Search

Abstract Background Proper flowering time is important for the growth and development of plants, and both too early and too late flowering impose strong negative influences on plant adaptation and seed yield. Thus, it is vitally important to study the mechanism underlying flowering time control in plants. In a previous study by the authors, genome-wide association analysis was used to screen the candidate gene SISTER OF FCA (SSF) that regulates FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), a central gene encoding a flowering suppressor in Arabidopsis thaliana. Results SSF physically interacts with Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5, SKB1). Subcellular co—localization analysis showed that SSF and SKB1 interact in the nucleus. Genetically, SSF and SKB1 exist in the same regulatory pathway that controls FLC expression. Furthermore, RNA-sequencing analysis showed that both SSF and SKB1 regulate certain common pathways. Conclusions This study shows that PRMT5 interacts with SSF, thus controlling FLC expression and facilitating flowering time control.

Background: Platelets have the hemostatic function, and their aberrant activation is associated with occlusive thrombus formation. Plasma exosomes are rich in platelets containing ubiquitin-specific peptidase 15 (USP15). Herein, we aim to explore the effect of USP15 on thrombosis, as well as expounding whether USP15 acts as an upstream target of FK506 binding protein 5 (FKBP5) to regulate occlusive thrombus formation. Methods: Washed human platelets were treated with thrombin for measurement of USP15 and FKBP5 expressions. USP15 loss/gain-of-function variant in HEK293 cells was performed by cell transfection, and the interaction between USP15 and FKBP5 was examined using immunoprecipitation and ubiquitination assays. Mice with USP15-knockout platelets (Plt USP15-/-) were modeled, and subjected to calculation of bleeding time, artery thrombosis imaging and clot retraction assay. FKBP5 expression and the inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B kinase subunit epsilon (IKBKE)/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Rap1 pathway in wild-type and Plt USP15-/- mice-derived platelets were detected using Western blot. The activation of αIIbβ3 in washed platelets was analyzed using flow cytometry. Results: USP15 and FKBP5 expressions were upregulated in platelets after thrombin treatment. Following transfection of USP15 knockdown and USP15 overexpression plasmids into HEK293 cells, FKBP5 protein expression was downregulated by USP15 knockdown while being upregulated by USP15 overexpression. USP15 bound to FKBP5 and protected FKBP5 against ubiquitination. Knockdown of platelet USP15 prolonged bleeding time, inhibited arterial thrombosis and delayed clot retraction in mice. Knockdown of platelet USP15 also decreased protein expressions of FKBP5, IKBKE and Rap1, p-PI3K/PI3K ratio, and activation of αIIbβ3 in mice. Conclusion: USP15 knockdown in platelets affects thrombosis in mice by promoting the instability of FKBP5 to repress the activation of IKBKE/PI3K/Rap1 pathway-mediated αIIbβ3.

Summary: Background: The public health burden of cardiomyopathies and competency in their management by health agencies in China are not well understood. Methods: This study adopted a multi-stage sampling method for hospital selection. In the first stage, nationwide tertiary hospital recruitment was performed. As a result, 88 hospitals with the consent of the director of cardiology and access to an established electronic medical records system, were recruited. In the second stage, we sampled 66 hospitals within each geographic-economic stratification through a random sampling process. Data on (1) the outpatient and inpatient visits for cardiomyopathies between 2017 and 2021 and (2) the competency in the management of patients with cardiomyopathies, were collected. The competency of a hospital to provide cardiomyopathy care was evaluated using a specifically devised scale. Findings: The outpatient and inpatient visits for cardiomyopathies increased between 2017 and 2021 by 38.6% and 33.0%, respectively. Most hospitals had basic facilities for cardiomyopathy assessment. However, access to more complex procedures was limited, and the integrated management pathway needs improvement. Only 4 (6.1%) of the 66 participating hospitals met the criteria for being designated as a comprehensive cardiomyopathy center, and only 29 (43.9%) could be classified as a primary cardiomyopathy center. There were significant variations in competency between hospitals with different administrative and economic levels. Interpretation: The health burden of cardiomyopathies has increased significantly between 2017 and 2021 in China. Although most tertiary hospitals in China can offer basic cardiomyopathy care, more advanced facilities are not yet universally available. Moreover, inconsistencies in the management of cardiomyopathies across hospitals due to differing administrative and economic levels warrants a review of the nation allocation of medical resources. Funding: This work was supported by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (2023-I2M-1-001) and the National High Level Hospital Clinical Research Funding (2022-GSP-GG-17).

