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Abstract Mitochondrial dysfunctions play major roles in ageing. How mitochondrial stresses invoke downstream responses and how specificity of the signaling is achieved, however, remains unclear. We have previously discovered that the RNA component of Telomerase TERC is imported into mitochondria, processed to a shorter form TERC-53, and then exported back to the cytosol. Cytosolic TERC-53 levels respond to mitochondrial functions, but have no direct effect on these functions, suggesting that cytosolic TERC-53 functions downstream of mitochondria as a signal of mitochondrial functions. Here, we show that cytosolic TERC-53 plays a regulatory role on cellular senescence and is involved in cognition decline in 10 months old mice, independent of its telomerase function. Manipulation of cytosolic TERC-53 levels affects cellular senescence and cognition decline in 10 months old mouse hippocampi without affecting telomerase activity, and most importantly, affects cellular senescence in terc −/− cells. These findings uncover a senescence-related regulatory pathway with a non-coding RNA as the signal in mammals.

Summary: Mitochondrial dysfunctions play major roles in many diseases. However, how mitochondrial stresses are relayed to downstream responses remains unclear. Here we show that the RNA component of mammalian telomerase TERC is imported into mitochondria, processed to a shorter form TERC-53, and then exported back to the cytosol. We found that the import is regulated by PNPASE, and the processing is controlled by mitochondrion-localized RNASET2. Cytosolic TERC-53 levels respond to changes in mitochondrial functions but have no direct effect on these functions. These findings uncover a mitochondrial RNA trafficking pathway and provide a potential mechanism for mitochondria to relay their functional states to other cellular compartments. : The functions of most mitochondrial RNAs imported from the cytosol are poorly understood. Cheng et al. provide evidence that the RNA component of mammalian telomerase TERC is imported into mitochondria, processed to a shorter form TERC-53, and then exported back to the cytosol. The cytosolic TERC-53 level serves as a potential indicator of mitochondrial functions. Keywords: mitochondria, RNA, import, export, processing, mitochondrial dysfunction, retrograde signaling, TERC, telomerase, RNASET2

ABSTRACT Mammalian mitochondrial genome encodes a small set of tRNAs, rRNAs, and mRNAs. The RNA synthesis process has been well characterized. How the RNAs are degraded, however, is poorly understood. It was long assumed that the degradation happens in the matrix where transcription and translation machineries reside. Here we show that contrary to the assumption, mammalian mitochondrial RNA degradation occurs in the mitochondrial intermembrane space (IMS) and the IMS-localized RNASET2 is the enzyme that degrades the RNAs. This provides a new paradigm for understanding mitochondrial RNA metabolism and transport.

We here report molecular investigations of a missense mutation in the HSPE1 gene encoding the HSP10 subunit of the HSP60/ HSP10 chaperonin complex that assists protein folding in the mitochondrial matrix. The mutation was identified in an infant who came to clinical attention due to infantile spasms at three months of age. Clinical exome sequencing revealed heterozygosity for a HSPE1 NM_002157.2:c.217C>T de novo mutation causing replacement of leucine with phenylalanine at position 73 of the HSP10 protein. This variation has never been observed in public exome sequencing databases or the literature.To evaluate whether the mutation may be disease-associated we investigated its effects by in vitro and ex vivo studies. Our in vitro studies indicated that the purified mutant protein was functional, yet its thermal stability, spontaneous refolding propensity, and resistance to proteolytic treatment were profoundly impaired. Mass spectrometric analysis of patient fibroblasts revealed barely detectable levels of HSP10-p.Leu73Phe protein resulting in an almost 2-fold decrease of the ratio of HSP10 to HSP60 subunits. Amounts of the mitochondrial superoxide dismutase SOD2, a protein whose folding is known to strongly depend on the HSP60/HSP10 complex, were decreased to approximately 20% in patient fibroblasts in spite of unchanged SOD2 transcript levels. As a likely consequence, mitochondrial superoxide levels were increased about 2-fold. Although we cannot exclude other causative or contributing factors, our experimental data support the notion that the HSP10-p.Leu73Phe mutation could be the cause or a strong contributing factor for the disorder in the described patient.

