Comprehensive toxicological, metabolomic, and transcriptomic analysis of the biodegradation and adaptation mechanism by Achromobacter xylosoxidans SL-6 to diuron.

Biodegradation was considered a promising and environmentally friendly method for treating environmental pollution caused by diuron. However, the mechanisms of biodegradation of diuron required further research. In this study, the degradation process of diuron by Achromobacter xylosoxidans SL-6 was systematically investigated. The results suggested that the antioxidant system of strain SL-6 was activated by adding diuron, thereby alleviating their oxidative stress response. In addition, degradation product analysis showed that diuron in strain SL-6 was mainly degraded by urea bridge cleavage, dehalogenation, deamination, and ring opening, and finally cis, cis-muconic acid was generated. The combined analysis of metabolomics and transcriptomics revealed the biodegradation and adaptation mechanism of strain SL-6 to diuron. Metabolomics analysis showed that after the strain SL-6 was exposed to diuron, metabolic pathways such as tricarboxylic acid cycle (cis, cis-muconic acid), glutathione metabolism (oxidized glutathione), and urea cycle (arginine) were reprogrammed in the cells. Furthermore, diuron could induce the production of membrane transport proteins in strain SL-6 cells and overexpress antioxidant enzyme genes, finally ultimately promoting the up-regulation of genes encoding amide hydrolases and dioxygenases, which was revealed by transcriptomics studies. This work enriched the biodegradation mechanism of phenylurea herbicides and provided guidance for the removal of diuron residues in the environment and promoting agriculture sustainable development.

PyuARF16/33 Are Involved in the Regulation of Lignin Synthesis and Rapid Growth in Populus yunnanensis.

(1) Background: Lignin is a unique component of the secondary cell wall, which provides structural support for perennial woody plants. ARFs are the core factors of the auxin-signaling pathway, which plays an important role in promoting plant growth, but the specific relationship between auxin response factors (ARFs) and lignin has not been fully elucidated with regard to rapid plant growth in forest trees. (2) Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between ARFs and lignin with regard to rapid plant growth in forest trees. (3) Methods: We used bioinformatics analysis to investigate the PyuARF family, find genes homologous to ARF6 and ARF8 in Populus yunnanensis, and explore the changes in gene expression and lignin content under light treatment. (4) Results: We identified and characterized 35 PyuARFs based on chromosome-level genome data from P. yunnanensis. In total, we identified 92 ARF genes in P. yunnanensis, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Populus trichocarpa, which were subsequently divided into three subgroups based on phylogenetic analysis and classified the conserved exon-intron structures and motif compositions of the ARFs into the same subgroups. Collinearity analysis suggested that segmental duplication and whole-genome duplication events were majorly responsible for the expansion of the PyuARF family, and the analysis of Ka/Ks indicated that the majority of the duplicated PyuARFs underwent purifying selection. The analysis of cis-acting elements showed that PyuARFs were sensitive to light, plant hormones, and stress. We analyzed the tissue-specific transcription profiles of PyuARFs with transcriptional activation function and the transcription profiles of PyuARFs with high expression under light in the stem. We also measured the lignin content under light treatment. The data showed that the lignin content was lower, and the gene transcription profiles were more limited under red light than under white light on days 1, 7, and 14 of the light treatments. The results suggest that PyuARF16/33 may be involved in the regulation of lignin synthesis, thereby promoting the rapid growth of P. yunnanensis. (5) Conclusions: Collectively, this study firstly reports that PyuARF16/33 may be involved in the regulation of lignin synthesis and in promoting the rapid growth in P. yunnanensis.

PyunBBX18 Is Involved in the Regulation of Anthocyanins Biosynthesis under UV-B Stress.

(1) Background: Populus yunnanensis Dode (P. yunnanensis) grows in the low-latitude and high-altitude areas of southwest China. In low-latitude and high-altitude areas, plants suffer from the high intensity of UV-B (ultraviolet-b) radiation, and they have a complete regulation system to adapt to the environment of the high UV-B radiation. As natural antioxidants, anthocyanins play an important role in scavenging free radicals. BBX (B-box) genes are involved in anthocyanins biosynthesis. (2) Methods: By exploring the gene structure and motifs of PyunBBX genes (genes of P. yunnanensis BBX family) and the evolutionary relationship between PyunBBX genes and other species BBX genes, six PyunBBX genes that responded to UV-B and participated in anthocyanins biosynthesis were screened. BBX, with the potential to regulate anthocyanins biosynthesis, was further investigated by anthocyanins content determination and RT-qPCR (real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction); (3) Results: After 7 days of UV-B treatment, anthocyanins were significantly accumulated, and the expression of PyunBBX18 was up-regulated for 7 days. The expression of PyunBBX12 was inhibited by UV-B treatment. By analyzing the RNA-seq data of leaves and bark of P. yunnanensis, we found that PyunBBX18 was highly expressed in leaves and young bark; (4) Conclusions: These results showed that PyunBBX18 and PyunBBX12 may be involved in the response process of UV-B stress, in which PyunBBX18 may regulate the anthocyanins biosynthesis to resist UV damage.

Network analytics and machine learning for predicting length of stay in elderly patients with chronic diseases at point of admission.

BACKGROUND: An aging population with a burden of chronic diseases puts increasing pressure on health care systems. Early prediction of the hospital length of stay (LOS) can be useful in optimizing the allocation of medical resources, and improving healthcare quality. However, the data available at the point of admission (PoA) are limited, making it difficult to forecast the LOS accurately. METHODS: In this study, we proposed a novel approach combining network analytics and machine learning to predict the LOS in elderly patients with chronic diseases at the PoA. Two networks, including multimorbidity network (MN) and patient similarity network (PSN), were constructed and novel network features were created. Five machine learning models (eXtreme Gradient Boosting, Gradient Boosting Decision Tree, Random Forest, Linear Support Vector Machine, and Deep Neural Network) with different input feature sets were developed to compare their performance. RESULTS: The experimental results indicated that the network features can bring significant improvements to the performances of the prediction models, suggesting that the MN and PSN are useful for LOS predictions. CONCLUSION: Our predictive framework which integrates network science with data mining can forecast the LOS effectively at the PoA and provide decision support for hospital managers, which highlights the potential value of network-based machine learning in healthcare field.

[Treatment of degenerative medial meniscus injury of knee joint by arthroscopy combined with small needle knife to release superficial medial collateral ligament of knee joint].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical effect of arthroscopic combined with small needle knife in the treatment of degenerative medial meniscus (MM) injury of knee joint by releasing the superficial layer of medial collateral ligament (SMCL). METHODS: From February 2016 to November 2018, 56 patients (56 knees) with limited pain, strangulation and flexion in medial knee joint space were selected. X-ray Kellgren-Lawrence grading was I-II. MRI showed medial meniscus injury(III degree) of knee joint. There were 30 males(30 knees) and 26 females(26 knees). Arthroscopic MM plasty and small needle knife were used to release SMCL. The Lysholm knee score was used to evaluate the effect of operation. RESULTS: All 56 patients were followed up, and the duration ranged from 3 to 24 months, with an average of 10 months. According to the Lysholm knee score standard, the final follow-up was compared with that of before operation. The results showed that the preoperative knee score was 37.24±1.32, the latest follow-up knee score was 85.72±5.28, the knee score was higher than that before the operation(P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Arthroscopy combined with small needle knife release of superficial medial collateral ligament in the treatment of degenerative medial knee meniscus injury can effectively improve the mechanical balance of the knee joint, improve Lysholm knee score in patients with knee meniscus injury, and promote the recovery of knee joint function, which has clinical value.