F1. (4) The GWAS revealed that 3 SSR markers were associated with LP: BNL3649-2, GH0132-2, CIR0246-3. There were two genes, Gh_D02G0125 and Gh_D11G2610, near the three SSR loci. These results provided a theoretical basis for improving fiber yield.

The expected gains in the productivity and sustainability of cotton cultivars across environmental spectra may face many challenges. To address this issue, a set of 572 cotton accessions, including 284 F1 hybrids along with their parental lines and checks, were evaluated and compared across multiple test environments. Popular biometrical tools viz; best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP), additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) and genotype main effects and genotype × environment interaction effects (GGE) were utilized for reliable estimation graphical depiction of GEI effects. The first two interaction coordinates as principal components in BLUP, AMMI, and GGE biplots explained the maximum proportion of GEI regarding seed cotton yield. The contrasting environments did not cluster together, thus revealing their varying influences on the genotypes. A set of 44 F1 hybrids featuring higher stability, 46 with higher adaptability, and 5 F1 hybrids exhibited higher stability, adaptability, and highest seed cotton yield across the investigated environments simultaneously. F1 hybrids of cotton were concluded as more stable and adaptable regarding seed cotton yield across environments. Accordingly, switching from line to hybrid breeding could enable a cotton breeding program to address the broader issue of growing this crop in a wide range of target environments.

Abstract Background The lateral root is one of the most important organs that constitute the root architecture system in plants. It can directly affect the contact area between plants and soil and plays an important role in plant structural support and nutrient absorption. Optimizing root architecture systems can greatly increase crop yields. This study was designed to identify the molecular markers and candidate genes associated with lateral root development in cotton and to evaluate correlations with yield and disease traits. Result The number of lateral roots for 14-day old seedlings was recorded for 215 Gossypium arboreum accessions. A correlation analysis showed that the number of lateral roots positively correlates with the sympodial branch node and seed index traits, but negatively correlates with lint percentage. A Genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified 18 significant SNPs with 19 candidate genes associated with the lateral root number. Expression analysis identified three genes (FLA12, WRKY29, and RBOHA) associated with lateral root development. Conclusion GWAS analysis identified key SNPs and candidate genes for lateral root number, and genes of FLA12, WRKY29, and RBOHA may play a pivotal role in lateral root development in Asian cotton.

Objective: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is primarily a malignant disorder affecting the elderly. We aimed to compare the outcomes of different treatment patterns in elderly AML patients and to propose a prognostic scoring system that could predict survival and aid therapeutic decisions. Methods: Patients aged ≥ 60 years who had been diagnosed with AML at 7 hospitals in China were enrolled (n = 228). Treatment patterns included standard chemotherapy, low intensity therapy, and best supportive care (BSC). Results: The early mortality rates were 31%, 6.8%, and 6.3% for the BSC, low intensity therapy, and standard chemotherapy groups, respectively. The complete remission rate of the standard chemotherapy group was higher than that of the low intensity therapy group. The median overall survival (OS) was 561 days and 222 days for the standard chemotherapy and low intensity therapy groups, respectively, and were both longer than that of the BSC group (86 days). Based on multivariate analyses, we defined a prognostic scoring system that enabled classification of patients into 3 risk groups, in an attempt to predict the OS of patients receiving chemotherapies and low intensity therapies. Low and intermediate risk patients benefited more from standard chemotherapies than from low intensity therapies. However, the median OS was comparable between standard chemotherapies and low intensity therapies in high risk patients. Conclusions: Our prognostic scoring system could predict survival and help select appropriate therapies for elderly AML patients. Standard chemotherapy is important for elderly AML patients, particularly for those categorized into low and intermediate risk groups.

Abstract Background Seedling stage plant biomass is usually used as an auxiliary trait to study plant growth and development or stress adversities. However, few molecular markers and candidate genes of seedling biomass-related traits were found in cotton. Result Here, we collected 215 Gossypium arboreum accessions, and investigated 11 seedling biomass-related traits including the fresh weight, dry weight, water content, and root shoot ratio. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) utilizing 142,5003 high-quality SNPs identified 83 significant associations and 69 putative candidate genes. Furthermore, the transcriptome profile of the candidate genes emphasized higher expression of Ga03G1298, Ga09G2054, Ga10G1342, Ga11G0096, and Ga11G2490 in four representative cotton accessions. The relative expression levels of those five genes were further verified by qRT-PCR. Conclusions The significant SNPs, candidate genes identified in this study are expected to lay a foundation for studying the molecular mechanism for early biomass development and related traits in Asian cotton.

Abstract Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an important economic crop for renewable textile fibers. However, the simultaneous improvement of yield and fiber quality in cotton is difficult as the linkage drag. Compared with breaking the linkage drag, identification of the favorable pleiotropic loci on the genome level by genome-wide association study (GWAS) provides a new way to improve the yield and fiber quality simultaneously. In our study restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) was used to genotype 316 cotton accessions. Eight major traits in three categories including yield, fiber quality and maturation were investigated in nine environments (3 sites × 3 years). 231 SNPs associated with these eight traits (− log10(P) > 5.27) were identified, located in 27 genomic regions respectively by linkage disequilibrium analysis. Further analysis showed that four genomic regions (the region 1, 6, 8 and 23) held favorable pleiotropic loci and 6 candidate genes were identified. Through genotyping, 14 elite accessions carrying the favorable loci on four pleiotropic regions were identified. These favorable pleiotropic loci and elite genotypes identified in this study will be utilized to improve the yield and fiber quality simultaneously in future cotton breeding.