Gene repression by transcription factors, and glucocorticoid receptors (GR) in particular, is a critical, but poorly understood, physiological response. Among the many unresolved questions is the difference between GR regulated induction and repression, and whether transcription cofactor action is the same in both. Because activity classifications based on changes in gene product level are mechanistically uninformative, we present a theory for gene repression in which the mechanisms of factor action are defined kinetically and are consistent for both gene repression and induction. The theory is generally applicable and amenable to predictions if the dose-response curve for gene repression is non-cooperative with a unit Hill coefficient, which is observed for GR-regulated repression of AP1LUC reporter induction by phorbol myristate acetate. The theory predicts the mechanism of GR and cofactors, and where they act with respect to each other, based on how each cofactor alters the plots of various kinetic parameters vs. cofactor. We show that the kinetically-defined mechanism of action of each of four factors (reporter gene, p160 coactivator TIF2, and two pharmaceuticals [NU6027 and phenanthroline]) is the same in GR-regulated repression and induction. What differs is the position of GR action. This insight should simplify clinical efforts to differentially modulate factor actions in gene induction vs. gene repression.

Obesity is a hallmark of aging in many Western societies, and is a precursor to numerous serious age-related diseases. Ghrelin (Ghrl), via its receptor (growth hormone secretagogue receptor, GHS-R), is shown to stimulate GH secretion and appetite. Surprisingly, our previous studies showed that Ghrl(-/-) mice have impaired thermoregulatory responses to cold and fasting stresses, while Ghsr(-/-) mice are adaptive.To elucidate the mechanism, we analyzed the complete metabolic profiles of younger (3-4 months) and older (10-12 months) Ghrl(-/-) and Ghsr(-/-) mice. Food intake and locomotor activity were comparable for both null mice and their wild-type (WT) counterparts, regardless of age. There was also no difference in body composition between younger null mice and their WT counterparts. As the WT mice aged, as expected, the fat/lean ratio increased and energy expenditure (EE) decreased. Remarkably, however, older Ghsr(-/-) mice exhibited reduced fat/lean ratio and increased EE when compared to older WT mice, thus retaining a youthful lean and high EE phenotype; in comparison, there was no significant difference with EE in Ghrl(-/-) mice. In line with the EE data, the thermogenic regulator, uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), was significantly up-regulated in brown adipose tissue (BAT) of Ghsr(-/-) mice, but not in Ghrl(-/-) mice.Our data therefore suggest that GHS-R ablation activates adaptive thermogenic function(s) in BAT and increases EE, thereby enabling the retention of a lean phenotype. This is the first direct evidence that the ghrelin signaling pathway regulates fat-burning BAT to affect energy balance during aging. This regulation is likely mediated through an as-yet-unidentified new ligand of GHS-R.

Abstract Background Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), a serious complication of diabetes, leads to structural and functional abnormalities of the heart and ultimately evolves to heart failure. IL-37 exerts a substantial influence on the regulation of inflammation and metabolism. Whether IL-37 is involved in DCM is unknown. Methods The plasma samples were collected from healthy controls, diabetic patients and DCM patients, and the level of IL-37 and its relationship with heart function were observed. The changes in cardiac function, myocardial fibrosis and mitochondrial injury in DCM mice with or without IL-37 intervention were investigated in vivo. By an in vitro co-culture approach involving HG challenge of cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts, the interaction carried out by cardiomyocytes on fibroblast profibrotic activation was studied. Finally, the possible interactive mediator between cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts was explored, and the intervention role of IL-37 and its relevant molecular mechanisms. Results We showed that the level of plasma IL-37 in DCM patients was upregulated compared to that in healthy controls and diabetic patients. Both recombinant IL-37 administration or inducing IL-37 expression alleviated cardiac dysfunction and myocardial fibrosis in DCM mice. Mechanically, hyperglycemia impaired mitochondria through SIRT1/AMPK/PGC1α signaling, resulting in significant cardiomyocyte apoptosis and the release of extracellular vesicles containing mtDNA. Fibroblasts then engulfed these mtDNA-enriched vesicles, thereby activating TLR9 signaling and the cGAS-STING pathway to initiate pro-fibrotic process and adverse remodeling. However, the presence of IL-37 ameliorated mitochondrial injury by preserving the activity of SIRT1-AMPK-PGC1α axis, resulting in a reduction in release of mtDNA-enriched vesicle and ultimately attenuating the progression of DCM. Conclusions Collectively, our study demonstrates a protective role of IL-37 in DCM, offering a promising therapeutic agent for this disease. Graphical abstract Hyperglycemia aggravates mitochondrial injury through SIRT1/AMPK/PGC1α signaling, resulting in significant cardiomyocyte apoptosis and the release of extracellular vesicles containing mtDNA in DCM mice. Fibroblasts then engulf these mtDNA-enriched vesicles, activating TLR9 signaling and the cGAS-STING pathway to initiate profibrotic process and adverse remodeling. However, both exogenous and endogenous IL-37 ameliorate mitochondrial injury by preserving the activity of SIRT1-AMPK-PGC1α axis, and reducing the release of mtDNA-enriched vesicles, which attenuates the progression of DCM

