Resistance, mechanism, and fitness cost of specific bacteriophages for Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The bacteriophage is an effective adjunct to existing antibiotic therapy; however, in the course of bacteriophage therapy, host bacteria will develop resistance to bacteriophages, thus affecting the efficacy. Therefore, it is important to describe how bacteria evade bacteriophage attack and the consequences of the biological changes that accompany the development of bacteriophage resistance before the bacteriophage is applied. The specific bacteriophage vB3530 of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) has stable biological characteristics, short incubation period, strong in vitro cleavage ability, and absence of virulence or resistance genes. Ten bacteriophage-resistant strains (TL3780-R) were induced using the secondary infection approach, and the plaque assay showed that vB3530 was less sensitive to TL3780-R. Identification of bacteriophage adsorption receptors showed that the bacterial surface polysaccharide was probably the adsorption receptor of vB3530. In contrast to the TL3780 parental strain, TL3780-R is characterized by the absence of long lipopolysaccharide chains, which may be caused by base insertion of wzy or deletion of galU. It is also intriguing to observe that, in comparison to the parent strain, the bacteriophage-resistant strains TL3780-R mostly exhibited a large cost of fitness (growth rate, biofilm formation, motility, and ability to produce enhanced pyocyanin). In addition, TL3780-R9 showed increased susceptibility to aminoglycosides and chlorhexidine, which may be connected to the loss and down-regulation of mexX expression. Consequently, these findings fully depicted the resistance mechanism of P. aeruginosa to vB3530 and the fitness cost of bacteriophage resistance, laying a foundation for further application of bacteriophage therapy.IMPORTANCEThe bacteriophage is an effective adjunct to existing antibiotic therapy; However, bacteria also develop defensive mechanisms against bacteriophage attack. Thus, there is an urgent need to deeply understand the resistance mechanism of bacteria to bacteriophages and the fitness cost of bacteriophage resistance so as to lay the foundation for subsequent application of the phage. In this study, a specific bacteriophage vB3530 of P. aeruginosa had stable biological characteristics, short incubation period, strong in vitro cleavage ability, and absence of virulence or resistance genes. In addition, we found that P. aeruginosa may lead to phage resistance due to the deletion of galU and the base insertion of wzy, involved in the synthesis of lipopolysaccharides. Simultaneously, we showed the association with the biological state of the bacteria after bacteria acquire bacteriophage resistance, which is extremely relevant to guide the future application of therapeutic bacteriophages.

The maize transcription factor CCT regulates drought tolerance by interacting with Fra a 1, E3 ligase WIPF2, and auxin response factor Aux/IAA8.

Plants are commonly exposed to abiotic stressors, which can affect their growth, productivity, and quality. Previously, the maize transcription factor ZmCCT was shown to be involved in the photoperiod response, delayed flowering, and quantitative resistance to Gibberella stalk rot. In this study, we demonstrate that ZmCCT can regulate plant responses to drought. ZmCCT physically interacted with ZmFra a 1, ZmWIPF2, and ZmAux/IAA8, which localized to the cell membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus, respectively, both in vitro and in vivo in a yeast two-hybrid screen in response to abiotic stress. Notably, ZmCCT recruits ZmWIPF2 to the nucleus, which has strong E3 self-ubiquitination activity dependent on its RING-H2 finger domain in vitro. When treated with higher indole-3-acetic acid/abscisic acid ratios, the height and root length of Y331-ΔTE maize plants increased. Y331-ΔTE plants exhibited increased responses to exogenously applied auxin or ABA compared to Y331 plants, indicating that ZmCCT may be a negative regulator of ABA signalling in maize. In vivo, ZmCCT promoted indole-3-acetic acid biosynthesis in ZmCCT-overexpressing Arabidopsis. RNA-sequencing and DNA affinity purification-sequencing analyses showed that ZmCCT can regulate the expression of ZmRD17, ZmAFP3, ZmPP2C, and ZmARR16 under drought. Our findings provide a detailed overview of the molecular mechanism controlling ZmCCT functions and highlight that ZmCCT has multiple roles in promoting abiotic stress tolerance.