Abstract Background Stem hardness is one of the major influencing factors for plant architecture in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Evaluating hardness phenotypic traits is very important for the selection of elite lines for resistance to lodging in Gossypium hirsutum L. Cotton breeders are interested in using diverse genotypes to enhance fiber quality and high-yield. Few pieces of research for hardness and its relationship with fiber quality and yield were found. This study was designed to find the relationship of stem hardness traits with fiber quality and yield contributing traits of upland cotton. Results Experiments were carried out to measure the bending, acupuncture, and compression properties of the stem from a collection of upland cotton genotypes, comprising 237 accessions. The results showed that the genotypic difference in stem hardness was highly significant among the genotypes, and the stem hardness traits (BL, BU, AL, AU, CL, and CU) have a positive association with fiber quality traits and yield-related traits. Statistical analyses of the results showed that in descriptive statistics result bending (BL, BU) has a maximum coefficient of variance, but fiber length and fiber strength have less coefficient of variance among the genotypes. Principal component analysis (PCA) trimmed quantitative characters into nine principal components. The first nine principal components (PC) with Eigenvalues > 1 explained 86% of the variation among 237 accessions of cotton. Both 2017 and 2018, PCA results indicated that BL, BU, FL, FE, and LI contributed to their variability in PC1, and BU, AU, CU, FD, LP, and FWPB have shown their variability in PC2. Conclusion We describe here the systematic study of the mechanism involved in the regulation of enhancing fiber quality and yield by stem bending strength, acupuncture, and compression properties of G. hirsutum.

Abstract Background Heterosis has been extensively utilized in different crops and made a significant contribution to global food security. Genetic distance (GD) is one of the valuable criteria for selecting parents in hybrid breeding. The objectives of this study were to estimate the GD between parents using both simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and to investigate the efficiency of the prediction of hybrid performance based on GD. The experiment comprised of four male parents, 282 female parents and 1128 F1, derived from NCII mating scheme. The hybrids, their parents and two check cultivars were evaluated for two years. Performance of F1, mid-parent heterosis (MPH), and best parent heterosis (BPH) were evaluated for ten agronomic and fiber quality traits, including plant height, boll weight, boll number, lint percentage, fiber length, fiber strength, fiber uniformity, fiber elongation ratio, micronaire, and spinning consistent index. Results Heterosis was observed in all hybrids and, the traits like plant height, boll number, boll weight and lint percentage exhibited higher heterosis than the fiber quality traits. Correlations were significant between parental and F1 performances. The F1 performances between three hybrid sets (Elite×Elite, Exotic×Elite, and Historic×Elite) showed significant differences in eight traits, including boll number, lint percentage, fiber length, fiber strength, fiber uniformity, fiber elongation ratio, micronaire, and spinning consistent index. The correlation of the GD assessed by both SSR and SNP markers was significantly positive. The cluster analysis based on GD results estimated using SNP showed that all the female parents divided into five groups and the F1 performance between these five groups showed significant differences in four traits, including lint percentage, micronaire, fiber strength, and fiber elongation ratio. The correlation between GD and F1 performance, MPH and BPH were significant for lint percentage and micronaire. Conclusions Our results suggested that GD between parents could be helpful in heterosis prediction for certain traits. This study reveals that molecular marker analysis can serve as a basis for assigning germplasm into heterotic groups and to provide guidelines for parental selection in hybrid cotton breeding.

Abstract Background Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) accounts for more than 90% of the annual world cotton output because of its high yield potential. However, yield and fiber quality traits often show negative correlations. We constructed four F2 populations of upland cotton, using two normal lines (4133B and SGK9708) with high yield potential but moderate fiber quality and two introgression lines (Suyuan04–3 and J02–247) with superior fiber quality, and used them to investigate the genetic basis underlying complex traits such as yield and fiber quality in upland cotton. We also phenotyped eight agronomic and economic traits and mapped quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Results Extensive phenotype variations and transgressive segregation were found across the segregation populations. We constructed four genetic maps of 585.97 centiMorgan (cM), 752.45 cM, 752.45 cM, and 1 163.66 cM, one for each of the four F2 populations. Fifty QTLs were identified across the four populations (7 for plant height, 27 for fiber quality and 16 for yield). The same QTLs were identified in different populations, including qBW4 and qBW2, which were linked to a common simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker, NAU1255. A QTL cluster containing eight QTLs for six different traits was characterized on linkage group 9 of the 4133B × Suyuan04–3 population. Conclusions These findings will provide insights into the genetic basis of simultaneous improvement of yield and fiber quality in upland cotton breeding.