Abstract Background Plant-specific TIFY proteins are widely found in terrestrial plants and play important roles in plant adversity responses. Although the genome of loquat at the chromosome level has been published, studies on the TIFY family in loquat are lacking. Therefore, the EjTIFY gene family was bioinformatically analyzed by constructing a phylogenetic tree, chromosomal localization, gene structure, and adversity expression profiling in this study. Results Twenty-six EjTIFY genes were identified and categorized into four subfamilies (ZML, JAZ, PPD, and TIFY) based on their structural domains. Twenty-four EjTIFY genes were irregularly distributed on 11 of the 17 chromosomes, and the remaining two genes were distributed in fragments. We identified 15 covariate TIFY gene pairs in the loquat genome, 13 of which were involved in large-scale interchromosomal segmental duplication events, and two of which were involved in tandem duplication events. Many abiotic stress cis-elements were widely present in the promoter region. Analysis of the Ka/Ks ratio showed that the paralogous homologs of the EjTIFY family were mainly subjected to purifying selection. Analysis of the RNA-seq data revealed that a total of five differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were expressed in the shoots under gibberellin treatment, whereas only one gene was significantly differentially expressed in the leaves; under both low-temperature and high-temperature stresses, there were significantly differentially expressed genes, and the EjJAZ15 gene was significantly upregulated under both low- and high-temperature stress. RNA-seq and qRT-PCR expression analysis under salt stress conditions revealed that EjJAZ2, EjJAZ4, and EjJAZ9 responded to salt stress in loquat plants, which promoted resistance to salt stress through the JA pathway. The response model of the TIFY genes in the jasmonic acid pathway under salt stress in loquat was systematically summarized. Conclusions These results provide a theoretical basis for exploring the characteristics and functions of additional EjTIFY genes in the future. This study also provides a theoretical basis for further research on breeding for salt stress resistance in loquat. RT-qPCR analysis revealed that the expression of one of the three EjTIFY genes increased and the expression of two decreased under salt stress conditions, suggesting that EjTIFY exhibited different expression patterns under salt stress conditions.

The increase in atmospheric CO2 leads to global warming and ecological environment deterioration. Carbon storage modeling and assessment can promote the sustainable development of the ecological environment. This paper took Xinjiang as the study area, analyzed the spatial and temporal evolution of land use in four periods from 1990 to 2020, explored the spatial relationship of carbon stocks using the InVEST model, and coupled the GMOP model with the PLUS model to carry out multiple scenarios for the future simulation of land use in the study area. We found (1) Over time, the types with an increasing area were mainly impervious and cropland, and the types with a decreasing area were grassland, snow/ice, and barren; spatially, the types were predominantly barren and grassland, with the conversion of grassland to cropland being more evident in the south of Northern Xinjiang and north of Southern Xinjiang. (2) The evolutionary pattern of terrestrial carbon stocks is increasing and then decreasing in time, and the carbon sink areas are concentrated in the Tarim River Basin and the vicinity of the Ili River; spatially, there are differences in the aggregation between the northern, southern, and eastern borders. By analyzing the transfer in and out of various categories in Xinjiang over the past 30 years, it was obtained that the transfer out of grassland reduced the carbon stock by 5757.84 × 104 t, and the transfer out of Barren increased the carbon stock by 8586.12 × 104 t. (3) The land use layout of the sustainable development scenario is optimal under the conditions of satisfying economic and ecological development. The reduction in terrestrial carbon stocks under the 2020–2030 sustainable development scenario is 209.79 × 104 t, which is smaller than the reduction of 830.79 × 104 t in 2010–2020. Land optimization resulted in a lower loss of carbon stocks and a more rational land-use layout. Future planning in Xinjiang should be based on sustainable development scenarios, integrating land resources, and achieving sustainable economic and ecological development.

