FIB-4 index is associated with mortality in critically ill patients with alcohol use disorder: Analysis from the MIMIC-IV database.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index and all-cause mortality in critically ill patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) is unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the predictive ability of FIB-4 for all-cause mortality in critically ill AUD patients and the association between them. METHODS: A total of 2528 AUD patients were included using the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database. FIB-4 was calculated for each patient using the existing formula. The patients were equally divided into four groups based on the quartiles of FIB-4. Multivariate logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard model were used to evaluate the association of FIB-4 with in-hospital mortality, 28-day mortality and 1-year mortality. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to analyse the incidence of 28-day mortality among four groups. RESULTS: FIB-4 was positively associated with 28-day mortality of AUD patients with hazard ratio (HR) of 1.354 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.192-1.538]. There were similar trends in the in-hospital mortality [odds ratio (OR): 1.440, 95% CI (1.239-1.674)] and 1-year mortality [HR: 1.325, 95% CI (1.178-1.490)]. CONCLUSION: Increased FIB-4 is associated with greater in-hospital mortality, 28-day mortality and 1-year mortality in critically ill AUD patients.

Electrocatalytic Upcycling of Biomass and Plastic Wastes to Biodegradable Polymer Monomers and Hydrogen Fuel at High Current Densities.

Transformation of biomass and plastic wastes to value-added chemicals and fuels is considered an upcycling process that is beneficial to resource utilization. Electrocatalysis offers a sustainable approach; however, it remains a huge challenge to increase the current density and deliver market-demanded chemicals with high selectivity. Herein, we demonstrate an electrocatalytic strategy for upcycling glycerol (from biodiesel byproduct) to lactic acid and ethylene glycol (from polyethylene terephthalate waste) to glycolic acid, with both products being as valuable monomers for biodegradable polymer production. By using a nickel hydroxide-supported gold electrocatalyst (Au/Ni(OH)2), we achieve high selectivities of lactic acid and glycolic acid (77 and 91%, respectively) with high current densities at moderate potentials (317.7 mA/cm2 at 0.95 V vs RHE and 326.2 mA/cm2 at 1.15 V vs RHE, respectively). We reveal that glycerol and ethylene glycol can be enriched at the Au/Ni(OH)2 interface through their adjacent hydroxyl groups, substantially increasing local concentrations and thus high current densities. As a proof of concept, we employed a membrane-free flow electrolyzer for upcycling triglyceride and PET bottles, attaining 11.2 g of lactic acid coupled with 9.3 L of H2 and 13.7 g of glycolic acid coupled with 9.4 L of H2, respectively, revealing the potential of coproduction of valuable chemicals and H2 fuel from wastes in a sustainable fashion.

Depth-driven responses of microbial residual carbon to nitrogen addition approaches in a tropical forest: Canopy addition versus understory addition.

Canopies play an important role in nitrogen (N) redistribution in forest ecosystems, and ignoring the canopy's role might bias estimates of the ecological consequences of anthropogenic atmospheric N deposition. We investigated the effects of the approach of N addition (Canopy addition vs. Understory addition) and level of N addition (25 kg N ha-1yr-1 vs. 50 kg N ha-1yr-1) on microbial residual carbon (MRC) accumulation in topsoil and subsoil. We found that the response of MRC to both approach and level of N addition varied greatly with soil depth in a tropical forest over eight years of continuous N addition. Specifically, N addition enhanced the accumulation of fungal and total MRC and their contribution to soil organic C (SOC) pools in the topsoil, whereas it decreased the contribution of fungal and total MRC to SOC in the subsoil. The contrasting effects of N addition on MRC contribution at varying soil depths were associated with the distinct response of microbial residues production. Understory N addition showed overall greater effects on MRC accumulation than canopy N addition did. Our results suggest that the canopy plays an important role in buffering the impacts of anthropogenic atmospheric N deposition on soil C cycling in tropical forests. The depth-dependent response of microbial residues to N addition also highlights the urgent need for further studies of different response mechanisms at different soil depths.

A miRNA-Encoded Small Peptide, vvi-miPEP171d1, Regulates Adventitious Root Formation.

