PRMT4 Reduced Erastin-Induced Ferroptosis in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cisplatin-Resistant Cells by Nrf2/GPX4 Pathway.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the common malignant tumors in clinic. In the current study, we aim to investigate the effects of PRMT4 on erastin-induced ferroptosis in NPC by cisplatin resistant. PRMT4 expression in patients with NPC by cisplatin was upregulated. PRMT4 upregulation promoted cell growth of erastin-induced ferroptosis in NPC cisplatin-resistant cells. PRMT4 downregulation reduced cell growth of erastin-induced ferroptosis in NPC cisplatin-resistant cells. PRMT4 promoted tumor volume in mice model of erastin-induced NPC by cisplatin. PRMT4 upregulation reduced erastin-induced ferroptosis in NPC cisplatin-resistant cells by mitochondrial damage. PRMT4 upregulation induced Nrf2 protein expression in model of erastin-induced NPC by cisplatin. Nrf2 reduced the effects of si-PRMT4 on cell growth of erastin-induced ferroptosis in NPC cisplatin-resistant cells. Nrf2 inhibitor reduced the effects of PRMT4 on cell growth of erastin-induced ferroptosis in NPC cisplatin-resistant cells. Nrf2 reduced the effects of si-PRMT4 on erastin-induced ferroptosis in NPC cisplatin-resistant cells by mitochondrial damage. PRMT4 protein interlinked with Nrf2 protein to decrease Nrf2 ubiquitination. Methylation increased PRMT4 DNA stability. Collectively, our data reveal that PRMT4 reduced erastin-induced ferroptosis in NPC cisplatin-resistant cells by Nrf2/GPX4 pathway, suggesting that targeting PRMT4 may present as a potential strategy against the development of NPC.

Perceived risk of death among patients with advanced cancer: a qualitative directed content analysis.

BACKGROUND: Risk perception with respect to death is a prerequisite for patients with advanced cancer when the time comes to make medical decisions. However, the nature of death risk perception remains unclear. METHOD: In-depth interviews were conducted with 28 patients with advanced cancer who were recruited from two hospitals and one home-based hospice in Fujian, China. Interviews were transcribed and directed content analysis applied. The Tripartite Model of Risk Perception was used as a theoretical framework. RESULTS: Patients with advanced cancer perceived their risk of death in different ways. Professional communication about death risk and data-driven risk perception were common in clinical settings. Affective influences, inherent cognition, and comparisons to others or oneself also contributed to the subjects' self-perceived death risk. CONCLUSION: This theory-informed qualitative study clarifies the nature of the perceived risk of death among patients with advanced cancer. The study findings offer healthcare providers a more nuanced understanding of the perceived risk of death among patients with advanced cancer.

Hydraulic sinus floor elevation using advanced platelet-rich fibrin: A randomized clinical trial with two-dimensional radiographic results.

PURPOSE: To assess the radiographic outcomes, complications, and implant survival rates of advanced platelet-rich fibrin versus xenografts in hydraulic sinus floor elevation. METHODS: In this randomized trial, 40 patients with 46 implants were divided into two groups: a test group (advanced platelet-rich fibrin alone) and a control group (xenograft alone). The key outcome measures included bone regeneration, implant survival, and complications. RESULTS: Both groups achieved 100% implant survival. One case of maxillary sinus infection occurred in the control group after surgery. There was no significant difference in bone regeneration between the two groups at 6 months post-surgery and 12 months post-load (P > 0.05). The residual bone height and sinus width at the apex of the implant were significant negative predictors of bone regeneration (P < 0.05), whereas the presence of adjacent teeth was a significant positive predictor (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Both advanced platelet-rich fibrin and xenografts effectively enhanced bone growth at sinus floor elevation, achieving high implant survival rates over one year. Advanced platelet-rich fibrin alone may be a viable xenograft alternative, necessitating further long-term studies to confirm its efficacy. The study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (http://www.chictr.org.cn/) with the registration number ChiCTR2100042060. This clinical trial was not registered before participant recruitment or randomization.

