Intrinsic edge states and strain-tunable spin textures in the Janus 1T-VTeCl monolayer.

Using first-principles calculations and micro-magnetic simulations, we investigate the electronic structures, the effect of biaxial strain on the topological characteristics, magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE), Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) and spin textures in the Janus 1T phase VTeCl (1T-VTeCl) monolayer. Our results show that 1T-VTeCl has an intrinsic edge state, and a topological phase transition with a sizeable band gap is achieved by applying biaxial strain. Interestingly, the MAE can be switched from the in-plane to the off-plane with a compressive strain of -5%. Microscopically, the origin of MAE is mainly associated with the large spin-orbit coupling (SOC) from the heavy nonmagnetic Te atoms rather than that from the V atoms. Furthermore, the induced DMI (0.09 meV) can occur stabilizing magnetic merons without applying temperatures and magnetic fields. Then, the skyrmions, frustrated antiferromagnetism and vortex are induced after applying a suitable compressive strain. Our study provides compelling evidence that the 1T-VTeCl monolayer with topological properties holds great potential for application in spintronic devices, as well as information storage devices based on different magnetic phases achievable through strain engineering.

Exogenous titanium dioxide nanoparticles alleviate cadmium toxicity by enhancing the antioxidative capacity of Tetrastigma hemsleyanum.

Nanotechnology is one of the most recent approaches employed to defend plants against both biotic and abiotic stress including heavy metals such as Cadmium (Cd). In this study, we evaluated the effects of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) in alleviating Cd stress in Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels et Gilg. Compared with Cd treatment, TiO2 NPs decreased leaf Cd concentration, restored Cd exposure-related reduction in the biomass to about 69% of control and decreased activities of antioxidative enzymes. Integrative analysis of transcriptome and metabolome revealed 325 differentially expressed genes associated with TiO2 NP treatment, most of which were enriched in biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Among them, the flavonoid and phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathways were significantly regulated to improve the growth of T. hemsleyanum when treated with Cd. In the KEGG Markup Language (KGML) network analysis, we found some commonly regulated pathways between Cd and Cd+TiO2 NP treatment, including phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, ABC transporters, and isoflavonoid biosynthesis, indicating their potential core network positions in controlling T. hemsleyanum response to Cd stress. Overall, our findings revealed a complex response system for tolerating Cd, encompassing the transportation, reactive oxygen species scavenging, regulation of gene expression, and metabolite accumulation in T. hemsleyanum. Our results indicate that TiO2 NP can be used to reduce Cd toxicity in T. hemsleyanum.

Maltitol-Derived Sacrificial Agent for Enhancing the Compatibility between PCE and Cement Paste.

At present, it is known that when there is clay in concrete, polycarboxylates (PCE) will preferably adsorb in the clay, so that PCE cannot be fully combined with cement particles, which reduces the workability of the cement slurry. In this paper, a new type of maltitol-ammonium salt cationic (KN-lm) sacrificial agent (SA) has been successfully developed via a simple method, which makes PCE easier to bond with cement particles in the cement slurry containing clay. The effect of KN-lm on the fluidity of clay-containing cement paste is studied, and the experimental results show that KN-lm, as an efficient SA of cement slurry, makes PCE more compatible with clay-containing cement slurry, and increases the initial fluidity of cement slurry by about 19%. Further investigations of TOC, XRD, and zeta potential measurements reveal that a KN-lm ion is only preferably adsorbed into clay compared to PCE through electrostatic adsorption but without having any crystal structure change, thus resulting in good dispersion of cement particles. The addition of KN-lm plays an important role in hindering the hydration expansion of the clay by preferential electrostatic adsorption, which means PCE cannot easily insert into the interlayer of the clay.

TFIIB-Related Protein BRP5/PTF2 Is Required for Both Male and Female Gametogenesis and for Grain Formation in Rice.

