Investigating aluminum toxicity effects on callose deposition, oxidative stress, and nutrient homeostasis in banana genotypes.

Aluminum (Al) toxicity poses a significant challenge to agricultural productivity, particularly in acidic soils. The banana crop, predominantly cultivated in tropical and subtropical climates, often grapples with low pH and Al toxicity. This study seeks to explore the differential responses of two banana genotypes with varying Al tolerance (Baodao and Baxi) to Al exposure (100 and 500 µM) for 24 h. Microscopic analysis uncovered distinctive structural modifications in root cells, with Baodao displaying more severe alterations in response to Al stress. There was higher superoxide (O2-.) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production and lipid peroxidation in Baodao indicating enhanced oxidative stress and membrane damage. Al accumulation in root tips was higher in Baxi than Baodao, while the roots of Baodao had a higher accumulation of callose. Nutrient content analysis revealed alterations in ion levels, highlighting the impact of Al exposure on nutrient uptake and homeostasis. In summary, Al differentially affects callose deposition, which, in turn, leads to Al uptake and nutrient homeostasis alteration in two contrasting banana genotypes. This intricate interplay is a key factor in understanding plant responses to aluminum toxicity and can inform strategies for crop improvement and soil management in aluminum-stressed environments.

Germination Requirement and Suitable Storage Method of Hydrocharis dubia Seeds.

Understanding of seed germination requirements and storage methods is very important to successfully conserve and restore aquatic vegetation. The main question addressed by the research was germination requirements and suitable seed storage methods of Hydrocharis dubia seeds. Furthermore, the water content and respiration rate of H. dubia seeds were studied under different storage conditions. The study found that light and high seed clustering density had a positive effect on germination, while burial had a negative effect. Germination percentages were 60.67 ± 6.11% and 28.40 ± 6.79% in light and dark conditions, respectively. Under clustering densities of 1 and 50, germination percentages were 6.00 ± 2.00% and 59.33 ± 0.67%, respectively. Germination percentages were 50.40 ± 5.00%, 3.20 ± 3.20%, and 0.80 ± 0.80% at depths of 0, 2, and 3 cm, respectively. Oxygen, water level, and substratum had no significant effect on seed germination. Storage method had a significant effect on seed germination, moisture content, and respiration rate. The germination percentages were 64.00 ± 1.67%, 85.20 ± 5.04%, and 92.80 ± 4.27% under the storage conditions of 4 °C-Dry, 4 °C-Wet, and Ambient water temperature-Wet for 2 years, respectively. The seeds had no germination under the storage conditions of Ambient air temperature-Wet and Ambient air temperature-Dry. Overall, the study indicates that seed germination of H. dubia is restricted by light, burial depth, and seed clustering density. Additionally, it was found that H. dubia seeds can be stored in wet environmental conditions at ambient water temperature, similar to seed banks. Specifically, the seeds can be stored in sand and submerged underwater at ambient water temperatures ranging from 4 °C to 25 °C. This study will help with the conservation and restoration of aquatic plants, such as H. dubia.

Physio-biochemical and metabolomic responses of the woody plant Dalbergia odorifera to salinity and waterlogging.

BACKGROUND: Trees have developed a broad spectrum of molecular mechanisms to counteract oxidative stress. Secondary metabolites via phenolic compounds emblematized the hidden bridge among plant kingdom, human health, and oxidative stress. Although studies have demonstrated that abiotic stresses can increase the production of medicinal compounds in plants, research comparing the efficiency of these stresses still needs to be explored. Thus, the present research paper provided an exhaustive comparative metabolomic study in Dalbergia odorifera under salinity (ST) and waterlogging (WL). RESULTS: High ST reduced D. odorifera's fresh biomass compared to WL. While WL only slightly affected leaf and vein size, ST had a significant negative impact. ST also caused more significant damage to water status and leaflet anatomy than WL. As a result, WL-treated seedlings exhibited better photosynthesis and an up-regulation of nonenzymatic pathways involved in scavenging reactive oxygen species. The metabolomic and physiological responses of D. odorifera under WL and salinity ST stress revealed an accumulation of secondary metabolites by the less aggressive stress (WL) to counterbalance the oxidative stress. Under WL, more metabolites were more regulated compared to ST. ST significantly altered the metabolite profile in D. odorifera leaflets, indicating its sensitivity to salinity. WL synthesized more metabolites involved in phenylpropanoid, flavone, flavonol, flavonoid, and isoflavonoid pathways than ST. Moreover, the down-regulation of L-phenylalanine correlated with increased p-coumarate, caffeate, and ferulate associated with better cell homeostasis and leaf anatomical indexes under WL. CONCLUSIONS: From a pharmacological and medicinal perspective, WL improved larger phenolics with therapeutic values compared to ST. Therefore, the data showed evidence of the crucial role of medical tree species' adaptability on ROS detoxification under environmental stresses that led to a significant accumulation of secondary metabolites with therapeutic value.