Efficient multi-view fusion and flexible adaptation to view missing in cardiovascular system signals.

The progression of deep learning and the widespread adoption of sensors have facilitated automatic multi-view fusion (MVF) about the cardiovascular system (CVS) signals. However, prevalent MVF model architecture often amalgamates CVS signals from the same temporal step but different views into a unified representation, disregarding the asynchronous nature of cardiovascular events and the inherent heterogeneity across views, leading to catastrophic view confusion. Efficient training strategies specifically tailored for MVF models to attain comprehensive representations need simultaneous consideration. Crucially, real-world data frequently arrives with incomplete views, an aspect rarely noticed by researchers. Thus, the View-Centric Transformer (VCT) and Multitask Masked Autoencoder (M2AE) are specifically designed to emphasize the centrality of each view and harness unlabeled data to achieve superior fused representations. Additionally, we systematically define the missing-view problem for the first time and introduce prompt techniques to aid pretrained MVF models in flexibly adapting to various missing-view scenarios. Rigorous experiments involving atrial fibrillation detection, blood pressure estimation, and sleep staging-typical health monitoring tasks-demonstrate the remarkable advantage of our method in MVF compared to prevailing methodologies. Notably, the prompt technique requires finetuning <3 % of the entire model's data, substantially fortifying the model's resilience to view missing while circumventing the need for complete retraining. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of our approaches, highlighting their potential for practical applications in cardiovascular health monitoring. Codes and models are released at URL.

Obesity-related indices as predictors of lower extremity arterial disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between obesity and lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: This retrospective study included 1821 patients with type 2 diabetes: 364 patients with LEAD and 1457 patients without LEAD. The patients were divided into training and internal test cohorts in a 7:3 ratio. LASSO regression analysis was used in the training cohort to filter relevant variables. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to assess independent risk factors. A diagnostic nomogram was constructed and its discrimination was evaluated using the area under the ROC curve (AUC). The consistency was assessed using a calibration plot. The clinical application of the nomogram was evaluated by performing a decision curve analysis (DCA) and validated by an internal test cohort of the training cohorts. RESULTS: The LEAD group exhibited significantly higher values in obesity-related indices compared to the non-LEAD group, including waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), conicity index (CI), body adiposity index (BAI), and abdominal volume index (AVI). Multivariate analysis identified BMI, CI, BAI, and other parameters as independent risk factors for LEAD. A nomogram was constructed, and the AUC value of the nomogram was 0.746 in the training cohort and 0.663 in the internal test cohort. CONCLUSION: Obesity-related indices are associated with LEAD in patients with T2DM. Therefore, it is important to manage waist circumference and weight to reduce the risk of LEAD in patients with T2DM.

Comparison of human pluripotent stem cell differentiation protocols to generate neuroblastoma tumors.

Neuroblastoma is the most common pediatric extracranial solid tumor and is derived from trunk neural crest cells (tNCC) and its progenitor sympathoadrenal (SA) cells. While human pluripotent stem cell (PSC) models of neuroblastoma have been described, the PSC were differentiated using protocols that made neural crest cells, but not specifically the trunk subtype. Here, we compared four recent protocols to differentiate pluripotent stem cells (PSC) toward SA cells and examined their efficiency at generating SA cells along with earlier cell states (neuromesodermal progenitors [NMP], tNCC), as well as generating MYCN-driven tumors. Interestingly, the protocols that created cells with the highest level of NMP markers did not produce cells with the highest tNCC or SA cell markers. We identified a protocol that consistently produced cells with the highest level of SA markers using two PSC lines of different genders. This protocol also generated tumors with the highest level of PHOX2B, a marker of neuroblastoma. Transcriptionally, however, each protocol generates tumors that resemble neuroblastoma. Two of the protocols repeatedly produced adrenergic neuroblastoma whereas the other two protocols were ambiguous. Thus, we identified a protocol that reliably generates adrenergic neuroblastoma.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids alleviate hyperuricemic nephropathy by inhibiting renal pyroptosis through GPR120.

