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Background137Cs in atmospheric aerosol is the product of past nuclear weapon tests and nuclear accidents. When 137Cs is released into the atmosphere, it will deposit in dry land and marine environment, causing pollution of soil surface, water, agricultural products, and animal byproducts, and affecting public health.ObjectiveTo identify the variation pattern of 137Cs activity concentration in aerosol and its correlation with dust concentration in Beijing area from 2017 to 2020.Methods A total of 958 aerosol samples were collected from November 1, 2017 to June 30, 2020 in Beijing with a high volume air sampler at a sampling flow rate about 600 m3·h−1 and a collection time for each sample about 24 h. The activity concentration of 137Cs in the aerosol samples was determined with a low-background high-purity germanium γ spectrometer. The dust concentration was calculated using the difference in the mass of the aerosol filter before and after sampling. The detection rate of 137Cs and dust concentration in different seasons were compared. Spearman rank correlation test was used to analyze the correlation between 137Cs activity concentration and dust concentration.Results From 2017 to 2020, the 137Cs activity concentrations of 33 from 958 aerosol samples in Beijing were above the minimum detectable activityconcentration, the overall detection rate of 137Cs was 3.4%, and the activity concentration ranged from 1.86 to 45.53 μBq·m−3, with a median value of 4.85 μBq·m−3. The detection rate of 137Cs was highest in spring, followed by autumn, and lowest in winter and summer (8.4%, 3.0%, 1.1%, and 0.5%, respectively). The dust concentration ranged from 0.03 to 1.55 mg·m−3, with an average value of 0.18 mg·m−3. There was a statistically significant difference in the dust concentrations in spring, summer, autumn, and winter (F=45.51, P

ABSTRACT: Probiotics are increasingly used as starter cultures to produce fermented dairy products; however, few studies have investigated the role of probiotics in milk fermentation metabolism. The current study aimed to investigate whether adding Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Probio-M8 (Probio-M8) as a starter culture strain could improve milk fermentation by comparing the physicochemical characteristics and metabolomes of fermented milks produced by a commercial starter culture with and without Probio-M8. Our results showed that adding Probio-M8 shortened the milk fermentation time and improved the fermented milk texture and stability. Metabolomics analyses revealed that adding Probio-M8 affected mostly organic acid, AA, and fatty acid metabolism in milk fermentation. Targeted quantitative analyses revealed significant increases in various metabolites related to the sensory quality, nutritive value, and health benefits of the probiotic fermented milk, including 5 organic acids (acetic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, and tartaric acid), 5 EAA (valine, arginine, leucine, isoleucine, and lysine), glutamic acid, and 2 essential fatty acids (α-linolenic acid and docosahexaenoic acid). Thus, applying probiotics in milk fermentation is desirable. This study has generated useful information for developing novel functional dairy products.

Abstract Background Cotton fiber is a model tissue for studying microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). The Xklp2 (TPX2) proteins that belong to the novel MAPs member mainly participate in the formation and development of microtubule (MT). However, there is a lack of studies concerning the systematic characterization of the TPX2 genes family in cotton. Therefore, the identification and portrayal of G. hirsutum TPX2 genes can provide key targets for molecular manipulation in the breeding of cotton fiber improvement. Result In this study, TPX2 family genes were classified into two distinct subclasses TPXLs and MAP genes WAVE DAMPENED2-LIKE (WDLs) and quite conservative in quantity. GhWDL3 was significantly up-regulated in 15 days post anthesis fibers of ZRI-015 (an upland cotton with longer and stronger fiber). GhWDL3 promotes all stem hairs to become straight when overexpressed in Arabidopsis, which may indirectly regulate cotton fiber cell morphology during fiber development. Virus induced gene silencing (VIGS) results showed that GhWDL3 inhibited fiber cell elongation at fiber development periods through regulating the expression of cell wall related genes. Conclusion These results reveal that GhWDL3 regulated cotton fiber cell elongation and provide crucial information for the further investigation in the regulatory mechanisms/networks of cotton fiber length.

ABSTRACT In view of the safety concerns of probiotics, more and more attention is paid to the beneficial effects of dead probiotics cells. Herein, we investigated and compared the alleviation effects of viable Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis B8762 (B. infantis B8762) and its heat-killed cells on dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) rats. Four groups of rats (n = 12 per group) were included: normal control, DSS-induced colitis rats without bacterial administration (DSS), DSS-induced colitis rats with viable B. infantis B8762 administration (VB8762), and DSS-induced colitis rats with dead B. infantis B8762 administration (DB8762). Our results showed that both VB8762 and DB8762 administration exerted significant protective effects on DSS-induced IBD rats, as evidenced by a reduction in mortality, disease activity index score, body weight loss, as well as decreased histology score, which were companied by a significant decrease in serum pro-inflammatory factors compared with DSS group, and a stronger effect on modulating the fecal microbiota alpha-diversity and beta-diversity compared with DSS group. Additionally, the fecal metabolome results showed that both VB8762 and DB8762 interventions indeed altered the fecal metabolome profile and related metabolic pathways of DSS-induced IBD rats. Therefore, given the alleviation effects on colitis, the DB8762 can be confirmed to be a postbiotic. Overall, our findings suggested that VB8762 and DB8762 had similar ability to alleviate IBD although with some differences. Due to the minimal safety concern of postbiotics, we propose that the postbiotic DB8762 could be a promising alternative to probiotics to be applied in the prevention and treatment of IBDs.IMPORTANCEInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has emerged as a global disease because of the worldwide spread of western diets and lifestyles during industrialization. Up to now, many probiotic strains are used as a modulator of gut microbiota or an enhancer of gut barrier to alleviate or cure IBD. However, there are still many issues of using probiotics, which were needed to be concerned about, for instance, safety issues in certain groups like neonates and vulnerable populations, and the functional differences between viable and dead microorganisms. Therefore, it is of interest to investigate the beneficial effects of dead probiotics cells. The present study proved that both viable Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis B8762 and heat-killed cells could alleviate dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis in rats. The findings help to support that some heat-killed probiotics cells can also exert relevant biological functions and can be used as a postbiotic.