Dalbergia odorifera undergoes massive molecular shifts in response to waterlogging combined with salinity.

Field and greenhouse studies attempting to describe the molecular responses of plant species under waterlogging (WL) combined with salinity (ST) are almost nonexistent. We integrated transcriptional, metabolic, and physiological responses involving several crucial transcripts and common differentially expressed genes and metabolites in fragrant rosewood (Dalbergia odorifera) leaflets to dissect plant-specific molecular responses and patterns under WL combined with ST (SWL). We discovered that the synergistic pattern of the transcriptional response of fragrant rosewood under SWL was exclusively characterized by the number of regulated transcripts. The response patterns under SWL based on transcriptome and metabolome regulation statuses revealed different patterns (additive, dominant, neutral, minor, unilateral, and antagonistic) of transcripts or metabolites that were commonly regulated or expressed uniquely under SWL. Under SWL, the synergistic transcriptional response of several functional gene subsets was positively associated with several metabolomic and physiological responses related to the shutdown of the photosynthetic apparatus and the extensive degradation of starch into saccharides through α-amylase, ß-amylase, and α-glucosidase or plastoglobuli accumulation. The dissimilarity between the regulation status and number of transcripts in plants under combined stresses led to nonsynergistic responses in several physiological and phytohormonal traits. As inferred from the impressive synergistic transcriptional response to morpho-physiological changes, combined stresses exhibited a gradually decreasing effect on the changes observed at the molecular level compared to those in the morphological one. Here, by characterizing the molecular responses and patterns of plant species under SWL, our study considerably improves our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying combined stress.

[Research progress in chemical constituents, pharmacological effects, and clinical application of Curcuma wenyujin and prediction of its quality markers].

Curcuma wenyujin, as one of the eight Daodi-herbs in Zhejiang province, is widely used. It has the effects of eliminating stasis and dissipating mass, moving Qi and activating blood, and clearing heart and relieving depression. Modern studies have shown that it has anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, anti-thrombus and liver-protecting effects and mainly contains sesquiterpenoids, monoterpenoids, diterpenoids, and curcumins. This paper reviews the research progress in the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of C. wenyujin in the last decade, discusses the modern clinical applications combined with the traditional efficacy, and predicts its quality markers(Q-markers) from plant consanguinity, medicinal properties, efficacy, processing and measurability of chemical components based on the theory of Q-markers, so as to provide a reference for the establishment of a scientific quality evaluation system and the research and application of this herb in the future.

Physiological mechanisms of exogenous organic acids to alleviate aluminum toxicity in seedlings of mungbean, buckwheat, and rice.

One of the major constraints for crop yield in acidic soils is the phytotoxicity of aluminum ions (Al3+), which primarily affects the roots. To mitigate the harmful effects of Al toxicity, plants use organic acids to chelate Al internally and externally. In this study, the effects of exogenous organic acids on Al toxicity in rice, mung bean, and buckwheat were investigated. Specifically, the study examined the ameliorative effect of three organic acids (oxalic acid, malic acid, and citric acid, each at a concentration of (100 µmol/L) on root elongation, fresh weight, Al content, organic acid key enzymes, and rhizosphere pH in hydroponic media containing (100 µmol/L) Al. The experimental results revealed species-specific responses to aluminum tolerance and the alleviating effects of different organic acids. Buckwheat was found to be the most aluminum-tolerant, followed by mung bean, while rice was the least tolerant. Exogenous application of oxalic acid promoted root elongation, increased root fresh weight, and enhanced the activity of the PEPC enzyme in mung bean. Malic acid, on the other hand, alleviated Al toxicity in rice by promoting root elongation, increasing root fresh weight, enhancing the activity of the PEPC enzyme, and decreasing the activity of the MDH enzyme. In buckwheat, citric acid application reduced Al toxicity by promoting root elongation, increasing root weight, and decreasing the activities of CS and GO enzymes. These findings indicate that different organic acids can reduce Al toxicity in different plant species by employing different physiological mechanisms.