Growth-regulating factors-interacting factors (GIFs) are a type of transcription co-activators in plants, playing crucial roles in plants’ growth, development, and stress adaptation. Here, a total of 35 GIF genes were identified and clustered into two groups by phylogenetic analysis in four cotton genus. The gene structure and conserved domain analysis proved the conservative characteristics of GIF genes in cotton. The function of GIF genes was evaluated in two cotton accessions, Ji A-1-7 (33xi) and King, which have larger and smaller lateral root numbers, respectively. The results showed that the expression of GhGIF4 in Ji A-1-7 (33xi) was higher than that in King. The enzyme activity and microstructure assay showed a higher POD activity, lower MDA content, and more giant cells of the lateral root emergence part phenotype in Ji A-1-7 (33xi) than in King. A mild waterlogging assay showed the GIF genes were down-regulated in the waterlogged seedling. Further confirmation of the suppression of GhGIF4 in cotton plants further confirmed that GhGIF4 could reduce the lateral root numbers in cotton. This study could provide a basis for future studies of the role of GIF genes in upland cotton.

Brown cotton fiber (BCF) is a unique raw material of naturally colored cotton (NCC). But characteristics of the regulatory gene network and metabolic components related to the proanthocyanidins biosynthesis pathway at various stages of its fiber development remain unclear. Here, the dynamic changes in proanthocyanidins biosynthesis components and transcripts in the BCF variety “Zong 1-61” and its white near-isogenic lines (NILs) “RT” were characterized at five fiber developmental stages (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 days post-anthesis; DPA). Enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), comparison of metabolome differences, and pathway enrichment analysis of a weighted gene correlation network analysis together revealed the dominant gene expression of flavonoid biosynthesis (FB), phenylpropanoid metabolisms, and some carbohydrate metabolisms at 15 or 20 DPA than white cotton. Eventually, 63 genes were identified from five modules putatively related to FB. Three R2R3-MYB and two bHLH transcription factors were predicted as the core genes. Further, GhANS, GhANR1, and GhUFGT2 were preliminarily regulated by GhMYB46, GhMYB6, and GhMYB3, respectively, according to yeast one-hybrid assays in vitro. Our findings provide an important transcriptional regulatory network of proanthocyanidins biosynthesis pathway and dynamic flavonoid metabolism profiles.

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is associated with altered cerebral perfusion. However, global and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) are highly heterogeneous across CSVD patients. The aim of this study was to identify subtypes of CSVD with different CBF patterns using an advanced machine learning approach. 121 CSVD patients and 53 healthy controls received arterial spin label MRI, T1 structural MRI and clinical measurements. Regional CBF were used to identify distinct perfusion subtypes of CSVD via a semi-supervised machine learning algorithm. Statistical analyses were used to explore alterations in CBF, clinical measures, gray and white matter volume between healthy controls and different subtypes of CSVD. Correlation analysis was used to assess the association between clinical measures and altered CBF in each CSVD subtype. Three subtypes of CSVD with distinct CBF patterns were found. Subtype 1 showed decreased CBF in the temporal lobe and increased CBF in the parietal and occipital lobe. Subtype 2 exhibited decreased CBF in the right hemisphere of the brain, and increased CBF in the left cerebrum. Subtype 3 demonstrated decreased CBF in the posterior part of the brain, and increased CBF in anterior part of the brain. The three subtypes also differed significantly in gender (p = 0.005), the proportion of subjects with lacune (p = 0.002), with periventricular white matter hyperintensity (p = 0.043), and CSVD burden score (p = 0.048). In subtype 3, it was found that widespread decreased CBF was correlated with total CSVD burden score (r = -0.324, p = 0.029). Compared with healthy controls, the three CSVD subtypes also showed distinct volumetric patterns of white matter. The current results associate different subtypes with different clinical and imaging phenotypes, which can improve the understanding of brain perfusion alterations of CSVD and can facilitate precision diagnosis of CSVD.

Objectives. This study aimed to analyze the clinical features, antibiotic susceptibility profiles, and outcomes of patients with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) at a hospital in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, to provide the basis for improving the clinical treatment effect. Methods. Patients with IPD were retrospectively collected from 2013 to 2021. Clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, antimicrobial susceptibility, antibiotic treatment, and outcomes of the disease were analyzed. Results. In this study, we identified 127 IPD cases, of whom 49 (38.6%) had meningitis and 78 (61.4%) had bacteremia. The median ages of pediatric cases and adult cases were 2 years (IQR: 0–5) and 52.5 years (IQR: 35–62), respectively. There were 27 and 45 males in the pediatric and adult groups, and no significant gender difference in the different age groups (p=0.584) was found. Of 75 cases with underlying diseases, pneumonia (11%), malignancy (11%), hypertension (9.4%), and hepatic cirrhosis (7.9%) were the most common. The incidence of underlying diseases was even higher in the adult group (67.1%) than in the pediatric group (47.1%) (p=0.028). The frequency of fever, cough, and seizures was significantly higher in the pediatric group than in the adult group, with p-values of 0.004, 0.004, and 0.001, respectively. The percentage of neutrophils in the blood was significantly higher in the adult cases than in the pediatric cases (p

