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To determine the outcome and differences between arthroscopic hip surgery and conservative therapy in patients suffering from femoroacetabular impingement syndrome, we searched articles from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science and Clinicaltrials.gov using a Boolean search algorithm. Only randomized controlled trials comparing arthroscopic hip surgery and conservative therapy were included in this meta‐analysis of femoroacetabular impingement syndrome management. Two authors determined eligibility, extracted the needed data and assessed the risk of bias of eligible studies independently. Then we meta‐analyzed three articles to assess pooled estimate size (ES) and 95% confidence interval for Hip Outcome Score of activities of daily living (HOS ADL subscale), Hip Outcome Score sport (HOS sports subscale) and International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT‐33) analyses were performed by using STATA version 14.0 MP (STATA, College Station, TX, USA) with the principal summary measures are mean between group difference, sample size, and standard deviation. We collected 52 articles in total after removing duplicates and screened by titles and abstracts. A total of three RCTs were included finally. There was definite evidence of additional benefit of arthroscopic hip surgery against conservative therapy in the field of improving quality of life (three trials, 575 participants, ES = 2.109, 95% CI: 1.373 to 2.845, I2 = 42.8%, P = 0.000) and activity of daily living (two trials, 262 participants, ES = 9.220, 95% CI: 5.931 to 12.508, I2 = 16.5%, P = 0.000). However, no significant difference could be seen in sports function improvement (two trials, ES = 7.562, 95% CI: −2.957 to 18.082, I2 = 60.1%, P = 0.159). In conclusion, this meta‐analysis suggests that arthroscopic hip surgery provided essential benefit compared with conservative therapy in improving activity of daily living and quality of life.

Abstract Background The family of NAC proteins (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2) represent a class of large plant-specific transcription factors. However, identification and functional surveys of NAC genes of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) remain unstudied, despite the tomato genome being decoded for several years. This study aims to identify the NAC gene family and investigate their potential roles in responding to Al stress. Results Ninety-three NAC genes were identified and named in accordance with their chromosome location. Phylogenetic analysis found SlNACs are broadly distributed in 5 groups. Gene expression analysis showed that SlNACs had different expression levels in various tissues and at different fruit development stages. Cycloheximide treatment and qRT-PCR analysis indicated that SlNACs may aid regulation of tomato in response to Al stress, 19 of which were significantly up- or down-regulated in roots of tomato following Al stress. Conclusion This work establishes a knowledge base for further studies on biological functions of SlNACs in tomato and will aid in improving agricultural traits of tomato in the future.

Aluminum (Al) toxicity constitutes one of the major limiting factors of plant growth and development on acid soils, which comprises approximately 50% of potentially arable lands worldwide. When suffering Al toxicity, plants reprogram the transcription of genes, which activates physiological and metabolic pathways to deal with the toxicity. Here, we report the role of a NAM, ATAF1, 2 and CUC2 (NAC) transcription factor (TF) in tomato Al tolerance. Among 53 NAC TFs in tomatoes, SlNAC063 was most abundantly expressed in root apex and significantly induced by Al stress. Furthermore, the expression of SlNAC063 was not induced by other metals. Meanwhile, the SlNAC063 protein was localized at the nucleus and has transcriptional activation potentials in yeast. By constructing CRISPR/Cas9 knockout mutants, we found that slnac063 mutants displayed increased sensitivity to Al compared to wild-type plants. However, the mutants accumulated even less Al than wild-type (WT) plants, suggesting that internal tolerance mechanisms but not external exclusion mechanisms are implicated in SlNAC063-mediated Al tolerance in tomatoes. Further comparative RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that only 45 Al-responsive genes were positively regulated by SlNAC063, although the expression of thousands of genes (1,557 upregulated and 636 downregulated) was found to be affected in slnac063 mutants in the absence of Al stress. The kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis revealed that SlNAC063-mediated Al-responsive genes were enriched in “phenylpropanoid metabolism,” “fatty acid metabolism,” and “dicarboxylate metabolism,” indicating that SlNAC063 regulates metabolisms in response to Al stress. Quantitative real-time (RT)-PCR analysis showed that the expression of SlAAE3-1 was repressed by SlNAC063 in the absence of Al. However, the expression of SlAAE3-1 was dependent on SlNAC063 in the presence of Al stress. Taken together, our results demonstrate that a NAC TF SlNAC063 is involved in tomato Al tolerance by regulating the expression of genes involved in metabolism, and SlNAC063 is required for Al-induced expression of SlAAE3-1.