Identification and Expression of the CorA/MRS2/ALR Type Magnesium Transporters in Tomato.

Magnesium (Mg2+) is the most abundant divalent ion in plants, participating in numerous metabolic processes in growth and development. CorA/MRS2/ALR type Mg2+ transporters are essential for maintaining Mg2+ homeostasis in plants. However, the candidate protein and its potential functions in the tomato plant have not been fully understood. In this study, we identified seven MGT genes (SlMRS2) in tomato based on sequence similarity, domain analysis, conserved motif identification, and structure prediction. Two SlMRS2 genes were analyzed in the bacterial strain MM281, and a functional complementary assay demonstrated their high-affinity transport of Mg2+. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that the expressions of these Mg2+ transporters were down-regulated in leaves under Mg2+ limitation, with a greater impact on lower and middle leaves compared to young leaves. Conversely, under Mg2+ toxicity, several genes were up-regulated in leaves with a circadian rhythm. Our findings indicate that members of the SlMRS2 family function as Mg2+ transporters and lay the groundwork for further analysis of their distinct functions in tomato.

Effects of the ammonium stress on photosynthesis and ammonium assimilation in submerged leaves of Ottelia cordata - an endangered aquatic plant.

Although ammonium (NH4+-N) is an important nutrient for plants, increases in soil nitrogen (N) input and atmospheric deposition have made ammonium toxicity a serious ecological problem. In this study, we explored the effects of NH4+-N stress on the ultrastructure, photosynthesis, and NH4+-N assimilation of Ottelia cordata (Wallich) Dandy, an endangered heteroblastic plant native to China. Results showed that 15 and 50 mg L-1 NH4+-N damaged leaf ultrastructure and decreased the values of maximal quantum yield (Fv/Fm), maximal fluorescence (Fm), and relative electron transport rate (rETR) in the submerged leaves of O. cordata. Furthermore, when NH4+-N was ≥ 2 mg L-1, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity (PEPC) and soluble sugar and starch contents decreased significantly. The content of dissolved oxygen in the culture water also decreased significantly. The activity of the NH4+-N assimilation enzyme glutamine synthetase (GS) significantly increased when NH4+-N was ≥ 10 mg L-1 and NADH-glutamate synthase (NADH-GOGAT) and Fd-glutamate synthase (Fd-GOGAT) increased when NH4+-N was at 50 mg L-1. However, the activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase (NADH-GDH) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase (NADPH-GDH) did not change, indicating that GS/GOGAT cycle may play an important role in NH4+-N assimilation in the submerged leaves of O. cordata. These results show that short-term exposure to a high concentration of NH4+-N is toxic to O. cordata.

Inorganic carbon utilization: A target of silver nanoparticle toxicity on a submerged macrophyte.

Submerged macrophytes play an important role in the global carbon cycle through diversified pathways of inorganic carbon (Ci) utilization distinct from terrestrial plants. However, the effects of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), an emerging contaminant, were unknown on the Ci utilization of submerged macrophytes. In Ottelia alismoides, the only known submerged macrophyte with three pathways of Ci utilization, before absorption, AgNPs inhibited the external carbonic anhydrase activity thus reducing the capacity of the plant to use HCO3-. After entering the plant, AgNPs mainly aggregated at the cell wall and in the chloroplast. The internalized AgNPs inhibited ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (Rubisco) activity blocking CO2 fixation and disturbed C4 and crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) by inhibiting phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), pyruvate phosphate dikinase (PPDK), and NAD-dependent malic enzyme (NAD-ME) activities to alter intracellular malate biosynthesis and decarboxylation. Overall, our findings indicate that the Ci utilization of the submerged macrophyte is a target of AgNPs toxicity that might affect the carbon cycle in aquatic systems.