The study of A-genome Asian cotton as a potential fiber donor in Gossypium species may offer an enhanced understanding of complex genetics and novel players related to fiber quality traits. Assessment of individual fibers providing classified fiber quality information to the textile industry is Advanced Fiber Information System (AFIS) in the recent technological era. Keeping the scenario, a diverse collection of 215 Asiatic cotton accessions were evaluated across three agro-ecological zones of China. Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) was performed to detect association signals related to 17 AFIS fiber quality traits grouped into four categories viz: NEPs, fiber length, maturity, and fineness. Significant correlations were found within as well as among different categories of various traits related to fiber quality. Fiber fineness has shown a strong correlation to all other categories, whereas these categories are shown interrelationships via fiber-fineness. A total of 7,429 SNPs were found in association with 17 investigated traits, of which 177 were selected as lead SNPs. In the vicinity of these lead SNPs, 56 differentially expressed genes in various tissues/development stages were identified as candidate genes. This compendium connecting trait-SNP-genes may allow further prioritization of genes in GWAS loci to enable mechanistic studies. These identified quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) may prove helpful in fiber quality improvement in Asian cotton through marker-assisted breeding as well as in reviving eroded genetic factors of G. hirsutum via introgression breeding.

Background: The management of gastric cancer (GC) still lacks tumor markers with high specificity and sensitivity. The goal of current research is to find effective diagnostic and prognostic markers and to clarify their related mechanisms.Methods: In this study, we integrated GC DNA methylation data from publicly available datasets obtained from TCGA and GEO databases, and applied random forest and LASSO analysis methods to screen reliable differential methylation sites (DMSs) for GC diagnosis. We constructed a diagnostic model of GC by logistic analysis and conducted verification and clinical correlation analysis. We screened credible prognostic DMSs through univariate Cox and LASSO analyses and verified a prognostic model of GC by multivariate Cox analysis. Independent prognostic and biological function analyses were performed for the prognostic risk score. We performed TP53 correlation analysis, mutation and prognosis analysis on eleven-DNA methylation driver gene (DMG), and constructed a multifactor regulatory network of key genes.Results: The five-DMS diagnostic model distinguished GC from normal samples, and diagnostic risk value was significantly correlated with grade and tumor location. The prediction accuracy of the eleven-DMS prognostic model was verified in both the training and validation datasets, indicating its certain potential for GC survival prediction. The survival rate of the high-risk group was significantly lower than that of the low-risk group. The prognostic risk score was an independent risk factor for the prognosis of GC, which was significantly correlated with N stage and tumor location, positively correlated with the VIM gene, and negatively correlated with the CDH1 gene. The expression of CHRNB2 decreased significantly in the TP53 mutation group of gastric cancer patients, and there were significant differences in CCDC69, RASSF2, CHRNB2, ARMC9, and RPN1 between the TP53 mutation group and the TP53 non-mutation group of gastric cancer patients. In addition, CEP290, UBXN8, KDM4A, RPN1 had high frequency mutations and the function of eleven-DMG mutation related genes in GC patients is widely enriched in multiple pathways.Conclusion: Combined, the five-DMS diagnostic and eleven-DMS prognostic GC models are important tools for accurate and individualized treatment. The study provides direction for exploring potential markers of GC.

Abstract Background Gossypium hirsutum L. is grown worldwide and is the largest source of natural fiber crop. We focus on exploring the favorable alleles (FAs) for upland cotton varieties improvement, and further understanding the history of accessions selection and acumination of favorable allele during breeding. Results The genetic basis of phenotypic variation has been studied. But the accumulation of favorable alleles in cotton breeding history in unknown, and potential favorable alleles to enhance key agronomic traits in the future cotton varieties have not yet been identified. Therefore, 419 upland cotton accessions were screened, representing a diversity of phenotypic variations of 7362 G. hirsutum, and 15 major traits were investigated in 6 environments. These accessions were categorized into 3 periods (early, medium, and modern) according to breeding history. All accessions were divided into two major groups using 299 polymorphic microsatellite markers: G1 (high fiber yield and quality, late maturity) and G2 (low fiber yield and quality, early maturity). The proportion of G1 genotype gradually increased from early to modern breeding periods. Furthermore, 21 markers (71 alleles) were significantly associated (−log P > 4) with 15 agronomic traits in multiple environments. Seventeen alleles were identified as FAs; these alleles accumulated more in the modern period than in other periods, consistent with their phenotypic variation trends in breeding history. Our results demonstrate that the favorable alleles accumulated through breeding effects, especially for common favorable alleles. However, the potential elite accessions could be rapidly screened by rare favorable alleles. Conclusion In our study, genetic variation and genome-wide associations for 419 upland cotton accessions were analyzed. Two favorable allele types were identified during three breeding periods, providing important information for yield/quality improvement of upland cotton germplasm.

