Preferences for and Experiences of an HIV-Prevention Mobile App Designed for Transmasculine People: Pilot Feasibility Trial and Qualitative Investigation.

BACKGROUND: Transmasculine people are at risk for HIV; yet few HIV prevention interventions have been developed for this population. We adapted an existing HIV prevention smartphone app for cisgender men who have sex with men to meet the sexual health needs of transmasculine people. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the acceptability of the adapted app, Transpire, among transmasculine people living in Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington, DC, via in-depth interviews of participants in a pilot feasibility trial. METHODS: Participants used the Transpire app for 3 months as part of a pilot study of the app. Eligible participants were aged 18-34 years. There were no eligibility criteria with respect to race and ethnicity, and most participants were non-Hispanic White. At the end of the follow-up, participants were invited to participate in web-based in-depth interviews to discuss their experiences using the app and feedback on design and content. Interviews were transcribed and coded using a constant comparative approach. Three main themes were identified: sexual behavior, app experiences and feedback, and pre-exposure prophylaxis. RESULTS: Overall, participants found the app acceptable and thought that it would be a useful tool for themselves and their peers. Participants reported appreciating having a comprehensive information source available to them on their phones and reported learning more about HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and pre-exposure prophylaxis via the app. They also reported appreciating the inclusive language that was used throughout the app. Although the app included some resources on mental health and substance use, participants reported that they would have appreciated more resources and information in these areas as well as more comprehensive information about other health concerns, including hormone therapy. Representative quotes are presented for each of the identified themes. CONCLUSIONS: There is a desire to have greater access to reliable sexual health information among transmasculine people. Mobile apps like Transpire are an acceptable intervention to increase access to this information and other resources. More evidence is needed, however, from more racially and ethnically diverse samples of transmasculine people.

Carbon and nitrogen footprint of different peanut rotation systems in Hubei Province, China.

Clarifying carbon and nitrogen emissions of different peanut rotation planting system can provide an effective reference to achieve high yield, high efficiency, and low carbon and nitrogen emissions. Based on field surveys on agricultural inputs and field managements, we calculated the carbon footprint and nitrogen footprint of three planting modes (rape-peanut rotation, wheat-peanut rotation and peanut monoculture) in Huanggang, Hubei Province. The results showed that compared with wheat-peanut rotation, carbon emission per unit area of rape-peanut rotation decreased by 7.8%, carbon emission per unit net present value decreased by 36.9%, the nitrogen emission per unit area decreased by 12.5%, and nitrogen emission per unit net present value decreased by 41.9%. Compared with peanut monoculture, rape-peanut rotation reduced carbon and nitrogen emissions by 19.6% and 30.8%, respectively. The net income of rape-peanut rotation was 1.4 times as that of wheat-peanut rotation and 2.4 times as that of peanut monoculture. It is suggested that rape-peanut rotation could achieve the synergistic benefits of high yield and efficiency and low carbon and nitrogen emissions, which is conducive to the green, high quality, and high efficiency production of oil crops.

Sustained Correction of a Murine Model of Phenylketonuria following a Single Intravenous Administration of AAVHSC15-PAH.

Phenylketonuria is an inborn error of metabolism caused by loss of function of the liver-expressed enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase and is characterized by elevated systemic phenylalanine levels that are neurotoxic. Current therapies do not address the underlying genetic disease or restore the natural metabolic pathway resulting in the conversion of phenylalanine to tyrosine. A family of hepatotropic clade F adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) was isolated from human CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and one (AAVHSC15) was utilized to deliver a vector to correct the phenylketonuria phenotype in Pahenu2 mice. The AAVHSC15 vector containing a codon-optimized form of the human phenylalanine hydroxylase cDNA was administered as a single intravenous dose to Pahenu2 mice maintained on a phenylalanine-containing normal chow diet. Optimization of the transgene resulted in a vector that produced a sustained reduction in serum phenylalanine and normalized tyrosine levels for the lifespan of Pahenu2 mice. Brain levels of phenylalanine and the downstream serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid were restored. In addition, the coat color of treated mice darkened following treatment, indicating restoration of the phenylalanine metabolic pathway. Taken together, these data support the potential of an AAVHSC15-based gene therapy as an investigational therapeutic for phenylketonuria patients.

