Bias-dependent photoresponse of Td-WTe2grown by chemical vapor deposition.

The type-II Weyl semimetal Td-WTe2is one of the wonder materials for high-performance optoelectronic devices. We report the self-powered Td-WTe2photodetectors and their bias-dependent photoresponse in the visible region (405, 520, 638 nm) driven by the bulk photovoltaic effect. The device shows the responsivity of 15.8 mAW-1and detectivity of 5.2 × 109Jones at 520 nm. Besides, the response time of the WTe2photodetector shows the strong bias-voltage dependent property. This work offers a physical reference for understanding the photoresponse process of Td-WTe2photodetectors.

Identification, evolution, and expression of GDSL-type Esterase/Lipase (GELP) gene family in three cotton species: a bioinformatic analysis.

BACKGROUND: GDSL esterase/lipases (GELPs) play important roles in plant growth, development, and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Presently, an extensive and in-depth analysis of GELP family genes in cotton is still not clear enough, which greatly limits the further understanding of cotton GELP function and regulatory mechanism. RESULTS: A total of 389 GELP family genes were identified in three cotton species of Gossypium hirsutum (193), G. arboreum (97), and G. raimondii (99). These GELPs could be classified into three groups and eight subgroups, with the GELPs in same group to have similar gene structures and conserved motifs. Evolutionary event analysis showed that the GELP family genes tend to be diversified at the spatial dimension and certain conservative at the time dimension, with a trend of potential continuous expansion in the future. The orthologous or paralogous GELPs among different genomes/subgenomes indicated the inheritance from genome-wide duplication during polyploidization, and the paralogous GELPs were derived from chromosomal segment duplication or tandem replication. GELP genes in the A/D subgenome underwent at least three large-scale replication events in the evolutionary process during the period of 0.6-3.2 MYA, with two large-scale evolutionary events between 0.6-1.8 MYA that were associated with tetraploidization, and the large-scale duplication between 2.6-9.1 MYA that occurred during diploidization. The cotton GELPs indicated diverse expression patterns in tissue development, ovule and fiber growth, and in response to biotic and abiotic stresses, combining the existing cis-elements in the promoter regions, suggesting the GELPs involvements of functions to be diversification and of the mechanisms to be a hormone-mediated manner. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide a systematic and comprehensive understanding the function and regulatory mechanism of cotton GELP family, and offer an effective reference for in-depth genetic improvement utilization of cotton GELPs.

Evolutionary and functional analyses demonstrate conserved ferroptosis protection by Arabidopsis GPXs in mammalian cells.

Species have evolved unique mechanisms to combat the effects of oxidative stress inside cells. A particularly devastating consequence of an unhindered oxidation of membrane lipids in the presence of iron results in cell death, known as ferroptosis. Hallmarks of ferroptosis, including peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, are conserved among animals and plants, however, early divergence of an ancestral mammalian GPX4 (mGPX4) has complicated our understanding of mechanistic similarities between species. To this end, we performed a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis and identified that orthologous Arabidopsis GPXs (AtGPXs) are more highly related to mGPX4 than mGPX4 is to other mammalian GPXs. This high degree of conservation suggested that experimental substitution may be possible. We, therefore, ectopically expressed AtGPX1-8 in ferroptosis-sensitive mouse fibroblasts. This substitution experiment revealed highest protection against ferroptosis induction by AtGPX5, as well as moderate protection by AtGPX2, -7, and -8. Further analysis of these cells revealed substantial abatement of lipid peroxidation in response to pharmacological challenge. The results suggest that the presence of ancestral GPX4 resulted in later functional divergence and specialization of GPXs in plants. The results also challenge a strict requirement for selenocysteine activity and suggest thioredoxin as a potent parallel antioxidant system in both plants and mammals.

Development of IMBs-qPCR detection method for Yersinia enterocolitica based on the foxA gene.