Hyperuricemic nephropathy (HN) is characterized by increased serum uric acid levels that incite renal inflammation. While omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are known for their anti-inflammatory properties, their impact on HN remains unclear. This study explored the effects of omega-3 PUFAs, specifically docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), on HN. Using a mouse model induced by adenine and potassium oxonate, we treated HN mice with DHA, EPA, or both for four weeks. The results showed that omega-3 PUFAs significantly reduced serum uric acid levels and improved kidney function, with DHA, EPA, and their combination showing similar efficacy. Transcriptome sequencing and further analysis revealed that these fatty acids alleviate renal pyroptosis by reducing key markers such as NOD-like receptor pyrin containing 3 (NLRP3), cleaved gasdermin-D, caspase-1, and interleukin-1ß. To further investigate the underlying mechanism, we focused on G-protein coupled receptor 120 (GPR120), a receptor activated by DHA. The use of a GPR120 antagonist (AH7614) partially blocked DHA's effects, while the agonist (TUG891) mimicked its anti-pyroptotic actions. Co-immunoprecipitation assays showed that DHA activates GPR120, leading to its internalization and interaction with ß-arrestin2, ultimately inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome formation and reducing inflammation. Overall, omega-3 PUFAs, particularly through GPR120 activation, appear to protect against renal inflammation in HN by modulating the NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD pathway.

Association between physical activity and mental health problems among children and adolescents: A moderated mediation model of emotion regulation and gender.

BACKGROUND: Studies suggests a correlation between physical activity and mental health, particularly in children and adolescents. However, the specific mechanisms underlying this relationship is not fully understood. This study was designed to investigate the potential mediating role of emotion regulation and the moderating influence of gender through a moderated mediation model. METHODS: A sample size of 4763 students (mean age = 11.12 ± 1.48 years, 52.8 % females) from seven schools in Shenzhen, China, was recruited during the period of October to November 2023. The participants were administered self-reported questionnaires assessing physical activity, mental health, and emotion regulation. The moderated mediation model was analyzed. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 25.0. RESULTS: The results indicate a negative correlation between physical activity and mental health problems (all p < 0.001). This association was partially mediated by both cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression (all p < 0.001). Additionally, gender significant moderated the path between physical activity and emotion regulation, specifically cognitive reappraisal (p < 0.001) and expressive suppression (p < 0.01). LIMITATIONS: As a result of the cross-sectional design, no causal relationship could be established, and measurement bias should be noted. CONCLUSION: Physical activity is found to have a positive effect on the mental health problem of children and adolescents with emotion regulation serve as a partial mediator in the relationship. Additionally, in the mediation model, gender influences the first half of the path.

Oral Administration of Bioactive Nanoparticulates for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Therapy by Mitigating Oxidative Stress and Restoring Intestinal Microbiota Homeostasis.

The management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) continues to pose significant challenges due to the absence of curative therapies and a high rate of recurrence. Therefore, it is imperative to explore novel approaches to enhance the efficacy of IBD therapy. Herein, a bioactive nanoparticulate s is tailored designed to achieve a "Pull-Push" approach for efficient and safe IBD treatment by integrating reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging (Pull) with anti-inflammatory agent delivery (Push) in the inflammatory microenvironment. The multifunctional nanomedicine, designated MON-PAMAM@SASP, is developed through the encapsulation of sulfasalazine (SASP), a widely utilized clinical drug for the treatment of IBD, within cationic diselenide-bridged mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (MONs) that possess significant antioxidant properties. Herein, poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) endows the original MONs with positive charge characteristics. The MON-PAMAM@SASP not only displays the remarkable capability of neutralizing ROS to ameliorates intestinal damage, but also achieves controllable release of SASP to mitigate intestinal inflammation. Consequently, this nanomedicine effectively mitigates IBD by colitis in mouse models, and our current research has not identified any significant drug toxicity. Beyond regulating inflammatory microenvironment in intestine, treatment with MON-PAMAM@SASP results in increased richness and restores intestinal microbiota homeostasis, thereby mitigating IBD to a certain extent. Together, our work provides a highly versatile "Pull-Push" approach for IBD management and encourages the development of similar nanomedicine to treating multiple inflammatory diseases of gastrointestinal tract.