One of the biggest challenges in clonal propagation of grapevine (Vitis vinifera) is difficulty of rooting. Adventitious root initiation and development are the critical steps in the cutting and layering process of grapevine, but the molecular mechanism of these processes remains unclear. Previous reports have found that microRNA (miRNA)-encoded peptides (miPEPs) can regulate plant root development by increasing the transcription of their corresponding primary miRNA. Here, we report the role of a miPEP in increasing adventitious root formation in grapevine. In this study, we performed a global analysis of miPEPs in grapevine and characterized the function of vvi-miPEP171d1, a functional, small peptide encoded by primary-miR171d. There were three small open reading frames in the 500-bp upstream sequence of pre-miR171d. One of them encoded a small peptide, vvi-miPEP171d1, which could increase the transcription of vvi-MIR171d Exogenous application of vvi-miPEP171d1 to grape tissue culture plantlets promoted adventitious root development by activating the expression of vvi-MIR171d Interestingly, neither exogenous application of the vvi-miPEP171d1 peptide nor overexpression of the vvi-miPEP171d1 coding sequence resulted in phenotypic changes in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Similarly, application of synthetic ath-miPEP171c, the small peptide encoded by the Arabidopsis ortholog of vvi-MIR171d, inhibited the growth of primary roots and induced the early initiation of lateral and adventitious roots in Arabidopsis, while it had no effect on grape root development. Our findings reveal that miPEP171d1 regulates root development by promoting vvi-MIR171d expression in a species-specific manner, further enriching the theoretical research into miPEPs.

Co-Infection with Common Respiratory Pathogens and SARS-CoV-2 in Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia and Laboratory Biochemistry Findings: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study of 78 Patients from a Single Center in China.

BACKGROUND This retrospective study aimed to investigate co-infections with common respiratory pathogens and SARS-CoV-2 and laboratory biochemistry findings in patients with COVID-19 in the Zhuzhou area of China, in order to provide a reference for the disease assessment and clinical treatment of COVID-19. MATERIAL AND METHODS The clinical data of COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital of Zhuzhou City from January 28 to March 15, 2020, as well as laboratory test results for respiratory pathogens and biochemical indicators, were collected to conduct correlation analyses. All patients were diagnosed based on fluorescence-based PCR assay for SARS-CoV-2. RESULTS Eleven of the 78 patients (14.1%) were co-infected with other respiratory pathogens, among which Mycoplasma pneumoniae (n=5, 45.5%) and respiratory syncytial virus (n=4, 36.4%) were the most frequent. There were 8 patients co-infected with 1 other pathogen and 3 patients co-infected with 2 other pathogens. Compared with mono-infected COVID-19 patients, patients with co-infections had significantly higher levels of procalcitonin (P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS The findings showed that Mycoplasma pneumonia and respiratory syncytial virus were the most common co-infections in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Increased levels of PCT in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia were associated with co-infection.

Differences in Serum Amino Acid Phenotypes Among Patients with Diabetic Nephropathy, Hypertensive Nephropathy, and Chronic Nephritis.

BACKGROUND We assessed levels of circulating amino acids in different etiologies of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the association of amino acids with risk factors of CKD progression. MATERIAL AND METHODS High-performance liquid chromatography-based analysis was used to determine amino acid profiles in patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN, n=20), hypertensive nephropathy (HN, n=26), and chronic nephritis (CN, n=33), and in healthy controls (HC, n=25). RESULTS All 3 types of CKD patients displayed decreased serum levels of serine, glycine, GABA, and tryptophan compared with healthy controls. Moreover, serine and tryptophan were positively correlated with glucose in DN cohorts. Total cholesterol was positively correlated with tryptophan levels in the DN cohort and negatively correlated with serine levels in the CN cohort. In the HN cohort, glycine was negatively correlated with triglyceride levels, and systolic blood pressure (SBP) was negatively correlated with GABA levels. CONCLUSIONS Patients with different etiologies of CKD have significantly different amino acids profiles, and this indicates specific supplementary nutritional needs in CKD patients.