Yersinia enterocolitica is an important zoonotic pathogen, which seriously endangers food-safety risk. In this study, the recombinant outer membrane protein OmpF and its antibody were prepared and coupled with immunomagnetic beads (IMBs) to capture Y. enterocolitica in food samples, combining the quantitative PCR detection with primers of virulence factor gene foxA for Yersinia enterocolitica contamination. The results showed that the capture efficiency of approximately 80% using anti-OmpF antibody-immunomagnetic beads and linearly dependent capture under 101-105 CFU/mL Y. enterocolitica compared with less than 10% capture of other bacteria. The detection limit of 64 CFU/mL was obtained based on foxA gene PCR detection combined with capture of the anti-OmpF antibody-immunomagnetic beads to detect Yersinia enterocolitica in artificially contaminated milk and pork samples. Compared to the culture method, the developed IMBs-qPCR method has higher consistency, was less time consuming, which taken together provides an effective alternative method for rapid detection of Y. enterocolitica in food.

The antiviral protein viperin interacts with the viral N protein to inhibit proliferation of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus.

In the early stage of virus infection, the pattern recognition receptor (PRR) signaling pathway of the host cell is activated to induce interferon production, activating interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) that encode antiviral proteins that exert antiviral effects. Viperin is one of the innate antiviral proteins that exert broad-spectrum antiviral effects by various mechanisms. Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a coronavirus that causes huge losses to the pig industry. Research on early antiviral responses in the gastrointestinal tract is essential for developing strategies to prevent the spread of PEDV. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of viperin in PEDV-infected IPEJ-C2 cells. Increased expression of interferon and viperin and decreased replication of PEDV with a clear reduction in the viral load were observed in PEDV-infected IPEC-J2 cells. Amino acids 1-50 of porcine viperin contain an endoplasmic reticulum signal sequence that allows viperin to be anchored to the endoplasmic reticulum and are necessary for its function in inhibiting PEDV proliferation. The interaction of the viperin S-adenosylmethionine domain with the N protein of PEDV was confirmed via confocal laser scanning microscopy and co-immunoprecipitation. This interaction might interfere with viral replication or assembly to reduce virus proliferation. Our results highlight a potential mechanism whereby viperin is able to inhibit PEDV replication and play an antiviral role in innate immunity.

Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of the Ascorbate Oxidase Gene Family in Gossypium hirsutum Reveals the Critical Role of GhAO1A in Delaying Dark-Induced Leaf Senescence.

Ascorbate oxidase (AO) plays important roles in plant growth and development. Previously, we reported a cotton AO gene that acts as a positive factor in cell growth. Investigations on Gossypium hirsutum AO (GhAO) family genes and their multiple functions are limited. The present study identified eight GhAO family genes and performed bioinformatic analyses. Expression analyses of the tissue specificity and developmental feature of GhAOs displayed their diverse expression patterns. Interestingly, GhAO1A demonstrated the most rapid significant increase in expression after 1 h of light recovery from the dark. Additionally, the transgenic ao1-1/GhAO1A Arabidopsis lines overexpressing GhAO1A in the Arabidopsis ao1-1 late-flowering mutant displayed a recovery to the normal phenotype of wild-type plants. Moreover, compared to the ao1-1 mutant, the ao1-1/GhAO1A transgenic Arabidopsis presented delayed leaf senescence that was induced by the dark, indicating increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) under normal conditions that might be caused by a reduction in ascorbic acid (AsA) and ascorbic acid/dehydroascorbate (AsA/DHA) ratio. The results suggested that GhAOs are functionally diverse in plant development and play a critical role in light responsiveness. Our study serves as a foundation for understanding the AO gene family in cotton and elucidating the regulatory mechanism of GhAO1A in delaying dark-induced leaf senescence.

A Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) Myo-Inositol-1-Phosphate Synthase (GhMIPS1D) Gene Promotes Root Cell Elongation in Arabidopsis.