Enhancing the immunomodulatory osteogenic properties of Ti-Mg alloy by Mg2+-containing nanostructures.

Facilitating an appropriate immune response is crucial for promoting bone tissue regeneration upon biomaterial implantation. In this study, the Mg2+-containing nanostructures on the surface of Ti-1.25Mg alloy were prepared by a one-step hydrothermal reaction method via regulating pH value to enhance the immunomodulatory osteogenic properties of Ti-Mg alloys. In neutral (HT7) or alkaline (HT9) hydrothermal treatment (HT) solution, the size of MgTiO3 nanostructures formed on the surface of Ti-1.25Mg alloy is smaller than that in acidic HT solution (HT5), and lamellar Mg(OH)2 nanostructures are found in HT7 and HT9. In addition, the sample surface has a lower roughness and higher wettability with increasing pH value. The Mg2+-containing nanostructures on the Ti-1.25Mg alloy inhibited inflammatory response by promoting the polarization of M2 macrophages, thereby promoting osteogenesis in vitro. The micro-CT and histological assessment proved that the regeneration of bone defect was faster in HT7 than the Ti-1.25Mg in vivo. Mechanically, Mg2+-containing nanostructures can mediate the immune response of macrophages via upregulating integrins α5ß1 and inhibiting Toll-like receptors (TLR-4), subsequently inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway. Overall, osteoimmunity-regulating Mg2+-containing nanostructures on Ti-1.25Mg present a promising biomaterial for bone repair.

Unilateral radiotherapy for tonsillar cancer with multiple ipsilateral neck lymph nodes.

PURPOSE: For tonsillar cancer with multiple ipsilateral neck lymph nodes, the safety and efficacy of unilateral radiotherapy (RT) have long been a topic of debate. We performed retrospective analyses of patients having ipsilateral neck lymph nodes treated with unilateral RT in two tertiary referral hospitals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study accrued 29 patients who were diagnosed as well-lateralized tonsillar cancer with multiple ipsilateral neck lymph nodes and underwent unilateral RT from March 2000 to March 2020. Patients underwent treatment with one of the following options or a combination of them: induction chemotherapy, surgery, RT, and concurrent chemoradiotherapy. We analyzed the recurrence pattern and survival with special attention to contralateral neck failure. Also, treatment-related toxicities were compared with a 1:1 matched cohort of those who received bilateral RT, using propensity score matching analysis. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 68 months, no contralateral neck failure was observed. Five-year actuarial locoregional recurrence-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival, and overall survival were 85.6%, 91.8%, and 92.7%, respectively. Both the acute and chronic grade 2 xerostomia occurred in 10.3% of the patients. When the toxicity for unilateral RT was compared to that of bilateral RT using a propensity score-matched cohort, a significantly lower rate of acute xerostomia was observed in unilateral RT group (55.1% vs. 82.7%, p=0.002), primarily at grade 2 level (10.3% vs. 51.7%, respectively). CONCLUSION: The results of our study suggest that unilateral RT can be safely performed in well-lateralized tonsillar cancer patients with multiple ipsilateral neck lymph nodes.

Omiganan-Based Synthetic Antimicrobial Peptides for the Healthcare of Infectious Endophthalmitis.