Investigating the effect of copper and magnesium ions on nitrogen removal capacity of pure cultures by modified non-competitive inhibition model.

Copper, a common heavy metal, may be beneficial for or poisonous to microbial activity. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of different copper ion concentrations on the nitrogen removal performance of Arthrobacter arilaitensis strain Y-10 and Pseudomonas taiwanensis strain J488. The non-competitive inhibition model was employed to evaluate the 50% inhibition concentrations (IC50 values) of copper ions toward the pure strains. In the absence of magnesium ions, a low concentration of copper (0.1 mg/L) significantly enhanced the ammonium removal ability of strain Y-10 and its removal efficiency increased by 10.88% compared with the control treatment. Copper ranging from 0 to 0.1 mg/L had no significant effect on the ammonium removal capacity of strain J488. After adding 9.90 mg/L of magnesium to the basal medium, the effects of copper on nitrification of ammonium or denitrification of nitrate or nitrite were also assessed. In these conditions, 0.25 mg/L copper ions could strongly inhibit the ammonium, nitrate and nitrite removal activities for strain Y-10. For strain J488, no clear deterioration in ammonium removal efficiency was observed at copper ion concentrations below 0.5 mg/L, but 0.25 mg/L copper ions significantly inhibited nitrate and nitrite removal efficiencies, which were only 45.88% and 6.35%, respectively. The IC50 values of copper ions for nitrate and nitrite removal by strain Y-10 were 0.195 and 0.090 mg/L respectively; for strain J488, the IC50 values were 0.175 and 0.196 mg/L. The magnesium ions could improve the cell growth, nitrogen removal efficiency and copper ion resistance of bacteria.

Alterations in leaf nitrogen metabolism indicated the structural changes of subtropical forest by canopy addition of nitrogen.

Globally, nitrogen deposition increment has caused forest structural changes due to imbalanced plant nitrogen metabolism and subsequent carbon assimilation. Here, a 2 consecutive-year experiment was conducted to reveal the effects of canopy addition of nitrogen (CAN) on nitrogen absorption, assimilation, and allocation in leaves of three subtropical forest woody species (Castanea henryi, Ardisia quinquegona, and Blastus cochinchinensis). We hypothesized that CAN altered leaf nitrogen absorption, assimilation and partitioning of different plants in different ways in subtropical forest. It shows that CAN increased maximum photosynthetic rate (Amax), photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE), and metabolic protein content of the two understory species A. quinquegona and B. cochinchinensis. By contrary, for the overstory species, C. henryi, Amax, PNUE, and metabolic protein content were significantly reduced in response to CAN. We found that changes in leaf nitrogen metabolism were mainly due to the differences in enzyme (e.g. Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase, nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase and glutamine synthetase) activities under CAN treatment. Our results indicated that C. henryi may be more susceptible to CAN treatment, and both A. quinquegona and B. cochinchinensis could better adapt to CAN treatment but in different ways. Our findings may partially explain the ongoing degradation of subtropical forest into a community dominated by small trees and shrubs in recent decades. It is possible that persistent high levels of atmospheric nitrogen deposition will lead to the steady replacement of dominant woody species in this subtropical forest.

[Protective effect of Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture on drug-induced liver injury].

The model of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) induced by acetaminophen (APAP) in mice was established to investigate the anti-oxidation and anti-ferroptosis mechanisms of Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture on DILI. C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into five groups: control group, model group, positive group, and low and high-dose Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture groups (0.12, 0.24 g·kg⁻¹). Mice were intragastrically administration with Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture (0.12, 0.24 g·kg⁻¹) once per day for 21 consecutive days, and at the same time, mice were weighted every day. The mice were injected intraperitoneally with 600 mg·kg⁻¹ of APAP to establish a mouse model of acute DILI after 16 h from the last administration of Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture. After 6 h from APAP challenge, the experimental animals were weighted and sacrificed to collect blood and liver tissue samples. And then, the effect of Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture on liver weight and the liver weight ratio of mice were examined; the content of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in the serum and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) in the liver tissue were measured. Prostaglandinendoperoxide synthase 2(ptgs2) mRNA level in liver tissues was detected by Q-PCR, and protein expression levels of SLC7A11 and GPX4 in liver tissues were detected by Western blot. Moreover, HE staining, immunohistochemical assay and TUNEL staining were used to observe pathological changes of the liver tissue sections. It is found that Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture could relieve APAP-induced liver enlargement and inhibit hepatic weight ratio increase. Compared with model group, the mice in Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture groups showed decreases in the content of ALT, AST and MDA, and increases in the content of GSH and NADPH. What is more, Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture could down-regulate ptgs2 mRNA level and up-regulate SLC7A11 and GPX4 protein levels. All of the results lead to a conclusion that Fuzheng Yanggan Mixture plays a protective effect on DILI in mice, which may be associated with the inhibition of ferroptosis.