Quantifying the impacts of posture changes on office worker productivity: an exploratory study using effective computer interactions as a real-time indicator.

BACKGROUND: Working in a standing posture is considered to improve musculoskeletal comfort and can help enhance office workers' performance in the long term. However, there is a lack of a quantitative, real-time measure that reflects on whether office workers can immediately become more concentrated and work more efficiently when they switch to a standing posture. METHODS: To tackle this problem, this study proposed that the number of effective computer interactions could be used as a real-time indicator to measure the productivity of office workers whose work is primarily computer-based. Using this metric, we conducted an exploratory study to investigate the correlation between posture and productivity changes at a 10-minute resolution for eight participants. RESULTS: The study found that when allowed to use sit-stand desks to adjust postures, participants chose to switch to standing posture for about 47 min on average once a day; standing work was most frequent between 2:30 - 4:00 pm, followed by 10:30 - 11:30 am, during which time the number of computer interactions also became higher, showing a significant positive correlation. In addition, participants were approximately 6.5% more productive than when they could only work in a sitting posture. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that posture changes could have an immediate improvement in productivity.

Efficacy of Omega-3 Intake in Managing Dry Eye Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

To explore the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) on patients suffering from dry eye disease (DED), a complex inflammatory condition, we reviewed data from PubMed, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, Web of Science, and Cochrane CENTRAL in the past 10 years (2013 to 2023). These sources provided randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that examined the efficacy of omega-3 FAs on DED patients with accessible pre- and post-intervention data, excluding trials with overlapping participants, without omega-3 supplementation, or those lacking placebo control or quantitative assessments. Two independent reviewers extracted data related to dry eye symptom scores, tear break-up time (TBUT), Schirmer's tests, osmolarity, and corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), and the results were analyzed by Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software version 4. We incorporated 19 related RCTs assessed by the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool, encompassing 4246 DED patients with various etiologies. Patients given omega-3 treatment demonstrated more significant improvements in dry eye symptoms (Hedges' g = -1.047; p < 0.001), TBUT [standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.939; p < 0.001], scores from the Schirmer test (SMD = -0.372; p < 0.001), CFS (SMD = -0.299; p = 0.037), and osmolarity (SMD = -0.721; p < 0.001) compared to those on a placebo regimen. In the meta-regression analysis of DED symptoms, the daily dose of omega-3 (coefficient = -0.0005, p = 0.002), duration of omega-3 intake (coefficient = -0.1399, p = 0.021), and percentage of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (coefficient = -0.0154, p < 0.001) exhibited a significant positive correlation with a reduction in dry eye symptom scores. Apart from CFS, similar trends were noted in TBUT, Schirmer tests, and osmolarity scores. Based on the evidence, omega-3 FAs effectively reduce DED symptoms, especially in high doses, for a long duration, and with increased EPA levels. However, given the heterogeneity in study results and diverse patient characteristics, caution is needed in generalizing these findings. In conclusion, omega-3 FA supplementation is still recommended for DED management in clinical settings.

Prevalence and influencing factors of abnormal carotid artery intima-media thickness in Henan Province in China.