In response to changing environments, plants regulate gene expression and subsequent metabolism to acclimate and survive. A superfamily of acyl-activating enzymes (AAEs) has been observed in every class of creatures on planet. Some of plant AAE genes have been identified and functionally characterized to be involved in growth, development, biotic, and abiotic stresses via mediating diverse metabolic pathways. However, less information is available about AAEs superfamily in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), the highest value fruit and vegetable crop globally. In this study, we aimed to identify tomato AAEs superfamily and investigate potential functions with respect to aluminum (Al) stress that represents one of the major factors limiting crop productivity on acid soils worldwide. Fifty-three AAE genes of tomato were identified and named on the basis of phylogenetic relationships between Arabidopsis and tomato. The phylogenetic analysis showed that AAEs could be classified into six clades; however, clade III contains no AAE genes of tomato. Synteny analyses revealed tomato vegetable paralogs and Arabidopsis orthologs. The RNA-seq and quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis indicated that 9 out of 53 AAEs genes were significantly up- or downregulated by Al stress. Numerous cis-acting elements implicated in biotic and abiotic stresses were detected in the promoter regions of SlAAEs. As the most abundantly expressed gene in root apex and highly induced by Al, there are many potential STOP1 cis-acting elements present in the promoter of SlAAE3-1, and its expression in root apex was specific to Al. Finally, transgenic tobacco lines overexpressing SlAAE3-1 displayed increased tolerance to Al. Altogether, our results pave the way for further studies on the functional characterization of SlAAE genes in tomato with a wish of improvement in tomato crop in the future.

Background: The retinoid isomerohydrolase RPE65 has received considerable attention worldwide since a successful clinical gene therapy was approved in 2017 as the first treatment for vision loss associated with RPE65-mediated inherited retinal disease. Identifying patients with RPE65 mutations is a prerequisite to assessing the patients' eligibility to receive RPE65-targeted gene therapies, and it is necessary to identify individuals who are most likely to benefit from gene therapies. This study aimed to investigate the RPE65 mutations frequency in the Chinese population and to determine the genetic and clinical characteristics of these patients.Results: Only 20 patients with RPE65 mutations were identified, and RPE65 mutations were determined to be the 14th most common among all patients with genetic diagnoses. Ten novel variants and two hotspots associated with FAP were identified. A literature review revealed that a total of 57 patients of Chinese origin were identified with pathogenic mutations in the RPE65 gene. The mean best Snellen corrected visual acuity was worse (mean 1.3 ± 1.3 LogMAR) in patients older than 20 years old than in those younger than 15 years old (0.68 ± 0.92 LogMAR). Bone spicule-like pigment deposits (BSLPs) were observed in six patients; they were older than those without BSLP and those with white-yellow dots. Genotype-phenotype analysis revealed that truncating variants seem to lead to a more severe clinical presentation, while best corrected visual acuity testing and fundus changes did not correlate with specific RPE65 variants or mutation types.Conclusions: This study provides a detailed clinical-genetic assessment of patients with RPE65 mutations of Chinese origin. These results may help to elucidate RPE65 mutations in the Chinese population and may facilitate genetic counseling and the implementation of gene therapy in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of bismuth inclusion on the mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of nanopolycrystalline iron under uniaxial tensile loading were investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. The analysis of the stress-strain behavior of polycrystalline pure Fe and alloy containing Bi inclusion shows that the Young's modulus of the latter is lower, the strain into the yield stage is smaller, and the yield strength is significantly decreased. Microscopic analysis of pure Fe polycrystalline and Fe–Bi polycrystalline systems with small grain size shows that the deformation mechanisms of pure Fe polycrystalline systems are mainly grain boundary migration, grain boundary slip and grain twisting, while a limited amount of twinning can be observed. The deformation of Fe–Bi system is accomplished based on the deformation mechanism of pure Fe system combined with the shear slip of atoms in Bi inclusion and adjacent region. Meanwhile, the nucleation and growth of cavity can be observed inside the inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the transcendental logarithmic cost function model was used to measure the rate of technological progress in seven major mandarin-producing regions and seven major tangerine-producing regions in China from 2006 to 2021. The modified