Priming With the Green Leaf Volatile (Z)-3-Hexeny-1-yl Acetate Enhances Salinity Stress Tolerance in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Seedlings.

Green leaf volatiles play vital roles in plant biotic stress; however, their functions in plant responses to abiotic stress have not been determined. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible role of (Z)-3-hexeny-1-yl acetate (Z-3-HAC), a kind of green leaf volatile, in alleviating the salinity stress of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) seedlings and the underlying physiological mechanisms governing this effect. One salt-sensitive and one salt-tolerant peanut genotype were primed with 200 µM Z-3-HAC at the 4-week-old stage before they were exposed to salinity stress. Physiological measurements showed that the primed seedlings possessed higher relative water content, net photosynthetic rate, maximal photochemical efficiency of photosystem II, activities of the antioxidant enzymes, and osmolyte accumulation under salinity conditions. Furthermore, the reactive oxygen species, electrolyte leakage, and malondialdehyde content in the third fully expanded leaves were significantly lower than in nonprimed plants. Additionally, we found that application of Z-3-HAC increased the total length, surface area, and volume of the peanut roots under salinity stress. These results indicated that the green leaf volatile Z-3-HAC protects peanut seedlings against damage from salinity stress through priming for modifications of photosynthetic apparatus, antioxidant systems, osmoregulation, and root morphology.

Contribution of root uptake to cadmium accumulation in two peanut cultivars: evidence from a split-column soil experiment.

Cadmium (Cd) accumulation and internal Cd translocation in the peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) are highly related to root uptake, which may largely depend on the cultivar variation and the depth of the Cd-contaminated soil. A split-column soil experiment was conducted using two common Chinese peanut cultivars (Huayu-20 and Huayu-23) known to relocate Cd to different tissues. The growth medium was separated into four layers and Cd solution was solely applied to one layer to determine the key depth affecting the Cd accumulation in a plant via root uptakes. The results showed that the biomass of Huayu-23 was significantly higher biomass (3.28-94.0%) than that of Huayu-20, especially in the aerial parts (stems and leaves) and kernels, implying the dilution of Cd. Following the addition of Cd to the soil, the Cd concentrations in peanut tissues increased on average by 28.9-172 and 28.3-111% in Huayu-20 and Huayu-23, respectively. The largest presence of Cd in a peanut plant was observed in the aerial parts, followed by the kernels. Huayu-20 accumulated more Cd in plant tissues than did Huayu-23 due to the former's high Cd translocation. These findings imply that peanut cultivars vary widely in biomass, Cd accumulation, and the percentage distribution of Cd among various plant tissues, especially kernels. Different Cd treatments in the full depth of the root zone induced significant alterations in Cd accumulation of peanut tissues, especially kernels, for both cultivars. The percentage distribution of Cd accumulation by kernels was significantly higher in the deeper layer than in the top layer of the root zone for both peanut cultivars. This study suggests that soil modifications performed during agronomic activities should take into account the full depth of root exploration as well as the peanut cultivars to manage plant Cd uptake.

[Effects of root cutting under different seedling conditions on root system distribution and senescence character of peanut].

The effects of root cutting on root system distribution and senescence character of peanut (Arachis hypogaea) under different seedling conditions were investigated by using the box culture method. The results showed that, with three types of peanut seedlings, including overgrowing, strong and week seedlings, root cutting all first restricted and then promoted the root system growth, especially promoted the root growth to deep soil. This effect was stronger on the overgrowing and strong seedlings, while relatively weaker on the weak seedlings. After root cutting, root activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activity all reduced at first, and then increased, compared with each control. The extents of decrease in root activity, SOD and POD activity were highest in the weak seedlings, lowest in the overgrowing seedlings, and moderate in the strong seedlings. However, in the later stage after root cutting, the extents of increase in root activity, SOD and POD activity were higher in the overgrowing and strong seedlings, than in the weak seedlings. Generally, root cutting could promote the root activity of peanut and delay the senescence.