Background: Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) has been shown to be a valuable predictor of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The aim of this study was to investigate the influencing factors of CIMT among adults in Central China. Methods: A total of 2,578 participants who underwent physical examination in Henan Provincial People's Hospital between January 2018 and July 2018 were enrolled. The respondents were divided into two subgroups according to their CIMT value (CIMT ≥1.0 mm group and CIMT <1.0 mm group). Variables considered were age, gender, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, and uric acid levels, as well as hypertension, diabetes, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, body fat percentage, and visceral fat area (VFA). Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the potential factors influencing CIMT. Results: The proportion of CIMT ≥1.0 mm among the physical examination population was 27.42% (707/2 578). The analysis of the two groups revealed significant differences in age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, total cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol. In the logistic regression analysis, age (OR=1.071, 95%CI=1.062-1.080), male sex (OR=2.012, 95%CI=1.251-2.238), hypertension (OR=1.337, 95%CI=1.031-1.735), diabetes (OR=1.535, 95%CI=1.045-2.255), HDL cholesterol (OR=0.540, 95%CI=0.366-0.796), and LDL cholesterol (OR=1.336, 95%CI=1.154-1.544) were significantly associated with abnormal CIMT. Conclusion: Early screening should be carried out among men, the older adults, and those with hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia.

An injectable and thermosensitive hydrogel with nano-aided NIR-II phototherapeutic and chemical effects for periodontal antibacteria and bone regeneration.

Periodontitis is a common public health problem worldwide and an inflammatory disease with irregular defect of alveolar bone caused by periodontal pathogens. Both antibacterial therapy and bone regeneration are of great importance in the treatment of periodontitis. In this study, injectable and thermosensitive hydrogels with 3D networks were used as carriers for controlled release of osteo-inductive agent (BMP-2) and Near Infrared Region-II (NIR-II) phototherapy agents (T8IC nano-particles). T8IC nano-particles were prepared by reprecipitation and acted as photosensitizer under 808 nm laser irradiation. Besides, we promoted photodynamic therapy (PDT) through adding H2O2 to facilitate the antibacterial effect instead of increasing the temperature of photothermal therapy (PTT). Hydrogel + T8IC + Laser + BMP-2 + H2O2 incorporated with mild PTT (45 °C), enhanced PDT and sustained release of BMP-2. It was present with excellent bactericidal effect, osteogenic induction and biosafety both in vitro and in vivo. Besides, immunohistochemistry staining and micro-CT analyses had confirmed that PTT and PDT could promote bone regeneration through alleviating inflammation state. Altogether, this novel approach with synergistic antibacterial effect, anti-inflammation and bone regeneration has a great potential for the treatment of periodontitis in the future.

MoJMJD6, a Nuclear Protein, Regulates Conidial Germination and Appressorium Formation at the Early Stage of Pathogenesis in Magnaporthe oryzae.

In plant-pathogen interactions, Magnaporthe oryzae causes blast disease on more than 50 species of 14 monocot plants, including important crops such as rice, millet, and most 15 recently wheat. M. oryzae is a model fungus for studying plant-microbe interaction, and the main source for fungal pathogenesis in the field. Here we report that MoJMJD6 is required for conidium germination and appressorium formation in M. oryzae. We obtained MoJMJD6 mutants (ΔMojmjd6) using a target gene replacement strategy. The MoJMD6 deletion mutants were delayed for conidium germination, glycogen, and lipid droplets utilization and consequently had decreased virulence. In the ΔMojmjd6 null mutants, global histone methyltransferase modifications (H3K4me3, H3K9me3, H3K27me3, and H3K36me2/3) of the genome were unaffected. Taken together, our results indicated that MoJMJD6 function as a nuclear protein which plays an important role in conidium germination and appressorium formation in the M. oryzae. Our work provides insights into MoJMJD6-mediated regulation in the early stage of pathogenesis in plant fungi.

RNAPII Degradation Factor Def1 Is Required for Development, Stress Response, and Full Virulence of Magnaporthe oryzae.