Myo-inositol-1-phosphate synthase (MIPS, EC 5.5.1.4) plays important roles in plant growth and development, stress responses, and cellular signal transduction. MIPS genes were found preferably expressed during fiber cell initiation and early fast elongation in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), however, current understanding of the function and regulatory mechanism of MIPS genes to involve in cotton fiber cell growth is limited. Here, by genome-wide analysis, we identified four GhMIPS genes anchoring onto four chromosomes in G. hirsutum and analyzed their phylogenetic relationship, evolutionary dynamics, gene structure and motif distribution, which indicates that MIPS genes are highly conserved from prokaryotes to green plants, with further exon-intron structure analysis showing more diverse in Brassicales plants. Of the four GhMIPS members, based on the significant accumulated expression of GhMIPS1D at the early stage of fiber fast elongating development, thereby, the GhMIPS1D was selected to investigate the function of participating in plant development and cell growth, with ectopic expression in the loss-of-function Arabidopsis mips1 mutants. The results showed that GhMIPS1D is a functional gene to fully compensate the abnormal phenotypes of the deformed cotyledon, dwarfed plants, increased inflorescence branches, and reduced primary root lengths in Arabidopsis mips1 mutants. Furthermore, shortened root cells were recovered and normal root cells were significantly promoted by ectopic expression of GhMIPS1D in Arabidopsis mips1 mutant and wild-type plants respectively. These results serve as a foundation for understanding the MIPS family genes in cotton, and suggest that GhMIPS1D may function as a positive regulator for plant cell elongation.

Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinase Genes in Glycyrrhiza Uralensis Appear to be Involved in Promoting the Biosynthesis of Glycyrrhizic Acid and Flavonoids under Salt Stress.

As calcium signal sensors, calcium-dependent protein kinases (CPKs) play vital roles in stimulating the production of secondary metabolites to participate in plant development and response to environmental stress. However, investigations of the Glycyrrhiza uralensis CPK family genes and their multiple functions are rarely reported. In this study, a total of 23 GuCPK genes in G. uralensis were identified, and their phylogenetic relationships, evolutionary characteristics, gene structure, motif distribution, and promoter cis-acting elements were analyzed. Ten GuCPKs showed root-specific preferential expressions, and GuCPKs indicated different expression patterns under treatments of CaCl2 and NaCl. In addition, under 2.5 mM of CaCl2 and 30 mM of NaCl treatments, the diverse, induced expression of GuCPKs and significant accumulations of glycyrrhizic acid and flavonoids suggested the possible important function of GuCPKs in regulating the production of glycyrrhizic acid and flavonoids. Our results provide a genome-wide characterization of CPK family genes in G. uralensis, and serve as a foundation for understanding the potential function and regulatory mechanism of GuCPKs in promoting the biosynthesis of glycyrrhizic acid and flavonoids under salt stress.

Immunization with a DNA vaccine encoding Toxoplasma gondii Superoxide dismutase (TgSOD) induces partial immune protection against acute toxoplasmosis in BALB/c mice.

BACKGROUND: Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that infects all warm-blooded animals including humans and causes toxoplasmosis. An effective vaccine could be an ideal choice for preventing and controlling toxoplasmosis. T. gondii Superoxide dismutase (TgSOD) might participate in affecting the intracellular growth of both bradyzoite and tachyzoite forms. In the present study, the TgSOD gene was used to construct a DNA vaccine (pEGFP-SOD). METHODS: TgSOD gene was amplified and inserted into eukaryotic vector pEGFP-C1 and formed the DNA vaccine pEGFP-SOD. Then the BALB/c mice were immunized intramuscularly with the DNA vaccine and those injected with pEGFP-C1, PBS or nothing were treated as controls. Four weeks after the last immunization, all mouse groups followed by challenging intraperitoneally with tachyzoites of T. gondii ME49 strain. RESULTS: Results showed higher levels of total IgG, IgG2α in the sera and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) in the splenocytes from pEGFP-SOD inoculated mice than those unvaccinated, or inoculated with either empty plasmid vector or PBS. The proportions of CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells in the spleen from pEGFP-SOD inoculated mice were significantly (p < 0.05) increased compared to control groups. In addition, the survival time of mice immunized with pEGFP-SOD was significantly prolonged as compared to the controls (p < 0.05) although all the mice died. CONCLUSION: The present study revealed that the DNA vaccine triggered strong humoral and cellular immune responses, and aroused partial protective immunity against acute T. gondii infection in BALB/c mice. The collective data suggests the SOD may be a potential vaccine candidate for further development.