[Effects of light quality on photosynthetic pigment contents and photosynthetic characteristics of peanut seedling leaves].

This study explored the effects of different light quality on photosynthetic pigment contents and photosynthetic characteristics of peanut (Qinhua 6) seedling leaves. The results showed that, compared with natural light, blue light (445-470 nm) could significantly improve the specific leaf area (SLA), chlorophyll a/b value and carotenoid content of peanut seedlings. Meanwhile, the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate were higher, the intercellular CO2 content was lower, and the photosynthetic efficiency was improved significantly under blue light. Red light (610-660 nm) could improve the chlorophyll content significantly, and reduce SLA, chlorophyll a/b value and carotenoid content, with a lower photosynthetic efficiency than natural light. Green light (515-520 nm) and yellow light (590-595 nm) were not conducive to photosynthetic pigment accumulation of leaves, and significantly inhibited leaf photosynthesis of peanut seedlings.

[Effects of different cultivation modes on the leaf photosynthetic characteristics and yield of summer-sowing peanut].

Taking the Arachis hypogaea cv. 'Qinghua 7' as test material, a field experiment was conducted to study the effects of different cultivation modes on the leaf photosynthetic characteristics and yield of summer-sowing peanut after wheat harvest. As compared with conventional cultivation mode, high-yield protective cultivation mode promoted the leaf growth, significantly improved the leaf area index (LAI), and maintained a longer time of high LAI and chlorophyll content. Meanwhile, the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate of functional leaves under high-yield protective cultivation mode were higher while the intercellular CO2 concentration was lower, which induced the photosynthetic efficiency of functional leaves being significantly improved. Therefore, under high-yield protective cultivation mode, the yield per peanut plant was higher, the pod yield increased significantly, and the economic coefficient improved obviously. Both film mulching and straw returning could also improve the leaf photosynthesis of summer-sowing peanut, and increase the peanut yield. It was suggested that high-yield protective cultivation mode could effectively alleviate the adverse factors of summer-sowing peanut, such as the short growth period and lower productivity per plant, being a practical high-yield cultivation mode of summer-sowing peanut.

[Physiological responses of different peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) varieties to cadmium stress].

To have a deep understanding on the mechanisms of cadmium (Cd) toxicity on peanut plants is of theoretical and practical significances for the selection and utilization of Cd-resistant peanut germ plasm resources. With fourteen peanut varieties as test materials and taking the chlorophyll content of functional leaves, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and cell membrane permeability of roots and leaves, and oxidative vitality of roots at flowering stage as test physiological parameters, a sand culture experiment was conducted in an artificial climate chamber to investigate the physiological responses of different peanut varieties to six levels of Cd stress. The results showed that within the range of 0-60 mg Cd x L(-1) addition, the chlorophyll content of functional leaves and the oxidative vitality of roots decreased significantly with increasing Cd addition, while the MDA content and cell membrane permeability of leaves and roots were in adverse. The cell membrane permeability of roots and leaves was the most sensitive physiological parameter, while the chlorophyll content of functional leaves was the least sensitive one in the responses of peanut plant to Cd stress. In the linear regression equations describing the relationships between test physiological parameters and Cd concentrations in nutrient solution, the absolute value of slope (b)/intercept (a) ratio, /b/a/, could better describe the sensitivity of peanut plants to Cd stress. It was known from the integrative evaluation of /b/a/ values and the cluster analysis of sensitivity that among the fourteen peanut varieties, "Zhonghua-4", "Xiangnong-55" and "Xiangnong-3010-w" were highly sensitive to Cd stress (first grade), "Lainong-29", "Xiangnongxiaoguo-w2-7", "Fenghua-2", "Lainong-13", "Yuhua-15" and "Fenghua-3" were sensitive (second grade), "Xiangnong-312", "Qiyangxiaozi" and "Pingdu-01" were less sensitive (third grade), while "Huayu-20" and "Huayu-23" were insensitive (forth grade).

