Clinical Effects of Tibial Posterior Tendon Reconstruction in the Treatment of Young Athletes With Accessory Navicular Bone Syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of anchor reconstruction of posterior tibial tendon with the traditional Kidner's procedure for accessory navicular bone syndrome. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 40 young athletes diagnosed with accessory navicular bone syndrome who were admitted to our hospital from 2018 to 2021. Among them, 20 patients underwent the modified Kidner procedure for the anchor reconstruction of the posterior tibial tendon (Experimental group), while the remaining 20 patients were treated with the traditional Kidner's procedure (Control group). Regular follow-ups were conducted to evaluate the degree of relief of foot symptoms and functional recovery. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for 12 to 24 months (mean duration: 18.6±3.7) after the operation. At the last follow-up, significant differences were observed in the function and symptom relief of the affected foot compared to the preoperative state. The experimental group had a mean operation time of 52.10 ± 3.41 minutes, significantly shorter than the control group's 61.25 ± 2.75 minutes. The mean time to return to normal activity was 12.65 ± 1.23 weeks for the experimental group, compared to 15.25 ± 1.16 weeks for the control group. CONCLUSION: The modified Kidner procedure demonstrates a higher patient satisfaction rate compared to the traditional Kidner procedure. This is attributed to its shorter duration, reduced trauma, and quicker recovery of normal activity.

Differential susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 in the normal nasal mucosa and in chronic sinusitis.

Human nasal mucosa is susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and serves as a reservoir for viral replication before spreading to other organs (e.g. the lung and brain) and transmission to other individuals. Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common respiratory tract disease and there is evidence suggesting that susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection differs between the two known subtypes, eosinophilic CRS and non-ECRS (NECRS). However, the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the human nasal mucosa and its association with CRS has not been experimentally validated. In this study, we investigated whether the human nasal mucosa is susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and how different endotypes of CRS impact on viral infection and progression. Primary human nasal mucosa tissue culture revealed highly efficient SARS-CoV-2 viral infection and production, with particularly high susceptibility in the NECRS group. The gene expression differences suggested that human nasal mucosa is highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, presumably due to an increase in ACE2-expressing cells and a deficiency in antiviral immune response, especially for NECRS. Importantly, patients with NECRS may be at a particularly high risk of viral infection and transmission, and therefore, close monitoring should be considered.

Combined transcriptome and metabolome analysis reveals the effects of light quality on maize hybrids.

BACKGROUND: Heterosis, or hybrid vigor, refers to the phenotypic superiority of an F1 hybrid relative to its parents in terms of growth rate, biomass production, grain yield, and stress tolerance. Light is an energy source and main environmental cue with marked impacts on heterosis in plants. Research into the production applications and mechanism of heterosis has been conducted for over a century and a half, but little is known about the effect of light on plant heterosis. RESULTS: In this study, an integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis was performed using maize (Zea mays L.) inbred parents, B73 and Mo17, and their hybrids, B73 × Mo17 (BM) and Mo17 × B73 (MB), grown in darkness or under far-red, red, or blue light. Most differentially expressed genes (73.72-92.50%) and differentially accumulated metabolites (84.74-94.32%) exhibited non-additive effects in BM and MB hybrids. Gene Ontology analysis revealed that differential genes and metabolites were involved in glutathione transfer, carbohydrate transport, terpenoid biosynthesis, and photosynthesis. The darkness, far-red, red, and blue light treatments were all associated with phenylpropanoid-flavonoid biosynthesis by Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis. Five genes and seven metabolites related to phenylpropanoid-flavonoid biosynthesis pathway were identified as potential contributors to the interactions between maize heterosis and light conditions. Consistent with the strong mid-parent heterosis observed for metabolites, significant increases in both fresh and dry weights were found in the MB and BM hybrids compared with their inbred parents. Unexpectedly, increasing light intensity resulted in higher biomass heterosis in MB, but lower biomass heterosis in BM. CONCLUSIONS: The transcriptomic and metabolomic results provide unique insights into the effects of light quality on gene expression patterns and genotype-environment interactions, and have implications for gene mining of heterotic loci to improve maize production.

eIF4A, a target of siRNA derived from rice stripe virus, negatively regulates antiviral autophagy by interacting with ATG5 in Nicotiana benthamiana.

