Screening, genotyping and haematological analysis of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in the blood donors of Wuxi City, China.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence, genotype and haematological characteristics of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency in the blood donor population of Wuxi area (Jiangsu Province, China) and to assess the impact of their red blood cell (RBC) units on clinical transfusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted genotyping and large-scale screening for G6PD enzyme activity in the blood donors of Wuxi City. In addition, we assessed the haematological parameters of G6PD-deficient and non-deficient blood donors, and investigated the adverse transfusion reactions in patients transfused with G6PD-deficient blood. RESULTS: We investigated 17,113 blood donors, among whom 44 (0.26%) were tested positive for G6PD deficiency. We identified 40 G6PD gene variants, among which c.1388G>A, c.1376G>T, c.1024C>T and c.95A>G were common. In addition, we identified two novel G6PD gene variants, c.1312G>A and c.1316G>A. The G6PD-deficient and non-deficient blood samples showed a significant difference in the RBC, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular Hb (MCH), RBC distribution width, total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL) and indirect bilirubin (IBIL) values. However, the two samples showed no significant difference in the haemolysis rate at the end of the storage period. Finally, transfusion with G6PD-deficient RBC units did not lead to any adverse transfusion reactions. CONCLUSION: The positive rate of G6PD deficiency in the blood donor population of Wuxi City is 0.26%, and the genetic variants identified in this population are consistent with the common genetic variants observed in the Chinese population. Blood centres can establish a database on G6PD-deficient blood donors and mark their RBC units to avoid their use for special clinical patients.

Metabolomics reveals the lipid metabolism disorder in Pelophylax nigromaculatus exposed to environmentally relevant levels of microcystin-LR.

Cyanobacterial blooms have emerged as a significant environmental issue worldwide in recent decades. However, the toxic effects of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) on aquatic organisms, such as frogs, have remained poorly understood. In this study, frogs (Pelophylax nigromaculatus) were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of MC-LR (0, 1, and 10 µg/L) for 21 days. Subsequently, we assessed the impact of MC-LR on the histomorphology of the frogs' livers and conducted a global MS-based nontarget metabolomics analysis, followed by the determination of substances involved in lipid metabolism. Results showed that MC-LR significantly induced histological alterations in the frogs' hepatopancreas. Over 200 differentially expressed metabolites were identified, primarily enriched in lipid metabolism. Biochemical analysis further confirmed that MC-LR exposure led to a disorder in lipid metabolism in the frogs. This study laid the groundwork for a mechanistic understanding of MC-LR toxicity in frogs and potentially other aquatic organisms.

Tomato SlWRKY3 Negatively Regulates Botrytis cinerea Resistance via TPK1b.

Botrytis cinerea is considered the second most important fungal plant pathogen, and can cause serious disease, especially on tomato. The TPK1b gene encodes a receptor-like kinase that can positively regulate plant resistance to B. cinerea. Here, we identified a tomato WRKY transcription factor SlWRKY3 that binds to the W-box on the TPK1b promoter. It can negatively regulate TPK1b transcription, then regulate downstream signaling pathways, and ultimately negatively regulate tomato resistance to B. cinerea. SlWRKY3 interference can enhance resistance to B. cinerea, and SlWRKY3 overexpression leads to susceptibility to B. cinerea. Additionally, we found that B. cinerea can significantly, and rapidly, induce the upregulation of SlWRKY3 expression. In SlWRKY3 transgenic plants, the TPK1b expression level was negatively correlated with SlWRKY3 expression. Compared with the control, the expression of the SA pathway marker gene PR1 was downregulated in W3-OE plants and upregulated in W3-Ri plants when inoculated with B. cinerea for 48 h. Moreover, SlWRKY3 positively regulated ROS production. Overall, SlWRKY3 can inhibit TPK1b transcription in tomato, and negatively regulate resistance to B. cinerea by modulating the downstream SA and ROS pathways.

Linguistic feedback supports rapid adaptation to acoustically degraded speech.

Humans can quickly adapt to recognize acoustically degraded speech, and here we hypothesize that the quick adaptation is enabled by internal linguistic feedback - Listeners use partially recognized sentences to adapt the mapping between acoustic features and phonetic labels. We test this hypothesis by quantifying how quickly humans adapt to degraded speech and analyzing whether the adaptation process can be simulated by adapting an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system based on its own speech recognition results. We consider three types of acoustic degradation, i.e., noise vocoding, time compression, and local time-reversal. The human speech recognition rate can increase by >20% after exposure to just a few acoustically degraded sentences. Critically, the ASR system with internal linguistic feedback can adapt to degraded speech with human-level speed and accuracy. These results suggest that self-supervised learning based on linguistic feedback is a plausible strategy for human adaptation to acoustically degraded speech.