Transcription factor IIB (TFIIB) is a general transcription factor for RNA polymerase II, exerting its influence across various biological contexts. In the majority of eukaryotes, TFIIB typically has two homologs, serving as general transcription factors for RNA polymerase I and III. In plants, however, the TFIIB-related protein family has expanded greatly, with 14 and 9 members in Arabidopsis and rice, respectively. BRP5/pollen-expressed transcription factor 2 (PTF2) proteins belong to a subfamily of TFIIB-related proteins found only in plants and algae. The prior analysis of an Arabidopsis atbrp5 mutant, characterized by a T-DNA insertion at the 5' untranslated region, demonstrated the essential role of BRP5/PTF2 during the process of pollen germination and embryogenesis in Arabidopsis. Using a rice transformation system based on CRISPR/Cas9 technology, we have generated transgenic rice plants containing loss-of-function frameshift mutations in the BRP5/PTF2 gene. Unlike in the Arabidopsis atbrp5 mutant, the brp5/ptf2 frameshift mutations were not transmitted to progeny in rice, indicating an essential role of BRP5/PTF2 in both male and female gamete development or viability. The silencing of rice BRP5/PTF2 expression through RNA interference (RNAi) had little effect on vegetative growth and panicle formation but strongly affected pollen development and grain formation. Genetic analysis revealed that strong RNAi silencing of rice BRP5/PTF2 was still transmissible to progeny almost exclusively through female gametes, as found in the Arabidopsis atbrp5 knockdown mutant. Thus, reduced rice BRP5/PTF2 expression impacted pollen preferentially by interfering with male gamete development or viability. Drawing upon these findings, we posit that BRP5/PTF2 assumes a distinct and imperative function in the realm of plant sexual reproduction.

Controllable Synthesis, Formation Mechanism, and Photocatalytic Activity of Tellurium with Various Nanostructures.

Telluriums (Te) with various nanostructures, including particles, wires, and sheets, are controllably synthesized by adjusting the content of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in a facile solvothermal reaction. Te nanostructures all have complete grain sizes with excellent crystallinity and mesopore structures. Further, the formation mechanisms of Te nanostructures are proposed to be that the primary nuclei of Te are released from the reduction of TeO32- using N2H4·H2O, and then grow into various nanostructures depending on the different content of PVP. These nanostructures of Te all exhibit the photocatalytic activities for the degradation of MB and H2 production under visible light irradiation, especially Te nanosheets, which have the highest efficiencies of degradation (99.8%) and mineralization (65.5%) at 120 min. In addition, compared with pure Te nanosheets, the rate of H2 production increases from 412 to 795 µmol∙h-1∙g-1 after the introduction of Pt, which increases the output by nearly two times. The above investigations indicate that Te with various nanostructures is a potential photocatalyst in the field of degradation of organic pollutants and H2 fuel cells.

Role of plant metabolites in the formation of bacterial communities in the rhizosphere of Tetrastigma hemsleyanum.

Tetrastigma hemsleyanum Diels et Gilg, commonly known as Sanyeqing (SYQ), is an important traditional Chinese medicine. The content of bioactive constituents varies in different cultivars of SYQ. In the plant growth related researches, rhizosphere microbiome has gained significant attention. However, the role of bacterial communities in the accumulation of metabolites in plants have not been investigated. Herein, the composition of bacterial communities in the rhizosphere soils and the metabolites profile of different SYQ cultivars' roots were analyzed. It was found that the composition of microbial communities varied in the rhizosphere soils of different SYQ cultivars. The high abundance of Actinomadura, Streptomyces and other bacteria was found to be associated with the metabolites profile of SYQ roots. The findings suggest that the upregulation of rutin and hesperetin may contribute to the high bioactive constituent in SYQ roots. These results provide better understanding of the metabolite accumulation pattern in SYQ, and also provide a solution for enhancing the quality of SYQ by application of suitable microbial consortia.

Distal tibial tubercle-high tibial osteotomy with assistance of modifiable spreader in the treatment of varus knee osteoarthritis: A retrospective observational study.