ObjectiveCancer seriously endangers human health and represents a global public health issue. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a distressing and persistent sense of exhaustion caused by cancer or cancer treatment, widely prevalent among cancer patients. This study aims to summarize emerging trends and provide directions for future research of CRF through bibliometric and visualization analyses.MethodsA systematic search in the Web of Science Core Collection database from 2001-01-01 to 2023-05-18 were conducted. Only reviews and articles written in English were considered. CiteSpace and the R were used for bibliometric and visualization analyses.ResultsThe analysis revealed that 2,566 studies on CRF have been published by 1,041 institutions in 70 countries so far. The number of articles published and cited annually have been steadily increasing. Eduardo Bruera published the most articles, and Julienne E Bower is the most co-cited author. The University of Texas System is the leading institution in cancer-related fatigue research. The United States and China have the largest number of publications. Supportive Care in Cancer published the most articles, and Journal of Clinical Oncology is the most co-cited journal. “Comparison of Pharmaceutical, Psychological, and Exercise Treatments for Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Meta-analysis”, authored by Mustian KM et al. and published in JAMA Oncology was the most co-cited document. Keyword analysis indicated that research focus had shifted from “epoetin alpha” and “anemia” to “risk factors”, “systematic review”, “acupuncture”, “anxiety”, “traditional Chinese medicine” and “guidelines”.ConclusionIn conclusion, this analysis provides comprehensive research trends and knowledge network maps of CRF. Clinical physicians should concurrently focus on the anemia, insomnia, anxiety, and depression status of patients when assessing or managing CRF. Improvements in related risk factors also contribute to alleviating fatigue. Furthermore, it is essential to pay attention to authoritative CRF guidelines. Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine also have therapeutic potential, which merits further investigation. Researchers should draw attention to the crucial roles of inflammation, hypoxia, and mitochondrial dysfunction, which could be the frontiers.

For managers of road infrastructure, culvert deterioration is a major concern since culvert failures can cause serious risks to the traveling public. The efficiency of the cost- and labor-intensive culvert inspection and maintenance process can be improved by properly identifying the key impact factors on culvert condition deterioration. Although the use of machine learning (ML) techniques to predict culvert conditions has been proven to be a promising tool for enhancing culvert management and enabling proactive scheduling of maintenance tasks, the information provided by the developed ML models has been given little attention for further use and analysis. By utilizing the predictor importance results of an evaluated decision tree (DT) culvert condition prediction model and the Mann–Whitney U test, this study provided insights to the identification of the key variables influencing culvert deterioration. According to the findings, five impact factors, including culvert span, pH, age, rise, and cover height, often have significant impact on the condition ratings of culverts made of various materials. In addition, such a statistical test-assisted factor identification process offered a way of identifying and enhancing the input variable selection for predictive ML model development.

IntroductionA series of significant ecological construction projects in the southern hilly region have brought about substantial changes to the ecological status and comprehensive zoning of the region. Hunan Province, with its strategic significance, was chosen as a representative research subject in the southern hilly region.MethodsWe conducted a dynamic evaluation of the ecological status change and comprehensive zoning of Hunan Province from a structure–function perspective by applying the transfer matrix, Theil-Sen, Mann-Kendall, and ecosystem service trade-offs or synergies methods. The research goal was to integrate and harmonize structural complexity and functional diversification, providing valuable insights for optimizing both ecological background and territorial background.ResultsThe main results are as follows: (1) The structural changes of ecosystems were mainly concentrated in settlement and Cropland ecosystems. While the area of bulti-up ecosystems has increased significantly, from 1.34% in 2000 to 2.72% in 2020. Cropland ecosystems marking a decrease of 1.39%, with a continued conversion of Cropland into construction land ecosystems. (2) Ecosystem function changes have introduced instability. Over time, NPP exhibited an oscillating trend of increase followed by a decrease. Spatially, there was a sharp decline in peripheral building land, and the regions of declining NPP displayed a lateral U-shaped distribution. (3) The overall trend in ecosystem service changes was positive. Quantitatively, GP and CS experienced an ascending-then-decreasing pattern, while HQ showed a weak decline and WY increased annually. At the county scale, there was noticeable spatial heterogeneity. Human socio-economic activities and environmental protection policies exert a significant impact on the ecological conditions within the study area. (4) Regarding the national territory space function partition, urban functional zones have primarily catered to residential functions and were mainly distributed in the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan area.DiscussionEcological functional zones were mainly centered on ecological functions, and most were located in the mountainous areas of western and southern Hunan Province. The agricultural function areas were mainly to serve production functions and were mainly located in the Dongting Lake Plain, the nearshore plain of the mainstream and tributary systems of the rivers of Xiang, Zi, Yuan, and Li. In general, the changes in ecosystem structure and function in the study area reflect changes in ecological conditions. In the future, ecosystem diversity, stability, and sustainability should be improved from an integrated structure–function perspective.