Paternal exposures to endocrine-disrupting chemicals induce intergenerational epigenetic influences on offspring: A review.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are ubiquitous in ecological environments and have become a great issue of public health concern since the 1990 s. There is a deep scientific understanding of the toxicity of EDCs. However, recent studies have found that the abnormal physiological functions of the parents caused by EDCs could be transmitted to their unexposed offspring, leading to intergenerational toxicity. We questioned whether sustained epigenetic changes occur through the male germline. In this review, we (1) systematically searched the available research on the intergenerational impacts of EDCs in aquatic and mammal organisms, including 42 articles, (2) summarized the intergenerational genetic effects, such as decreased offspring survival, abnormal reproductive dysfunction, metabolic disorders, and behavioral abnormalities, (3) summarized the mechanisms of intergenerational toxicity through paternal interactions, and (4) propose suggestions on future research directions to develop a deeper understanding of the ecological risk of EDCs.

Decomposition of metal-organic complexes and metal recovery in wastewater: A systematic review and meta-synthesis.

Metals are rarely found as free ions in natural and anthropogenic environments, but they are often associated with organic matter and minerals. Under the context of circular economy, metals should be recycled, yet they are difficult to extract for their complex forms in real situations. Based on the protocols of review methodology and the analysis of VOS viewer, there are few reviews on the properties of metal-organic complexes, decomplexation methods, the effect of coexisting ions, the pH influence, and metal recovery methods for the increasingly complicated metal-organic complexes wastewater. Conventional treatment methods such as flocculation, adsorption, biological degradation, and ion exchange fail to decompose metal-organic complexes completely without causing secondary pollution in wastewater. To enhance comprehension of the behavior and morphology exhibited by metal-organic complexes within aqueous solutions, we presented the molecular structure and properties of metal-organic complexes, the decomplexation mechanisms that encompassed both radical and non-radical oxidizing species, including hydroxyl radical (OH), sulfate radical (SO˙4-), superoxide radical (O˙2-), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), ozone (O3), and singlet oxygen (1O2). More importantly, we reviewed novel aspects that have not been covered by previous reviews considering the impact of operational parameters and coexisting ions. Finally, the potential avenues and challenges were proposed for future research.

SlTCP24 and SlTCP29 synergistically regulate compound leaf development through interacting with SlAS2 and activating transcription of SlCKX2 in tomato.

The complexity of compound leaves results primarily from the leaflet initiation and arrangement during leaf development. However, the molecular mechanism underlying compound leaf development remains a central research question. SlTCP24 and SlTCP29, two plant-specific transcription factors with the conserved TCP motif, are shown here to synergistically regulate compound leaf development in tomato. When both of them were knocked out simultaneously, the number of leaflets significantly increased, and the shape of the leaves became more complex. SlTCP24 and SlTCP29 could form both homodimers and heterodimers, and such dimerization was impeded by the leaf polarity regulator SlAS2, which interacted with SlTCP24 and SlTCP29. SlTCP24 and SlTCP29 could bind to the TCP-binding cis-element of the SlCKX2 promoter and activate its transcription. Transgenic plants with SlTCP24 and SlTCP29 double-gene knockout had a lowered transcript level of SlCKX2 and an elevated level of cytokinin. This work led to the identification of two key regulators of tomato compound leaf development and their targeted genes involved in cytokinin metabolic pathway. A model of regulation of compound leaf development was proposed based on observations of this study.

Eclampsia, in vitro fertilization and the risk of preterm birth: a retrospective cohort study based on 2,880,759 samples.