Sequence Variation in Superoxide Dismutase Gene of Toxoplasma gondii among Various Isolates from Different Hosts and Geographical Regions.

Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite of the phylum Apicomplexa, can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, including humans, livestock, and marine mammals. The aim of this study was to investigate whether superoxide dismutase (SOD) of T. gondii can be used as a new marker for genetic study or a potential vaccine candidate. The partial genome region of the SOD gene was amplified and sequenced from 10 different T. gondii isolates from different parts of the world, and all the sequences were examined by PCR-RFLP, sequence analysis, and phylogenetic reconstruction. The results showed that partial SOD gene sequences ranged from 1,702 bp to 1,712 bp and A + T contents varied from 50.1% to 51.1% among all examined isolates. Sequence alignment analysis identified total 43 variable nucleotide positions, and these results showed that 97.5% sequence similarity of SOD gene among all examined isolates. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these SOD sequences were not an effective molecular marker for differential identification of T. gondii strains. The research demonstrated existence of low sequence variation in the SOD gene among T. gondii strains of different genotypes from different hosts and geographical regions.

Passivating Dipole Layer Bridged 3D/2D Perovskite Heterojunction for Highly Efficient and Stable p-i-n Solar Cells.

Constructing 3D/2D perovskite heterojunction is a promising approach to integrate the benefits of high efficiency and superior stability in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, in contrast to n-i-p architectural PSCs, the p-i-n PSCs with 3D/2D heterojunction have serious limitations in achieving high-performance as they suffer from a large energetic mismatch and electron extraction energy barrier from a 3D perovskite layer to a 2D perovskite layer, and serious nonradiative recombination at the heterojunction. Here a strategy of incorporating a thin passivating dipole layer (PDL) onto 3D perovskite and then depositing 2D perovskite without dissolving the underlying layer to form an efficient 3D/PDL/2D heterojunction is developed. It is revealed that PDL regulates the energy level alignment with the appearance of interfacial dipole and strongly interacts with 3D perovskite through covalent bonds, which eliminate the energetic mismatch, reduce the surface defects, suppress the nonradiative recombination, and thus accelerate the charge extraction at such electron-selective contact. As a result, it is reported that the 3D/PDL/2D junction p-i-n PSCs present a power conversion efficiency of 24.85% with robust stability, which is comparable to the state-of-the-art efficiency of the 3D/2D junction n-i-p devices.

Reducing nonradiative recombination for highly efficient inverted perovskite solar cells via a synergistic bimolecular interface.

Reducing interface nonradiative recombination is important for realizing highly efficient perovskite solar cells. In this work, we develop a synergistic bimolecular interlayer (SBI) strategy via 4-methoxyphenylphosphonic acid (MPA) and 2-phenylethylammonium iodide (PEAI) to functionalize the perovskite interface. MPA induces an in-situ chemical reaction at the perovskite surface via forming strong P-O-Pb covalent bonds that diminish the surface defect density and upshift the surface Fermi level. PEAI further creates an additional negative surface dipole so that a more n-type perovskite surface is constructed, which enhances electron extraction at the top interface. With this cooperative surface treatment, we greatly minimize interface nonradiative recombination through both enhanced defect passivation and improved energetics. The resulting p-i-n device achieves a stabilized power conversion efficiency of 25.53% and one of the smallest nonradiative recombination induced Voc loss of only 59 mV reported to date. We also obtain a certified efficiency of 25.05%. This work sheds light on the synergistic interface engineering for further improvement of perovskite solar cells.

Clinical value of CVP+VIVC in predicting fluid resuscitation in patients with septic shock.