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that there is a correlation between diseases of the thyroid gland and mental illnesses; however, any causal relationship between them remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the causal relationship between borderline personality disorder and four thyroid diseases.MethodsThe causal relationship was inferred using double-sample Mendelian randomization analysis of appropriate instrumental variables from genome-wide association studies. We calculated the estimated value of the effect using various statistical methods.ResultsBorderline personality disorder was a risk factor for non-toxic single thyroid nodules with each increase in standard deviation increasing the risk of a non-toxic single thyroid nodule by 1.13 times (odds ratio = 1.131; 95% confidence interval, 1.006-1.270; P=0.039). There was no evidence of a correlation between borderline personality disorder and hyperthyroidism/thyrotoxicosis, hypothyroidism, and autoimmune thyroiditis.ConclusionThis study showed that there is a positive causal correlation between borderline personality disorder and non-toxic single thyroid nodules but not with other thyroid diseases. This means that thyroid status should be monitored in patients with borderline personality disorder. However, the possibility of a causal relationship between other mental illnesses and thyroid diseases requires further research.

Background: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) has an enormous adverse impact on quality of life and subsequent therapy of cancer patients. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is reported to improve CRF in many systematic reviews (SRs), but the effects are controversial because of variations in the quality and outcomes. Methods: Thirteen databases were searched from inception to September 2022. Only SRs of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. We assessed the quality of included SRs with the AMSTAR-2 tool, the strength of evidence with the GRADE system, the risk of bias with the ROBIS tool, and the integrity of SRs with the PRISMA checklist. Results: We included 30 eligible SRs (27 meta-analyses). Based on the AMSTAR-2 tool, 29 SRs were rated as “critically low” quality, and only one was rated as “low” quality. With the ROBIS tool, 19 SRs demonstrated a low risk of bias. According to the PRISMA checklist, no SRs reported all the items, and 10 SRs sufficiently reported over 70%. Based on the GRADE system, 7 outcomes were assessed as high-quality evidence. Conclusion: This overview demonstrates promising evidence for the effectiveness of CAM interventions in the treatment of CRF in adults. The roles of qigong, music, auricular point therapy, and dietary supplements in CRF need further evaluation. Although findings are mixed, it is recommend to select appropriate CAM to manage cancer-related fatigue under the guidance of physicians. More studies with rigorous methodological designs and sufficient sample sizes are needed.

Abstract Background Flowering time is an important agronomic trait of crops and significantly affects plant adaptation and seed production. Flowering time varies greatly among maize (Zea mays) inbred lines, but the genetic basis of this variation is not well understood. Here, we report the comprehensive genetic architecture of six flowering time-related traits using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population obtained from a cross between two maize genotypes, B73 and Abe2, and combined with genome-wide association studies to identify candidate genes that affect flowering time. Results Our results indicate that these six traits showed extensive phenotypic variation and high heritability in the RIL population. The flowering time of this RIL population showed little correlation with the leaf number under different environmental conditions. A genetic linkage map was constructed by 10,114 polymorphic markers covering the whole maize genome, which was applied to QTL mapping for these traits, and identified a total of 82 QTLs that contain 13 flowering genes. Furthermore, a combined genome-wide association study and linkage mapping analysis revealed 17 new candidate genes associated with flowering time. Conclusions In the present study, by using genetic mapping and GWAS approaches with the RIL population, we revealed a list of genomic regions and candidate genes that were significantly associated with flowering time. This work provides an important resource for the breeding of flowering time traits in maize.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was mainly to determine the midterm outcome of septal myectomy (SM) and medical therapy (MT) in mildly symptomatic patients (NYHA class II) with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM).MethodsThe study cohort consisted of 184 mildly symptomatic patients with HOCM evaluated in Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University between March 2001 and December 2017, including 82 patients in the SM group and 102 patients in the MT group. Overall survival and HCM-related survival were mainly observed.ResultsThe average follow-up time was 5.0 years. Compared to patients accepting MT, patients treated with SM were associated with comparable overall survival (96.5% and 93.1% vs. 92.9% and 83.0% at 5 and 10 years, respectively; P = 0.197) and HCM-related survival (98.7% and 98.7% vs. 94.2% and 86.1% at 5 and 10 years, respectively; P = 0.063). However, compared to MT, SM was superior at improvement of NYHA class (1.3 ± 0.6 vs. 2.1 ± 0.5, P < 0.001) and mean reduction of resting left ventricular outflow (LVOT) gradient (78.5 ± 18.6% vs. 28.3 ± 18.4%, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis suggested that resting LVOT gradient in the last clinical examination was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality (HR = 1.017, 95%CI: 1.000–1.034, P = 0.045) and HCM-related mortality (HR = 1.024, 95%CI: 1.005–1.043, P = 0.012) in the entire cohort.ConclusionCompared with MT, SM had comparable overall survival and HCM-related survival in mildly symptomatic HOCM patients, but SM had advantages on improving clinical symptoms and reducing resting LVOT gradient. Resting LVOT gradient in the last clinical examination was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality and HCM-related mortality.