Autophagy is induced by viral infection and has antiviral functions in plants, but the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. We previously identified a viral small interfering RNA (vsiRNA) derived from rice stripe virus (RSV) RNA4 that contributes to the leaf-twisting and stunting symptoms caused by this virus by targeting the host eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A (eIF4A) mRNA for silencing. In addition, autophagy plays antiviral roles by degrading RSV p3 protein, a suppressor of RNA silencing. Here, we demonstrate that eIF4A acts as a negative regulator of autophagy in Nicotiana benthamiana. Silencing of NbeIF4A activated autophagy and inhibited RSV infection by facilitating autophagic degradation of p3. Further analysis showed that NbeIF4A interacts with NbATG5 and interferes with its interaction with ATG12. Overexpression of NbeIF4A suppressed NbATG5-activated autophagy. Moreover, expression of vsiRNA-4A, which targets NbeIF4A mRNA for cleavage, induced autophagy by silencing NbeIF4A. Finally, we demonstrate that eIF4A from rice, the natural host of RSV, also interacts with OsATG5 and suppresses OsATG5-activated autophagy, pointing to the conserved function of eIF4A as a negative regulator of antiviral autophagy. Taken together, these results reveal that eIF4A negatively regulates antiviral autophagy by interacting with ATG5 and that its mRNA is recognized by a virus-derived siRNA, resulting in its silencing, which induces autophagy against viral infection.

Plantar Pressure Characteristics and Prevention of Painful Accessory Navicular in Military Recruits.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to provide practical guidance for the prevention of painful accessory navicular among recruits by comparing and analyzing the plantar pressure parameters of individuals with normal foot, flat foot, and accessory navicular. METHODS: After training, a total of 90 military recruits were included in this study, comprising 30 with normal foot, 30 with flat foot, and 30 with painful accessory navicular. The plantar pressure distribution was measured for all participants. RESULTS: In individuals with flat feet, there was an increase in plantar pressure on the medial side of the forefoot, as well as a significant increase in pressure on the medial side of the heel and arch (P<0.05). Conversely, there was a significant decrease in pressure on the lateral side of the heel and arch (P<0.05). In patients with painful accessory navicular, the medial pressure on the foot arch showed a further increase (P<0.001), while the lateral pressure on the foot arch exhibited a further decrease (P<0.001), indicating highly significant differences. CONCLUSION: Compared to participants with flat feet, participants with accessory navicular demonstrated faster and more impulsive impact on the ground within the same stress area, resulting in more noticeable pain caused by the injury to the accessory navicular.

Development and characterization of pectin and chitosan films incorporated with a new cross-linking agent.

BACKGROUND: In this study, a new crosslinking agent (CA) containing whey protein, papin, glycerin, and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), was prepared. The effects of CA content (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40%, v/v) on food packaging properties, crystallinity, microstructure, and antioxidant properties of pectin-CA and chitosan-CA composite films were analyzed. The results of this research offer a theoretical basis for engineering improved films for food packing. RESULTS: Pectin-CA (30%) and chitosan-CA (40%) composite films showed the best light transmission, water retention, breathability, plasticity, and antioxidant activity. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that these composite films exhibited a uniform and homogeneous structure without obvious pores. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the amino acids and EGCG in CA were bonded to the film substrate (pectin/chitosan) via electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, and covalent bonding, which led to an improvement in the film's properties. CONCLUSION: The CA has broad application prospects in food packaging as a cross-linking agent and antioxidant. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Antiviral efficacy of selective estrogen receptor modulators against SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro and in vivo reveals bazedoxifene acetate as an entry inhibitor.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the seventh member of the coronavirus family that can infect humans. Recently, more contagious and pathogenic variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been continuously emerging. Clinical candidates with high efficacy and ready availability are still in urgent need. To identify potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 repurposing drugs, we evaluated the antiviral efficacy of 18 selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Six SERMs exhibited excellent anti-SARS-CoV-2 effects in Vero E6 cells and three human cell lines. Clomifene citrate, tamoxifen, toremifene citrate, and bazedoxifene acetate reduced the weight loss of hamsters challenged with SARS-CoV-2, and reduced hamster pulmonary viral load and interleukin-6 expression when assayed at 4 days postinfection. In particular, bazedoxifene acetate was identified to act on the penetration stage of the postattachment step via altering cholesterol distribution and endosome acidification. And, bazedoxifene acetate inhibited pseudoviruses infection of original SARS-CoV-2, Delta variant, Omicron variant, and SARS-CoV. These results offer critical information supporting bazedoxifene acetate as a promising agent against coronaviruses.

HFR1, a bHLH Transcriptional Regulator from Arabidopsis thaliana, Improves Grain Yield, Shade and Osmotic Stress Tolerances in Common Wheat.