As one of the knee preservation surgical approaches, good clinical outcomes of high tibial osteotomy were reported. Aims of this study were to analyze the clinical outcome and pre- and postoperative radiographical parameter and knee functional score between distal tibial tubercle high tibial osteotomy (DTTHTO) and open wedge- high tibial osteotomy (OWHTO) in patients with varus knee osteoarthritis after more than 1 year following-up. A total of 194 consecutive patients in our joint center from March 2016 to October 2021 were enrolled, according to the surgical method, patients were divided into DDTHTO and OWHTO groups. Radiographic parameters of Kellgren-Lawrence grading, hip-knee-ankle angle, weight bearing line ratio and medial tibial plateau angle, knee functional score of American knee society (AKS) score, western Ontario and McMaster universities arthritis index (WOMAC) score, visual analogue score (VAS) were introduced to evaluate clinical outcome for patients who received DDTHTO and OWHTO. There were 103 knees and 89 knees in the OWHTO and DTTHTO group, respectively. Mean weight bearing line ratio for OWHTO and DTTHTO were 25.1 ±â€…11.7 and 25.2 ±â€…12.0% respectively, medial tibial plateau angle and hip-knee-ankle angle angle demonstrated that all patients in the present study inherited a varus angle ranges from 3.4° to 9.5°. Preoperative AKS, WOMAC and VAS were 68.4 ±â€…5.7 versus 69.0 ±â€…5.9, 109.3 ±â€…15.0 versus 107.7 ±â€…14.0 and 6.8 ±â€…1.0 versus 6.9 ±â€…0.8, and there was no significant difference between 2 groups (P > .05). Mean postoperative AKS and WOMAC score for patients in both OWHTO and DTTHTO group were significantly improved, moreover, postoperative VAS of DTTHTO patients was lower than that in OWHTO group (P < .05). When comparing the operation time, intraoperative blood loss and bone union time, DHHTO group shows a superiority in these variables over patients in OWHTO (121 ±â€…29.6 vs 145.7 ±â€…35.2 minutes, 115.0 ±â€…20.8 vs 103.3 ±â€…17.3 mL, 13.7 ±â€…4.1 vs 12.0 ±â€…2.8 weeks; P < .005) and incidence of complication was lower for DTTHTO group. DTTHTO in patients with varus knee osteoarthritis has good clinical outcomes, and it can achieve a better postoperative alignment. Operation time and surgical trauma were also less in patients who underwent DTTHTO.

Biosynthesis and Roles of Salicylic Acid in Balancing Stress Response and Growth in Plants.

Salicylic acid (SA) is an important plant hormone with a critical role in plant defense against pathogen infection. Despite extensive research over the past 30 year or so, SA biosynthesis and its complex roles in plant defense are still not fully understood. Even though earlier biochemical studies suggested that plants synthesize SA from cinnamate produced by phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), genetic analysis has indicated that in Arabidopsis, the bulk of SA is synthesized from isochorismate (IC) produced by IC synthase (ICS). Recent studies have further established the enzymes responsible for the conversion of IC to SA in Arabidopsis. However, it remains unclear whether other plants also rely on the ICS pathway for SA biosynthesis. SA induces defense genes against biotrophic pathogens, but represses genes involved in growth for balancing defense and growth to a great extent through crosstalk with the growth-promoting plant hormone auxin. Important progress has been made recently in understanding how SA attenuates plant growth by regulating the biosynthesis, transport, and signaling of auxin. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the biosynthesis and the broad roles of SA in regulating plant growth during defense responses. Further understanding of SA production and its regulation of both defense and growth will be critical for developing better knowledge to improve the disease resistance and fitness of crops.

Genome wide association study reveals novel QTL for barley yellow dwarf virus resistance in wheat.

BACKGROUND: Barley yellow dwarf (BYD) is an important virus disease that causes significant reductions in wheat yield. For effective control of Barley yellow dwarf virus through breeding, the identification of genetic sources of resistance is key to success. In this study, 335 geographically diverse wheat accessions genotyped using an Illumina iSelect 90 K single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) bead chip array were used to identify new sources of resistance to BYD in different environments. RESULTS: A genome-wide association study (GWAS) performed using all the generalised and mixed linkage models (GLM and MLM, respectively) identified a total of 36 significant marker-trait associations, four of which were consistently detected in the K model. These four novel quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified on chromosomes 2A, 2B, 6A and 7A and associated with markers IWA3520, IWB24938, WB69770 and IWB57703, respectively. These four QTL showed an additive effect with the average visual symptom score of the lines containing resistance alleles of all four QTL being much lower than those with less favorable alleles. Several Chinese landraces, such as H-205 (Baimazha) and H-014 (Dahongmai) which have all four favorable alleles, showed consistently higher resistance in different field trials. None of them contained the previously described Bdv2, Bdv3 or Bdv4 genes for BYD resistance. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified multiple novel QTL for BYD resistance and some resistant wheat genotypes. These will be useful for breeders to generate combinations with and/or without Bdv2 to achieve higher levels and more stable BYD resistance.