The distribution of forest-dominant tree species is crucial for ecosystem assessment. Remote sensing monitoring requires annual ground sample data, but consistent field surveys are challenging. This study addresses this by combining sample migration learning and machine learning for multi-year tree species classification in the Three Gorges Reservoir area in China. Using the continuous change detection and classification (CCDC) algorithm, sample data from 2023 were successfully migrated to 2018–2022, achieving high migration accuracy (R2 = 0.8303, RMSE = 4.64). Based on migrated samples, random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), and extreme gradient boosting (XGB) algorithms classified forest tree species with overall accuracies above 70% and Kappa coefficients above 0.6. XGB. They outperformed other algorithms, with classification accuracy of over 80% and Kappa above 0.75 in almost all years. The final map indicates stable distribution from 2018 to 2023, with eucalyptus covering over 40% of the forest area, followed by horsetail pine, fir, cypress, and wetland pine.

Assessing the spatio-temporal variability and driving forces of soil erosion on the Loess Plateau is critical for ecological and environmental management. In this paper, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model, the patch-generating land use simulation, and the Geographical Detector are used to investigate the spatio-temporal variations of the Loess Plateau’s soil erosion from 2000 to 2050. The results showed that: (1) The primary categories of soil erosion from 2000 to 2020 were moderate, mild, and slight, and the average level of soil erosion exhibited a decreasing and then an increasing tendency during the last 20 years. (2) Soil erosion was directly impacted by changes in land use, with cropland and forest being the primary land use and land cover changes in the study region. Cropland and construction land being turned into woodland between 2000 and 2020 resulted in a significant decrease in the severity of soil erosion. Projected soil erosion is expected to increase significantly between 2020 and 2050 due to arable land being converted into construction land. (3) The key variables impacting the spatial distribution of soil erosion were LUCC (Land-Use and Land-Cover Change), NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), and slope, and the interplay of these variables may increase their ability to explain soil erosion. Grasslands with an NDVI ranging from 0.9 to 1, rain ranging from 0.805 to 0.854 m, a slope above 35°, and a terrain elevation ranging from 1595 to 2559 m were identified as having a high risk of soil erosion. Soil erosion prevention and management efforts should focus on the ecological restoration of upland areas in the future.

Elevational climatic heterogeneity, complex terrains, and varying subsurface properties affect the sensitivity of evapotranspiration (ET) in dryland mountain forests to hydrometeorological changes. However, the elevational distribution of ET sensitivity and its major influencing factors remain poorly understood. This study focused on the mid-altitude zone (1000–3500 m) forests in the Chinese Western Tianshan Mountains and assessed ET sensitivity to multiple climate variables, including precipitation (P) and potential evapotranspiration (PET), from 2000 to 2020. To evaluate the multi-year mean and trends in ET sensitivity, multi-source remote sensing data and regional survey data were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation coefficient, the sliding window method, and Kendall’s test. Furthermore, the relative importance of environmental variables (topography, geology, soil, and vegetation) was investigated. P and PET showed no significant trends, while ET exhibited a significant increasing trend (5.81 mm/yr, p < 0.01), particularly at elevations above 2000 m. Most forests (93.5%) showed a positive sensitivity of ET to P, and 70.0% showed a positive sensitivity of ET to PET, mainly at elevations of 1500–2500 m. Additionally, the trend in ET sensitivity to P decreased with an increasing elevation, with 64.5% showing a positive trend. Meanwhile, the trend in ET sensitivity to PET increased with elevation, with 88.1% showing a positive trend. Notably, 53.2% of the forests showed increasing ET sensitivity trends to both P and PET, primarily at elevations of 2000–3000 m with a mean normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of 0.56. Geological factors, particularly the hydrological properties of weathered bedrock, contributed the most (~47%) to mean sensitivity. However, geological and vegetative factors, including the NDVI and root zone water availability, were the main contributors (35% each) to the sensitivity. This study highlights the elevation-dependent sensitivity of dryland mountain forests to hydrothermal changes, with higher-elevation forests (>2000 m) being more sensitive to global warming.