A streamer discharge in water launches a chain of isolated shock fronts as the streamer filament propagates through the water. The initial pressure of the shock front is a good estimation of the initial pressure of the streamer filament. We observed the temporal evolution of the shock front launched by a microsecond pulsed positive streamer discharge in water and investigated the initial pressure of the shock front. We discovered a method for determining the radius of the shock front measured from different discharge pulses in an accurate time sequence and obtained the temporal evolution of the shock front radius. Based on the measured temporal evolution of the shock front radius, we obtained that the initial pressure of the shock front is ∼0.6 GPa. We found that applied voltage and water conductivity do not affect the initial pressure of the shock front within the range studied.

BackgroundThe SET and MYND domain-containing (SMYD) gene family comprises a set of genes encoding lysine methyltransferases. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between the expression levels of SMYD family members and the prognosis and immune infiltration of malignant tumors of the digestive system.MethodsThe Oncomine, Ualcan, Kaplan–Meier Plotter, cBioPortal, Metascape, and TIMER databases and tools were used to analyze the correlation of SMYD family mRNA expression, clinical stage, TP53 mutation status, prognostic value, gene mutation, and immune infiltration in patients with esophageal carcinoma (ESCA), liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC), and stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD).ResultsIn ESCA, the mRNA expression of SMYD2/3/4/5 was significantly correlated with the incidence rate, that of SMYD2/3 with the clinical stage, that of SMYD2/3/4/5 with TP53 mutation status, that of SMYD2/4/5 with overall survival (OS), and that of SMYD1/2/3/4 with relapse-free survival (RFS). In LIHC, the mRNA expression of SMYD1/2/3/4/5 was significantly correlated with the incidence rate, that of SMYD2/4/5 with the clinical stage, that of SMYD3/5 with TP53 mutation status, that of SMYD2/3/4/5 with OS, and that of SMYD3/5 with RFS. In STAD, the mRNA expression of SMYD2/3/4/5 was significantly correlated with the incidence rate, that of SMYD1/4 with the clinical stage, that of SMYD1/2/3/5 with TP53 mutation status, that of SMYD1/3/4 with OS, and that of SMYD1/3 with RFS. Furthermore, the function of SMYD family mutation-related genes in ESCA, LIHC, and STAD patients was mainly related to pathways, such as mitochondrial gene expression, mitochondrial matrix, and mitochondrial translation. The expression of SMYD family genes was significantly correlated with the infiltration of six immune cell types and eight types of immune check sites.ConclusionSMYD family genes are differentially expressed and frequently mutated in malignant tumors of the digestive system (ESCA, LIHC, and gastric cancer). They are potential markers for prognostic prediction and have important significance in immunity and targeted therapy.

The variation of phenotypic traits with environmental gradient can reveal the plant adapting strategies and predict reactions to future climate changes. However, it remains elusive, especially for alpine timberline tree species. To quantify the variation and explore the patterns of twig, leaf, stoma traits, and determine the scaling relationships along the topographic gradients, 576 current-year branches of Larix potaninii ssp. chinensis were collected and scaling relationships were analyzed. The results showed that the twig, leaf and stoma traits varied nonlinearly along altitudinal gradients (2900–3500 m) in both sunny and shady slopes, with a reversal point at about 3250 m, at which the optimum growth of twig length (78.53 mm), twig cross-sectional area (3.35 mm2), internode length (13.14 mm), leaf length (19.30 mm), specific leaf area (0.01 mm2mg−1), stomatal length (47.05 µm) and density (160.20 mm−2). In addition, the values of leafing intensity, leaf number and stomatal density on sunny slope, 1.52 mm−3, 88.79 and 160.20 mm−2 respectively, were higher than that on shady slope. Moreover, the relationships between leaf-twig traits were significantly correlative, and the leaf area-twig cross-sectional area and leaf intensity-leaf area scaling relationships were allometric (slope ≠ 1 or slope ≠ −1) and showed common slope with different y-intercept across altitudes and slope aspects (P

Various factors affect the prognosis of patients with colon cancer. Complicated factors are found to be conducive to accurate assessment of prognosis. In this study, we developed a series of prognostic prediction models for survival time of colon cancer patients after surgery. Analysis of nine clinical characteristics showed that the most important factor was the positive lymph node ratio (LNR). High LNR was the most important clinical factor affecting 1- and 3-year survival; M0&age < 70 was the most important feature for 5 years. The performance of the model was improved through the integration of clinical characteristics and four types of molecule features (mRNA, lncRNA, miRNA, DNA methylation). The model provides guidance for clinical practice. According to the high-risk molecular features combined with age ≥ 70&T3, poorly differentiated or undifferentiated, M0&well differentiated, M0&T2, LNR high, T4&poorly differentiated, or undifferentiated, the survival time may be less than 1 year; for patients with high risk of molecular features combined with M0&T2, M0&T4, LNR 0& M0, LNR median &T3, and LNR high, the survival is predicted less than 3 years; and the survival of patients with M1&T3, M0 and high risk molecular features is less than 5 years. Using multidimensional and complex patient information, this study establishes potential criteria for clinicians to evaluate the survival of patients for colon cancer.