Genomic regions on chromosome 5H containing a novel QTL conferring barley yellow dwarf virus-PAV (BYDV-PAV) tolerance in barley.

Barley yellow dwarf virus is a widespread disease affecting plant growth and yield in cereal crops including barley. Complete resistance to BYDV encoded by a single gene is lacking in barley. To identify novel resistance genes that can be further utilised in breeding for plant disease resistance, a doubled haploid population originated from a cultivated barley with a known resistance gene and a wild barley was constructed and assessed for barley yellow dwarf tolerance in three trials with two in Tasmania (TAS) and one in Western Australia (WA). We identified two Quantitative trait loci (QTL) in both Tasmanian trials, and four QTL in Western Australian trial. Two QTL from TAS trials were also detected from WA. The QTL on chromosome 3H corresponds to the known major resistance gene Ryd2. The other QTL, Qbyd-5H, represents a potential new resistance locus and contributed 7.0~10.4% of total phenotypic variation in the three trials. It was mapped within the interval of 125.76~139.24 cM of chromosome 5H. Two additional minor effect QTL were identified on chromosome 7H from WA trial, contributing slightly less effect on BYD tolerance. The consistently detected new gene on chromosome 5H will potentially serve as a novel source of tolerance to achieve more sustainable resistance to BYDV in barley.

Agronomical, biochemical and histological response of resistant and susceptible wheat and barley under BYDV stress.

Barley yellow dwarf virus-PAV (BYDV-PAV) is one of the major viruses causing a widespread and serious viral disease affecting cereal crops. To gain a better understanding of plant defence mechanisms of BYDV resistance genes (Bdv2 and RYd2) against BYDV-PAV infection, the differences in agronomical, biochemical and histological changes between susceptible and resistant wheat and barley cultivars were investigated. We found that root growth and total dry matter of susceptible cultivars showed greater reduction than that of resistant ones after infection. BYDV infected leaves in susceptible wheat and barley cultivars showed a significant reduction in photosynthetic pigments, an increase in the concentration of reducing sugar. The protein levels were also low in infected leaves. There was a significant increase in total phenol contents in resistant cultivars, which might reflect a protective mechanism of plants against virus infection. In phloem tissue, sieve elements (SE) and companion cells (CC) were severely damaged in susceptible cultivars after infection. It is suggested that restriction of viral movement in the phloem tissue and increased production of phenolic compounds may play a role in the resistance and defensive mechanisms of both Bdv2 and RYd2 against virus infection.

A new major-effect QTL for waterlogging tolerance in wild barley (H. spontaneum).

KEY MESSAGE: We report the first study on the unique allele from wild barley that can improve waterlogging tolerance in cultivated barley with a substantially higher contribution to aerenchyma formation. Waterlogging is one of the major abiotic stresses that dramatically reduce barley crop yield. Direct selection on waterlogging tolerance in the field is less effective due to its viability to environment. The most effective way of selection is to choose traits that make significant contributions to the overall tolerance and are easy to score. Aerenchyma formation under waterlogging stress is one of the most effective mechanisms to provide adequate oxygen supply and overcome stress-induced hypoxia imposed on plants. In this study, a new allele for aerenchyma formation was identified from a wild barley accession TAM407227 on chromosome 4H. Compared to that identified in cultivated barley, this allele not only produced a greater proportion of aerenchyma but made a greater contribution to the overall waterlogging tolerance. The QTL explained 76.8% of phenotypic variance in aerenchyma formation with a LOD value of 51.4. Markers co-segregating with the trait were identified and can be effectively used in marker assisted selection.

Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci for the Phenolic Acid Contents and Their Association with Agronomic Traits in Tibetan Wild Barley.