Manganese toxicity is a major obstacle to agriculture in acid soils. Dark pericarp disease (DPD) is a newly spread physiological disorder induced by excess Mn in litchi, leading to undesirable fruit appearance and substantial economic loss. In this work, broadcast of alkaline soil conditioner in winter, followed by foliar sprays of ascorbic acid and sulfur solution at fruit development, was adopted to examine the effect of these combinations on DPD alleviation in a litchi orchard, with DPD morbidities of 70~85% in recent ten years. The combination of soil conditioner broadcast and foliar water spray was used as the control. At harvest, DPD incidence was significantly decreased by sulfur spray (3.3 ± 1.0%) and slightly reduced by ascorbic acid spray (10.7 ± 8.0%) compared to the control (12.9 ± 7.6%). Soil pH and available Mn were significantly increased and reduced by the soil conditioner broadcast. Sulfur spray significantly inhibited Mn uptake but enhanced the accumulation of Mg, Ca, sugars and cyanidin-3-rutinoside in the pericarp, leading to improved fruit pigmentation. Antioxidase activities were regulated to resist Mn stress by sulfur spray. The spray of ascorbic acid could not mitigate DPD as expected, probably due to the dose used. Conclusively, this study provides a practicable approach to mitigate Mn phytoavailability in acid soils.

Soil erosion is an important environmental problem in China. The hilly region of Jiangnan is characterized by severe soil erosion due to its unique climate and intensive human activities. Therefore, assessing soil erosion in this area is of great significance for achieving regional sustainable development. Based on the spatial zoning of natural resources and the spatial differences in precipitation, land cover, topographic features, and soil texture, we estimated soil erosion from 2000 to 2020 using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model. The study showed that micro-erosion dominates spatially in the subtropical forest subzone of the eastern hills, accounting for more than 60% of the total erosion area. Intense erosion was found in woodlands and grasslands and the erosion intensity tended to be lower in the plains. Erosion occurred mainly in areas with slopes >8°. The areas with significantly lower erosion were mainly distributed at the boundaries between forests, arable land, and artificial land surfaces. The areas where soil erosion significantly increased over the study period were mainly found in farmland areas (31.70%). Soil erosion occurred because of a combination of factors, among which vegetation cover played a prominent role. Elevation and slope were correlated with soil erosion intensity. Severe erosion in different parts of the study area showed two trends of spatial aggregation and discrete distribution. This analysis of soil erosion in the study area by the RUSLE model provides reference data for the eastern subtropical forest subregion including the Jiangnan Hills.

Long-term tectonic movements have shaped the geomorphological features and hydrothermal conditions of mountains, influencing their vegetation growth patterns in both positive and negative ways. However, little is known about the effect of fault development on the spatio-temporal variation in vegetation along the elevation gradient in mountainous regions. To address this issue of montane tectonic ecology, this study selected the tectonically active mid-altitude zone (1000–3500 m) of the Chinese Western Tianshan Mountains. The role of tectonics is investigated by fault length density maps calculated from zonal statistics of region-scale fault survey data (1:250,000). The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was chosen as an indicator to analyze the growth status of vegetation. The spatial distribution of fault length density, elevational, and interannual characteristics of the NDVIs from 2000 to 2020 and their relationships along the elevation gradient were investigated. The results show that the faulting zone accounts for 32.6% of the study area and the high faulting zone exhibits a unimodal distribution along the elevation gradient, with the maximum occurring at elevations of approximately 2000 m. The NDVIs of forests and high-coverage grassland show a unimodal distribution with elevation, with the maximum occurring at elevations of approximately 2000 m, coinciding with that of fault length density. In the elevation range of 1000–2500 m, the NDVI of the faulting zone is lower than that of the non-faulting zone, whereas that of the elevation range of 2500–3500 m is higher—a difference that is particularly evident in forests. This elevation-dependent contrasting effect of faults on vegetation growth could be attributed to more favorable hydrothermal conditions for vegetation in fault valleys and reduced landslide susceptibility with increasing elevation. This study highlights the need to consider fault distribution in understanding vegetation distribution and growth in tectonically active mountains.

The Loess Plateau is one of the most fragile ecological regions in China due to its shortage of water resources and severe soil erosion. The rapid development of urbanization and the implementation of the project of returning farmland to forest (grass) have caused the ecological environment of the region to be strongly impacted by human activities. It is necessary to investigate the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of ecosystem services and trade-off/synergy relationships on the Loess Plateau, to achieve scientific management of ecological services and sustainable development of the region. This study quantitatively assesses three ecosystem services of water yield (WY), carbon storage (CS), and soil conservation (SC) on the Loess Plateau under different scenarios from 2000 to 2030 by using the InVEST and PLUS models. Further, the trade-off and synergistic relationships among the ecosystem services have been investigated by Spearman correlation analysis. The results showed that the land-use differences are more obvious under different policy scenarios, with a sharp expansion of constructed land, a gradual increase of forest land, and a continuous decrease of arable land in the Loess Plateau from 2000 to 2020; the water yield and soil conservation increase from 2000 to 2020, and the carbon storage shows an opposite trend. The soil conservation and carbon storage scenarios are the best under the ecological conservation scenario in 2030, while the water yield service is the best under the economic development scenario. There is a synergistic relationship between CS and SC, while there is a trade-off relationship between CS and WY. In addition, there are significant trade-off effects between SC and WY. These results can support guiding land-use management and ecological restoration.