Bacterial endophthalmitis is a severe infection of the aqueous or vitreous humor of the eye that can lead to permanent vision loss. Due to the rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance and dose-limiting toxicities, the standard treatment of bacterial endophthalmitis via the intravitreal injection of broad-spectrum antibiotics remains inadequate. Membrane active cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as a promising class of effective and broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents with potential to overcome antibiotic resistance. In this work, we investigate, for the first time, the use of omiganan (IK-12), a 12-amino acid indolicidin derivative for the treatment of bacterial endophthalmitis. Additionally, IK-12 was used as a template to perform amino acid rearrangements, without altering the length or type of amino acids, to yield a series of new derivative AMPs with varying extents of secondary structure formation under membrane mimicking conditions. IK-12 and its derivatives demonstrated strong and broad-spectrum antibacterial activities against a panel of clinically isolated Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus commonly implicated in bacterial endophthalmitis. Interestingly, two of the new IK-12 derivatives, IP-12 and WP-12, showed lower geometric mean minimum inhibitory concentration and higher 50% hemolysis concentration values, which effectively translated into 2- to 3.4-fold higher bacterial selectivity than the parent IK-12. Furthermore, the intravitreal injection of IK-12, IP-12, and WP-12 in a rabbit model of MRSA-induced endophthalmitis led to considerably improved clinical presentation and reduced recruitment of inflammatory cells. In all, these results demonstrate the potential of IK-12 and its derivatives, IP-12 and WP-12, as promising candidates for the treatment of bacterial endophthalmitis.

Hydrophilic-Hydrophobic Network Hydrogels Achieving Optimal Strength and Hysteresis Balance.

The biocompatibility and adaptability of hydrogels make them ideal candidates for use as artificial tendons and muscles in clinical applications, where both muscle-like strength and low hysteresis are essential. However, achieving a balance between a high strength and low hysteresis in hydrogels remains a significant challenge. Herein, we demonstrated a self-assembly process of heterogeneous hydrogels to meet the dilemma. And the hydrogels are composed of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymers. The hydrophilic network absorbs water, causing phase separation into a water-rich phase and a water-poor phase, while hydrophobic polymers and entanglement of the network arrest phase separation. Our results demonstrated that these hydrogels achieve remarkable mechanical properties, with a strength of 848.8 kPa, a low energy loss of 19.6 kJ/m3, and minimal hysteresis (0.046) during loading-unloading cycles. The reinforcing mechanisms underlying these properties are attributed to crystallization, molecular entanglement, and chain rearrangement induced by stretching. Furthermore, the combination of hydrophilic and hydrophobic networks is exceedingly rare in reported hydrogels.

Derivation of marine water quality criteria for copper based on artificial neural network model.

The water chemical effects of copper have been a focus in the study of water quality criteria (WQC). Currently, multiple regression models are commonly used to quantitatively describe the impact of environmental factors on Cu toxicity in WQC studies. However, the influence of species-specific effects may consequently lead to poor prediction results of the regression models in practical application. For this issue, a backpropagation neural network (BPNN) model optimized using a genetic algorithm was developed in this study. The results showed when pooled data of given taxonomic groups were used, the BPNN mixed models had higher Adj.R2 for five out of seven groups in the predicted toxicity values compared to the MNLR mixed models. When using species-specific models, the BPNN model still showed higher predictive performance. Further comparison of the two models for the species M. galloprovincialis revealed that, in addition to the good predictive performance of the BPNN models, the pre-set species codes of different species in the taxonomic group for the BPNN mixed model also reduced the impact of species-specific effects among species. Finally, the WQCs under different water quality parameter ranges were obtained using predicted toxicity values from mixed BPNN and MNLR models. The short-term WQC range for common water quality parameters (salinity: 25-30 ppt, DOC: 0.5-2.5 mg/L) obtained from the BPNN mixed model in natural marine environments was 1.6-4.41 µg/L, which aligns with guidance values provided by major global institutions, demonstrating the feasibility of applying the BPNN mixed model to WQC derivation. This study aims to provide valuable references for future research on WQC.