Purpose: Investigate the oxylipin profiles in the aqueous humor of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients. Methods: Aqueous humor samples were collected from 17 POAG patients and 15 cataract subjects and subjected to a liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis to detect the oxylipins. The prediction potential of the differential abundant oxylipins was assessed by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Pathway and correlation analyses on the oxylipins and clinical and biochemical parameters were also conducted. Results: The LC-MS analysis detected a total of 76 oxylipins, of which 29 oxylipins reached the detection limit. The multivariate analysis identified five differential abundant oxylipins, 15-keto-prostaglandin F2 alpha (15-kPGF2α), Leukotriene B4 (LTB4), 12,13-Epoxyoctadecenoic acid (12,13-Epome), 15-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HETE) and 11-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (11-HETE). The five oxylipins are enriched in the arachidonic acid metabolism and linoleic acid metabolism pathways. Pearson correlation analysis showed that 11-HETE was positively correlated with intraocular pressure and central corneal thickness and negatively with cup/disk area ratio in the POAG patients. In addition, 15-kPGF2α was moderately and positively correlated with the mean deviation (MD) of visual field defect, and LTB4 was moderately and negatively correlated with macular thickness. Conclusions: This study revealed the oxylipin profile in the aqueous humor of POAG patients. Oxylipins involved in the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway could play a role in POAG, and anti-inflammatory therapies could be potential treatment strategies for POAG.

Abstract Body temperature variations, including the generation, transfer, and dissipation of heat, play an important role throughout life and participate in all biological events. Cellular temperature information is an indispensable link in the comprehensive understanding of life science processes, but traditional testing strategies cannot provide sufficient information due to their low precision and inefficient cellular‐entrance. In recent years, with the help of luminescent nanomaterials, a variety of new thermometers have been developed to achieve real‐time temperature measurement at the micro/nano scale. In this review, we summarized the latest advances in several nanoparticles for cellular temperature detection and their related applications in revealing cell metabolism and disease diagnosis. Furthermore, this review proposed a few challenges for the nano‐thermometry, expecting to spark novel thought to push forward its preclinical and translational uses.

ObjectiveThe present study was to investigate three different single-drug regimens to show which was more effective to reduce radioactive iodine therapy (RAI) associated nausea and vomiting, and to compare the occurrence of long-term gastrointestinal diseases after RAI therapy.MethodWe performed a single-center, non-randomized clinical trial among patients who underwent RAI therapy from March 2016 to July 2022. Enrolled patients were divided into four cohorts based on the date of the treatment. cohort 1, with no preventive antiemetics; cohort 2, received 20 mg of pantoprazole per day for 3 days; cohort 3, received a 10 mg metoclopramide tablet two times daily for 3 days; cohort 4, oral ondansetron, 8 mg, twice daily for 3 days. The primary endpoints were proportion of patients who experience vomiting episodes and nausea during the 7-day hospital period. Secondary end points included Functional Living Index Emesis (FLIE) quality-of life questionnaires and the occurrence of gastrointestinal diseases.ResultsA total of 1755 patients were analyzed, comprised of 1299 (74.0%) women and 456 (26.0%) men, with a median age of 44 years (range 18–78 years). The characteristics of patient were similar within the four groups. 465 (26.4%) patients developed RAI-associated nausea, and 186 (14.4%) patients developed RAI-associated vomiting. The rate of nausea was significantly decreased in the patients who were taking ondansetron when compared with the other cohorts (P

The conjunctiva of primary open angle glaucoma patients showed high level of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), which is associated with the inflammatory response. Microglia and macrophages are the immune cells involved in retinal ganglion cell survival regulation; yet, their roles of the ox-LDL-induced inflammation in glaucoma remain elusive. Here we aimed to investigate the lipid uptake, inflammatory cytokine expression, and metabolomics profiles of human and murine-derived microglial and macrophage cell lines treated with ox-LDL. Under the same ox-LDL concentration, macrophages exhibited higher lipid uptake and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines as compared to microglia. The ox-LDL increased the levels of fatty acid metabolites in macrophages and sphingomyelin metabolites in microglia. In summary, this study revealed the heterogeneity in the inflammatory capacity and metabolic profiles of macrophages and microglia under the stimulation of ox-LDL.

Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis (L. lactis subsp. lactis) is a commonly used starter cultures in fermented dairy products, contributing distinct flavor and texture characteristics with high application value. However, the strains from different isolates have different contributions to milk fermentation. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the influence of L. lactis subsp. lactis isolated from various sources on the volatile metabolites present in fermented milk. In this study, L. lactis subsp. lactis from different isolation sources (yogurt, koumiss and goat yogurt) was utilized as a starter culture for fermentation. The volatile metabolites of fermented milk were subsequently analyzed by headspace solid phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrography (HS-SPME-GC-MS). The results indicated significant differences in the structure and abundance of volatile metabolites in fermented milk produced with different isolates (R2Y = 0.96, Q2 = 0.88). Notably, the strains isolated from goat yogurt appeared to enhance the accumulation of ketones (goat yogurt vs yogurt milk: 50 %; goat yogur vs koumiss: 27.3 %)and aldehydes (goat yogurt vs yogurt milk: 21.4 %; goat yogurt vs koumiss: 54.5 %) in fermented milk than strains isolated from koumiss and yogurt milk. It significantly promoted the production of 8 flavor substances (1 substance with OAV ≥ 1 and 6 substances with OAV > 0.1) and enhanced the biosynthesis of valine, leucine, and isoleucine. This study provides valuable insights for the application of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis isolated from different sources in fermented dairy production and screening of potential starter cultures.

Abstract Probiotic functional products have drawn wide attention because of their increasing popularity. However, few studies have analyzed probiotic-specific metabolism in the fermentation process. This study applied UPLC-QE-MS-based metabolomics to track changes in the milk metabolomes in the course of fermentation by two probiotic strains, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei PC-01 and Bifidobacterium adolescentis B8589. We observed substantial changes in the probiotic fermented milk metabolome between 0 and 36 h of fermentation, and the differences between the milk metabolomes at the interim period (36 h and 60 h) and the ripening stage (60 h and 72 h) were less obvious. A number of time point-specific differential metabolites were identified, mainly belonging to organic acids, amino acids, and fatty acids. Nine of the identified differential metabolites are linked to the tricarboxylic acid cycle, glutamate metabolism, and fatty acid metabolism. The contents of pyruvic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid, and capric acid increased at the end of fermentation, which can contribute to the nutritional quality and functional properties of the probiotic fermented milk. This time-course metabolomics study analyzed probiotic-specific fermentative changes in milk, providing detailed information of probiotic metabolism in a milk matrix and the potential beneficial mechanism of probiotic fermented milk.

PurposeNeutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), markers-lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), and platelet to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have potential roles as prognostic biomarkers in various cancers. The study was evaluated to investigate the predictive value of the peripheral inflammatory biomarkers in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) before radioiodine therapy to the response of clinical outcomes.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the patients diagnosed with PTC at the Second Hospital of Shandong University between September 2018 and January 2020. Patients were divided into low and high inflammatory biomarker groups based on median values. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) and logistic regression were used to explore the potential risk factors.ResultsA total of 692 patients were enrolled, which included 197 (28.4%) males and 495 (71.6%) females. The median values of NLR, LMR and PLR of these patients were 1.7 (range 0.3–5.7), 7.1 (range 1.1–23.4) and 137.6 (range 27.6–497.5), respectively, and the mean values were 1.95 ± 0.82, 7.4 ± 2.5 and 148.7 ± 54.8, respectively. Compared to the lower PLR group, the higher group was significantly associated with gender, tumor size, N stage and thyroglobulin level (P

Abstract Immune rejection and side effects of long‐term administration of immunosuppressants are the two major obstacles to allograft acceptance and tolerance. The immunosuppressive extracellular vesicles (EVs)‐based approach has been proven to be effective in treating autoimmune/inflammatory disorders. Herein, the anti‐rejection advantage of exosomes (Rapa‐Exo) from rapamycin‐conditioned myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) over exosomes (Exo‐Nor) from the untreated MDSCs is shown. The exosomal small RNA sequencing and loss‐of‐function assays reveal that the anti‐rejection effect of Rapa‐Exo functionally relies on miR‐181d‐5p. Through target prediction and double‐luciferase reporter assay, Kruppel‐like factor (KLF) 6 is identified as a direct target of miR‐181d‐5p. Finally, KLF6 knockdown markedly resolves inflammation and prolongs the survival of corneal allografts. Taken together, these findings support that Rapa‐Exo executes an anti‐rejection effect, highlighting the immunosuppressive EVs‐based treatment as a promising approach in organ transplantation.

Purpose: to determine the metabolomics profiles in the plasma samples of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients. Methods: The plasma samples from 20 POAG patients under intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering medication treatment and 20 control subjects were subjected to the untargeted metabolomics analysis, among which 10 POAG patients and 10 control subjects were further subjected to the oxylipin-targeted metabolomics analysis by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. The prediction accuracy of the differentially abundant metabolites was assessed by the receiver operating characteristic curves. Pathway analysis and correlation analysis on the differentially abundant metabolites and clinical and biochemical parameters were also conducted. Results: Untargeted metabolomics profiling identified 33 differentially abundant metabolites in the POAG patients, in which the metabolism of linoleic acid, α-linolenic acid, phenylalanine, and tricarboxylic acid cycle were enriched. The correlation analysis indicated that the differentially abundant metabolites were associated with central corneal thickness, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, visual field defects, and lymphocytes. The oxylipin-targeted metabolomics analysis identified 15-keto-Prostaglandin F2 alpha, 13,14-Dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin D2, 11-Dehydro-thromboxane B2, 8,9-Epoxyeicosatrienoic acid, and arachidonic acid to be significantly decreased in the POAG patients and enriched in the arachidonic acid (AA) pathway. Conclusions: This study revealed that the metabolites in the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway are differentially abundant, suggesting high IOP may not be the only detrimental factor for optic nerve cell damage in this group of POAG patients. Lipid metabolism instability-mediated alterations in oxylipins and AA pathways may be important in POAG, suggesting that oxidative stress and immune-related inflammation could be valuable directions for future therapeutic strategies.

Abstract Background Polysulfides are reported to be involved in various important biological processes. N‐acetyl‐l‐cysteine polysulfide with 2 sulfane sulfur atoms (NAC‐S2) regulates diverse toll‐like receptor (TLR) signaling pathways. Here, we aimed to determine the role of NAC‐S2 in periodontitis and explore the potential mechanism. Methods A periodontitis mouse model was established by ligating the subgingival between the first and second molars in wild‐type, TLR4‐/‐, and Myd88‐/‐ mice. Results NAC‐S2 did not affect the proportion of macrophages (CD11b+F4/80+) or neutrophils (CD11b+GR‐1+) in the bone marrow. Mechanically, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), Zymosan A, or poly I: C induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin (IL)‐6, and IL‐1β expression in bone marrow‐derived macrophages (BMDMs) could be inhibited by NAC‐S2. On the other hand, NAC‐S2 suppressed the phosphorylation levels of IκB‐α, p65, and IκB kinase (IKK)‐β induced by LPS in BMDMs, while LPS induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38, and transforming growth factor β‐activated kinase 1 (TAK1) could not be affected by NAC‐S2. In wild‐type periodontitis mice, NAC‐S2 administration decreased the cemento‐enamel‐junction–alveolar bone crest (CEJ‐ABC) distance and the relative mRNA expression of TNF, IL‐6, and IL‐1β, while such phenomena could not be observed in TLR4 deficiency or Myd88 deficiency mice. Conclusions All of these results indicate that NAC‐S2 ameliorates TLR4/NF‐κB pathway mediated inflammation in mouse periodontitis model.

Abstract Background Children's injuries from traffic accidents have been identified as a global public health issue. Child restraint system (CRS) is a useful tool for lowering the risk of injury to children. Nevertheless, CRS usage is really low in China. The goal of the current study was to investigate the use of CRS after the legislation revised in China and to explore the influencing factors based on Information, Motivation, and Behavioral Skills model (IMB). Methods The study is a cross-sectional survey of parents who took their 0 to 6-year-old children for seeking primary care services at the Children Preventive Health Care Clinic of a tertiary hospital in Shandong Province, China. Parents were invited to complete the self-administered questionnaire between March and June 2022, including their knowledge, motivation, and behavioral skills, use behavior of CRS and socio-demographics. Ordinal logistic regression was used to explore the factors associated with CRS use by using SPSS software (version 26.0). Results In total, 442 parents participated in the study; 56.1% (n = 201) of the parents utilized CRS for their child passengers, however only 29.0% used CRS frequently. The result of logistic regression analysis show that parents with junior college (OR = 0.398, 95%CI: 0.185 ~ 0.857), possessing a high family economic status(OR = 0.225, 95%CI: 0.088 ~ 0.578), being trained on children’s unintentional injuries(OR = 0.435,95%CI: 0.272 ~ 0.695), and having high scores on CRS riding mode cognition(OR = 0.476, 95%CI: 0.368 ~ 0.616), CRS type cognition(OR = 0.519, 95%CI: 0.392 ~ 0.689), CRS use motivation(OR = 0.392, 95%CI: 0.295 ~ 0.520) and installation skills(OR = 0.559, 95%CI:0.411 ~ 0.761) were the main factors promoting the usage of CRS. Conclusions This study found that the use of CRS can be increased by improving parents' knowledge, motivation and behavior skills and hence related educational programs is necessary for increasing CRS use in China.

Abstract Background Constipation is one of the common symptoms in childhood. The prevalence of FC is about 0.5% to 32% and still on the rise according to global statistics. The aim of this study is to explore the associations between family-related factors (e.g., parental conflict, parenting style, and parent–child relationship) and functional constipation of preschool children based on family system theory. Methods The study is a case–control survey of preschoolers in China. In total, 108 preschoolers with functional constipation diagnosed with pediatric Rome IV criteria and 324 healthy examination preschoolers without functional constipation were enrolled in the study. Parents completed the following 5 instruments: General information questionnaire, the Parental Conflict Scale, the Parenting Style Questionnaire, the Child-parent Relationship Scale and the Children’s Emotional Adjustment Scale-Preschool Version. Results Nine categories of factors which significantly predicted functional constipation in preschoolers were retained in the final logistic regression model: Second child in birth order (OR = 0.456; 95% CI, 0.229 to 0.910), children picky eating (OR = 2.936; 95% CI, 1.133 to 7.611), bad bowel habits (OR = 2.896; 95% CI, 1.391 to 6.028), parental history of constipation (OR = 3.259; 95% CI, 1.600 to 6.639), parents blaming the child for having a bad bowel movement (OR = 3.788; 95% CI, 1.391 to 10.318), more than 3 h of fathers-child interaction time per day (OR = 0.137; 95% CI, 0.024 to 0.778), parental conflict (OR = 1.981; 95% CI, 0.950 to 3.831), doting or authoritarian parenting style (OR = 1.644; 95% CI, 1.067 to 2.534, OR = 2.481; 95% CI, 1.362 to 4.519), and anxiety control or temper control in children (OR = 0.492; 95% CI, 0.303 to 0.799, OR = 0.189; 95% CI, 0.103 to 0.348). Conclusions This study identified the significant associations between family-related factors and functional constipation in preschool children, which provide implications for healthcare professionals to address functional constipation in early childhood using a preventive lens.

ABSTRACT: Probiotic fermented milk is more and more popular due to their positive health associated properties. However, fermentation temperature and other process conditions may affect the growth and metabolism of probiotic strains, thereby affecting quality of the final products. In this study, the growth behaviors and metabolomic profiles of yogurts induced by Lactobacillus casei Zhang at fermentation termination (FT) and d 10 of storage (S10d) under different fermentation temperatures at 37°C (low) and 42°C (high) were analyzed and compared using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (MS)- and gas chromatography-MS-based metabolomics approaches. At 37°C, the growth of L. casei Zhang at FT and S10d was significantly increased, and the potential relationship between riboflavin, starch, and sucrose metabolism and growth of L. casei Zhang may be mutually promoting. Fermentation temperature (37°C and 42°C) affected volatile and nonvolatile metabolomic profiles and pathways. The levels of acetaldehyde, 2,3-butanedione, acetoin, butyric acid, decanoic acid, hexanoic acid, and octanoic acid were significantly higher at 37°C than at 42°C at FT and S10d. This indicates that the low temperature (37°C) most likely contributes more to the formation of important flavor compounds during the fermentation process and production of short-chain fatty acids during storage.

Oomycetes are filamentous microorganisms easily mistaken as fungi but vastly differ in physiology, biochemistry, and genetics. This commonly-held misconception lead to a reduced effectiveness by using conventional fungicides to control oomycetes, thus it demands the identification of novel functional genes as target for precisely design oomycetes-specific microbicide. The present study initially analyzed the available transcriptome data of the model oomycete pathogen, Phytophthora sojae, and constructed an expression matrix of 10,953 genes across the stages of asexual development and host infection. Hierarchical clustering, specificity, and diversity analyses revealed a more pronounced transcriptional plasticity during the stages of asexual development than that in host infection, which drew our attention by particularly focusing on transcripts in asexual development stage to eventually clustered them into 6 phase-specific expression modules. Three of which respectively possessing a serine/threonine phosphatase (PP2C) expressed during the mycelial and sporangium stages, a histidine kinase (HK) expressed during the zoospore and cyst stages, and a bZIP transcription factor (bZIP32) exclusive to the cyst germination stage were selected for down-stream functional validation. In this way, we demonstrated that PP2C, HK, and bZIP32 play significant roles in P. sojae asexual development and virulence. Thus, these findings provide a foundation for further gene functional annotation in oomycetes and crop disease management.

Abstract Background Cotton is an important cash crop. The fiber length has always been a hot spot, but multi-factor control of fiber quality makes it complex to understand its genetic basis. Previous reports suggested that OsGASR9 promotes germination, width, and thickness by GAs in rice, while the overexpression of AtGASA10 leads to reduced silique length, which is likely to reduce cell wall expansion. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the function of GhGASA10 in cotton fibers development. Results To explore the molecular mechanisms underlying fiber elongation regulation concerning GhGASA10–1, we revealed an evolutionary basis, gene structure, and expression. Our results emphasized the conservative nature of GASA family with its origin in lower fern plants S. moellendorffii. GhGASA10–1 was localized in the cell membrane, which may synthesize and transport secreted proteins to the cell wall. Besides, GhGASA10–1 promoted seedling germination and root extension in transgenic Arabidopsis, indicating that GhGASA10–1 promotes cell elongation. Interestingly, GhGASA10–1 was upregulated by IAA at fiber elongation stages. Conclusion We propose that GhGASA10–1 may promote fiber elongation by regulating the synthesis of cellulose induced by IAA, to lay the foundation for future research on the regulation networks of GASA10–1 in cotton fiber development.

ContextObesity has been reported as a potential risk factor for the aggressiveness of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), but the data gathered so far are conflicting.ObjectiveThe aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and aggressiveness of PTC at the diagnosis and clinical outcome.MethodsA total of 337 patients who underwent radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy between March 2017 and May 2020 were recruited. Patients were divided into four groups: underweight (BMI

Purpose This study aimed to assess the protective effects of silibinin on blue light-emitting diode (LED)-induced retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) damage.Methods Silibinin was applied in RGCs damage in vitro model to test its protective effects. Cell viability was assessed with the MTT method and cell apoptosis was evaluated by TUNEL and Annexin V/propidium iodide staining. The expressions of apoptosis related proteins and influenced signalling pathways were measured using western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Inflammatory factors induced by RGC damage were detected using ELISA method.Results It was found that silibinin in 50 and 100 μM treatment showed a significant protective effect in RGCs under blue light damage. Apoptosis assay showed that silibinin treatment could significantly improve the apoptotic status of RGCs. When the potentially affected signal pathway was considered, blue light would down-regulate the expression of MEK1/ERK/CREB. The levels of inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10) were significantly regulated by silibinin treatment.Conclusions Silibinin pretreatment would demonstrate protective effect against blue light induced acute RGCs damage. Silibinin treatment has a direct suppression of apoptosis and inflammation through the activation of MEK/ERK/CREB pathway in vitro.

According to the energy consumption characteristics of hydraulic actuator, the valuable foot trajectory characterized by using segmented cubic spline interpolation curve in the swing phase is proposed firstly to reduce the energy consumption of quadruped robots, which is implemented by using controlling parameters t f to change the duration of leg raising and falling in one gait cycle, and then realized the directly control to the time ratio between the piston extension and retraction. Then, the total energy consumption of the hydraulic actuated quadruped robot SCalf-II is modeled. Meanwhile, the parameters of the foot trajectory that have a large impact on the energy consumption are determined. Finally, simulation analysis and verification experiments of the robot moving with constant speeds at the key parameters are performed. The results show that for the given foot trajectory, the optimization ranges of the gait cycle and duration of leg lifting from the lowest to highest are determined in which the energy required for the robot locomotion is at a relatively low level.

Although there are many studies on the Jurassic source rocks in the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin, the characteristics of biomarkers and products with the same source rock in different evolutionary stages are still not well understood. Such an understanding is essential for accurately estimating oil and gas resources. In order to explore the hydrocarbon-generation potential of high-quality source rocks of the Middle Jurassic and the evolution of liquid hydrocarbons and biomarkers, we carried out simulation research (under hydrous conditions) at various temperatures (250, 300, 350, 400 and 450 °C) with the mudstone of the Yu 33 well in the Yuka Sag. The results revealed that the “oil window” of the Middle Jurassic source rocks in the Yuka area was 300 °C (simulation temperature, Ro = 0.84%), but this was not the peak of hydrocarbon expulsion, which was gradually reached and stabilized above 350 °C. Overall, the concentration of alkanes and aromatics increased with temperature; although the concentration of alkanes was complex in the low evolutionary stages, temperature (simulated maturity) was still the main factor controlling the change in alkanes and aromatics. Among the maturity parameters of biomarkers, the ratio of ∑tricyclic terpanes/∑hopanes was the most effective parameter for indicating the maturity evolution of the Yuka area, but others were complicated by the increasing temperature. Therefore, when evaluating maturity, the applicability of other parameters needed to be fully considered. The results obtained offer new insights in the research on liquid-hydrocarbon and biomarker evolution of the Middle Jurassic source rocks in the Yuka Sag of the Qaidam Basin.

Abstract Background As an important nosocomial pathogen, Enterococcus faecium has received increasing attention in recent years. However, a large number of studies have focused on the hospital-associated isolates and ignored isolates originated from the natural environments. Results In this study, comparative genomic analysis was conducted on 161 isolates originated from human, animal, and naturally fermented dairy products. The results showed that the environment played an important role in shaping the genomes of Enterococcus faecium. The isolates from human had the largest average genome size, while the isolates from dairy products had the smallest average genome size and fewest antibiotic resistance genes. A phylogenetic tree was reconstructed based on the genomes of these isolates, which revealed new insights into the phylogenetic relationships among the dairy isolates and those from hospitals, communities, and animals. Furthermore, 202 environment-specific genes were identified, including 136 dairy-specific, 31 human blood-specific, and 35 human gastrointestinal-specific genes. Interestingly, five dairy-specific genes (namely lacF, lacA/B, lacD, lacG, and lacC) that constituted an integrated lactose metabolism pathway existed in almost all dairy isolates. The pathway conservation demonstrated an active role of the environment in shaping the genomes of Enterococcus faecium. Conclusions This study shows that the Enterococcus faecium species has great genomic plasticity and high versatility to occupy broad ecological roles, dwelling as non-harmful dairy and animal gut commensals as well as significant nosocomial pathogens that disseminate antibiotic resistance genes.

Abstract Background Canine parvovirus (CPV) and feline parvovirus (FPV) are causative agents of diarrhea in dogs and cats, which manifests as depression, vomiting, fever, loss of appetite, leucopenia, and diarrhea in young animals. CPV and FPV can single or mixed infect cats and cause disease. To diagnose sick animals effectively, an effective virus diagnostic and genome typing method with high sensitivity and specificity is required. Results In this study, a conserved segment containing one SNP A4408C of parvovirus was used for real-time PCR amplification. Subsequently, data were auto-analyzed and plotted using Applied Biosystems® High Resolution Melt Software v3.1. Results showed that CPV and FPV can be detected simultaneously in a single PCR reaction. No cross-reactions were observed with canine adenovirus, canine coronavirus, and canine distemper virus. The assay had a detection limit of 4.2 genome copies of CPV and FPV. A total of 80 clinical samples were subjected to this assay, as well as to conventional PCR-sequence assay and virus isolation. Results showed that the percentage of agreement of the assay and other methods are high. Conclusions In short, we have developed a diagnostic test for the accurate detection and differentiation of CPV and FPV in fecal samples, which is also cost effective.

Social and economic transformations have a profound impact on farmers’ livelihood strategies, and changes in these strategies, in turn, deeply impact the agricultural system. Based on four waves of China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) tracking data, this paper uses a Markov transfer probability matrix to explore changes in farmers’ livelihood strategies and builds multiple logit and fixed-effect models to empirically analyze the impact and lag effect of these changes on agricultural diversification. The results show that (1) farmers who choose not to shift away from an agricultural livelihood show no significant change in agricultural diversification. Compared with households showing an increase in the agricultural diversification index, households showing a decrease in this index are more inclined to diversify if they choose to maintain an agricultural livelihood either part-time or full-time. For households with an unchanged agricultural diversification index, their index value is more likely to remain unchanged if they choose to maintain a part-time or full-time agriculture-oriented livelihood. Moreover, (2) the impact of livelihood strategy changes on agricultural diversification displays regional heterogeneity. The index value of farmers in the central region shows no statistically significant change over the sample period, while the index value of farmers in the eastern region increases. Farmers in the eastern and central regions with unchanged index values are more inclined to show persistent index values. (3) Changes in farmers’ livelihood strategies have a lag effect on agricultural diversification that becomes significant at two lag periods.

In plants, brassinosteroids (BRs) are a class of steroidal hormones that are involved in numerous physiological responses. However, the function of BRs in cold tolerance in cotton has not been explored. In this study, cotton seedlings were treated with five concentrations (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/L) of 24-Epibrassinolide (EBR) at 4°C. We measured the electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, proline content, and net photosynthesis rate (Pn) of the seedlings, which showed that EBR treatment increased cold tolerance in cotton in a dose-dependent manner, and that 0.2 mg/L is an optimum concentration for enhancing cold tolerance. The function of EBR in cotton cotyledons was investigated in the control 0 mg/L (Cold+water) and 0.2 mg/L (Cold+EBR) treatments using RNA-Seq. A total of 4,001 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 2,591 up-regulated genes and 1,409 down-regulated genes were identified. Gene Ontology (GO) and biochemical pathway enrichment analyses showed that EBR is involved in the genetic information process, secondary metabolism, and also inhibits abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene (ETH) signal transduction. In this study, physiological experiments showed that EBR can increase cold tolerance in cotton seedlings, and the comprehensive RNA-seq data shed light on the mechanisms through which EBR increases cold tolerance in cotton seedlings.

It has been persuasively argued that relationship networks affect the socio-economic behaviors of actors. However, few studies have recognized the location and context of actors in relationship network. To address this challenge, this paper examined the skill learning and chain migration which were affected by relationship network within spatial situation, by using data covering 115 households in the specialized village of fried dough sticks (youtiao). The results showed learning from neighbors with geographical closeness played an important role in expanding the space and enhancing efficiency of skill learning. It could be noted that the establishment of master-prentice relationship networks was related to the spatial proximity of farmers’ dwellings, and constrained by the space of villagers’ group. Farmers’ chain migration showed the closer the spatial distance of farmers, the nearer the migration destination they choose. Farmers’ livelihoods were constrained by the differences of spatial contexts. Farmers with smaller amounts of cultivated land were more likely to flow into cities with long distance for selling fried dough sticks, and they usually became fixed merchants. In contrast, farmers with more cultivated land were more likely to migrate to the countryside with short distance and usually became mobile vendors. It should better understand the socio-economic behaviors and the change of regional livelihoods, if we will focus on relationship networks embedded in spatial situation in future research.

Elevated inflammatory cytokines and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) production are associated with chronic periodontitis (CP). Glycyrrhizin is the major constituent of Glycyrrhiza glabra. L. (Fabaceae) root with anti-inflammation activities. This study evaluated the effects of glycyrrhizin on CP. TNF-α-treated human periodontal ligament stem cell (hPDLSC) model was established, and was administrated with 1, 2 or 5 mM glycyrrhizin for 24 h. After treatment, the expression of HMGB1and inflammatory cytokines was monitored. Significantly increased HMGB1 (median: 5646.4, range: 1918.2-8233.7 vs median: 204.5, range: 98.7-283.6, pg/mL), TNF-α (median: 345.5, range: 161.0-567.9 vs median: 93.5, range: 58.1-159.3, pg/mL), IL-1β (median: 2014.6, range: 209.5-4308.1 vs median: 224.5, range: 48.8-335.8, pg/mL) and IL-6 (median: 1223.6, range: 398.2-2183.8 vs median: 240.4, range: 105.2-400.5, pg/mL) were detected in gingival crevicular fluid from CP patients. Glycyrrhizin significantly prevented TNF-α-induced expression of HMGB1 (691.5 ± 136.4 vs 142.8 ± 57.3 pg/mL), IL-6 (388.1 ± 85.2 vs 189.4 ± 61.2 pg/mL) and IL-1β (176.3 ± 47.2 vs 53.9 ± 25.7 pg/mL) in hPDLSC. In CP rats, glycyrrhizin significantly decreased HMGB1 (5795.6 ± 1121.5 vs 586.4 ± 436.8 pg/mL), TNF-α (421.8 ± 93.7 vs 87.9 ± 21.6 pg/mL), IL-6 (1423.8 ± 235.2 vs 622.6 ± 176.1 pg/mL) and IL-1β (1562.8 ± 334.3 vs 733.5 ± 265.1 pg/mL) in gingival crevicular fluid. Glycyrrhizin suppresses inflammatory activities in CP rats and represents a promising molecule for controlling CP.

It is well known that consumers are keen to try fermented milk products with different flavors and starter cultures are important in determining the resulting fermented dairy products. Here, we present the phenome of 227 Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis isolates from traditionally fermented dairy products and the selection of potential starter strains. Large-scale phenotyping revealed significant technological diversity in fermentation characteristics amongst the isolates including variation in fermentation time, viscosity, water holding capacity (WHC) and free amino nitrogen (FAN) production. The 16 isolates with the best fermentation characteristics were compared, in a sensory evaluation, with the commercial starter Chr. Hansen R-704 as excellent fermentation characteristics to identify potential starter isolates and find the isolate which can product good flavors. From these, and from solid phase micro extraction (SPME) – gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry (MS) analysis, we identified IMAU11823 and IMAU11919 as producing 3-methyl butanal and 3-methyl-2-butanone which contribute to the malt aroma. This study expands the characterization of L. lactis subsp. lactis phenotypic dataset and technological diversity and identified isolates with potential culture starter in the fermentation industry.

The hydraulic driven legged robots walking on the ground always encounter impact forces due to the contacts between feet and ground. Aiming to reduce the impact forces, a novel passive compliance method is proposed by adding a miniature hydraulic accumulator to the piston chamber of the hydraulic actuator. And the overflow valve and the check valve are newly equipped to prevent overpressure operation and suction. The accumulator as an elastic component is used to reduce the increment of piston chamber pressure due to the impact forces. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed actuator, a dynamic and hydraulic co-simulation platform for a single actuator is built. Both simulation and experiment results show that the new actuator has better passive compliant characteristics while ensuring rather high position servo precision. Under the control of the low bandwidth hydraulic servo valve, the impact forces are reduced by 30% within the scope of the study. The modeling methodology and experimental details give effective references for the legged robot design.

Abstract Background The Nucleoprotein (NP) is the most abundant and highly immunogenic protein in canine distemper virus (CDV), playing an important role in CDV viral replication and assembly. Results In this study, a specific monoclonal antibody, named C8, was produced against the NP protein C terminal (amino acids 401–523). A linear N protein epitope was identified by subjecting a series of partially overlapping synthesized peptides to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis.The results indicated that 444GDKYPIHFNDER455 was the minimal linear epitope that could be recognized by mAb C8. Sequence alignments demonstrated that this linear epitope is less conserved among three CDV genotypes. We next analyzed the level of conservation of the defined epitope in19 Chinese CDV clinical isolates, and it has one site variation in amino acid among these CDV isolations. 2 isolates have the amino acid mutations F451L, while one has P448Ssubstitution.Phylogenetic analysis showed the two isolates with F451Lsubstitution had a closer relationship in a virulent strain ZJ-7, so the epitope may be a significant tag associated with virus virulence. Conclusion This collection of mAb along with defined linear epitope may provide useful reagents for investigations of NP protein function and the development of CDV specific diagnostics.

Deforestation causes diverse and profound consequences for the environment and species. Direct or indirect effects can be related to climate change, biodiversity loss, soil erosion, floods, landslides, etc. As such a significant process, timely and continuous monitoring of forest dynamics is important, to constantly follow existing policies and develop new mitigation measures. The present work had the aim of mapping and monitoring the forest change from 2000 to 2019 and of simulating the future forest development of a rainforest region located in the Pará state, Brazil. The land cover dynamics were mapped at five-year intervals based on a supervised classification model deployed on the cloud processing platform Google Earth Engine. Besides the benefits of reduced computational time, the service is coupled with a vast data catalogue providing useful access to global products, such as multispectral images of the missions Landsat five, seven, eight and Sentinel-2. The validation procedures were done through photointerpretation of high-resolution panchromatic images obtained from CBERS (China–Brazil Earth Resources Satellite). The more than satisfactory results allowed an estimation of peak deforestation rates for the period 2000–2006; for the period 2006–2015, a significant decrease and stabilization, followed by a slight increase till 2019. Based on the derived trends a forest dynamics was simulated for the period 2019–2028, estimating a decrease in the deforestation rate. These results demonstrate that such a fusion of satellite observations, machine learning, and cloud processing, benefits the analysis of the forest dynamics and can provide useful information for the development of forest policies.

Canine distemper virus (CDV), a paramyxovirus, causes a severe highly contagious lethal disease in carnivores, such as mink. Mink lung epithelial cells (Mv.1.Lu cells) are sensitive to CDV infection and are homologous to the natural host system of mink. The current study analyzed the response of Mv.1.Lu cells to CDV infection by iTRAQ combined with LC–MS/MS. In total, 151 and 369 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were markedly up-regulated or down-regulated, respectively. Thirteen DEPs were validated via real-time RT-PCR or western blot analysis. Network and KEGG pathway analyses revealed several regulated proteins associated with the NF-κB signaling pathway. Further validation was performed by western blot analysis and immunofluorescence assay, which demonstrated that different CDV strains induced NF-κB P65 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation. Moreover, the results provided interesting information that some identified DEPs possibly associated with the pathogenesis and the immune response upon CDV infection. This study is the first overview of the responses to CDV infection in Mv.1.Lu cells, and the findings will help to analyze further aspects of the molecular mechanisms involved in viral pathogenesis and the immune responses upon CDV infection.