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Objective To explore the value of blood inflammatory load in predicting overall survival of elderly patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Methods Elderly patients with EOC were selected, and their clinical data and peripheral blood parameters were collected. We constructed an inflammation-related blood scoring system using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. We used Cox proportional hazards analysis to identify the independent prognostic factors. A nomogram model was constructed based on independent prognostic factors, and the receiver operating characteristic curve, C-index, and calibration curve were used to evaluate the model. Results Patients with high blood inflammatory load had worse prognosis (P=0.002). Compared with the low inflammatory load group, patients with high inflammatory load had later clinical stages and larger ascites volume (P

【Objective】 Irrigation modulates water movement in soil and its bioavailability to crop roots. This study is to investigate the effect of different irrigation methods on water consumption and water use efficiency of soybean during its whole growth period, with an aim to help develop water-saving irrigation. 【Method】 The field experiment was conducted in 2021 in Wuwei, Gansu province. It compared four irrigation methods: drip irrigation under film mulching, drip irrigation without mulching, border irrigation with film mulching, and border irrigation without mulching. The Bowen ratio-energy balance system was used to continuously monitor the changes in microclimate, crop growth and yield, water consumption (ET) and water use efficiency (WUE). 【Result】 ①Film mulching increased net radiation (Rn) of the soybean by 6.58 W/m2, compared to no mulching; Soil temperature increased by 1.30 ℃ relative to drip irrigation. ②irrigation method and mulching affected physiological indexes of the soybean both at significant levels. Film mulching increased the leaf area index (LAI) significantly by 18.29%, compared to no mulching, while the border irrigation increased the LAI by 5.45%, compared to drip irrigation. ③Film mulching and drip irrigation reduced the ET significantly over the whole growth period, with the mulched drip irrigation having the least ET - 378.92 mm, compared to other treatments. ④Among all environmental and biological factors, Rn and LAI are correlated with ET positively and most significantly. ⑤The yield of soybean under mulched drip irrigation was 18.07%, 5.27% and 11.17% higher than that of non-mulched drip irrigation, film mulched border irrigation, and non-mulched border irrigation, respectively. Film mulching increased WUE by 25.93% compared to no mulching, and drip irrigation increased WUE by 34.62% compared to border irrigation. The mulched drip irrigation increased WUE by 31.15%, 42.86% and 70.21%, respectively, compared to non-film mulched drip irrigation, film-mulched border irrigation and non-film mulched border irrigation. 【Conclusion】 Compared to drip irrigation without film, border irrigation with film and border irrigation without film, the yield of drip irrigation under film increased by an average of 11.51%, ET decreased by 24.13%, and WUE increased by 48.07% and irrigation water use efficiency improved by 46.57%; Taking into account the water consumption, yield and water use efficiency of soybean, drip irrigation under film provided a more benefit growth environment for soybean growth and significantly reduced ET and increased yield.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is an important type of pathogenic bacteria that causes diarrhea in humans and young livestock. The pathogen has a high morbidity and mortality rate, resulting in significant economic losses in the pig industry. To effectively prevent piglet diarrhea, we developed a new tetravalent genetically engineered vaccine that specifically targets ETEC. To eliminate the natural toxin activity of ST1 enterotoxin and enhance the preventive effect of the vaccine, the mutated ST 1, K88ac, K99, and LT B genes were amplified by PCR and site-specific mutation techniques. The recombinant strain BL21(DE3)(pXKK3SL) was constructed and achieved high expression. Animal experiments showed that the inactivated vaccine had eliminated the natural toxin activity of ST1. The immune protection test demonstrated that the inclusion body and inactivated vaccine exhibited a positive immune effect. The protection rates of the inclusion body group and inactivated vaccine group were 96 and 98%, respectively, when challenged with 1 minimum lethal dose, indicating that the constructed K88ac-K99-3ST1-LTB vaccine achieved a strong immune effect. Additionally, the minimum immune doses for mice and pregnant sows were determined to be 0.2 and 2 mL, respectively. This study suggests that the novel K88ac-K99-3ST1-LTB vaccine has a wide immune spectrum and can prevent diarrhea caused by ETEC through enterotoxin and fimbrial pathways. The aforementioned research demonstrates that the K88ac-K99-3ST1-LTB vaccine offers a new genetically engineered vaccine that shows potential for preventing diarrhea in newborn piglets.