The RNA polymerase II degradation factor Degradation Factor 1 (Def1) is important for DNA damage repair and plays various roles in eukaryotes; however, the biological role in plant pathogenic fungi is still unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of Def1 during the development and infection of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. The deletion mutant of Def1 displayed slower mycelial growth, less conidial production, and abnormal conidial morphology. The appressoria of Δdef1 was impaired in the penetration into host cells, mainly due to blocking in the utilization of conidial storages, such as glycogen and lipid droplets. The invasive growth of the Δdef1 mutant was also retarded and accompanied with the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) inside the host cells. Furthermore, compared with the wild type, Δdef1 was more sensitive to multiple stresses, such as oxidative stress, high osmotic pressure, and alkaline/acidic pH. Interestingly, we found that Def1 was modified by O-GlcNAcylation at Ser232, which was required for the stability of Def1 and its function in pathogenicity. Taken together, the O-GlcNAc modified Def1 is required for hyphae growth, conidiation, pathogenicity, and stress response in M. oryzae. This study reveals a novel regulatory mechanism of O-GlcNAc-mediated Def1 in plant pathogenic fungi.

The effect of nutritional status on clinical outcome in lung transplantation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Nutritional status greatly impacts the clinical outcome of the patients receiving lung transplantation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of nutritional status on the clinical outcome in lung transplant recipients. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: A single-center retrospective study was conducted including 73 patients received lung transplantation from December 2015 to April 2022 in the Affiliated Henan Provincial People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University. Data were collected from the hospital information system. The records of BMI, malnutrition defined by the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) diagnostic criteria, hemoglobin and plasma albumin before operation were accessed. The primary outcome assessed was survival or mortality represented by Kaplan-Meier survival curves; the log-rank test and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression were used to evaluate the influence of each factor on survival. RESULTS: Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that malnutrition, hemoglobin and plasma albumin were predictors of survival in lung transplantation (Log Rank p<0.05). Multivariate Cox regression showed that pre-operative hemoglobin <130 g/L (HR 2.532, p=0.036) and plasma albumin <35 g/L (HR 2.723, p=0.016) were associated with the decreased survival rate. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative anemia and hypoalbuminemia increase the mortality risk of the lung transplantation patients. Pre-operative nutrition support, therefore, is likely to be critical for improving clinical outcome in patients undergoing lung transplantation.

Recent Progress of Deubiquitinating Enzymes in Human and Plant Pathogenic Fungi.

In eukaryotic cells, a large number of proteins are modified by ubiquitination, which leads to proteasomal degradation or change in protein function. The protein ubiquitination process can be reversed by a process called deubiquitination, which plays an important regulatory mechanism in cellular control. Deubiquitination is catalyzed by deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs); the cysteine proteases specifically cleave off ubiquitin from ubiquitinated substrates or ubiquitin precursors. Over the past two decades, components of different DUB families have been found to play important roles in both human and plant pathogenic fungi. Given the importance of DUBs for fungal development and virulence, in this review, we concentrate on recent findings and new insights into the roles of DUBs in different fungal pathogens, with a focus on infection-related morphogenesis and virulence, as well as their roles in development and stress response. We also summarize the DUBs-mediated regulatory mechanisms during the above processes. These findings should allow us to develop novel inhibitors to control fungal pathogens.

Multi-Omics Analysis Reveals a Regulatory Network of ZmCCT During Maize Resistance to Gibberella Stalk Rot at the Early Stage.

Gibberella stalk rot (GSR) caused by Fusarium graminearum is one of the most devastating diseases in maize; however, the regulatory mechanism of resistance to GSR remains largely unknown. We performed a comparative multi-omics analysis to reveal the early-stage resistance of maize to GSR. We inoculated F. graminearum to the roots of susceptible (Y331) and resistant (Y331-ΔTE) near-isogenic lines containing GSR-resistant gene ZmCCT for multi-omics analysis. Transcriptome detected a rapid reaction that confers resistance at 1-3 hpi as pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) response to GSR. Many key properties were involved in GSR resistance, including genes in photoperiod and hormone pathways of salicylic acid and auxin. The activation of programmed cell death-related genes and a number of metabolic pathways at 6 hpi might be important to prevent further colonization. This is consistent with an integrative analysis of transcriptomics and proteomics that resistant-mediated gene expression reprogramming exhibited a dynamic pattern from 3 to 6 hpi. Further metabolomics analysis revealed that the amount of many chemical compounds was altered in pathways associated with the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and the phenylalanine metabolism, which may play key roles to confer the GSR resistance. Taken together, we generated a valuable resource to interpret the defense mechanism during early GSR resistance.