Hyperhomocysteinemia, deep vein thrombosis and vitamin B12 deficiency in a metformin-treated diabetic patient.

Vitamin B12 deficiency may be induced by long-term use of metformin, which may in turn lead to hyperhomocysteinemia. Thus, hyperhomocysteinemia may increase the risk of vascular thrombosis in diabetic patients, when metformin is used and a homozygous methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T mutation is present. We report a 65-year-old Taiwanese diabetic woman who was treated with metformin for 6 years and who had suffered from swelling of the left lower extremity for 3 months. Ascending venography confirmed the diagnosis of proximal deep vein thrombosis, while hyperhomocysteinemia, megaloblastic anemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency, and a homozygous C677T mutation of the MTHFR gene were also found. She had no identifiable venous thrombotic risk factors other than hyperhomocysteinemia, which seemed to be caused by both MTHFR C677T homozygous mutation and vitamin B12 deficiency. With the substitution of insulin injection for metformin, short-term supplement of vitamin B12, and anticoagulant therapy for the deep vein thrombosis, her anemia and hyperhomocysteinemia recovered rapidly. The deep vein thrombosis also responded well. Our findings highly suggested the role of metformin in causing vitamin B12 deficiency, which may serve as an additional risk factor for venous thrombosis in diabetic patients. Our report also highlights the need to check vitamin B12 levels during metformin treatment.

[The effects of nitrogenous fertilizer on carbon metabolism characteristics of Glehnia littoralis].

The effects of different nitrogenous fertilizer on carbon metabolism in Glehnia littoralis were studied under the field condition. The results showed that the Sucrose Phosphat Synthase (SPS) activities and the content of soluble sugar in leaves showed the pattern of single peak curve during the growth period, and both highest level were similary appeared in the middle stage. The suitable rate of nitrogenous fertilizer can improve the SPS activities, the content of soluble sugar, the root Sucrose Synthase (SS) activities, and also kept low level of leaves soluble sugar in harvest. So it can be supply sufficient for assimilation of polysaccharide in the root as well as to increase the yield.

The ERK/MAPK pathway regulates the activity of the human tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2 promoter.

Human tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2 (hTFPI-2) is a 32-kDa serine protease inhibitor that is associated with the extracellular matrix. hTFPI-2 inhibits several extracellular matrix-degrading serine proteases and may play a role in tumor invasion and metastasis. To study the signal transduction pathway that leads to the activation of the hTFPI-2, we cloned the potential promoter region of this gene adjacent to a heterologous luciferase reporter gene. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) induced the luciferase reporter gene in HEK293 cells and other epithelial cell lines, such as the human lung carcinoma A549 cells, the breast carcinoma MCF7 cells, and the cervical HeLa cells. This PMA induction was blocked with the MEK inhibitor UO126, suggesting that the PMA-induced activation of the hTFPI-2 promoter is mediated through MEK. Furthermore, epidermal growth factor induced the luciferase reporter gene in HeLa cells. Cotransfection of the luciferase construct with constitutively active components of the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway in EcR-293 cells lead to a 7- to 92-fold induction of the luciferase reporter gene, indicating that regulation of hTFPI-2 is mediated through this pathway. A series of luciferase reporter gene constructs with progressive deletions of the 5'-flanking region suggested that the minimal basal promoter activity is located between nucleotide positions -89 and -384, whereas the minimal inducible promoter activity is between -89 and -222. We have used the computer program TFSEARCH and mutagenesis to analyze potential transcription factor binding sites. We identified an AP-1 binding site at nucleotide position -156 (inducible activity) and a Sp1 site at position -134 (basal activity) as potential cis-acting elements in the promoter region of the hTFPI-2.