The processability and ultimate quality of coffee (Coffea arabica) are determined by the composition of the matured fruits. The basis of genetic variation in coffee fruit quality could be explained by studying color formation during fruit maturation. Transcriptome profiling was conducted on matured fruits of four C. arabica varieties (orange colored fruits (ORF); purple colored fruits (PF); red colored fruits (RF) and yellow colored fruits (YF)) to identify key color-regulating genes, biosynthesis pathways and transcription factors implicated in fruit color formation. A total of 39,938 genes were identified in the transcriptomes of the four C. arabica varieties. In all, 2745, 781 and 1224 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in YF_vs_PF, YF_vs_RF and YF_vs_ORF, respectively, with 1732 DEGs conserved among the three pairwise groups. Functional annotation of the DEGs led to the detection of 28 and 82 key genes involved in the biosynthesis of carotenoids and anthocyanins, respectively. Key transcription factors bHLH, MYB, NAC, MADS, and WRKY implicated in fruit color regulation were detected. The high expression levels of gene-LOC113688784 (PSY), gene-LOC113730013 (β-CHY), gene-LOC113728842 (CCD7), gene-LOC113689681 (NCED) and gene-LOC113729473 (ABA2) in YF may have accounted for the yellow coloration. The differential expression of several anthocyanin and carotenoid-specific genes in the fruits substantially account for the purple (PF), red (RF), and orange (ORF) colorations. This study provides important insights into fruit color formation and variations in C. arabica and will help to develop coffee varieties with specific color and quality traits.

Abstract Natural killer (NK) cell therapies, primarily based on chimeric antigen receptor NK cells (CAR‐NK), have been developed and applied clinically for therapeutic treatment of patients with mid‐to‐late‐stage tumors. However, NK cell therapy has limited efficacy due to insufficient antigen expression on the tumor cell surface. Here, a universal “illuminate tumor homogenization antigen properties” (ITHAP) strategy to achieve stable and controlled antigen expression on the surface of tumor cells using nanomedicine, thus significantly enhancing the immune recognizability of tumor cells, is described. The ITHAP strategy is used to generate bio‐liposomes (Pt@PL‐IgG) composed of intermingled platelet membranes and liposomes with NK‐activatable target antigen (IgG antibodies) and cisplatin pre‐drug. It is demonstrated that Pt@PL‐IgG successfully targets tumor cells using the autonomous drive of platelet membranes and achieves IgG implantation on tumor cells by utilizing membrane fusion properties. Moreover, it is shown that the Pt‐DNA complex combined with NK cell‐induced pyroptosis causes substantial interferon (IFN) secretion, thus providing a synthase‐stimulator of interferon genes (STING)‐IFN‐mediated positive immune microenvironment to further potentiate NK therapy. These results show that anchoring cancer cells with NK‐activatable target antigens is a promising translational strategy for addressing therapeutic challenges in tumor heterogeneity.

Background: Cardiac involvement is commonly present in various neuromuscular diseases which may develop life-threatening consequences. The early manifestation is often asymptomatic which however has been insufficiently studied. Objectives: We aim to characterize electrocardiographic (ECG) changes in neuromuscular diseases without cardiac symptoms. Methods: Adults having genetically and/or pathologically confirmed type 1 myotonic dystrophy (DM1), Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), limb girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMDs) and mitochondrial diseases (MtDs) but without history of heart diseases and cardiovascular symptoms were enrolled. The 12-lead ECG characteristics and other test results at diagnosis were retrieved and analyzed. Results: 196 patients with neuromuscular diseases (44 DM1, 25 BMD, 82 LGMDs, 45 MtDs) were consecutively enrolled. ECG abnormalities were identified in 107 (54.6%) patients with a prevalence of 59.1% in DM1, 76.0% in BMD, 40.2% in LGMDs and 64.4% in MtDs. Conduction block was more commonly present in DM1 than the other groups (P