Analysis of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Hepatitis B Among Freshmen in Jiangsu Based on Lasso-Logistic Regression and Structural Equation Model.

Objective: We aimed to describe the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) status of hepatitis B virus (HBV) among freshmen who were in the class of 2020 and from Jiangsu Province. Methods: A random multistage sampling had been used to screen freshmen to conduct online questionnaire. The chi-square test was applied for pairwise comparison between sub-groups. Lasso regression and logistic regression were used to analyze the influencing factors of KAP about HBV. A structural equation model was established to explore the relationships among KAP of HBV. Results: The total awareness rate of HBV among freshmen was 63.1%. More than 50% of freshmen reported that they were not willing to live with hepatitis B carriers. Only 51.0% of students had been immunized against HBV. The knowledge of HBV among students whose fathers had college/bachelor degree or above was 1.464 times higher than those whose fathers' education level was junior high school or below (95% CI = 1.277~1.677). Both of positive attitude and behavior among female students were 1.424 times (95% CI = 1.329~1.525) and 1.468 times (95% CI = 1.291~1.669) than that within male students, respectively. The positive behaviors of students whose mothers had college education or above were 1.347 times higher than those whose mothers had the degree of junior high or below (95% CI = 1.147~1.582). Students who living with their parents were 1.167 times likely to have positive behaviors than those who living in other methods (95% CI = 1.020~1.334). The structural equation model had shown that the direct effect of knowledge on preventive motivation, attitude and behavior was 0.28, 0.53 and 0.10, respectively. Conclusion: The population of freshmen still was far from a comprehensive understanding of HBV prevention and treatment. It is suggested that administrators of colleges and universities should pay more attentions to education of HBV knowledge as well as take multi-channel measures for prevention and management.

DNA methylation-regulated YTHDF2 correlates with cell migration and immune cell infiltration in glioma.

BACKGROUND: Glioma is a lethal malignant brain tumor, it comprises about 80% of all malignant brain tumours. Mounting evidence has reported that YTHDF2 plays a significant role in the cancer progression. However, the effects of YTHDF2 on the prognosis of low-grade gliomas (LGGs) and its correlation with tumor immune infiltration are unclear. The present study was designed to determine the biological functions of YTHDF2 in glioma and to evaluate the association of YTHDF2 expression with glioma progression. METHODS: Clinical data on patients with glioma were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA), the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), as well as the Rembrandt and Gravendeel databases. The correlations among YTHDF2 expression, pathological characteristics, glioma progression and clinical outcome were evaluated. In addition, the correlation of YTHDF2 expression with immune cell infiltration was analyzed too. RESULTS: We found that YTHDF2 was significantly up-regulated in LGGs which correlated with tumor grade and poor prognosis. Interestingly, we showed that YTHDF2 expression in LGG was associated with copy number variation, DNA hypomethylation, and induced transcription factor YY1. Besides, KEGG pathway analysis shows that YTHDF2 mainly participates in the immune response and oncogenic signaling pathway. Additionally, YTHDF2 is positively associated with diverse immune cells infiltration, immune cells, and multiple immune checkpoint molecules. Finally, we confirmed that YTHDF2 was highly expressed in LGGs tissues and correlated with the tumor grade with immunohistochemistry assay. More importantly, our results demonstrated that YTHDF2 was elevated in GBM cells. Knockdown of YTHDF2 significantly inhibits the proliferation and migration of GBM cells. CONCLUSION: YTHDF2 correlates with glioma progression and immune cell infiltration, suggesting that YTHDF2 may be a useful prognostic biomarker for glioma.

Transposable element accumulation drives size differences among polymorphic Y Chromosomes in Drosophila.