Background Subtraction Based on Three-Dimensional Discrete Wavelet Transform.

Background subtraction without a separate training phase has become a critical task, because a sufficiently long and clean training sequence is usually unavailable, and people generally thirst for immediate detection results from the first frame of a video. Without a training phase, we propose a background subtraction method based on three-dimensional (3D) discrete wavelet transform (DWT). Static backgrounds with few variations along the time axis are characterized by intensity temporal consistency in the 3D space-time domain and, hence, correspond to low-frequency components in the 3D frequency domain. Enlightened by this, we eliminate low-frequency components that correspond to static backgrounds using the 3D DWT in order to extract moving objects. Owing to the multiscale analysis property of the 3D DWT, the elimination of low-frequency components in sub-bands of the 3D DWT is equivalent to performing a pyramidal 3D filter. This 3D filter brings advantages to our method in reserving the inner parts of detected objects and reducing the ringing around object boundaries. Moreover, we make use of wavelet shrinkage to remove disturbance of intensity temporal consistency and introduce an adaptive threshold based on the entropy of the histogram to obtain optimal detection results. Experimental results show that our method works effectively in situations lacking training opportunities and outperforms several popular techniques.

Long-term-stable near-infrared polymer dots with ultrasmall size and narrow-band emission for imaging tumor vasculature in vivo.

Fluorescent nanoprobes have become one of the most promising classes of materials for cancer imaging. However, there remain many unresolved issues with respect to the understanding of their long-term colloidal stability and photostability in both biological systems and the environment. In this study, we report long-term-stable near-infrared (NIR) polymer dots for in vivo tumor vasculature imaging. NIR-emitting polymer dots were prepared by encapsulating an NIR dye, silicon 2,3-naphthalocyanine bis(trihexylsilyloxide) (NIR775), into a matrix of polymer dots, poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV), using a nanoscale precipitation method. The prepared NIR polymer dots were sub-5 nm in diameter, exhibited narrow-band NIR emission at 778 nm with a full width at half-maximum of 20 nm, and displayed a large Stokes shift (>300 nm) between the excitation and emission maxima. In addition, no significant uptake of the prepared NIR polymer dots by either human glioblastoma U87MG cells or human non-small cell lung carcinoma H1299 cells was detected. Moreover, these NIR polymer dots showed long-term colloidal stability and photostability in water at 4 °C for at least 9 months, and were able to image vasculature of xenografted U87MG tumors in living mice after intravenous injection. These results thus open new opportunities for the development of whole-body imaging of mice based on NIR polymer dots as fluorescent nanoprobes.