Natural variation represents valuable source for gene discovery. Here, the authors show that a homolog of Flowering Control Locus A (FCA) functions in an antagonistic manner to FCA in regulating Arabidopsis flowering time through interacting with CUL1-E3 and modulating FLC expression.

IntroductionLung cancer has the highest mortality rate of about 18.0% among malignant tumors worldwide, and chemotherapy is the main treatment. 80% of patients receiving chemotherapy suffers from cancer-related fatigue, which is the most severe symptom, with a large effect on quality of life as well as prognosis. Oral Chinese medicine, a kind of complementary and alternative medicine, has been proved to benefit lung cancer patients. However, no studies have reviewed whether it can reduce fatigue in lung cancer patients after chemotherapy, which is the purpose of our study.MethodsTwo reviewers will systematically and independently retrieve papers, select studies for inclusion, extract data, and assess risk of bias. The following nine databases will be searched: China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan Fang database, Chinese Scientific Journals Database, Chinese biomedical literature service system, PubMed, Web of Science, OVID, Scopus, and EMBASE from inception to February, 2022. Included studies will only be randomized controlled trials. Primary outcome is cancer-related fatigue. Secondary outcomes are quality of life, immunologic function, and the incidence of adverse events. We will use RoB 2 tool to assess the risk of bias and RevMan to analyze data. Risk ratios will be calculated for dichotomous data and mean differences for continuous data. Random-effect model will be used to integrate statistical effects. Meta-regression, subgroup and sensitivity analyses will be carried out. We will evaluate the strength and overall quality of evidence with four levels: very low, low, moderate, and high.ResultsThe review of current evidence of oral Chinese medicine on cancer-related fatigue for lung cancer patients after chemotherapy will be narratively summarized and quantitatively analyzed.ConclusionThe definitive conclusion will help physicians to determine whether oral Chinese medicine is an effective treatment for reducing fatigue in lung cancer patients after chemotherapy in clinical settings.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42021292576.

We describe a method to test the preference of insects in response to (3E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene (DMNT). We use a device that includes a horizontal glass tube, two grooves (with activated carbon), air flow, rubber stoppers/tubes, transparent glass containers (optional), and a holder for the glass tube (optional). Equal amounts of activated carbon in the groove (removable) are placed at both ends to avoid air contamination. The air flow is generated by an air pump. In the closed device, different samples are placed at each end of the glass tube. The air pump at the top of the glass tube forms an air flow that converges to the middle site of the glass tube. In each test, insect larvae are located in the middle of the glass test tube. If the test samples release DMNT that can be sensed by insects, the insects will selectively move to one specific end of the glass tube. The number of insects that move to each end will be recorded for further studies. This method can also be used to test the preference of insects in response to other volatile compounds.