Objective: To explore the clinical value of central venous pressure (CVP) + inferior vena cava respiratory variability (VIVC) in fluid resuscitation in spontaneously breathing patients with septic shock. Methods: In retrospective observational study, during October 2019 to December 2021, 145 patients with septic shock treated in our hospital were enrolled by the method of observational study. According to the change rate of cardiac output (ΔCO) ≥15% or ΔCO<15% after 30 minutes, they were assigned into volume-responsive and volume-unresponsive group depending early fluid resuscitation in sepsis. The clinical value of combination of CVP and VIVC in predicting fluid resuscitation in patients with septic shock was compared. Results: The CVP of the study group was higher at 12h and 24h after fluid resuscitation, and the VIVC level of the study group at 6h, 12h and 24h after fluid resuscitation was higher (P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis indicated that CVP, and VIVC levels were noticeably correlated with fluid resuscitation in patients with septic shock (P<0.05). The area under curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) of CVP for predicting fluid resuscitation in septic shock patients was 0.694 and the cut-off value was 0.932, the sensitivity was 46.9%, and the specificity was 87.5%. VIVC predicted fluid resuscitation in septic shock patients with an AUC of 0.776, which was a cut-off value of 0.688, a sensitivity of 50.0%, and a specificity of 90.0%. Combination of CVP and VIVC predicted fluid resuscitation in septic shock patients with an AUC of 0.948, which was a cut-off value of 1.420, a sensitivity of 90.6%, and a specificity of 87.5%. Conclusion: Combination of CVP and VIVC may have a good effect on the evaluation of volume responsiveness in patients with septic shock, which is better than single CVP and VIVC. Combination of CVP and VIVC can be adopted to predict fluid responsiveness volume responsiveness in septic shock patients, which is of great significance for guiding clinical fluid responsiveness therapy.

Multicopper oxidases GbAO and GbSKS are involved in the Verticillium dahliae resistance in Gossypium barbadense.

Ascorbate oxidase (AO) and skewed5 (SKU5)-similar (SKS) proteins belong to the multicopper oxidase (MCO) family and play important roles in plants in response to environmental stress via modulation of oxidoreduction homeostasis. Currently, reports on the response of Gossypium barbadense MCO to Verticillium wilt (VW) caused by Verticillium dahliae are still limited. Herein, RNA sequencing of two G. barbadense cultivars of VW-resistant XH21 and VW-susceptible XH7 under V. dahliae treatment, combined with physiological and genetic analysis, was performed to analyze the function and mechanism of multicopper oxidases GbAO and GbSKS involved in V. dahliae resistance. The identified differentially expressed genes are mainly involved in the regulation of oxidoreduction reaction, and extracellular components and signaling. Interestingly, ascorbate oxidase family members were discovered as the most significantly upregulated genes after V. dahliae treatment, including GbAO3A/D, GbSKS3A/D, and GbSKS16A/D. H2O2 and Asc contents, especially reductive Asc in both XH21 and XH7, were shown to be increased. Silenced expression of respective GbAO3A/D, GbSKS3A/D, and GbSKS16A/D in virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) cotton plants significantly decreased the resistance to V. dahliae, coupled with the reduced contents of pectin and lignin. Our results indicate that AO might be involved in cotton VW resistance via the regulation of cell wall components.

A polar-switchable and controllable negative phototransistor for information encryption.

Anomalous negative phototransistors have emerged as a distinct research area, characterized by a decrease in channel current under light illumination. Recently, their potential applications have been expanded beyond photodetection. Despite the considerable attention given to negative phototransistors, negative photoconductance (NPC) in particular remains relatively unexplored, with limited research advancements as compared to well-established positive phototransistors. In this study, we designed ferroelectric field-effect transistors (FeFETs) based on the WSe2/CIPS van der Waals (vdW) vertical heterostructures with a buried-gated architecture. The transistor exhibits NPC and positive photoconductance (PPC), demonstrating the significant role of ferroelectric polarization in the distinctive photoresponse. The observed inverse photoconductance can be attributed to the dynamic switching of ferroelectric polarization and interfacial charge transfer processes, which have been investigated experimentally and theoretically using Density Functional Theory (DFT). The unique phenomena enable the coexistence of controllable and polarity-switchable PPC and NPC. The novel feature holds tremendous potential for applications in optical encryption, where the specific gate voltages and light can serve as universal keys to achieve modulation of conductivity. The ability to manipulate conductivity in response to optical stimuli opens up new avenues for developing secure communication systems and data storage technologies. Harnessing this feature enables the design of advanced encryption schemes that rely on the unique properties of our material system. The study not only advances the development of NPC but also paves the way for more robust and efficient methods of optical encryption, ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of critical information in various domains, including data transmission, and information security.