Observation of sGAG content of human hip joint cartilage in different old age groups based on EPIC micro-CT.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the age-related changes of sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) content of hip joint cartilage of elderly people based on Equilibrium Partitioning of an Ionic Contrast Agent (EPIC) micro-CT. METHODS: Seventy human hip cartilage-bone samples were collected from hip-fracture patients (ages 51-96) and divided into five groups (10 years in an age group). They were first immersed in 20% concentration of the contrast agent Meglumine Diatrizoate (MD) for 6 h at 37 °C, and then scanned by micro-CT. Following scanning, samples were stained for sGAG with toluidine blue. The X-ray attenuation and sGAG optical density were calculated by image processing. The correlation between X-ray attenuation and sGAG optical density was then analyzed. RESULTS: The X-ray mean attenuation of the cartilage increased by 18.81% from the 50-80 age groups (p < 0.01), but decreased by 7.15% in the 90 age group compared to the 80 age group. The X-ray mean attenuation of the superficial layer and middle layer increased by 31.60 % and 44.68% from the 50-80 age groups, respectively (p < 0.01), but reduced by 4.67% and 6.05% separately in the 90 age group. However, the deep layer showed no significant change with aging. The sGAG optical density showed a linear correlation (r = -0.91, p < 0.01) with the X-ray attenuation. CONCLUSION: The sGAG content of hip joint cartilage varied with aging in elderly people. The changes in superficial layer and middle layer were more evident than deep layer.

Amino acid profiles and quality from lotus seed proteins.

BACKGROUND: Protein composition, amino acid profile and nutritional value of the lotus seed and its Osborne fractions were investigated. The seed was rich in protein with 19.85%, and showed well balanced amino acid composition compared with FAO/WHO pattern, Its nutritive properties were similar to those observed in the reference soybean protein. Phenylalanine, tyrosine, leucine and lysine were the limiting amino acids in the seed proteins. The albumin and globulin were the main protein fraction, the amino acid profile and nutritional value were close to the seed protein. RESULTS: Changes in transition temperature and thermal stability were observed through different solvent extractions. Albumin possessed the predominant thermal stability (81.4 °C) followed by globulin (74.49 °C), prolamin (69 °C) and glutelin (65.6 °C). So, solvent compositions influence the profile of AAs and their nutritive value, and aqueous solvent with 0.1 mol L⁻¹ NaCl was an efficient protein solubiliser. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the extraction processes influenced the lotus seed protein quality and thermal stability. Overall, the study revealed that the lotus seed protein was nutritionally well-balanced protein and might be of significant importance in the formulation of diets for humans.

Optimization model research on efficacy in treatment of chronic urticaria by Chinese and Western medicine based on a genetic algorithm.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential rules and knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western Medicine (WM) treatment on chronic urticaria (CU) based on data-mining methods. METHODS: Sixty patients with chronic urticaria, treated with TCM and WM, were selected. Gray correlation analyses were adopted to determine therapeutic efficacy. Association algorithms were utilized to ascertain the correlation between the disease course and treatment results. A genetic algorithm was applied to discover the optimization model in the TCM and WM treatment on CU. RESULTS: The total symptom scores after 4 weeks and 8 weeks of treatment in the TCM spleen-strengthening group correlated highly with the pretreatment total symptom score. The duration of treatment showed the greatest impact on the total symptom score. A quartic equation was established (y = - 1.6403 x 10 - 6 x(4) + 0.00025576x(3) + 0.0012819 x2 - 1.024x + 79.5879, and x = 106.9518, y = 83.0036) using the genetic algorithm. CONCLUSION: TCM treatment had a better effect in the later stage, whereas WM was better in the early stage. The duration of disease course had an impact on the effects of treatment. If the average total symptom score before treatment was < or = 83.0036, TCM or WM treatment could achieve better efficacy.

[The fundus autofluorescence of the multiple evanescent white dot syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the imaging features of fundus autofluorescence (FAF) in patients with multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS). METHODS: Retrospective case-series study. Eight cases of MEWDS patients visited Xingtai eye hospital between January 2009 and December 2010 were included in this study. Three males and 5 females, aged from 19 to 48 years, mean age was 33 years old. The span between onset and visit to the hospital was between 2 to 12 days, the average time was 6.5 days. All the patients underwent comprehensive ophthalmic examination and fundus color photography, FAF, fluorescein angiography (FFA) , indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) by HRA-2. Two different spectrums of autofluorescence excited by laser of 488 nm and 787 nm were recorded, which were related to lipofuscin and melanin respectively. Dynamic imaging changes in different stages were observed and compared. The autofluorescence of fundus with white dot was paid extra attention. RESULTS: The white dots in 8 eyes showed strong autofluorescence with a vague boundary in the FAF image excited by laser of 488 nm but normal autofluorescence under the FAF787 nm. The strong autofluorescence of 488 nm agreed with the white dots in the fundus photograph, hyperfluorescence lesions in FFA and the hypofluorescence focus in the later stage of ICGA. After the disease cured, the hyperfluorescence lesions in FFA also faded. CONCLUSIONS: The fundus autofluorescence features of patients with MEWDS are hyperfluorescence in the site of white dots in FAF488 nm.It is the characteristic change of this disease.