Summary: Cananga odorata is known as a natural perfume tree of the Annonaceae family in Magnoliales. However, its phylogenetic position and the molecular mechanisms involved in the biosynthesis of the floral volatile organic compounds (VOCs) remain unclear.Here, by combining a variety of sequencing platforms, we present a telomere‐to‐telomere (T2T) genome of C. odorata with 735.83 Mb, which represents the highest integrity and assembly quality of genome in magnoliid plants reported to date. Phylogenetic analysis based on multiple datasets and approaches showed that C. odorata, as a member of magnoliids, is sister to eudicots, after their divergence from monocots.Metabolomic of VOCs in the essential oil and flowers scent showed that sesquiterpenes, especially β‐caryophyllene, were the major compounds. Two CoTPS21 homologues derived from tandem duplication events were highly expressed during flower development and were identified as the key sesquiterpene synthases for the production of β‐caryophyllene. In addition, CoSPL3 and CoSPL9 were considered as potential transcription factors for activating the expression of CoTPS21 homologues.Our results shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the biosynthesis of the unique floral fragrance in C. odorata and provide new insights into the phylogenetic position of magnoliids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LncRNAs play various effects, mostly by sponging with miRNAs. Based on public databases integrating bioinformatics analyses and further validation in breast cancer (BC) tissue and cell lines, the effect of lncRNA AFAP1‐AS1 on breast cancer cell proliferation and migration was verified. It might work via the miR‐21/PTEN axis. The expression of AFAP1‐AS1, which was significantly upregulated in BC tissues and cell lines, was correlated with old age and lymph node metastasis of patients with BC. Knockdown of AFAP1‐AS1 inhibited the proliferation and migration of BC cells in vitro and in vivo. And downregulated miR‐21 expression and upregulated PTEN expression additionally. Mechanistically, the knockdown of lncRNA AFAP1‐AS1 upregulated PTEN expression and consequently attenuated miR‐21‐mediated enhanced BC cell proliferation and migration. LncRNA AFAP1‐AS1 is a potential prognostic biomarker for BC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In flowering plants, sexual reproductive success depends on the production of viable pollen grains. However, the mechanisms by which QUA QUINE STARCH (QQS) regulates pollen development and how transcriptional activators facilitate the transcription of QQS in this process remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that INDUCER OF CBF EXPRESSION 1 (ICE1), a basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factor, acts as a key transcriptional activator and positively regulates QQS expression to increase pollen germination and viability in Arabidopsis thaliana by interacting with INDETERMINATE DOMAIN14 (IDD14). In our genetic and biochemical experiments, overexpression of ICE1 greatly promoted both the activation of QQS and high pollen viability mediated by QQS. IDD14 additively enhanced ICE1 function by promoting the binding of ICE1 to the QQS promoter. In addition, mutation of ICE1 significantly repressed QQS expression; the impaired function of QQS and the abnormal anther dehiscence jointly affected pollen development of the ice1‐2 mutant. Our results also showed that the enhancement of pollen activity by ICE1 depends on QQS. Furthermore, QQS interacted with CUT1, the key enzyme for long‐chain lipid biosynthesis. This interaction both promoted CUT1 activity and regulated pollen lipid metabolism, ultimately determining pollen hydration and fertility. Our results not only provide new insights into the key function of QQS in promoting pollen development by regulating pollen lipid metabolism, but also elucidate the mechanism that facilitates the transcription of QQS in this vital developmental process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The impact of moral beliefs on individuals' moral judgments, particularly within the framework of contrasting cultural values such as collectivism and individualism, continues to be a subject of interest. This research delves into whether individuals with distinct values display differences in moral beliefs, with a specific focus on selflessness. Methods: Through experiment 1 and 2, we scrutinize the moral judgments of individuals with diverse values concerning pro-social behaviors driven by selflessness and in-group favoritism. Experiment 3 investigates the underlying mechanisms by examining reward expectations. Results: The findings from experiments 1 and 2 indicate that collectivists exhibit significantly higher moral judgment levels for selfless pro-social behaviors compared to individualists, highlighting a disparity in moral beliefs between the two value systems. Experimental 2 also found that collectivists' moral judgments rose and fell as rescuers' selflessness increased or decreased. However, individualist moral judgment did not change significantly with behavioral selflessness. The results reveal that collectivists hold higher reward expectations for selfless behavior, which contributes to their heightened moral judgment of selfless behavior. Conclusion: While it may be assumed that collectivists' moral beliefs would be dominated by in-group preferences, aligning with the conceptual in-group preference of collectivism, this study unexpectedly found evidence of collectivists' pursuit of selflessness in their moral beliefs. These findings offer initial evidence of distinct patterns of moral beliefs associated with collectivism and individualism, shedding light on potential reasons that lead collectivists to possess stronger moral beliefs about selflessness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]