Background: Eclampsia and in vitro fertilization (IVF) are independent risk factors for preterm birth. Understanding the combined effects of multiple risk factors for preterm birth is critical to making accurate and personalized risk predictions. This study aimed to explore the interaction between eclampsia and IVF on the risk of preterm birth. Methods: A total of 2,880,759 eligible participants from Birth Data Files in the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) database 2019 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. Some characteristics were collected, such as maternal age, prepregnancy body mass index (BMI), history of preterm birth, paternal age, race, newborn sex. Preterm birth was defined as <37 weeks gestation. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were utilized to assess the associations between eclampsia, IVF and preterm birth. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated in this study. Relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), attributable proportion (AP) and synergy index (S) were adopted to evaluate the interaction between eclampsia and IVF on the risk of preterm birth. Results: The age of mothers and fathers, the number of multiple births, the proportion of mothers with a history of preterm birth, pregnancy infections, eclampsia and IVF among the preterm birth group were all higher than those among the non-preterm birth group. The incidence of preterm birth in eclampsia and IVF population was approximately 37.31% and 22.96%, separately. After adjusting some covariates, subjects with both eclampsia and IVF had a higher risk of preterm birth (OR =9.197, 95% CI: 6.795-12.448, P<0.001). Furthermore, the results (RERI =3.426, 95% CI: 0.639-6.213, AP=0.374, 95% CI: 0.182-0.565, S =1.723, 95% CI: 1.222-2.428) suggested that the interaction between eclampsia and IVF on preterm birth was statistically significant, indicating a synergistic interaction. Conclusions: Eclampsia and IVF might interact in a synergistic manner to increase the risk of preterm birth. Awareness of the risk profile associated with preterm birth is crucial for pregnant woman with IVF to implement dietary and lifestyle modifications.

Effects and mechanism of action of Chrysanthemum morifolium (Jinsi Huangju) on hyperlipidemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

As a popular healthy tea beverage, Jinsi Huangju has been consumed in China for hundreds of years. However, its active ingredients which dissolved in hot water have not been fully determined. In this study, 14 compounds were identified by different spectroscopic techniques, including 11 compounds identified in this plant for the first time. For in-depth studies, apigenin-7-O-6″-malonylglucoside (8) and luteolin-7-O-6″-malonylglucoside (9) were synthesized for the first time by 5 steps in 1.2% overall yields. Further analyses of the natural compounds showed that 8 could inhibit pancreatic lipase, reduce cellular lipid contents, and attenuate insulin resistance in vitro. Furthermore, 8 restore lipid and inflammatory profiles in the plasma and liver (TG, TC, ALT, AST, LDL-C, HDL-C, MPO, and IL-6) and attenuated hepatic steatosis in NAFLD mouse models. In conclusion, Jinsi Huangju and its active ingredients are candidates for developing drug, functional foods and therapeutic strategies for hyperlipidaemia and NAFLD.

Speech recognition in echoic environments and the effect of aging and hearing impairment.

Temporal modulations provide critical cues for speech recognition. When the temporal modulations are distorted by, e.g., reverberations, speech intelligibility drops, and the drop in speech intelligibility can be explained by the amount of distortions to the speech modulation spectrum, i.e., the spectrum of temporal modulations. Here, we test a condition in which speech is contaminated by a single echo. Speech is delayed by either 0.125 s or 0.25 s to create an echo, and these two conditions notch out the temporal modulations at 2 or 4 Hz, respectively. We evaluate how well young and older listeners can recognize such echoic speech. For young listeners, the speech recognition rate is not influenced by the echo, even when they are exposed to the first echoic sentence. For older listeners, the speech recognition rate drops to less than 60% when listening to the first echoic sentence, but rapidly recovers to above 75% with exposure to a few sentences. Further analyses reveal that both age and the hearing threshold influence the recognition of echoic speech for the older listeners. These results show that the recognition of echoic speech cannot be fully explained by distortions to the modulation spectrum, and suggest that the auditory system has mechanisms to effectively compensate the influence of single echoes.

Physiological responses of Ampithoe valida and its feeding potential on Ulva prolifera.

Large numbers of Amphipoda feed on floating green tide macroalgae in the Yellow Sea, among which Ampithoe valida has a high abundance in the stable and decline periods. Amphipoda preferentially feed on Ulva. Under different temperatures, salinities, and pH, the physiological responses of A. valida and its feeding potential on Ulva prolifera were investigated, along with its physiological responses during green tide blooms in the Southern Yellow Sea. Ampithoe valida could survive within a temperature range of 5-30 °C, salinity of 5-40, and pH of 4-10. Optimal environmental conditions for growth were temperature 15-25 °C, salinity 10-40, and pH 6-10. At temperatures of 5-30 °C, salinities of 5-35, and pH of 4-9, A. valida could effectively reduce U. prolifera biomass. The feeding ability of A. valida was greatest in 25-30 °C, 10-25 salinity, and neutral seawater, exceeding 5 mg·ind.-1·d-1. During green tide outbreaks in the Southern Yellow Sea from May to August, the monthly average sea surface temperature, salinity, and pH range is 17.5-27.3 °C, 23.8-29.6, and 7.87-8.17, respectively, within which A. valida showed well growth and could effectively reduce U. prolifera biomass. Finally, this study further discussed the possibility of A. valida as a biological method to control green tide.