gravity model was used to establish spatial correlation networks. The social network analysis method was used to analyze the characteristics of the overall network structure and the individual network structure of the spatial correlation networks of citrus-production technology progress, and the quadratic assignment procedure was used to analyze the factors influencing the spatial network. The results show the production of Chinese mandarins and tangerines is in the stage of technological progress in general, but the rate of progress is slowing down gradually, and the rate of mandarin-production technology progress is higher than that of tangerine-production technology progress. In terms of the overall network structure characteristics, the spatial networks of technological progress related to Chinese mandarin and tangerine production are becoming increasingly dense and complex, with obvious spatial spillover effects, but the network structure is relatively loose, and the polarization of the tangerine network is more serious. In terms of individual network structure characteristics, the relatively economically developed eastern regions have a higher status in terms of the spatial correlation network and a stronger role in controlling and dominating the resource elements needed for citrus-production technology progress. Education, informatization, economic development, innovation support, and financial support are important factors influencing the formation of the spatial association network of citrus-production technology progress in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphocholine (PCho) is an intermediate metabolite of nonplastid plant membranes that is essential for salt tolerance. However, how PCho metabolism modulates response to salt stress remains unknown. Here, we characterize the role of phosphoethanolamine N‐methyltransferase 1 (PMT1) in salt stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana using a T‐DNA insertional mutant, gene‐editing alleles, and complemented lines. The pmt1 mutants showed a severe inhibition of root elongation when exposed to salt stress, but exogenous ChoCl or lecithin rescued this defect. pmt1 also displayed altered glycerolipid metabolism under salt stress, suggesting that glycerolipids contribute to salt tolerance. Moreover, pmt1 mutants exhibited altered reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and distribution, reduced cell division activity, and disturbed auxin distribution in the primary root compared with wild‐type seedlings. We show that PMT1 expression is induced by salt stress and relies on the abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway, as this induction was abolished in the aba2‐1 and pyl112458 mutants. However, ABA aggravated the salt sensitivity of the pmt1 mutants by perturbing ROS distribution in the root tip. Taken together, we propose that PMT1 is an important phosphoethanolamine N‐methyltransferase participating in root development of primary root elongation under salt stress conditions by balancing ROS production and distribution through ABA signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aluminum (Al) toxicity constitutes one of the major limiting factors of plant growth and development on acid soils, which comprises approximately 50% of potentially arable lands worldwide. When suffering Al toxicity, plants reprogram the transcription of genes, which activates physiological and metabolic pathways to deal with the toxicity. Here, we report the role of a NAM, ATAF1, 2 and CUC2 (NAC) transcription factor (TF) in tomato Al tolerance. Among 53 NAC TFs in tomatoes, SlNAC063 was most abundantly expressed in root apex and significantly induced by Al stress. Furthermore, the expression of SlNAC063 was not induced by other metals. Meanwhile, the SlNAC063 protein was localized at the nucleus and has transcriptional activation potentials in yeast. By constructing CRISPR/Cas9 knockout mutants, we found that slnac063 mutants displayed increased sensitivity to Al compared to wild-type plants. However, the mutants accumulated even less Al than wild-type (WT) plants, suggesting that internal tolerance mechanisms but not external exclusion mechanisms are implicated in SlNAC063-mediated Al tolerance in tomatoes. Further comparative RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that only 45 Al-responsive genes were positively regulated by SlNAC063, although the expression of thousands of genes (1,557 upregulated and 636 downregulated) was found to be affected in slnac063 mutants in the absence of Al stress. The kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis revealed that SlNAC063-mediated Al-responsive genes were enriched in "phenylpropanoid metabolism," "fatty acid metabolism," and "dicarboxylate metabolism," indicating that SlNAC063 regulates metabolisms in response to Al stress. Quantitative real-time (RT)-PCR analysis showed that the expression of SlAAE3-1 was repressed by SlNAC063 in the absence of Al. However, the expression of SlAAE3-1 was dependent on SlNAC063 in the presence of Al stress. Taken together, our results demonstrate that a NAC TF SlNAC063 