Expression profiling of the mitogen-activated protein kinase gene family reveals their diverse response pattern in two different salt-tolerant Glycyrrhiza species.

BACKGROUND: Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MPKs) play important role in response to environmental stress as crucial signal receptors or sensors. Our previous study indicated that salt stress acts as a positive factor to stimulate the production of pharmacodynamic metabolites in the medicinal plant Glycyrrhiza uralensis. Currently, little is known about the MPK gene family and their functions in the medicinal plant G. uralensis. OBJECTIVE: Identification, comprehensive bioinformatic analysis, expression profiling, and response pattern under salt stress of the G. uralensis GuMPK gene family. METHODS: Genome-wide investigation and expression profiling of the MPK gene family in G. uralensis, and their phylogenetic relationships, evolutionary characteristics, gene structure, motif distribution, promoter cis-acting element, and expression pattern under salt stress in two different salt-tolerant Glycyrrhiza species were performed. RESULTS: A total of 20 G. uralensis GuMPK genes were identified and categorized into five groups, and had conserved gene structure and motif distribution. Expression profiling of GuMPK genes suggested their potentially diverse functions in plant growth and in response to phytohormones and environmental stress, particularly GuMPK1, 2, 5, and 10 as key components for G. uralensis in response to abiotic stress. Further expression analysis under NaCl treatment in two different salt-tolerant Glycyrrhiza species displayed the MPKs' different response patterns, emphasizing the role of MPK2, 5, 7, and 16 as potentially crucial genes for Glycyrrhiza to respond to salt stress. CONCLUSION: Our results provide a genome-wide identification and expression profiling of MPK gene family in G. uralensis, and establish the foundation for screening key responsive genes and understanding the potential function and regulatory mechanism of GuMPKs in salt responsiveness.

Comparative Proteomic Analysis Reveals the Ascorbate Peroxidase-Mediated Plant Resistance to Verticillium dahliae in Gossypium barbadense.

In previous research on the resistance of cotton to Verticillium wilt (VW), Gossypium hirsutum and G. barbadense were usually used as the susceptible and resistant cotton species, despite their different genetic backgrounds. Herein, we present data independent acquisition (DIA)-based comparative proteomic analysis of two G. barbadense cultivars differing in VW tolerance, susceptible XH7 and resistant XH21. A total of 4,118 proteins were identified, and 885 of them were differentially abundant proteins (DAPs). Eight co-expressed modules were identified through weighted gene co-expression network analysis. GO enrichment analysis of the module that significantly correlated with V. dahliae infection time revealed that oxidoreductase and peroxidase were the most significantly enriched GO terms. The last-step rate-limiting enzyme for ascorbate acid (AsA) biosynthesis was further uncovered in the significantly enriched GO terms of the 184 XH21-specific DAPs. Additionally, the expression of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) members showed quick accumulation after inoculation. Compared to XH7, XH21 contained consistently higher AsA contents and rapidly increased levels of APX expression, suggesting their potential importance for the resistance to V. dahliae. Silencing GbAPX1/12 in both XH7 and XH 21 resulted in a dramatic reduction in VW resistance. Our data indicate that APX-mediated oxidoreductive metabolism is important for VW resistance in cotton.