Phenolic acids have been of considerable interest in human nutrition because of their strong antioxidative properties. However, even in a widely grown crop, such as barley, their genetic architecture is still unclear. In this study, genetic control of two main phenolic acids, ferulic acid (FA) and p-coumaric acid (p-CA), and their associations with agronomic traits were investigated among 134 Tibetan wild barley accessions. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified three DArT markers (bpb-2723, bpb-7199, and bpb-7273) associated with p-CA content and one marker (bpb-3653) associated with FA content in 2 consecutive years. The contents of the two phenolic acids were positively correlated with some agronomic traits, such as the first internode length, plant height, and some grain color parameters, and negatively correlated with the thousand-grain weight (TGW). This study provides DNA markers for barley breeding programs to improve the contents of phenolic acids.

The effects of GA and ABA treatments on metabolite profile of germinating barley.

Sugar degradation during grain germination is important for malt quality. In malting industry, gibberellin (GA) is frequently used for improvement of malting quality. In this study, the changes of metabolite profiles and starch-degrading enzymes during grain germination, and as affected by GA and abscisic acid (ABA) were investigated using two wild barley accessions XZ72 and XZ95. Totally fifty-two metabolites with known structures were detected and the change of metabolite during germination was time- and genotype dependent. Sugars and amino acids were the most dramatically changed compounds. Addition of GA enhanced the activities of starch-degrading enzymes, and increased most metabolites, especially sugars and amino acids, whereas ABA had the opposite effect. The effect varied with the barley accessions. The current study is the first attempt in investigating the effect of hormones on metabolite profiles in germinating barley grain, being helpful for identifying the factors affecting barley germination or malt quality.

The effects of phosphate on arsenic uptake and toxicity alleviation in tobacco genotypes with differing arsenic tolerances.

Phosphate (PO4 (3-) ) has been reported to suppress arsenate (As(v) ) uptake in plants. However, its effects on controlling the availability of As(v) in tobacco genotypes with different arsenic (As) tolerances has not been fully explored. In the present study, the effects of PO4 (3-) on As(v) uptake were investigated in a hydroponic culture using 2 tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) genotypes (ZY90 and FSMY) that differed in As(v) tolerance. A total of 9 treatment combinations comprising As(v) treatments of 0 µM, 10 µM, and 100 µM and PO4 (3-) treatments of 0 µM, 50 µM, and 500 µM were used. The results showed that ZY90 had greater reductions in leaf photosynthetic parameters, root and shoot dry weight, length, and nutrient content than did FSMY when exposed to As(v) stress. The addition of 500 µM external PO4 (3-) significantly suppressed As(v) (100 µM) uptake in both FSMY and ZY90, with the effect being more pronounced in FSMY. Greater PO4 (3-) uptake in plants significantly reduced the influx of As(v) , causing an increase in photosynthesis and nutrient uptake. Phosphate supply increased superoxide dismutase activity, catalase activity, and malondialdehyde content. The present study showed that PO4 (3-) is an effective competitive inhibitor of As(v) , and it can be effectively used to control As(v) accumulation in tobacco plants.

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) T-786C, 4a4b, and G894T polymorphisms and male infertility: study for idiopathic asthenozoospermia and meta-analysis.

Recent studies on the eNOS gene and male infertility show that expression of eNOS regulates normal spermatogenesis in the testis, and the eNOS gene variants (T-786C, 4a4b, and G894T) are potentially involved in impairment of spermatogenesis and sperm function. Thus, we conducted this association and meta-analysis study to further validate whether variants of those three loci affected the risk of idiopathic asthenozoospermia (AZS) and male infertility. Approximately 340 Chinese idiopathic AZS patients and 342 healthy men were included for this case-control study, genotyped by gel electrophoresis analysis or direct sequencing of PCR products. The eNOS mRNA isolated from the semen of patients was further examined by quantitative real-time PCR. Also, a meta-analysis of association between eNOS gene polymorphisms and male infertility was performed. A significant association was identified on allelic level between 4a4b variant and AZS in our study (chi-squared = 7.53, corrected P = 0.018, odds ratio (OR) = 1.808), while there were no significant difference of T-786C and G894T for asthenozoospermia in both genotype and allele distributions. In addition, expression of eNOS was up-regulated in patients compared with controls (about 2.4-fold, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the results of the meta-analysis support the conclusion that the T-786C and 4a4b loci were associated with male infertility in both Asian and Caucasian populations. Our study provides genetic evidence for the eNOS gene being a risk factor for idiopathic AZS and male infertility. Considering genetic differences among populations and complex pathogenesis of male infertility, more validating studies using independent samples are suggested in the future.