Establishment of a visual gene knockout system based on CRISPR/Cas9 for the rare actinomycete Nonomuraea gerenzanensis.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a modified CRISPR/Cas9 system with the ß-glucuronidase (GusA) reporter and a dual sgRNA cassette for Nonomuraea gerenzanensis (N. gerenzanensis). RESULTS: With the aid of a visual GusA reporter, the complicated and tedious process of cloning and gene identification could be abandoned entirely in the genetic editing of N. gerenzanensis. Moreover, introducing a dual sgRNA cassette into the CRISPR/Cas9 system significantly improved gene deletion efficiency compared to the single sgRNA element. Furthermore, the length of the homologous flanking sequences set to the lowest value of 500 bp in this system could still reach the relatively higher conjugation transfer frequency. CONCLUSIONS: The enhanced CRISPR/Cas9 system could efficiently perform genetic manipulation on the rare actinomycete N. gerenzanensis.

SlBBX20 attenuates JA signalling and regulates resistance to Botrytis cinerea by inhibiting SlMED25 in tomato.

Jasmonic acid (JA) plays an important role in regulating plant growth and defence responses. Here, we show that a transcription factor that belongs to the B-box (BBX) family named SlBBX20 regulates resistance to Botrytis cinerea in tomato by modulating JA signalling. The response to JA was significantly suppressed when SlBBX20 was overexpressed in tomato. By contrast, the JA response was enhanced in SlBBX20 knockout lines. RNA sequencing analysis provided more evidence that SlBBX20 modulates the expression of genes that are involved in JA signalling. We found that SlBBX20 interacts with SlMED25, a subunit of the Mediator transcriptional co-activator complex, and prevents the accumulation of the SlMED25 protein and transcription of JA-responsive genes. JA contributes to the defence response against necrotrophic pathogens. Knocking out SlBBX20 or overexpressing SlMED25 enhanced tomato resistance to B. cinerea. The resistance was impaired when SlBBX20 was overexpressed in plants that also overexpressed SlMED25. These data show that SlBBX20 attenuates JA signalling by regulating SlMED25. Interestingly, in addition to developing enhanced resistance to B. cinerea, SlBBX20-KO plants also produced higher fruit yields. SlBBX20 is a potential target gene for efforts that aim to develop elite crop varieties using gene editing technologies.

Maslinic Acid Suppresses High Glucose-induced Inflammation by Epigenetically Inhibiting TXNIP Expression.

OBJECTIVE: Hyperglycemia-induced inflammation and subsequent endothelial injuries ultimately lead to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases associated with high mortality, such as atherosclerosis. Maslinic acid (MA) is a phytochemical with anti-inflammatory activity. However, it remains unknown whether it can inhibit diabetes-associated cardiovascular inflammation. The present study aimed to determine the effect of MA on high glucose-induced endothelial inflammation and apoptosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and to explore the underlying mechanism. METHODS: HUVECs were treated with high glucose to induce inflammation and apoptosis. Apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry. CCK-8 assay was used to examine cell viability. Production levels of cytokines were detected by quantitative realtime PCR (qPCR) and ELISA. Protein expression levels and signaling pathways activation were detected by Western blotting. RNA immunoprecipitation and qPCR were used to determine the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) levels of target mRNAs. RESULTS: MA promoted the recruitment of RNA demethylase ALKBH5 to TXNIP mRNA, and subsequently enhanced its m6A demethylation. By this means, MA decreased the stability of TXNIP mRNA and downregulated its expression level. Subsequently, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß, were inhibited. And high glucose-induced apoptosis in HUVECs was inhibited by MA. CONCLUSION: MA ameliorates high glucose-induced endothelial inflammation and injury, serving as a new potential therapeutic application for protecting against diabetes-associated atherosclerosis and other inflammatory diseases.

Effect of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery with Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on Postoperative Stress Response of Patients with Gastrointestinal Tumors.