Exogenous ABA and IAA modulate physiological and hormonal adaptation strategies in Cleistocalyx operculatus and Syzygium jambos under long-term waterlogging conditions.

BACKGROUND: The mechanisms of abscisic acid (ABA) and auxin (IAA) in inducing adventitious root (AR) formation, biomass accumulation, and plant development under long-term waterlogging (LT-WL) conditions are largely unexplored. This study aimed to determine the roles of exogenous application of ABA and IAA in two woody plants (Cleistocalyx operculatus and Syzygium jambos) under LT-WL conditions. A pot experiment was conducted using a complete randomized design with two factors: (i) LT-WL and (ii) application of exogenous phytohormones (ABA and IAA) for 120 d. RESULTS: Results revealed that exogenous ABA and IAA promoted LT-WL tolerance in both species. In C. operculatus and S. jambos, plant height, the number of blades, leaf area, and fresh shoot weight were increased by exogenous IAA under LT-WL. However, exogenous ABA affected more the adventitious and primary root in C. operculatus compared to S. jambos. LT-WL decreased drastically the photosynthetic activities in both species, but adding moderate amounts of exogenous ABA or IAA protected the photosynthesis apparatus under LT-WL. Exogenous phytohormones at certain levels decreased the superoxide anion level and malondialdehyde accumulation in plants under LT-WL. Also, the increase of the peroxidases and superoxide dismutase activities by exogenous phytohormones was more marked in C. operculatus compared to S. jambos. Meanwhile, the catalase activity was down-regulated in both species by exogenous phytohormones. Exogenous ABA or IAA positively regulated the jasmonic acid content in ARs under LT-WL. Moderate application of exogenous ABA or IAA in plants under LT-WL decreased the ABA content in the leaves. Lower accumulation of IAA and ABA in the leaves of C. operculatus under LT-WL was positively correlated with a decrease in antioxidant activity. CONCLUSIONS: Lastly, C. operculatus which has greater morphology indexes was more tolerant to waterlogging than S. jambos. Moreover, the adaptive strategies via exogenous ABA were more built around the below-ground biomass indexes particularly in C. operculatus, while exogenous IAA backed the above-ground biomass in both species. Overall, the exogenous hormones applied (spraying or watering) influenced differentially the plant's responses to LT-WL. The phytohormonal profile of plants exposed to waterlogging stress varied depending on the species' tolerance level.

Radio Frequency Database Construction and Modulation Recognition in Wireless Sensor Networks.

Current modulation recognition methods in wireless sensor networks rely too much on simulation datasets. Its practical application effect cannot reach the expected results. To address this issue, in this paper we collect a large amount of real-world wireless signal data based on the software radio device USRP 2920. We then propose a real radio frequency (RF) database architecture and preprocessing operators to manage real-world wireless signal data, conduct signal preprocessing, and export the dataset. Based on different feature datasets derived from the RF database, we propose a multidimensional feature hybrid network (MFHN), which is used to identify unknown signals by analyzing different kinds of signal features. Further, we improve MFHN and design a multifeatured joint migration network (MJMN) to identify small-sample targets. The experimental results show that the recognition rates for unknown target signals of the MFHN and MJMN are 82.7% and 93.2%, respectively. The proposed methods improve the recognition performance in the single node of wireless sensor networks in complex electromagnetic environments, which provides reference for subsequent decision fusion.

Integrated Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses of Cold-Tolerant and Cold-Sensitive Pepper Species Reveal Key Genes and Essential Metabolic Pathways Involved in Response to Cold Stress.

Cold stress, triggered by particularly low temperatures, is one of the most severe forms of abiotic stress in pepper plants and a major constraint to the global pepper industry, threatening crop production and food security. To acclimatize to extreme conditions, the plant undergoes numerous modifications, including genetic and metabolic modulations. A thorough study of both the genetic and metabolic alterations of plants in response to cold stress is vital to understanding and developing the cold stress resistance mechanism. This study implemented transcriptome and metabolome analyses to evaluate the cold stress response in cold-tolerant and cold-sensitive pepper species. The weighted gene co-expression network revealed three significant modules related to cold stress tolerance in Capsicum pubescens. We identified 17 commonly enriched genes among both species at different time points in 10 different comparisons, including the AP2 transcription factor, LRR receptor-like serine, hypersensitivity-related 4-like protein, and uncharacterized novel.295 and novel.6172 genes. A pathway enrichment analysis indicated that these DEGs were mainly associated with the MAPK signaling pathway, hormone signaling pathway, and primary and secondary metabolism. Additionally, 21 significantly differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were identified in both species after 6 h of cold stress. A transcriptome and metabolome integrated analysis revealed that 54 genes correlated with metabolites enriched in five different pathways. Most genes and metabolites involved in carbohydrate metabolism, the TCA cycle, and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways were upregulated in cold-tolerant plants under cold stress. Together, the results of this study provide a comprehensive gene regulatory and metabolic network in response to cold stress and identified some key genes and metabolic pathways involved in pepper cold tolerance. This study lays a foundation for the functional characterization and development of pepper cultivars with improved cold tolerance.

Low Concentrations of Silver Nanoparticles Inhibit Spore Germination and Disturb Gender Differentiation of Ceratopteris thalictroides (L.) Brongn.

Because of their excellent antibacterial properties, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely used in all walks of life, which has caused them to be discharged into aquatic environments with possible negative effects on aquatic plants. In the present study, we used an aquatic fern, Ceratopteris thalictroides, as a model to investigate the effects of AgNPs on its spore germination, gametophytes, sex differentiation, and growth. The results demonstrated that AgNPs significantly inhibited spore germination of C. thalictroides at a AgNP concentration higher than 0.02 mg/L. Additionally, we found sex-dependent effects of AgNPs on the development and growth of the gametophyte of C. thalictroides. The proportion of hermaphrodites in the gametophytes and the area of gametophytes significantly decreased under AgNP treatment, while no significant effect was observed in the male gametophytes. Using the AgNP filtrate (without nanoparticles) and AgNPs plus cysteine (Ag+ chelator), we found that the release of Ag+ from nanoparticles was not the cause of the toxicity of AgNPs on C. thalictroides. The EC50 of AgNPs on spore germination was 0.0492 mg/L, thus indicating an ecological risk of AgNPs on this species even at concentrations lower than the Ag element concentration of the WHO guidelines for drinking-water quality.

Changes in primary metabolites and volatile organic compounds in cotton seedling leaves exposed to silver ions and silver nanoparticles revealed by metabolomic analysis.

In the area of climate change, nanotechnology provides handy tools for improving crop production and assuring sustainability in global agricultural system. Due to excellent physiological and biochemical properties, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been widely studied for potential use in agriculture. However, there are concerns about the mechanism of the toxic effects of the accumulation of AgNPs on crop growth and development. In this study, the impacts of AgNPs on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) seedlings were evaluated by integrating physiological and comprehensive metabolomic analyses. Potting-soil-grown, two-week-old cotton seedlings were foliar-exposed to 5 mg/plant AgNP or 0.02 mg/plant Ag+ (equivalent to the free Ag+ released from AgNPs). Primary metabolites and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) GC-MS, respectively. AgNPs inhibited the photosynthetic capacity of the cotton leaves. The metabolic spectrum analysis identified and quantified 73 primary metabolites and 45 VOCs in cotton leaves. Both treatments significantly changed the metabolite profiles of plant leaves. Among the primary metabolites, AgNPs induced marked changes in amino acids, sugars and sugar alcohols. Among the VOCs, 13 volatiles, mainly aldehydes, alkanes and terpenoids, were specifically altered only in response to AgNPs. In summary, our study showed that the comprehensive influence of AgNPs on primary metabolites and VOCs was not merely attributed to the released Ag+ but was caused by AgNP-specific effects on cotton leaves. These results provide important knowledge about the physiological and chemical changes in cotton leaves upon exposure to AgNPs and offer a new insight for supporting the sustainable use of AgNPs in agriculture.

Recent Advances in Understanding the Mechanisms of Elemene in Reversing Drug Resistance in Tumor Cells: A Review.

Malignant tumors are life-threatening, and chemotherapy is one of the common treatment methods. However, there are often many factors that contribute to the failure of chemotherapy. The multidrug resistance of cancer cells during chemotherapy has been reported, since tumor cells' sensitivity decreases over time. To overcome these problems, extensive studies have been conducted to reverse drug resistance in tumor cells. Elemene, an extract of the natural drug Curcuma wenyujin, has been found to reverse drug resistance and sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapy. Mechanisms by which elemene reverses tumor resistance include inhibiting the efflux of ATP binding cassette subfamily B member 1(ABCB1) transporter, reducing the transmission of exosomes, inducing apoptosis and autophagy, regulating the expression of key genes and proteins in various signaling pathways, blocking the cell cycle, inhibiting stemness, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and so on. In this paper, the mechanisms of elemene's reversal of drug resistance are comprehensively reviewed.

Active targeting of orthotopic glioma using biomimetic liposomes co-loaded elemene and cabazitaxel modified by transferritin.

BACKGROUND: Effective treatment of glioma requires a nanocarrier that can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to target the tumor lesion. In the current study, elemene (ELE) and cabazitaxel (CTX) liposomes were prepared by conjugating liposomes with transferrin (Tf) and embedding the cell membrane proteins of RG2 glioma cells into liposomes (active-targeting biomimetic liposomes, Tf-ELE/CTX@BLIP), which exhibited effective BBB infiltration to target glioma. RESULTS: The findings showed that Tf-ELE/CTX@BLIP was highly stable. The liposomes exhibited highly significant homologous targeting and immune evasion in vitro and a 5.83-fold intake rate compared with classical liposome (ELE/CTX@LIP). Bioluminescence imaging showed increased drug accumulation in the brain and increased tumor penetration of Tf-ELE/CTX@BLIP in orthotopic glioma model nude mice. Findings from in vivo studies indicated that the antitumor effect of the Tf-ELE/CTX@BLIP led to increased survival time and decreased tumor volume in mice. The average tumor fluorescence intensity after intravenous administration of Tf-ELE/CTX@BLIP was 65.2, 12.5, 22.1, 6.6, 2.6, 1.5 times less compared with that of the control, CTX solution, ELE solution, ELE/CTX@LIP, ELE/CTX@BLIP, Tf-ELE/CTX@LIP groups, respectively. Histopathological analysis showed that Tf-ELE/CTX@BLIP were less toxic compared with administration of the CTX solution. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that the active-targeting biomimetic liposome, Tf-ELE/CTX@BLIP, is a promising nanoplatform for delivery of drugs to gliomas.

Polymerase Chain Reaction in the Detection of miR-455-5p and Sphingosine-1 Phosphate Proteins in Cervical Carcinoma with the Help of Gold Nanoparticles-Based.

This study aimed to detect miR-455-5p and S1PR1 proteins using nanoparticle-assisted polymerase chain reaction (nano-PCR) to determine their correlation with cervical carcinoma prognosis. To achieve this study's goals, we selected 48 cervical carcinoma patients between January 2014 to January 2016 and subjected them to the miR-455-5p test by nano-PCR. The collected samples were then divided into two groups based on miR-455-5p levels. We had four HeLa cell groups, one group as the control, and one group overexpressed the miR-455-5p protein. A third group was miR-455-5p silent, and a separate group overexpressed both the miR-455-5p and S1PR1 proteins. Results also proved that the nano-PCR had a higher sensitivity than RT-PCR, and patients with poor prognosis had lesser miR-455-5p levels. Similarly, high levels of miR-455-5 contributed to cancer cell apoptosis and migration inhibition by targeting S1PR1 expression negatively. These two biomarkers are therefore significantly related to the prognosis of cervical carcinoma patients.

Risk of Mycoplasma pneumoniae-related hepatitis in MP pneumonia pediatric patients: a predictive model construction and assessment.

BACKGROUND: A predictive model for risk of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP)-related hepatitis in MP pneumonia pediatric patients can improve treatment selection and therapeutic effect. However, currently, no predictive model is available. METHODS: Three hundred seventy-four pneumonia pediatric patients with/without serologically-confirmed MP infection and ninety-three health controls were enrolled. Logistic regressions were performed to identify the determinant variables and develop predictive model. Predictive performance and optimal diagnostic threshold were evaluated using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Stratification analysis by age and MP-IgM titer was used to optimize model's clinical utility. An external validation set, including 84 MP pneumonia pediatric patients, was used to verify the predictive efficiency. After univariate analysis to screen significant variables, monocyte count (MO), erythrocyte distribution width (RDW) and platelet count (PLT) were identified as independent predictors in multivariate analysis. RESULTS: We constructed MRP model: MO [^109/L] × 4 + RDW [%] - PLT [^109/L] × 0.01. MRP achieved an AUROC of 0.754 and the sensitivity and specificity at cut-off value 10.44 were 71.72 and 61.00 %, respectively in predicting MP-related hepatitis from MP pneumonia. These results were verified by the external validation set, whereas it merely achieved an AUROC of 0.540 in pneumonia without MP infection. The AUROC of MRP was 0.812 and 0.787 in infants and toddlers (0-36 months) and low MP-IgM titer subgroup (1:160-1:320), respectively. It can achieve an AUROC of 0.804 in infants and toddler with low MP-IgM titer subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: MRP is an effective predictive model for risk of MP-related hepatitis in MP pneumonia pediatric patients, especially infants and toddlers with low MP-IgM titer.

A Noncontact Ballistocardiography-Based IoMT System for Cardiopulmonary Health Monitoring of Discharged COVID-19 Patients.

We developed a ballistocardiography (BCG)-based Internet-of-Medical-Things (IoMT) system for remote monitoring of cardiopulmonary health. The system composes of BCG sensor, edge node, and cloud platform. To improve computational efficiency and system stability, the system adopted collaborative computing between edge nodes and cloud platforms. Edge nodes undertake signal processing tasks, namely approximate entropy for signal quality assessment, a lifting wavelet scheme for separating the BCG and respiration signal, and the lightweight BCG and respiration signal peaks detection. Heart rate variability (HRV), respiratory rate variability (RRV) analysis and other intelligent computing are performed on cloud platform. In experiments with 25 participants, the proposed method achieved a mean absolute error (MAE)±standard deviation of absolute error (SDAE) of 9.6±8.2 ms for heartbeat intervals detection, and a MAE±SDAE of 22.4±31.1 ms for respiration intervals detection. To study the recovery of cardiopulmonary function in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), this study recruited 186 discharged patients with COVID-19 and 186 control volunteers. The results indicate that the recovery performance of the respiratory rhythm is better than the heart rhythm among discharged patients with COVID-19. This reminds the patients to be aware of the risk of cardiovascular disease after recovering from COVID-19. Therefore, our remote monitoring system has the ability to play a major role in the follow up and management of discharged patients with COVID-19.

HbWRKY27, a group IIe WRKY transcription factor, positively regulates HbFPS1 expression in Hevea brasiliensis.

Farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPS) is a key enzyme that catalyzes the formation of farnesyl pyrophosphate, the main initiator for rubber chain initiation in Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg. The transcriptional regulatory mechanisms of the FPS gene still not well understood. Here, a WRKY transcription factor designated HbWRKY27 was obtained by screening the latex cDNA library applied the HbFPS1 promoter as bait. HbWRKY27 interacted with the HbFPS1 promoter was further identified by individual Y1H and EMSA assays. HbWRKY27 belongs to group IIe WRKY subfamily which contains a typical WRKY domain and C-X5-CX23-HXH motif. HbWRKY27 was localized to the nucleus. HbWRKY27 predominantly accumulated in latex. HbWRKY27 was up-regulated in latex by ethrel, salicylic acid, abscisic acid, and methyl jasmonate treatment. Transient expression of HbWRKY27 led to increasing the activity of the HbFPS1 promoter in tobacco plant, suggesting that HbWRKY27 positively regulates the HbFPS1 expression. Taken together, an upstream transcription factor of the key natural rubber biosynthesis gene HbFPS1 was identified and this study will provide novel transcriptional regulatory mechanisms of the FPS gene in Hevea brasiliensis.