[Preparation of Catalyst Cyclodextrin-Fe-TAML to Activate H2O2 and Oxidize Organic Micropollutants in Water].

In order to improve the stability and catalytic activity of Fe-TAML, mono-6-oxy-cyclodextrin bonded Fe-TAML catalyst (CD-Fe-TAML) was prepared by bonding Fe-TAML with cyclodextrin (CD) through chlorosulfonylation reaction, metal chelation reaction, and nucleophilic substitution reaction. The catalytic activity and stability of CD-Fe-TAML and the oxidation degradation efficiencies of 34 organic micropollutants such as antibiotics and pesticides by activation of H2O2in water were studied. Compared with that of Fe-TAML, CD-Fe-TAML at pH 7.0 had a 49-fold and 25-fold increase in the rate of activating H2O2 to produce iron (Ⅴ/Ⅳ)-oxo intermediates and the degradation rate of the substrate, respectively, and its self-oxidation rate was reduced by 70%. The stability of CD-Fe-TAML was 0.7-699 times higher than that of Fe-TAML in the pH range of 3.0-10.0. Specifically, the stability of CD-Fe-TAML was 33-699 times higher than that of Fe-TAML in the pH range of 3.0-7.0. The sulfonic acid group in the molecular structure of CD-Fe-TAML had an electrophilic effect, which could increase the positive charge density of Fe in the active center, accelerate the O-O bond cleavage of H2O2 and the generation of iron(Ⅴ/Ⅳ)-oxo intermediates, improve the catalytic activity of Fe-TAML, and also improve its hydrolysis stability. Meanwhile, the CD group in the molecular structure had the "electron shuttle" effect and inclusion effect. The former could accelerate the electron transfer between the active center Fe-TAML and H2O2 to improve the catalytic activity of Fe-TAML. The latter could inhibit the hydrolysis and self-oxidation of the active center Fe-TAML by inclusion or binding of the hydrolysis sites and oxidation sites, thus improving its stability. The degradation efficiencies of micropollutants by CD-Fe-TAML/H2O2 under weakly acidic and neutral conditions (in the pH range of 5.0-7.0) were 0.4-59 times higher than those of Fe-TAML/H2O2. The degradation efficiencies of CD-Fe-TAML/H2O2 on nine micropollutants with a molar volume less than 0.20 L·mol-1, such as acetamiprid and sulfadiazine, were 0.3-1.1 times higher than that of Fe-TAML/H2O2 at pH 8.0, and there were no significant differences between CD-Fe-TAML/H2O2 and Fe-TAML/H2O2for micropollutants with a molar volume greater than 0.20 L·mol-1. The results of iodide oxidation by CD-Fe-TAML/H2O2 showed that I- was not oxidized to produce iodo-disinfection byproducts (I-DBPs). The degradation of micropollutants by CD-Fe-TAML/H2O2 in the surface water sample was not disturbed by water components. The CD-Fe-TAML/H2O2 system has a potential application in the removal of organic micropollutants from water.

A comparative study of posterior cingulate metabolism in patients with mild cognitive impairment due to Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's disease.