Y Chromosomes of many species are gene poor and show low levels of nucleotide variation, yet they often display high amounts of structural diversity. Dobzhansky cataloged several morphologically distinct Y Chromosomes in Drosophila pseudoobscura that differ in size and shape, but the molecular causes of their large size differences are unclear. Here we use cytogenetics and long-read sequencing to study the sequence content of polymorphic Y Chromosomes in D. pseudoobscura We show that Y Chromosomes differ almost twofold in size, ranging from 30 to 60 Mb. Most of this size difference is caused by a handful of active transposable elements (TEs) that have recently expanded on the largest Y Chromosome, with different elements being responsible for Y expansion on differently sized D. pseudoobscura Y's. We show that Y Chromosomes differ in their heterochromatin enrichment and expression of Y-enriched TEs, and also influence expression of dozens of autosomal and X-linked genes. The same helitron element that showed the most drastic amplification on the largest Y in D. pseudoobscura independently amplified on a polymorphic large Y Chromosome in Drosophila affinis, suggesting that some TEs are inherently more prone to become deregulated on Y Chromosomes.

Epidemiology of influenza under the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in Nanjing, China.

PURPOSE: Since the pandemic of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), the incidence of influenza has decreased significantly, but there are still few reports in the short period before and after the pandemic period. This study aimed to explore influenza activity and dynamic changes before and during the pandemic. METHODS: A total of 1 324 357 influenza-like illness (ILI) cases were reported under the ILI surveillance network from January 1, 2018, to September 5, 2021, in Nanjing, of which 16 158 cases were detected in a laboratory. Differences in ILI and influenza were conducted with the χ2 test. RESULTS: The number of ILI cases accounted for 8.97% of outpatient and emergency department visits. The influenza-positive ratio (IPR) was 7.84% in ILI cases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, ILI% and IPR dropped by 6.03% and 11.83% on average, respectively. Besides this, IPR rose slightly in Week 30-35 of 2021. Not only differences in gender, age, and employment status, but also the circulating strains had changed from type A to B through the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: The level of influenza activity was severely affected by COVID-19, but it seems that it is inevitable to be vigilant against the co-circulation in the future.

Transcriptome analysis in contrasting maize inbred lines and functional analysis of five maize NAC genes under drought stress treatment.

Drought substantially influences crop growth and development. NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2) transcription factors (TFs) have received much attention for their critical roles in drought stress responses. To explore the maize NAC genes in response to drought stress, the transcriptome sequencing data of NAC TFs in two maize inbred lines, the drought tolerance line H082183 and the sensitive line Lv28, were used to screen the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). There were 129 maize NAC protein-coding genes identified, of which 15 and 20 NAC genes were differentially expressed between the two genotypes under MD and SD treatments, respectively. Meanwhile, the phylogenetic relationship of 152 non-redundant NAC family TFs in maize was generated. The maize NAC family proteins were grouped into 13 distinct subfamilies. Five drought stress-responsive NAC family members, which were designed as ZmNAP, ZmNAC19, ZmNAC4, ZmJUB1(JUBGBRUNNEN1), and ZmNAC87, were selected for further study. The expression of ZmNAP, ZmNAC19, ZmNAC4, ZmJUB1, and ZmNAC87 were significantly induced by drought, dehydration, polyethylene glycol (PEG) stress, and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments. The overexpressing Arabidopsis of these five NAC genes was generated for functional characterization, respectively. Under different concentrations of NaCl, D-mannitol stress, and ABA treatments, the sensitivity of ZmNAP-, ZmNAC19-, ZmNAC4-, ZmJUB1-, and ZmNAC87-overexpressing lines was significantly increased at the germination stage compared to the wild-type lines. The overexpression of these five NAC members significantly improved the drought stress tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis. Yeast two-hybrid screening analysis revealed that ZmNAP may cooperatively interact with 11 proteins including ZmNAC19 to activate the drought stress response. The above results inferred that ZmNAP, ZmNAC19, ZmNAC4, ZmJUB1, and ZmNAC87 may play important roles in the plant response to drought stress and may be useful in bioengineering breeding and drought tolerance improvement.

