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Rice (Oryza sativa L.) holds significant importance as a staple food crop, and its continual improvement plays a crucial role in sustainable advancement of agriculture and food security in China. Radiation mutagenesis technology offers an effective approach for breeding high-yield, superior-quality, and stress-resistant rice varieties, thereby contributing positively to the independent innovation of China's seed industry. This study provides a comprehensive review on the progress and notable achievements made in the field of radiation-induced mutation breeding of rice in China over the past two decades. It encompasses various aspects, including the application of various types of radiation sources for radiation mutagenesis in rice, establishment of reliable screening methods, progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying radiation-induced mutation, particularly through genomic variation studies. Additionally, the study highlights the development of a rice mutant bank comprising diverse phenotypes such as yield, resistance, and quality, along with the identification of related gene mutations. Furthermore, it discusses the creation of new varieties through radiation mutagenesis. Looking ahead, this technology will further contribute to the cultivation of higher yielding rice varieties adaptable to different environments and possess superior quality, while also creating new germplasms for gene function research in China.

Brassica oleracea is one of the important vegetable crops in China. Its seeds are primarily imported. Hence, developing innovative varieties belonging to China is an urgent requirement. Since broccoli is a cross-pollinated crop systematic selection and cross-breeding are challenging, and the application of radiation mutagenesis breeding in broccoli has not been reported. In this study, the seeds of Brassica oleracea were irradiated using carbon ion beams to investigate the biological effects of these beams on broccoli. The growth indices, antioxidant enzyme activity, photosynthetic indices, and chlorophyll fluorescence were detected at the seedling stage. The results revealed that irradiation with 100–500 Gy exhibited no significant effect on the germination of Brassica oleracea, while the germination of seeds was significantly inhibited at 600 Gy. After irradiation with 100–600 Gy, the root length, shoot length, seedling height, and leaf area decreased with the increase in irradiation dose. The Median lethal dose (LD50) of Brassica oleracea irradiated using a carbon ion beam was 415.89 Gy, and the dose that halved the root length was 495.12 Gy. After irradiation, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) were higher than that of the control plants, while the activity of catalase (CAT) was lower than that of the control plants. The content of malondialdehyde (MDA) increased significantly at a dose of 400 Gy. The photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids) showed an increasing trend initially, and then a decreasing trend with an increasing irradiation dose, and the highest value was detected at a dose of 300 Gy. Net photosynthesis, transpiration rate, and stomatal conductance exhibited a negative correlation with irradiation dose, while the non-photosynthetic quenching coefficient exhibited a significant increase after irradiation. The findings indicated that heavy ion beam radiation inhibited the growth of broccoli plants and affected the activity of antioxidant enzymes and photosynthesis. The study provided basic data for the radiation mutation breeding of Brassica oleracea.

Background: We aimed to explore the association between visit‐to‐visit systolic blood pressure variability (BPV) and cognitive function in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Methods: We performed a post hoc analysis of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes Memory in Diabetes (ACCORD‐MIND) substudy. A total of 2867 diabetes patients with ≥3 BP measurements between the 4‐ and 20‐month visits were included. Visit‐to‐visit systolic BPV was calculated. Cognitive decline was defined as a Mini‐Mental State Exam (MMSE), Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), or Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) score greater than 1 standard deviation (SD) below the baseline mean, or a Stroop test score more than 1 SD above the baseline mean. The associations of systolic BPV with risks of cognitive decline were examined using Cox proportional hazards models, and with changes in brain magnetic resonance imaging parameters were evaluated using mixed models. Results: The risk of cognitive decline defined by the DSST score (but not by other scores) increased significantly with systolic BPV quartiles (p for trend = 0.008), and there was a 55% increased risk for BPV quartile 4 versus quartile 1 (hazard ratio = 1.55, 95% confidence interval 1.10–2.19). Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between systolic BPV and change in white matter lesion volume (β = 0.07, 95% CI 0.01–0.13). Conclusions: A greater visit‐to‐visit systolic BPV was significantly associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline measured by DSST and an increase in white matter lesion volume in patients with type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nocturia, a prevalent chronic condition, impacts individuals' quality of life but remains underexplored. This study aimed to assess the association between serum albumin levels and nocturia. Methods: Based on the analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database (2005–2012), our study included a total of 6345 adults (≥20 years old). Nocturia was defined as ≥2 nocturnal voiding episodes. Logistic regression and smooth curve fitting analyzed the linear and nonlinear correlations between serum albumin and nocturia, with subgroup analysis. Results: Among 6345 participants, 1821 (28.7%) experienced nocturia. Logistic regression analysis revealed a linear negative correlation between serum albumin and nocturia risk (OR = 0.9549, 95% CI = 0.9280 ~ 0.9827, P = 0.002). Even after quartile division of serum albumin concentration, this correlation persisted within each group, and a smooth curve fitting validated the nonlinear negative correlation between the two. Subgroup analysis further demonstrated significant impacts of body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption, and age on this association. Conclusion: This cross-sectional study indicated that higher serum albumin levels were associated with a reduced risk of nocturia in U.S. adults aged 20 and older, highlighting the importance of serum albumin in the prevention and treatment of nocturia and providing clinical guidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nocturia, the most common lower urinary tract symptom (LUTS), significantly impacts socioeconomic factors and individuals' quality of life and is closely related to many diseases. This study utilized data from NHANES 2005–2010 to explore the relationship between family income to poverty ratio (PIR) and the presence of nocturia symptoms in adults aged 20 or older in the United States. Methods: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 2005–2010, including 6,662 adults aged 20 or older, were utilized for this cross-sectional study. The baseline data was used to display the distribution of each characteristic visually. Multiple linear regression and smooth curve fitting were used to study the linear and non-linear correlations between PIR and nocturia. Subgroup analysis and interaction tests were conducted to examine the stability of intergroup relationships. Results: Out of the 6,662 adult participants aged 20 or older, 1,300 households were categorized as living in poverty, 3,671 households had a moderate income, and 1,691 households were classified as affluent. Among these participants, 3,139 individuals experienced nocturia, representing 47.12% of the total, while 3,523 individuals were nocturia-free, constituting 52.88% of the total population. After adjusting for all other covariates, it was found that PIR was significantly negatively correlated with nocturia (OR: 0.875, 95%CI: 0.836–0.916 P<0.0001). This trend persisted when PIR was divided into three groups (PIR <1, PIR 1–4, PIR > 4) or quartiles. There was a non-linear negative correlation between PIR and nocturia. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that lower PlR was associated with a higher risk of nocturia in adults aged 20 or older in the United States. These findings highlight the importance of considering socioeconomic factors in preventing and managing nocturia. Nonetheless, further exploration of the causal nexus between these factors was precluded due to the constraints of a cross-sectional design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oil sunflower is an important oil crop and ornamental plant. Flowering time affects the environmental adaptability and final yield of oil sunflowers. Floral induction is one of the important events that determines subsequent reproductive growth and seed setting, but there has been no systematic study on the regulation of gene expression during the transition from vegetative growth to reproductive growth in oil sunflowers. In this study, an oil sunflower mutant displaying early flowering (ef) was obtained by heavy ion beam irradiation. This mutant had a stable genetic trait, and its flowering time was 15 days earlier than the wild type (WT) in the field. The histology result showed that the ef mutant induced floral meristem at 6-leaf stage earlier than WT. The shoot apical meristems (SAMs) of the ef mutant and WT at 4-leaf, 6-leaf, 8-leaf, 10-leaf and budding periods were collected for RNA sequencing. The results showed that the transition from the leaf meristem to the floral meristem resulted in significant changes in the transcriptional landscape. Overall, 632, 1825, 4549, 5407 and 2164 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified at 4-leaf, 6-leaf, 8-leaf, 10-leaf and budding periods, respectively. These DEGs were mainly enriched in biological pathways, including plant hormone signal transduction, carbon metabolism, protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum, secondary metabolism, and photosynthesis. We also found significant differences in the expression levels of starch and sucrose metabolism-related genes in the ef mutant and WT, indicating that sugar signaling plays an important role in the early flowering of oil sunflowers, especially SUC9 and sugar synthesis and degradation enzyme genes. In addition to hormone and sugar signals, flowering integration genes SOC1, AP1, FUL and LFY were upregulated in the ef mutant, and genes in photoperiod, aging, autonomous and temperature pathways were also involved in the regulation of floral transition. The results showed that plant hormones, sucrose metabolism, and flowering genes synergistically cause the early flowering of oil sunflowers. Our study provided important information for understanding flowering and is helpful for the genetic improvement of sunflowers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]