Prenatal p25-activated Cdk5 induces pituitary tumorigenesis through MCM2 phosphorylation-mediated cell proliferation.

Aberrant expression of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) has been reported in pituitary adenomas. However, the role of Cdk5 in the tumorigenesis remains unclear. We show that prenatal p25-activated Cdk5 phosphorylates minichromosome maintenance protein 2 (Mcm2), enhancing minichromosome maintenance (MCM) family proteins and driving intermediate lobe-located melanotrope-originated pituitary tumorigenesis. In a mouse model with CaMKII promoter-driven transgenic induction of p25, we observed intermediate lobe-originated pituitary adenoma producing non-functional proopiomelanocortin (POMC)-derived peptides under persistent p25 overexpression. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed Mcm2 may play an important role during tumor progression. Subsequently, Mcm2 was identified as a potential phosphorylated substrate of Cdk5, mediating the tumorous proliferation of melanotrope cells. Silencing Cdk5 or Mcm2 suppressed cell proliferation and colony formation in the 293T cell lines. Therefore, our findings provide a new mouse model of intermediate lobe-originated pituitary adenoma induced by p25/Cdk5 and unveil a previously unappreciated role of Cdk5 and Mcm2 in pituitary adenoma tumorigenesis.

Circadian variation pattern of sudden cardiac arrest occurred in Chinese community.

BACKGROUND: The circadian variation pattern of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) occurred in Chinese community including both community healthcare centres and primary hospitals remains unknown. This study analysed the circadian variation of SCA in the Chinese community. METHODS: Data between 2018 and 2022 from the remote ECG diagnosis system of Xinhua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine were analysed to examine the circadian rhythm of SCA, stratified by initial shockable (ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation) versus non-shockable (asystole or pulseless electrical activity) rhythm. RESULTS: Among 10 210 cases of SCA, major cases (8736, 85.6%) were non-shockable and 1474 (14.4%) cases were shockable. The circadian rhythm of SCA was as follows: peak time was from 08:00 to 11:59 (30.1%), while deep valley was from 00:00 to 03:59 (7.5%). The proportions of events by non-shockable and shockable events were similar and both reached their peak from 08:00 to 11:59, with a percentage of 29.0% and 36.4%, respectively. Multivariable analysis showed that the relative risk of shockable compared with non-shockable arrests was lower between 00:00 and 03:59 (adjusted OR (aOR): 0.72, 95% CI: 0.54 to 0.97, p=0.028) and 04:00 to 07:59 (aOR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.46 to 0.79, p<0.001), but higher between 08:00 and 11:59 (aOR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.64, p=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: In Chinese community, there is a distinct circadian rhythm of SCA, regardless of initial rhythms. Our findings may be helpful in decision-making, in that more attention and manpower should be placed on the morning hours of first-aid and resuscitation management in Chinese community.

Investigation of the impact of diverse climate conditions on the cultivation suitability of Cinnamomum cassia using the MaxEnt model, HPLC and chemometric methods in China.

Cinnamomum cassia Presl. is a subtropical plant that is used for food and medicine. Climate change has changed the suitable habitats of medicinal plants, which might have repercussions for the efficacy of herbal remedies. In this study, the potential distribution in each period of Cinnamomum cassia was predicted and the quality in different suitable habitats was evaluated. According to the results, (1) precipitation, temperature, and soil are the primary environmental variables influencing C. cassia distribution. (2) The high-suitable habitats of current climate scenarios were predominantly located in the southern regions (Guangdong and Guangxi etc.) of China, with an area of 706,129.08 km2. Under future climate scenarios, suitable habitats will increasingly move northward, with a greater concentration south of the Yangtze River, particularly in the 2090s SSP585 scenario, the total area of newly extended suitable habitat reaches 312,963.53 km2. (3) HPLC and FTIR, combined with chemometrics, can be effective methods for identifying different suitable habitats of C. cassia. The content of trans-cinnamaldehyde (0.85%) is significantly higher in the high suitability habitat compared to the medium-low suitability habitat (0.30%). Our findings can offer valuable guidance for the identification of suitable C. cassia cultivation areas in China, as well as for the evaluation of C. cassia resource quality and the rational use of resources in different suitable habitats.