For about a century, plant breeding has widely exploited the heterosis phenomenon–often considered as hybrid vigor–to increase agricultural productivity. The ensuing F1 hybrids can substantially outperform their progenitors due to heterozygous combinations that mitigate deleterious mutations occurring in each genome. However, only fragmented knowledge is available concerning the underlying genes and processes that foster heterosis. Although cotton is among the highly valued crops, its improvement programs that involve the exploitation of heterosis are still limited in terms of significant accomplishments to make it broadly applicable in different agro-ecological zones. Here, F1 hybrids were derived from mating a diverse Upland Cotton germplasm with commercially valuable cultivars in the Line × Tester fashion and evaluated across multiple environments for 10 measurable traits. These traits were dissected into five different heterosis types and specific combining ability (SCA). Subsequent genome-wide predictions along-with association analyses uncovered a set of 298 highly significant key single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)/Quantitative Trait Nucleotides (QTNs) and 271 heterotic Quantitative Trait Nucleotides (hQTNs) related to agronomic and fiber quality traits. The integration of a genome wide association study with RNA-sequence analysis yielded 275 candidate genes in the vicinity of key SNPs/QTNs. Fiber micronaire (MIC) and lint percentage (LP) had the maximum number of associated genes, i.e., each with 45 related to QTNs/hQTNs. A total of 54 putative candidate genes were identified in association with HETEROSIS of quoted traits. The novel players in the heterosis mechanism highlighted in this study may prove to be scientifically and biologically important for cotton biologists, and for those breeders engaged in cotton fiber and yield improvement programs.

In response to the exhaustion of traditional energy, green and efficient energy conversion has attracted growing attention. The IVA group elements, especially carbon, are widely distributed and stable in the earth’s crust, and have received a lot of attention from scientists. The low-dimensional structures composed of IVA group elements have special energy band structure and electrical properties, which allow them to show more excellent performance in the fields of energy conversion. In recent years, the diversification of synthesis and optimization of properties of IVA group elements low-dimensional nanomaterials (IVA-LD) contributed to the flourishing development of related fields. This paper reviews the properties and synthesis methods of IVA-LD for energy conversion devices, as well as their current applications in major fields such as ion battery, moisture electricity generation, and solar-driven evaporation. Finally, the prospects and challenges faced by the IVA-LD in the field of energy conversion are discussed.

Understanding the genetic diversity and population structure of germplasms is essential when selecting parents for crop breeding. The genomic changes that occurred during the domestication and improvement of Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) remains poorly understood. Besides, the available genetic resources from cotton cultivars are limited. By applying restriction site-associated DNA marker sequencing (RAD-seq) technology to 582 tetraploid cotton accessions, we confirmed distinct genomic regions on chromosomes A06 and A08 in Upland cotton cultivar subgroups. Based on the pedigree, reported QTLs, introgression analyses, and genome-wide association study (GWAS), we suggest that these divergent regions might have resulted from the introgression of exotic lineages of G. hirsutum landraces and their wild relatives. These regions were the typical genomic signatures that might be responsible for maturity and fiber quality on chromosome A06 and chromosome A08, respectively. Moreover, these genomic regions are located in the putative pericentromeric regions, implying that their application will be challenging. In the study, based on high-density SNP markers, we reported two genomic signatures on chromosomes A06 and A08, which might originate from the introgression events in the Upland cotton population. Our study provides new insights for understanding the impact of historic introgressions on population divergence and important agronomic traits of modern Upland cotton cultivars.

BackgroundCerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a common age-related vascular disease of the brain associated with slowly accumulating tissue damage. At present, total CSVD burden score is a commonly used method to evaluate the severity of the disease.PurposeTo observe whether global and regional cerebral perfusion is related to total CSVD score and to explore global and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes in patients with different degrees of CSVD.MethodsWe collected 130 subjects with different total burden score of CSVD (0 point: 33 subjects, 1 point: 39 subjects, 2 points: 24 subjects, 3 points: 24 subjects, 4 points: 10 subjects). Total CSVD burden score was evaluated by clinically routine sequences (T2WI, T2-FLAIR, T1WI, DWI, and SWAN sequence). Global and regional CBF were calculated and correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationship between total CSVD score and CBF of the whole brain and several brain regions.ResultsThe analysis results showed that there was a negative correlation between total CSVD burden score and global CBF (r = −0.33, p = 0.001). Total CSVD burden score also had moderately negative correlations with CBF of almost all the brain regions.ConclusionCSVD is a disease that affects the whole brain. With the increase of total CSVD burden score, the global and regional CBF decreased. The CSVD total burden score could be used to evaluate the overall condition of brain perfusion.

As a renewable energy source, solar energy has become an important part of human energy use. However, facilities utilizing solar energy are often complex and technically difficult, and preparation equipment and materials are expensive, while these equipment and materials often cause new environmental pollution. Soil, which exists in large quantities on the earth’s surface, is an inexhaustible natural material with loose and stable properties. Due to the specificity of its composition and microscopic form, the soil has an inherent advantage as a medium for solar thermal and photovoltaic conversion. Here, we built an integrated solar energy utilization system, the Integrated Soil Utilization Module (ISUM), integrating multi-functions into one hybrid system, which enables solar-driven water vapor and electricity generation and soil remediation. The evaporation rate of the soil represented by the rocky land was 1.2 kg·m−2·h−1 under 1-sun irradiation with evaporation induced voltage of 0.3 V. With only seven days of continuous exposure to sunlight, the removal of heavy metal ions from the soil reached 90%, while the pH was raised to near neutral. The combined application of readily available natural soil with solar energy not only demonstrates the potential of a soil for solar desalination and power generation, but in addition, solar-driven interfacial evaporation provides an energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, and sustainable method for purifying heavy metal and acid-contaminated soil.

Aroma is one of the most important indicators of grape quality. Girdling and foliar fertilization with K (K2O) are common agronomic practices applied to improve berry quality in grape production. However, little is known about its effect on the accumulation and biosynthesis of the entire aromatic profile. Our study was aimed to explore the influences of girdling and foliar fertilization with K (alone or in combination) on the general properties, phenolic composition, volatile free aroma compounds, spatial and temporal expression of terpene-related genes and sensory properties in ‘Hanxiangmi’ table grape. In this study, we found that girdling and foliar fertilization with K (alone or in combination) facilitated fruit enlargement and increased the accumulation of phenolic compounds in skin. The combination treatment of girdling and foliar fertilization with K significantly promoted the concentrations of total soluble solids (TSS) in the pulp and proanthocyanidins in the berry skin, and had a lower titratable acidity (TA) compared to those of the control. In contrast, girdling treatment alone increased the concentrations of titratable acidity. Volatile free aroma composition analysis revealed that the combination treatment increased the volatile compounds and concentrations significantly, most notably in terpenes, such as nerol, citronellol and linalool. Spatial and temporal expression analysis showed that the expression level of VvDXS was significantly correlated with linalool and total terpenes concentrations, as a result of which, we speculated that VvDXS is the candidate gene for the regulation of important grape terpenes. We hope that our results can direct farmers to better apply girdling and foliar fertilization with K in grape production.

Abstract Background Heterosis, a multigenic complex trait extrapolated as sum total of many phenotypic features, is widely utilized phenomenon in agricultural crops for about a century. It is mainly focused on establishing vigorous cultivars with the fact that its deployment in crops necessitates the perspective of genomic impressions on prior selection for metric traits. In spite of extensive investigations, the actual mysterious genetic basis of heterosis is yet to unravel. Contemporary crop breeding is aimed at enhanced crop production overcoming former achievements. Leading cotton improvement programs remained handicapped to attain significant accomplishments. Results In mentioned context, a comprehensive project was designed involving a large collection of cotton accessions including 284 lines, 5 testers along with their respective F1 hybrids derived from Line × Tester mating design were evaluated under 10 diverse environments. Heterosis, GCA and SCA were estimated from morphological and fiber quality traits by L × T analysis. For the exploration of elite marker alleles related to heterosis and to provide the material carrying such multiple alleles the mentioned three dependent variables along with trait phenotype values were executed for association study aided by microsatellites in mixed linear model based on population structure and linkage disequilibrium analysis. Highly significant 46 microsatellites were discovered in association with the fiber and yield related traits under study. It was observed that two-thirds of the highly significant associated microsatellites related to fiber quality were distributed on D sub-genome, including some with pleiotropic effect. Newly discovered 32 hQTLs related to fiber quality traits are one of prominent findings from current study. A set of 96 exclusively favorable alleles were discovered and C tester (A971Bt) posited a major contributor of these alleles primarily associated with fiber quality. Conclusions Hence, to uncover hidden facts lying within heterosis phenomenon, discovery of additional hQTLs is required to improve fibre quality. To grab prominent improvement in influenced fiber quality and yield traits, we suggest the A971 Bt cotton cultivar as fundamental element in advance breeding programs as a parent of choice.

Abstract Background Gossypium arboreum is a diploid species cultivated in the Old World. It possesses favorable characters that are valuable for developing superior cotton cultivars. Method A set of 197 Gossypium arboreum accessions were genotyped using 80 genome-wide SSR markers to establish patterns of the genetic diversity and population structure. These accessions were collected from three major G. arboreum growing areas in China. A total of 255 alleles across 80 markers were identified in the genetic diversity analysis. Results Three subgroups were found using the population structure analysis, corresponding to the Yangtze River Valley, North China, and Southwest China zones of G.arboreum growing areas in China. Average genetic distance and Polymorphic information content value of G. arboreum population were 0.34 and 0.47, respectively, indicating high genetic diversity in the G. arboreum germplasm pool. The Phylogenetic analysis results concurred with the subgroups identified by Structure analysis with a few exceptions. Variations among and within three groups were observed to be 13.61% and 86.39%, respectively. Conclusion The information regarding genetic diversity and population structure from this study is useful for genetic and genomic analysis and systematic utilization of economically important traits in G. arboreum.

Abstract Background Cottonseed is one of the most important raw materials for plant protein, oil and alternative biofuel for diesel engines. Understanding the complex genetic basis of cottonseed traits is requisite for achieving efficient genetic improvement of the traits. However, it is not yet clear about their genetic architecture in genomic level. GWAS has been an effective way to explore genetic basis of quantitative traits in human and many crops. This study aims to dissect genetic mechanism seven cottonseed traits by a GWAS for genetic improvement. Results A genome-wide association study (GWAS) based on a full gene model with gene effects as fixed and gene-environment interaction as random, was conducted for protein, oil and 5 fatty acids using 316 accessions and ~ 390 K SNPs. Totally, 124 significant quantitative trait SNPs (QTSs), consisting of 16, 21, 87 for protein, oil and fatty acids (palmitic, linoleic, oleic, myristic, stearic), respectively, were identified and the broad-sense heritability was estimated from 71.62 to 93.43%; no QTS-environment interaction was detected for the protein, the palmitic and the oleic contents; the protein content was predominantly controlled by epistatic effects accounting for 65.18% of the total variation, but the oil content and the fatty acids except the palmitic were mainly determined by gene main effects and no epistasis was detected for the myristic and the stearic. Prediction of superior pure line and hybrid revealed the potential of the QTSs in the improvement of cottonseed traits, and the hybrid could achieve higher or lower genetic values compared with pure lines. Conclusions This study revealed complex genetic architecture of seven cottonseed traits at whole genome-wide by mixed linear model approach; the identified genetic variants and estimated genetic component effects of gene, gene-gene and gene-environment interaction provide cotton geneticist or breeders new knowledge on the genetic mechanism of the traits and the potential molecular breeding design strategy.

Treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains challenging. Enhancement of anti-tumor responses by blocking negative immune regulators is a promising strategy for novel effective leukemia therapeutics. V-domain Ig suppressor of T-cell activation (VISTA) is a recently defined negative regulator mediating immune evasion in cancer. To investigate the effect of VISTA on anti-leukemia immune response in AML, we initiated a study using clinical samples collected from AML patients. Here we report that VISTA is highly expressed on myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the peripheral blood of AML patients. Both the frequency and intensity of VISTA expression on MDSCs are significantly higher in newly diagnosed AML than in healthy controls. Importantly knockdown of VISTA by specific siRNA potently reduced the MDSCs-mediated inhibition of CD8 T cell activity in AML, suggesting a suppressive effect of VISTA on anti-leukemia T cell response. Furthermore, we observed a strong positive association between MDSC expression of VISTA and T cell expression of PD-1 in AML. These results support the strategy of VISTA-targeted treatment for AML and underscore the strong potential for combined blockade of VISTA and PD-1 pathways in effective leukemia control.

MYC2 is a core transcription factor in the plant response to jasmonates. It also functions in secondary metabolism and various processes for growth and development. However, the knowledge about its role in Salvia miltiorrhiza is still very limited. We determined that the biosynthesis of salvianolic acid B (Sal B) was strongly induced in 2-month-old transgenic plants that over-expressed SmMYC2. In the roots of transgenic line 12 that over-expressed SmMYC2 (OEM-12), the Sal B concentration was as high as 5.95 ± 0.07 mg g-1, a level that was 1.88-fold higher than that in control plants that had been transformed with an empty vector. Neither tanshinone IIA nor cryptotanshinone was detected by high-performance liquid chromatography in any of the genotypes. Global transcriptomic analysis using RNA sequencing revealed that most enzyme-encoding genes for the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway were up-regulated in the overexpression lines. Furthermore, both the phenylalanine and tyrosine biosynthesis pathways were activated in those transgenics. Our data demonstrate that overexpression of SmMYC2 promotes the production of phenolic acids by simultaneously activating both primary and secondary pathways for metabolism in S. miltiorrhiza.

Improving yield is a major objective for cotton breeding schemes, and lint yield and its three component traits (boll number, boll weight and lint percentage) are complex traits controlled by multiple genes and various environments. Association mapping was performed to detect markers associated with these four traits using 651 simple sequence repeats (SSRs). A mixed linear model including epistasis and environmental interaction was used to screen the loci associated with these four yield traits by 323 accessions of Gossypium hirsutum L. evaluated in nine different environments. 251 significant loci were detected to be associated with lint yield and its three components, including 69 loci with individual effects and all involved in epistasis interactions. These significant loci explain ∼ 62.05% of the phenotypic variance (ranging from 49.06% ∼ 72.29% for these four traits). It was indicated by high contribution of environmental interaction to the phenotypic variance for lint yield and boll numbers, that genetic effects of SSR loci were susceptible to environment factors. Shared loci were also observed among these four traits, which may be used for simultaneous improvement in cotton breeding for yield traits. Furthermore, consistent and elite loci were screened with -Log10 (P-value) >8.0 based on predicted effects of loci detected in different environments. There was one locus and 6 pairs of epistasis for lint yield, 4 loci and 10 epistasis for boll number, 15 loci and 2 epistasis for boll weight, and 2 loci and 5 epistasis for lint percentage, respectively. These results provided insights into the genetic basis of lint yield and its components and may be useful for marker-assisted breeding to improve cotton production.