Plants are very effective in responding to environmental changes during competition for light and nutrients. Low Red:Far-Red (low R:FR)-mediated neighbor detection allows plants to compete successfully with other plants for available light. This above-ground signal can also reduce lateral root growth by inhibiting lateral root emergence, a process that might help the plant invest resources in shoot growth. Nitrate is an essential nutrient for plant growth and Arabidopsis thaliana responds to low nitrate conditions by enhancing nutrient uptake and reducing lateral and main root growth. There are indications that low R:FR signaling and low nitrate signaling can affect each other. It is unknown which response is prioritized when low R:FR light- and low nitrate signaling co-occur. We investigated the effect of low nitrate conditions on the low R:FR response of the A. thaliana root system in agar plate media, combined with the application of supplemental Far-Red (FR) light to the shoot. We observed that under low nitrate conditions main and lateral root growth was reduced, but more importantly, that the response of the root system to low R:FR was not present. Consistently, a loss-of-function mutant of a nitrate transporter gene NRT2.1 lacked low R:FR-induced lateral root reduction and its root growth was hypersensitive to low nitrate. ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL5 (HY5) plays an important role in the root response to low R:FR and we found that it was less sensitive to low nitrate conditions with regards to lateral root growth. In addition, we found that low R:FR increases NRT2.1 expression and that low nitrate enhances HY5 expression. HY5 also affects NRT2.1 expression, however, it depended on the presence of ammonium in which direction this effect was. Replacing part of the nitrogen source with ammonium also removed the effect of low R:FR on the root system, showing that changes in nitrogen sources can be crucial for root plasticity. Together our results show that nitrate signaling can repress low R:FR responses and that this involves signaling via HY5 and NRT2.1.

Insect pests negatively affect crop quality and yield; identifying new methods to protect crops against insects therefore has important agricultural applications. Our analysis of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants showed that overexpression of pentacyclic triterpene synthase 1, encoding the key biosynthetic enzyme for the natural plant product (3E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene (DMNT), led to a significant resistance against a major insect pest, Plutella xylostella. DMNT treatment severely damaged the peritrophic matrix (PM), a physical barrier isolating food and pathogens from the midgut wall cells. DMNT repressed the expression of PxMucin in midgut cells, and knocking down PxMucin resulted in PM rupture and P. xylostella death. A 16S RNA survey revealed that DMNT significantly disrupted midgut microbiota populations and that midgut microbes were essential for DMNT-induced killing. Therefore, we propose that the midgut microbiota assists DMNT in killing P. xylostella. These findings may provide a novel approach for plant protection against P. xylostella.

We have explored the genetic basis of variation in vernalization requirement and response in Arabidopsis accessions, selected on the basis of their phenotypic distinctiveness. Phenotyping of F2 populations in different environments, plus fine mapping, indicated possible causative genes. Our data support the identification of FRI and FLC as candidates for the major-effect QTL underlying variation in vernalization response, and identify a weak FLC allele, caused by a Mutator-like transposon, contributing to flowering time variation in two N. American accessions. They also reveal a number of additional QTL that contribute to flowering time variation after saturating vernalization. One of these was the result of expression variation at the FT locus. Overall, our data suggest that distinct phenotypic variation in the vernalization and flowering response of Arabidopsis accessions is accounted for by variation that has arisen independently at relatively few major-effect loci.

Silica-filled rubber composites exhibit nonlinear viscoelastic behavior depending on filler dispersion and matrix interaction. This study investigated the effects of silane treatment on dynamic mechanical properties of precipitated and fumed silica-reinforced polybutadiene rubber composites. The silane coupling agent improved filler dispersion and interfacial adhesion as characterized by microscopy and bound rubber content. Payne effect measurements showed enhanced storage modulus and network stability for silanized composites due to better filler networking. Cyclic tensile loading displayed reduced stress-softening in treated composites attributable to minimized damage formation. Modeling using Kraus and damage mechanics approaches provided quantitative correlations between the microstructure and magnitude of nonlinear response. The results demonstrate that silane treatment optimizes the viscoelastic performance of silica-filled rubber composites.

The regulation of propellant combustion using ultrasonic waves is proposed. Under ultrasonic frequencies of 25–40 kHz, we systematically examined the combustion characteristics of Al particles, ammonium perchlorate (AP)/hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) propellants, and Al-containing Al/AP/HTPB propellants. Ultrasonic treatment increased the ignition delay time of the Al particles by 48.3 %. However, it increased the burning rate of the AP/HTPB propellants by up to 26.1 % and decreased their ignition delay by 39.3 %. As the ultrasonic frequency increased, the burning rate of the solid Al/AP/HTPB propellants increased by 22.5 %, and the degree of Al agglomeration decreased, resulting in a 24 % decrease in the size of the condensed-phase combustion products. The action mechanism was analyzed in terms of the effects of ultrasonic waves on Al droplets and combustion flames. The introduction of ultrasonic waves split the Al droplets near the burning surface into smaller particles, which affected combustion efficiency. Bringing the diffusion flame closer to the burning surface affected the burning rate. These findings demonstrate that the combustion and agglomeration characteristics of solid propellants can be modified using ultrasonic techniques, providing a new method for controlling the thrust of solid rocket motors.

Copyright of Transformations in Business & Economics is the property of Vilnius University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)