Intervention study of Snyder's hope theory on the stigma of stroke in young and middle-aged patients: a randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Stigma refers to the sense of discrimination that society has towards a certain group of people, and this part of the group will also have a sense of shame due to their own negative circumstance. Young and middle-aged stroke patients need long-term effective support from their families and society, which can easily produce shame, and have a negative impact on disease treatment. METHODS: A total of 94 young and middle-aged stroke patients admitted to our hospital from November 2018 to November 2020 were selected and randomly allocated to 2 groups, with 47 cases in each group. The control group received routine intervention, and the observation group received SHT intervention. The stigma, hope level, compliance with functional exercise, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score and changes in activities of daily living were compared between the 2 groups before and after intervention. RESULTS: The total scores of social interaction, treatment, ability, and stigma of the observation group were lower than those of the control group after 1 month of intervention (P<0.05). The observation group's positive attitude towards reality and the future, taking positive actions, maintaining close relationships with others, and hope levels after 1 month of intervention were all higher than the control group (P<0.05). The functional exercise compliance of the observation group was higher than that of the control group after 1 month of intervention (P<0.05). The Barthel index score of the observation group was higher than that of the control group after 1 month of intervention, and the NIHSS score was lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The application of SHT to young and middle-aged stroke patients can reduce stigma, improve hope level and compliance with functional exercise, improve neurological function, and enhance the ability for daily living. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100045926.

Genome-Wide Analysis of MDHAR Gene Family in Four Cotton Species Provides Insights into Fiber Development via Regulating AsA Redox Homeostasis.

Monodehydroasorbate reductase (MDHAR) (EC1.6.5.4), a key enzyme in ascorbate-glutathione recycling, plays important roles in cell growth, plant development and physiological response to environmental stress via control of ascorbic acid (AsA)-mediated reduction/oxidation (redox) regulation. Until now, information regarding MDHAR function and regulatory mechanism in Gossypium have been limited. Herein, a genome-wide identification and comprehensive bioinformatic analysis of 36 MDHAR family genes in four Gossypium species, Gossypium arboreum, G. raimondii, G. hirsutum, and G. barbadense, were performed, indicating their close evolutionary relationship. Expression analysis of GhMDHARs in different cotton tissues and under abiotic stress and phytohormone treatment revealed diverse expression features. Fiber-specific expression analysis showed that GhMDHAR1A/D, 3A/D and 4A/D were preferentially expressed in fiber fast elongating stages to reach peak values in 15-DPA fibers, with corresponding coincident observances of MDHAR enzyme activity, AsA content and ascorbic acid/dehydroascorbic acid (AsA/DHA) ratio. Meanwhile, there was a close positive correlation between the increase of AsA content and AsA/DHA ratio catalyzed by MDHAR and fiber elongation development in different fiber-length cotton cultivars, suggesting the potential important function of MDHAR for fiber growth. Following H2O2 stimulation, GhMDHAR demonstrated immediate responses at the levels of mRNA, enzyme, the product of AsA and corresponding AsA/DHA value, and antioxidative activity. These results for the first time provide a comprehensive systemic analysis of the MDHAR gene family in plants and the four cotton species and demonstrate the contribution of MDHAR to fiber elongation development by controlling AsA-recycling-mediated cellular redox homeostasis.

Selection of the reference genes for quantitative gene expression by RT-qPCR in the desert plant Stipagrostis pennata.

The desert pioneer plant Stipagrostis pennata plays an important role in sand fixation, wind prevention, and desert ecosystem recovery. An absence of reference genes greatly limits investigations into the regulatory mechanism by which S. pennata adapts to adverse desert environments at the molecular and genetic levels. In this study, eight candidate reference genes were identified from rhizosheath development transcriptome data from S. pennata, and their expression stability in the rhizosheaths at different development stages, in a variety of plant tissues, and under drought stress was evaluated using four procedures, including geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and RefFinder. The results showed that GAPDH and elF were the most stable reference genes under drought stress and in rhizosheath development, and ARP6 and ALDH were relatively stable in all plant tissues. In addition, elF was the most suitable reference gene for all treatments. Analysis of the consistency between the reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and RNA sequencing data showed that the identified elF and GAPDH reference genes were stable during rhizosheath development. These results provide reliable reference genes for assuring the accuracy of RT-qPCR and offer a foundation for further investigations into the genetic responses of S. pennata to abiotic stress.