Objective: To investigate the effect of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine on postoperative stress response of patients suffering from gastrointestinal tumors. Methods: A total of 74 patients with gastrointestinal tumors who underwent surgical treatment in our hospital from April 2019 to March 2021 were recruited and randomized into the control group and the observation group (1 : 1). The control group received routine treatment and care, while the observation group received ERAS plus integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. Clinical observation was performed regarding changes in preoperative mood and postoperative pain level in each group. Changes in expression levels of plasma cortisol, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor-ß (TNF-ß) before and after surgery were detected in each group. Time of patients' first fart and defecation and complications after surgery in each group were recorded. Results: The visual analogue scale (VAS) of patients in the observation group after 12 and 24 h of surgery was significantly lower than that in the control group (12 h: observation group 2.0 (1.00, 3.00) vs. control group 4.00 (3.00, 5.00), p = 0.001; 24 h: observation group 2.00 (1.00, 3.00) vs. control group 3.00 (2.00, 5.00), p = 0.005). The preoperative anxiety degree of patients in the two groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.489). The plasma cortisol level of patients in the observation group after 24 and 48 h of surgery was significantly lower than that in the control group (24 h: observation group 426.54 ± 52.15 nmol/L vs. control group 508.32 ± 41.08 nmol/L, p = 0.001; 48 h: observation group 287.19 ± 44.24 nmol/L vs. control group 362.57 ± 43.46 nmol/L, p = 0.001). Patients' postoperative CRP, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-ß expression levels in the observation group were remarkably lower than those in the control group at all time points. The first postoperative defecation came earlier in the observation group than that in the control group (observation group 76.00 h (64.50, 87.50) vs. control group 89.00 h (73.50, 116.00), p = 0.007). There was 1 postoperative urinary tract infection in the observation group and 1 postoperative intestinal obstruction and 1 incisional wound infection in the control group. Conclusion: ERAS with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine could effectively reduce the postoperative stress response and inflammatory reaction in patients with gastrointestinal tumors, contributing to the safe and quick recovery of gastrointestinal functions of patients.

Fresh hetero-metallic compound as luminescent sensor for detection of CS2 and inhibitory activity on children diabetes.

The combination of the dicarboxylate ligand of 2-aminoterephthalic acid (H2L), Cd(NO3)2·4H2O, and KNO3 under hydrothermal condition formed a fresh hetero-metallic coordination polymer, namely, [CdK2(L)2(H2O)4]n (1). The compound exhibited a high luminescence intensity at normal environment as well as high sensitivity and selectivity in the measurement of CS2. The effect of the fresh compound on childhood diabetes was investigated. A blood glucose monitor was utilized to assess the blood glucose level of the body after the addition of the compound. Moreover, the relative expression level of the insulin recipient on hepatocytes was assessed by real time RT-PCR.

Asymmetrical cross-modal influence on neural encoding of auditory and visual features in natural scenes.

Natural scenes contain multi-modal information, which is integrated to form a coherent perception. Previous studies have demonstrated that cross-modal information can modulate neural encoding of low-level sensory features. These studies, however, mostly focus on the processing of single sensory events or rhythmic sensory sequences. Here, we investigate how the neural encoding of basic auditory and visual features is modulated by cross-modal information when the participants watch movie clips primarily composed of non-rhythmic events. We presented audiovisual congruent and audiovisual incongruent movie clips, and since attention can modulate cross-modal interactions, we separately analyzed high- and low-arousal movie clips. We recorded neural responses using electroencephalography (EEG), and employed the temporal response function (TRF) to quantify the neural encoding of auditory and visual features. The neural encoding of sound envelope is enhanced in the audiovisual congruent condition than the incongruent condition, but this effect is only significant for high-arousal movie clips. In contrast, audiovisual congruency does not significantly modulate the neural encoding of visual features, e.g., luminance or visual motion. In summary, our findings demonstrate asymmetrical cross-modal interactions during the processing of natural scenes that lack rhythmicity: Congruent visual information enhances low-level auditory processing, while congruent auditory information does not significantly modulate low-level visual processing.

Heterogeneous Ti/PbO2-electro-Fenton degradation of aromatic methane dyes using industrial pyrite waste slag as catalyst.

It is imperative to search the eco-friendly and cost-effective technologies for degrading contaminants. Coupling the effect of Ti/PbO2 at the anode with heterogeneous electro-Fenton was an efficient method. Industrial pyrite waste slag characterized by a variety of methods had catalytic performance and stable performance to activate hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into hydroxyl radical (∙OH). Meanwhile, the processing conditions, the malachite green wastewater concentration, the current density, the pH range, and the dosage of industrial pyrite waste slag were emphatically optimized. Herein, the total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiency reached 97.70%, the mineralization current efficiency (MCE) was 0.392%, and the energy consumption (EC) was 1.942 kWh/m3 after 240 min. Heterogeneous Ti/PbO2-electro-Fenton using industrial pyrite waste slag as catalyst was an environmentally friendly technology and provided a recycling method with traditional wastes. Finally, catalytic mechanisms and possible pathways were represented according to the results of quantum chemistry calculations and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS).