H2S is involved in drought-mediated stomatal closure through PLDα1 in Arabidopsis.

MAIN CONCLUSION: PLDα1 promoted H2S production by positively regulating the expression of LCD. Stomatal closure promoted by PLDα1 required the accumulation of H2S under drought stress. Phospholipase Dα1 (PLDα1) acting as one of the signal enzymes can respond to drought stress. It is well known that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) plays an important role in plant responding to biotic or abiotic stress. In this study, the functions and relationship between PLDα1 and H2S in drought stress resistance in Arabidopsis were explored. Our results indicated that drought stress promotes PLDα1 and H2S production by inducing the expression of PLDα1 and LCD genes. PLDα1 and LCD enhanced plant tolerance to drought by regulating membrane lipid peroxidation, proline accumulation, H2O2 content and stomatal closure. Under drought stress, the H2O2 content of PLDα1-deficient mutant (pldα1), L-cysteine desulfhydrase (LCD)-deficient mutant (lcd) was higher than that of ecotype (WT), the stomatal aperture of pldα1 and lcd was larger than that of WT. The transcriptional and translational levels of LCD were lower in pldα1 than that in WT. Exogenous application of the H2S donor NaHS or GYY reduced the stomatal aperture of WT, pldα1, PLDα1-CO, and PLDα1-OE lines, while exogenous application of the H2S scavenger hypotaurine (HT) increased the stomatal aperture. qRT-PCR analysis of stomatal movement-related genes showed that the expression of CAX1, ABCG5, SCAB1, and SLAC1 genes in pldα1 and lcd were down-regulated, while ACA1 and OST1 gene expression was significantly up-regulated. Thus, PLDα1 and LCD are required for stomatal closure to improve drought stress tolerance.

Gastric tubular adenocarcinoma with diffuse neutrophils infiltrating: characteristics and probable treatment strategy.

BACKGROUND: Gastric adenocarcinoma is a highly heterogeneous malignancy with varying prognoses. In clinicopathological practice, we noticed a special tubular adenocarcinoma with diffuse neutrophils infiltrating (TADNI). However, the proportion and characteristics of TADNI remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the features of TADNI and explore probable treatments. METHODS: We divided 289 tubular adenocarcinoma cases into the TADNI and non-TADNI (nTADNI) groups by histological neutrophil quantity and performed immunohistochemistry of treatment-associated markers (CXCR1, CXCR2, PD-L1, CD8, HER2 and VEGFR2). Then we evaluated the clinical and morphological features in these cases. We also compared the value of histological features and peripheral blood neutrophil test. In addition, multiomics bioinformatic analyses were performed using the public datasets. RESULTS: In our cohort, TADNI accounted for 10.4% of all tubular adenocarcinoma cases. These cases had worse prognoses (especially the neutrophils mainly outside the tubes) than nTADNI cases. The histological identification of TADNI had more prognostic value than peripheral blood neutrophils. CXCR1/CXCR2 expression was significantly high in TADNI group which indicated that CXCR1/CXCR2 inhibitors might be beneficial for TADNI patients. There were no significant differences in the expression of PD-L1, CD8, HER2 and VEGFR2. The analyses of TCGA data confirmed that TADNI cases had poorer prognoses and higher CXCR1/CXCR2 expression. Bioinformatic results also revealed molecular features (more hsa-mir-223 expression, fewer CD8-positive T cells and regulatory T cells, tighter communication between tumor cells' CXCR1/CXCR2 and neutrophils' CXCL5/CXCL8) of this type. CONCLUSIONS: TADNI is a special morphological subtype with poorer prognoses and unique molecular characteristics, which might benefit from CXCR1/CXCR2 inhibitors.

PLC1 mediated Cycloastragenol-induced stomatal movement by regulating the production of NO in Arabidopsis thaliana.

BACKGROUND: Astragalus grows mainly in drought areas. Cycloastragenol (CAG) is a tetracyclic triterpenoid allelochemical extracted from traditional Chinese medicine Astragalus root. Phospholipase C (PLC) and Gα-submit of the heterotrimeric G-protein (GPA1) are involved in many biotic or abiotic stresses. Nitric oxide (NO) is a crucial gas signal molecule in plants. RESULTS: In this study, using the seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana), the results showed that low concentrations of CAG induced stomatal closure, and high concentrations inhibited stomatal closure. 30 µmol·L-1 CAG significantly increased the relative expression levels of PLC1 and GPA1 and the activities of PLC and GTP hydrolysis. The stomatal aperture of plc1, gpa1, and plc1/gpa1 was higher than that of WT under CAG treatment. CAG increased the fluorescence intensity of NO in guard cells. Exogenous application of c-PTIO to WT significantly induced stomatal aperture under CAG treatment. CAG significantly increased the relative expression levels of NIA1 and NOA1. Mutants of noa1, nia1, and nia2 showed that NO production was mainly from NOA1 and NIA1 by CAG treatment. The fluorescence intensity of NO in guard cells of plc1, gpa1, and plc1/gpa1 was lower than WT, indicating that PLC1 and GPA1 were involved in the NO production in guard cells. There was no significant difference in the gene expression of PLC1 in WT, nia1, and noa1 under CAG treatment. The gene expression levels of NIA1 and NOA1 in plc1, gpa1, and plc1/gpa1 were significantly lower than WT, indicating that PLC1 and GPA1 were positively regulating NO production by regulating the expression of NIA1 and NOA1 under CAG treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that the NO accumulation was essential to induce stomatal closure under CAG treatment, and GPA1 and PLC1 acted upstream of NO.

Comparison of the Clinicopathological Characteristics and Prognosis of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma with Intramural Metastases and Multiple Primary Carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: It is difficult to distinguish esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with intramural metastases (IM) from multiple primary oesophageal carcinoma (MPEC). Nevertheless, there are significant differences in their prognoses and treatments. Therefore, our study aims to clarify the clinicopathological and prognostic characteristics of these two entities and to provide clues for differential diagnosis. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 6304 patients who underwent esophagectomy without neoadjuvant therapy. The clinicopathological and prognostic features of patients with IM and MPEC were evaluated. P53 and Rb1 were detected by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining using a tissue microarray. RESULTS: Among the 6304 patients, 127 (2.0%) had IM, and 138 (2.2%) had MPEC. Patients with IM were more likely to have an advanced pT (p < 0.001), pN (p < 0.001), more lymphovascular invasion (p < 0.001) and neural invasion (p < 0.001). Additionally, patients with IM had an extremely poor prognosis compared to those with MPEC, with 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of 18.9% and 56.9%, respectively. Meanwhile, IM was found to be an independent poor prognostic indicator for OS and DFS. In the IM group, all patients showed consistent p53 expression in both primary and IM foci. Of note, Rb1 loss was found in 3 pairs of primary foci and metastases, along with p53 nonsense mutation. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with IM had more risk factors and extremely worse prognosis than those with MPEC. It is essential to discriminate IM from MPEC when managing multifocal carcinomas. IHC staining of p53 and Rb1 may aid in differential diagnosis.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the esophagus with MAML2 gene rearrangement: Case report and literature review.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common salivary gland malignancy but rarely occurs in the esophagus. It is easily confused with adenosquamous carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with mucus-secreting components. MAML2 gene rearrangement detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), RT-PCR or next-generation sequencing (NGS) can aid in the diagnosis. We present a case of esophageal MEC with MAML2 gene rearrangement detected by FISH. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an esophageal MEC with MAML2 gene rearrangement. We also reveal that esophageal MEC patients were reported to have a higher risk of recurrence and death than SCC patients in previous literature. However, all the cases were diagnosed using previous diagnostic criteria and not confirmed by MAML2 gene rearrangement detection, and most of them might not be true MECs.

Perioperative Care of Children with Acute Exogenous Lipoid Pneumonia Submitted to BAL/FB.

OBJECTIVE: The present study evaluates the psychosocial care and the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)/fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FB) procedure in children with pediatric acute exogenous lipoid pneumonia (ELP) and summarizes the critical points of nursing. METHODS: Data on the psychosocial factors of the patients and clinical information were collected. Participants comprised 41 children within three years of age. RESULTS: All the children were cooperative with the BAL/FB procedure. The children's pain scores were between 4-6, and the psychological conditions of the children and caregivers were nervous/anxious upon admission. After the medical staff's psychological care and health education, the children's postoperative pain scores were reduced to 0-3, and the psychological state of the caregivers was positive. CONCLUSION: Psychological care can alleviate families' adverse emotions and promote treatment cooperation and recovery from the acute ELP.

Compliance, efficacy, and safety of subcutaneous and sublingual immunotherapy in children with allergic rhinitis.

BACKGROUND: Although previous studies had confirmed the effectiveness and safety of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), respectively, direct head-to-head comparison of SCIT vs SLIT is sparse. We aimed to compare the efficacy, safety, and compliance of SCIT and SLIT in allergic rhinitis (AR) children. METHODS: This study is a prospective, open-label, and single-center study performed between June 2017 and June 2018. A total of 325 children were grouped into SLIT, Alutard (SCIT1), and NovoHelisen Depot (NHD) (SCIT2) according to the parents' wishes. The adherence and reasons for dropout were recorded. The efficacy of SLIT and SCIT was evaluated by a combined symptom medication score. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded and graded during the whole treatment. RESULTS: The compliance rate was higher in the SCIT group compared with the SLIT group (P < .05). The total nasal symptom score (TNSS), rescue medication score (RMS), and symptom medication score (SMS) after 6-month, 12-month, and 2-year treatment were lower in the SCIT group compared with the SLIT group (P < .05). But the scores between the Alutard and NHD groups were not significantly different. The occurrence of AEs in the SCIT group was significantly higher compared with the SLIT group (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Our results suggested SCIT is more effective compared with SLIT to a certain degree, whereas SLIT had less AEs compared with SCIT. The AIT routes can be chosen according to personal specific conditions.

Determinants for asthma control, quality of life and use of complementary and alternative medicine in asthmatic pediatric patients in four cities.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a significant chronic health problem worldwide. Management aims at disease control by reducing functional impairment and exacerbations and improving quality of life (QoL). We report a multi-center study to survey asthma control and QoL in four cities in the Pearl River Delta. METHODS: The conjoint survey involved ten Hong Kong pediatric hospitals/units, two Shenzhen hospitals, two Macau hospitals, and two Guangzhou hospitals on asthma control (using Asthma Control Test) and QoL (Pediatric Allergic Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire, PADQLQ). Acceptability of a treatment is graded as very good/good/fair/poor. RESULTS: Good asthma control was only reported in 80% subjects in Hong Kong, but higher in sister cities (85-94%, P < 0.001). Allergic rhinitis, "incense burning", and "smoker in family" were prevalent among the four cities. Logistic regression showed better control of asthma was associated with better PADQLQ (B = - 0.029, P < 0.001), better acceptability of bronchodilator (B = - 1.488, P = 0.025), negatively with "smoker in family" (B = - 0.83, P = 0.015) and various PADQLQ domains. Conversely, worse PADQLQ was associated with allergic rhinitis severity (B = 4.77, P < 0.001), poor control of asthma (B = 7.56, P < 0.001), increased frequency of traditional Chinese medicine use (B = 1.7, P < 0.05), increased frequency of bronchodilator usage (B = 1.05, P < 0.05), "smoker in family" (B = 4.05, P < 0.05), and incense burning at home (B = 3.9, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There are some clinical and cultural differences among the four southern Chinese cities within the Guangdong province. This study identifies potentially modifiable environmental and treatment factors associated with poor asthma control and QoL for health-care interventions. Having a smoker in the family is independently associated with poor asthma control and QoL.

Characterization of metaproteomics in crop rhizospheric soil.

Soil rhizospheric metaproteomics is a powerful scientific tool to uncover the interactions between plants and microorganisms in the soil ecosystem. The present study established an extraction method suitable for different soils that could increase the extracted protein content. Close to 1000 separate spots with high reproducibility could be identified in the stained 2-DE gels. Among the spots, 189 spots representing 122 proteins on a 2-DE gel of rice soil samples were successfully identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS. These proteins mainly originated from rice and microorganisms. They were involved in protein, energy, nucleotide, and secondary metabolisms, as well as signal transduction and resistance. Three characteristics of the crop rhizospheric metaproteomics seemed apparent: (1) approximately one-third of the protein spots could not be identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF/MS, (2) the conservative proteins from plants formed a feature distribution of crop rhizospheric metaproteome, and (3) there were very complex interactions between plants and microorganisms existing in a crop rhizospheric soil. Further functional analysis on the identified proteins unveiled various metabolic pathways and signal transductions involved in the soil biotic community. This study provides a paradigm for metaproteomic research on soil biology.