Few comparative studies have assessed metabolic brain changes in cognitive impairment among neurodegenerative disorders, and the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) is a metabolically active brain region with high involvement in multiple cognitive processes. Therefore, in this study, metabolic abnormalities of the PCC were compared in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Parkinson's disease (PD) or Alzheimer's disease (AD), as examined by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). Thirty-eight patients with idiopathic PD, including 20 with mild cognitive impairment (PDMCI) and 18 with normal cognitive function (PDN), 18 patients with probable mild cognitive impairment (ADMCI), and 25 healthy elderly controls (HCs) were recruited and underwent PCC 1H-MRS scans. Compared with HCs, patients with PDMCI exhibited significantly reduced concentrations of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), total NAA (tNAA), choline (Cho), glutathione (GSH), glutamate + glutamine (Glx) and total creatine (tCr), while ADMCI cases exhibited significantly elevated levels of myo-inositol (Ins) and Ins/tCr ratio, as well as reduced NAA/Ins ratio. No significant metabolic changes were detected in PDN subjects. Compared with ADMCI, reduced NAA, Ins and tCr concentrations were detected in PDMCI. Besides, ROC curve analysis revealed that tCr concentration could differentiate PDMCI from PDN with an AUC of 0.71, and NAA/Ins ratio could differentiate patients with MCI from controls with normal cognitive function with an AUC of 0.74. Patients with PDMCI and ADMCI exhibited distinct PCC metabolic 1H-MRS profiles. The findings suggested cognitively normal PD patients with low NAA and tCr in the PCC might be at risk of preclinical PDMCI, and Ins and/or NAA/MI ratio in the PCC should be reconsidered a possible biomarker of preclinical MCI in clinical practice. So, comparing PCC's 1H-MRS profiles of cognitive impairment among neurodegenerative illnesses may provide useful information for better defining the disease process and elucidate possible treatment mechanisms.

SlERF.J2 reduces chlorophyll accumulation and inhibits chloroplast biogenesis and development in tomato leaves.

Chlorophyll metabolism and chloroplast biogenesis in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaves contribute to photosynthesis; however, their molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, we found that overexpression of SlERF.J2 (ethylene transcription factor) resulted in a decrease in leaf chlorophyll content and reduced accumulation of starch and soluble sugar. The slerf.j2 knockout mutant showed no apparent change. Further observation of tissue sections and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that SlERF.J2 was involved in chlorophyll accumulation and chloroplast formation. RNA-seq of mature SlERF.J2-OE leaves showed that many genes involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis and chloroplast formation were significantly downregulated compared with those in WT leaves. Genome global scanning of the ERF TF binding site combined with RNA-seq differential gene expression and qRT-PCR detection analysis showed that COP1 was a potential target gene of SlERF.J2. Tobacco transient expression technology, a dual-luciferase reporter system and Y1H technology were employed to verify that SlERF.J2 could bind to the COP1 promoter. Notably, overexpression of SlERF.J2 in Nr mutants resulted in impaired chloroplast biogenesis and development. Taken together, our findings demonstrated that SlERF.J2 plays an essential role in chlorophyll accumulation and chloroplast formation, laying a foundation for enhancing plant photosynthesis.

Addition of transarterial chemoembolization improves outcome of tyrosine kinase and immune checkpoint inhibitors regime in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the standard treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); the value of its combination with systemic therapy is worthy of further exploration. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of TACE combined with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) and immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) in the treatment of unresectable HCC. Methods: In this retrospective observational, single-center study, 147 patients with unresectable HCC were divided into a TACE group (n=98) and a non-TACE group (n=49) based on whether TACE was performed during TKI plus ICI therapy. The survival outcomes and adverse events (AEs) of the two groups were compared. Results: Data from patients with unresectable HCC who received TKI plus ICI treatment between July 2017 and April 2020 were collected. The median intrahepatic tumor size was 8.7 cm [interquartile range (IQR), 5.9-12.4 cm]. At data cut-off, overall survival (OS) of the TACE group was significantly longer than that of the non-TACE group (19.5 and 10.8 months, respectively, P=0.005). In the high-risk cohort (with main or contralateral portal vein tumor thrombi and/or bile duct invasion and/or a tumor burden >50% of liver), the OS of the TACE group was still longer than that of the non-TACE group (14.9 and 8.7 months, respectively, P=0.031). Major AEs were tolerated in both groups, and there was no significant difference in their incidence (34.7% and 30.6%, respectively, P=0.621). Conclusions: TACE treatment combined with TKI plus ICI regime resulted in longer OS than treatment with TKI plus ICI alone for patients with unresectable HCC.