Pressure-Dependent Clustering in Ionic-Liquid-Poly (Vinylidene Fluoride) Mixtures: An Infrared Spectroscopic Study.

The nanostructures of ionic liquids (ILs) have been the focus of considerable research attention in recent years. Nevertheless, the nanoscale structures of ILs in the presence of polymers have not been described in detail at present. In this study, nanostructures of ILs disturbed by poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVdF) were investigated via high-pressure infrared spectra. For 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([HEMIm][TFSI])-PVdF mixtures, non-monotonic frequency shifts of the C4,5-H vibrations upon dilution were observed under ambient pressure. The experimental results suggest the presence of microheterogeneity in the [HEMIm][TFSI] systems. Upon compression, PVdF further influenced the local structure of C4,5-H via pressure-enhanced IL-PVdF interactions; however, the local structures of C2-H and hydrogen-bonded O-H were not affected by PVdF under high pressures. For choline [TFSI]-PVdF mixtures, PVdF may disturb the local structures of hydrogen-bonded O-H. In the absence of the C4,5-H⋯anion and C2-H⋯anion in choline [TFSI]-PVdF mixtures, the O-H group becomes a favorable moiety for pressure-enhanced IL-PVdF interactions. Our results indicate the potential of high-pressure application for designing pressure-dependent electronic switches based on the possible changes in the microheterogeneity and electrical conductivity in IL-PVdF systems under various pressures.

Novel semiconducting nano-agents incorporating tirapazamine for imaging guided synergistic cancer hypoxia activated photo-chemotherapy.

For cancer treatment, the traditional monotherapy has the problems of low drug utilization rate, poor efficacy and easy recurrence of the cancer. Herein, nanoparticles (NPs) based on a novel semiconducting molecule (ITTC) are developed with excellent photostability, high photothermal conversion efficiency and good 1O2 generation ability. The chemotherapy of the hypoxia-activated prodrug tirapazamine (TPZ) was improved accordingly after oxygen consumption by the photodynamic therapy of ITTC NPs. Additionally, the metabolic process of ITTC NPs in vivo could be monitored in real time for fluorescence imaging guided phototherapy, which presented great passive targeting ability to the tumor site. Remarkably, both in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the combination of ITTC NPs and TPZ presented excellent synergistic tumor ablation through photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy and hypoxia-activated chemotherapy with great potential for clinical applications in the future.

Genome-wide Analysis of Histone Modifications Distribution using the Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Sequencing Method in Magnaporthe oryzae.

Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) is a powerful and widely used molecular technique for mapping whole genome locations of transcription factors (TFs), chromatin regulators, and histone modifications, as well as detecting entire genomes for uncovering TF binding patterns and histone posttranslational modifications. Chromatin-modifying activities, such as histone methylation, are often recruited to specific gene regulatory sequences, causing localized changes in chromatin structures and resulting in specific transcriptional effects. The rice blast is a devastating fungal disease on rice throughout the world and is a model system for studying fungus-plant interaction. However, the molecular mechanisms in how the histone modifications regulate their virulence genes in Magnaporthe oryzae remain elusive. More researchers need to use ChIP-seq to study how histone epigenetic modification regulates their target genes. ChIP-seq is also widely used to study the interaction between protein and DNA in animals and plants, but it is less used in the field of plant pathology and has not been well developed. In this paper, we describe the experimental process and operation method of ChIP-seq to identify the genome-wide distribution of histone methylation (such as H3K4me3) that binds to the functional target genes in M. oryzae. Here, we present a protocol to analyze the genome-wide distribution of histone modifications, which can identify new target genes in the pathogenesis of M. oryzae and other filamentous fungi.