is involved in tomato Al tolerance by regulating the expression of genes involved in metabolism, and SlNAC063 is required for Al-induced expression of SlAAE3-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the outcome and differences between arthroscopic hip surgery and conservative therapy in patients suffering from femoroacetabular impingement syndrome, we searched articles from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science and Clinicaltrials.gov using a Boolean search algorithm. Only randomized controlled trials comparing arthroscopic hip surgery and conservative therapy were included in this meta‐analysis of femoroacetabular impingement syndrome management. Two authors determined eligibility, extracted the needed data and assessed the risk of bias of eligible studies independently. Then we meta‐analyzed three articles to assess pooled estimate size (ES) and 95% confidence interval for Hip Outcome Score of activities of daily living (HOS ADL subscale), Hip Outcome Score sport (HOS sports subscale) and International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT‐33) analyses were performed by using STATA version 14.0 MP (STATA, College Station, TX, USA) with the principal summary measures are mean between group difference, sample size, and standard deviation. We collected 52 articles in total after removing duplicates and screened by titles and abstracts. A total of three RCTs were included finally. There was definite evidence of additional benefit of arthroscopic hip surgery against conservative therapy in the field of improving quality of life (three trials, 575 participants, ES = 2.109, 95% CI: 1.373 to 2.845, I2 = 42.8%, P = 0.000) and activity of daily living (two trials, 262 participants, ES = 9.220, 95% CI: 5.931 to 12.508, I2 = 16.5%, P = 0.000). However, no significant difference could be seen in sports function improvement (two trials, ES = 7.562, 95% CI: −2.957 to 18.082, I2 = 60.1%, P = 0.159). In conclusion, this meta‐analysis suggests that arthroscopic hip surgery provided essential benefit compared with conservative therapy in improving activity of daily living and quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae) becomes a grave public health problem in the world. A strengthened Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program is needed to track the trend of AMR development. However, the lack of a proper antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) method is a barrier to expand the AMR surveillance in China. Traditional agar dilution (AD) method is laborious and E-test strips have no approval license for clinical use. Herein, a Chinese group modified the microdilution (MD) method for clinical ASTs. The objective of this study is to compare the MD method with the AD method for N. gonorrhoeae AST. Materials and Methods: A total of 166 clinical isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility of ceftriaxone, spectinomycin, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and penicillin using MD and AD method simultaneously. Results of MD method were read manually or automatically. Rates of essential agreement (EA), category agreement (CA), minor error, and very major error were compared. Results: The total EAs (compared with results read manually) of penicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, spectinomycin, ceftriaxone, and azithromycin were 90.4%, 97.0%, 85.5%, 100.0%, 94%, and 72.3%; and CAs were 82.5%, 94.0%, 100%, 100%, 95.2%, and 94%, respectively. Conclusion: We conclude that the MD method might be an alternative for clinical AST of N. gonorrhoeae in China. In particular, MD method has the potency of accurate differentiation of isolates resistant to ceftriaxone or azithromycin, which were empirically recommended for gonococcal treatment, but its quality remained suboptimal, and further improvement is needed for clinical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The family of NAC proteins (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2) represent a class of large plant-specific transcription factors. However, identification and functional surveys of NAC genes of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) remain unstudied, despite the tomato genome being decoded for several years. This study aims to identify the NAC gene family and investigate their potential roles in responding to Al stress. Results: Ninety-three NAC genes were identified and named in accordance with their chromosome location. Phylogenetic analysis found SlNACs are broadly distributed in 5 groups. Gene expression analysis showed that SlNACs had different expression levels in various tissues and at different fruit development stages. Cycloheximide treatment and qRT-PCR analysis indicated that SlNACs may aid regulation of tomato in response to Al stress, 19 of which were significantly up- or down-regulated in roots of tomato following Al stress. Conclusion: This work establishes a knowledge base for further studies on biological functions of SlNACs in tomato and will aid in improving agricultural traits of tomato in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]