Mesenchymal stem cells overexpressing Ihh promote bone repair.

BACKGROUND: Indian hedgehog (Ihh) signaling pathway is known to play key roles in various aspects of normal endochondral bone development. This study tested the potential roles of high Ihh signaling in the context of injury-induced bone regeneration. METHODS: A rabbit tibia defect model was established to test the effects of the implant of Ihh/mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)/scaffold complex. Computed tomography (CT), gross observation, and standard histological and immunohistological techniques were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. In vitro studies with MSCs and C3H10T1/2 cells were also employed to further understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms. RESULTS: We found that the implanted Ihh/MSCs/scaffold complex promoted bone repair. Consistently, in vitro study found that Ihh induced the upregulation of chondrocytic, osteogenic, and vascular cell markers, both in C3H10T1/2 cells and MSCs. CONCLUSIONS: Our study has demonstrated that high Ihh signaling in a complex with MSCs enhanced bone regeneration effectively in a clinically relevant acute injury model. Even though the exact underlying mechanisms are still far from clear, our primary data suggested that enhanced chondrogenesis, osteogenesis, and angiogenesis of MSCs at least partially contribute to the process. This study not only has implications for basic research of MSCs and Ihh signaling pathway but also points to the possibility of direct application of this specific paradigm to clinical bone repair.

Haze activity of different barley trypsin inhibitors of the chloroform/methanol type (BTI-CMe).

Our previous study found that the critical protein in SE (silica eluted) proteins is BTI-CMe, and assumed that SE-ve malt for brewing may improve the haze stability in beer. In this study, we investigated the difference in gene sequence and corresponding amino acid sequence of BTI-CMe between SE+ve and SE-ve types. The results showed that there were 7 amino acid differences between Yerong (SE-ve) and Franklin (SE+ve). Two types BTI-CMe were expressed in vitro and purified successfully. By adding the purified BTI-CMe into commercial beer, we found that both original turbidity and alcohol chill haze degree of beer were increased. BTI-CMe of SE-ve haplotype showed a lower level of haze formation in beer than SE+ve haplotype. Response surface methodology (RSM) was conducted to determine the relationship between BTI-CMe and tannic acid, and their effects on haze formation. It was found that (1) higher content of BTI-CMe and/or tannic acid in beer would give rise to higher turbidity; (2) there was a significant interaction between BTI-CMe and tannic acid; (3) haze activity disparity of BTI-CMe between two types was significantly and positively correlated with the tannic acid concentration.

Raman spectroscopy as an ex vivo noninvasive approach to distinguish complete and incomplete spermatogenesis within human seminiferous tubules.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the potential clinical application of Raman spectroscopy (RS) as a tool that may identify spermatogenesis within human seminiferous tubules. DESIGN: RS scanning of human testicular tissue at different maturational stages; immunohistochemistry study and metabolomic analysis of nonobstructive azoospermic/obstructive azoospermic testes. SETTING: State-owned hospital. PATIENT(S): Fifty-two patients with clinical indications of nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA) and obstructive azoospermia (OA) who underwent infertility evaluation and treatment. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT(S): Raman spectra of seminiferous tubules, thickness of lamina propria (LP), immunohistochemistry of type I, III, and IV collagens and laminin, metabolites of human testes. RESULT(S): Tubules of OA patients had spectral intensities below 2,000 (au), while tubules of NOA patients had higher intensities, depending on the degree of spermatogenesis. RS was able to separate samples of NOA and OA testicular tissue with a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 85.71%. The LP of NOA tubules were thickened and had increased deposition of type I and type III collagens. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) detected 12 metabolites that showed significant differences between NOA and OA testes. CONCLUSION(S): RS can noninvasively distinguish seminiferous tubules with complete and incomplete spermatogenesis and may serve as a novel and potentially useful tool to guide surgeons performing micro-testicular sperm extraction to improve sperm retrieval.