Abstract Background Inferior wall ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is mostly caused by acute occlusion of right coronary artery (RCA) and left circumflex artery (LCX). Several methods and algorithms using 12‐lead ECG were developed to localize the lesion in inferior wall STEMI. However, the diagnostic properties of these methods remain under‐recognized. Aims The aim of this meta‐analysis is to compare the diagnostic properties among the methods of identifying culprit artery in inferior wall STEMI using 12‐lead ECG. Methods We performed a meta‐analysis to calculate the pooled sensitive, specificity, area under the curve (AUC) and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of each method. Results Thirty‐three studies with 4414 participants were included in the analysis. Methods using double leads had better diagnostic properties, especially ST‐segment elevation (STE) in III > II [with pooled sensitivity 0.89 (0.84–0.93), specificity 0.68 (0.57–0.79), DOR 17 (9–32), AUC 0.88 (0.85–0.91)], ST‐segment depression (STD) in aVL > I [with pooled sensitivity 0.82 (0.72–0.90), specificity 0.69 (0.48–0.86), DOR 11 (4–29), AUC 0.85 (0.81–0.88)], and STD V3/STE III ≤1.2 [with pooled sensitivity 0.88 (0.78–0.95), specificity 0.59 (0.42–0.75), DOR 12 (5–27), AUC 0.82 (0.78–0.85)]. Diagnostic algorithms, including Jim score[pooled sensitivity 0.70 (0.55–0.85), specificity 0.88 (0.75–0.96)], Fiol's algorithm [pooled sensitivity 0.54 (0.44–0.62), specificity 0.92 (0.88–0.96)] and Tierala's algorithm [pooled sensitivity 0.60 (0.49–0.71), specificity 0.91 (0.86–0.96)], were not superior to these simple methods. Conclusions Our meta‐analysis indicated that diagnostic methods using double leads had better properties. STE in III > II together with STD in aVL > I may be the most ideal method, for its accuracy and convenience.

Habitat quality has great significance in terms of regional ecological conservation and human welfare. In this study, we evaluated the spatial and temporal characteristics of land use and habitat quality in the temperate desert sub-region of the Ordos Plateau using patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) and integrated valuation of ecosystem services and trade-offs (InVEST) models. From 2000 to 2020, the areas of grassland, cropland, and unused land in the study area increased significantly; the areas of water bodies and woodland increased slightly; and the area of wasteland decreased significantly. Moreover, the habitat quality in the temperate desert subzone of the Ordos Plateau showed a trend of initial increase and then decrease between 2000 and 2020. The areas of lower and low habitat quality first decreased and then increased, and the overall area decreased over time. Conversely, the areas of high and higher habitat quality initially increased and then decreased, and the overall area increased over time. The area of medium habitat quality first decreased and then increased, although the overall change was minimal. Based on the PLUS model, the predicted habitat quality of the study area in 2025 under the natural development scenario was compared to that predicted under the ecological conservation scenario. The comparison of results showed higher habitat quality and lower habitat degradation under the ecological conservation development scenario. These results can be used to provide a scientific basis and decision reference for the sustainable use of land resources and encouragement of high-quality socio-economic development in the temperate desert sub-region of the Ordos Plateau.

The study area was the Hulunbuir Plateau in northeastern China, based on a natural resource element observation study. The assessment of the spatial and temporal variation of soil erosion is crucial for implementing environmental management in the fragile ecosystem of the Hulunbuir Plateau. The study provides an interesting basis for soil erosion control on the Hulunbuir Plateau and other areas with similar climatic conditions, with the aim of providing sound data to support environmental protection policies in the study area. In this study, the spatial and temporal variations in soil erosion in the region from 2000 to 2020 were quantitatively assessed using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation. Furthermore, the patch-generating land use simulation model predicted future soil erosion. Land use prediction data were examined using Kappa coefficients. The prediction of future land use types using CMIP6 data and natural social data in the PLUS model were used to predict soil erosion for different future scenarios. The results showed that the soil erosion rate on the Hulunbuir Plateau showed a significant increasing trend in time from 2000 to 2020. Spatially, soil erosion increases gradually from the west to the east. Soil erosion occurs mainly on grasslands, while cultivated lands show a significant increasing trend by 2020. Slope erosion occurs mainly in areas between 15° and 35°. From 2020 to 2050, soil erosion will increase significantly due to increased precipitation. The soil erosion in SSP2–4.5 is better than the other scenarios.