Comparative plastome analysis of Arundinelleae (Poaceae, Panicoideae), with implications for phylogenetic relationships and plastome evolution.

BACKGROUND: Arundinelleae is a small tribe within the Poaceae (grass family) possessing a widespread distribution that includes Asia, the Americas, and Africa. Several species of Arundinelleae are used as natural forage, feed, and raw materials for paper. The tribe is taxonomically cumbersome due to a paucity of clear diagnostic morphological characters. There has been scant genetic and genomic research conducted for this group, and as a result the phylogenetic relationships and species boundaries within Arundinelleae are poorly understood. RESULTS: We compared and analyzed 11 plastomes of Arundinelleae, of which seven plastomes were newly sequenced. The plastomes range from 139,629 base pairs (bp) (Garnotia tenella) to 140,943 bp (Arundinella barbinodis), with a standard four-part structure. The average GC content was 38.39%, but varied in different regions of the plastome. In all, 110 genes were annotated, comprising 76 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. Furthermore, 539 simple sequence repeats, 519 long repeats, and 10 hyper-variable regions were identified from the 11 plastomes of Arundinelleae. A phylogenetic reconstruction of Panicoideae based on 98 plastomes demonstrated the monophyly of Arundinella and Garnotia, but the circumscription of Arundinelleae remains unresolved. CONCLUSION: Complete chloroplast genome sequences can improve phylogenetic resolution relative to single marker approaches, particularly within taxonomically challenging groups. All phylogenetic analyses strongly support the monophyly of Arundinella and Garnotia, respectively, but the monophylly of Arundinelleae was not well supported. The intergeneric phylogenetic relationships within Arundinelleae require clarification, indicating that more data is necessary to resolve generic boundaries and evaluate the monophyly of Arundinelleae. A comprehensive taxonomic revision for the tribe is necessary. In addition, the identified hyper-variable regions could function as molecular markers for clarifying phylogenetic relationships and potentially as barcoding markers for species identification in the future.

Autoantibody against aquaporin-5 may be a new diagnostic biomarker for primary Sjögren's syndrome.

The study aims to assess the diagnostic and clinical significance of autoantibodies against aquaporin-1 (anti-AQP1) and aquaporin-5 (anti-AQP5) in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). A total of 163 participants were categorized into three groups: pSS group, other connective tissue diseases (CTD) group, and healthy control (HC) group. The levels of anti-AQP1 and anti-AQP5 autoantibodies in serum were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and clinical data from patients were collected for statistical analysis. Our results showed that the level of anti-AQP1 in the pSS group was higher than in the HC group (P < 0.05), and no significant difference was observed between the pSS group and the CTD group (P > 0.05). ROC showed that the anti-AQP1 had no diagnostic value for pSS (P > 0.05). The anti-AQP5 level of 39 healthy adults was all below the cut-off value (14.10 ng/ml) (P < 0.05). The level of anti-AQP5 in the pSS group was higher than the CTD group (P < 0.05), the AUC was 0.86 (95% CI 0.80-0.93), with a sensitivity of 0.95 (95% CI 0.87-0.99) and a specificity of 0.70 (95% CI 0.58-0.84). No correlation was found between anti-AQP5 levels and the EULAR primary Sjögren's syndrome disease activity index score, anti-SSA, anti-SSB, antinuclear antibodies, rheumatoid factor, anti-ds-DNA, salivary gland flow rate, complement 3, and lymphocyte count in pSS samples (P > 0.05), respectively. Therefore, the elevated anti-AQP5 may emerge as a novel diagnostic biomarker for pSS patients due to high sensitivity and specificity.