Common wheat, Triticum aestivum, is the most widely grown staple crop worldwide. To catch up with the increasing global population and cope with the changing climate, it is valuable to breed wheat cultivars that are tolerant to abiotic or shade stresses for density farming. Arabidopsis LONG HYPOCOTYL IN FAR-RED 1 (AtHFR1), a photomorphogenesis-promoting factor, is involved in multiple light-related signaling pathways and inhibits seedling etiolation and shade avoidance. We report that overexpression of AtHFR1 in wheat inhibits etiolation phenotypes under various light and shade conditions, leading to shortened plant height and increased spike number relative to non-transgenic plants in the field. Ectopic expression of AtHFR1 in wheat increases the transcript levels of TaCAB and TaCHS as observed previously in Arabidopsis, indicating that the AtHFR1 transgene can activate the light signal transduction pathway in wheat. AtHFR1 transgenic seedlings significantly exhibit tolerance to osmotic stress during seed germination compared to non-transgenic wheat. The AtHFR1 transgene represses transcription of TaFT1, TaCO1, and TaCO2, delaying development of the shoot apex and heading in wheat. Furthermore, the AtHFR1 transgene in wheat inhibits transcript levels of PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR 3-LIKEs (TaPIL13, TaPIL15-1B, and TaPIL15-1D), downregulating the target gene STAYGREEN (TaSGR), and thus delaying dark-induced leaf senescence. In the field, grain yields of three AtHFR1 transgenic lines were 18.2-48.1% higher than those of non-transgenic wheat. In summary, genetic modification of light signaling pathways using a photomorphogenesis-promoting factor has positive effects on grain yield due to changes in plant architecture and resource allocation and enhances tolerances to osmotic stress and shade avoidance response.

The plant protein NbP3IP directs degradation of Rice stripe virus p3 silencing suppressor protein to limit virus infection through interaction with the autophagy-related protein NbATG8.

In plants, autophagy is involved in responses to viral infection. However, the role of host factors in mediating autophagy to suppress viruses is poorly understood. A previously uncharacterized plant protein, NbP3IP, was shown to interact with p3, an RNA-silencing suppressor protein encoded by Rice stripe virus (RSV), a negative-strand RNA virus. The potential roles of NbP3IP in RSV infection were examined. NbP3IP degraded p3 through the autophagy pathway, thereby affecting the silencing suppression activity of p3. Transgenic overexpression of NbP3IP conferred resistance to RSV infection in Nicotiana benthamiana. RSV infection was promoted in ATG5- or ATG7-silenced plants and was inhibited in GAPC-silenced plants where autophagy was activated, confirming the role of autophagy in suppressing RSV infection. NbP3IP interacted with NbATG8f, indicating a potential selective autophagosomal cargo receptor role for P3IP. Additionally, the rice NbP3IP homolog (OsP3IP) also mediated p3 degradation and interacted with OsATG8b and p3. Through identification of the involvement of P3IP in the autophagy-mediated degradation of RSV p3, we reveal a new mechanism to antagonize the infection of RSV, and thereby provide the first evidence that autophagy can play an antiviral role against negative-strand RNA viruses.

Construction of an infectious full-length cDNA clone of potato aucuba mosaic virus.

Potato aucuba mosaic virus (PAMV), a positive single-strand RNA virus, has one of the longest genomes of the viruses in the genus Potexvirus. In 2019, potato samples with mottle and crinkling symptoms from Huzhou, Zhejiang province, China, were identified to be infected with PAMV, potato virus X (PVX), and potato virus Y (PVY) by transcriptome sequencing. To study the effects of single infection by PAMV, the full-length sequence of PAMV from Huzhou (MT193476) was determined and an infectious full-length cDNA clone was constructed. This cDNA clone was infectious by agro-infiltration, leading to systemic symptoms in Nicotiana benthamiana, tomato, pepper, and potato.

Assessing vegetation stability to climate variability in Central Asia.

The dramatic climate change has far-reaching impacts on vegetation in drylands such as Central Asia. Recent attempts to assess vegetation stability to short-term climate variability often account solely for vegetation sensitivity or resilience but ignore the composite effects of these two indicators. Meanwhile, our understanding of the vegetation stability at the seasonal scale remains insufficient. In this study, considering the cumulative effects of vegetation response to three key climate factors, we assessed the stability of vegetation in Central Asia using normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the meteorological data from 1982 to 2014 by integrating vegetation sensitivity and resilience, and further identified the critical regions and seasons of vegetation that experience high risks of pending change. The results show that the sensitivity of vegetation has a strong correlation (R2 = 0.83, p < 0.001) with the aridity index (AI), with the vegetation of drier areas having lower sensitivities to climate variability. At the temporal scale, the sensitivity of vegetation to climate variability varied among different seasons. The average vegetation sensitivity index (VSI) is 41.17, 33.32 and 28.63 in spring, summer and autumn, respectively. Spatially, a trade-off between vegetation sensitivity and resilience is found both for the growing season (R2 = 0.67) and seasonal scale (R2 = 0.71, 0.32 and 0.43 for spring, summer and autumn, respectively), regions with high vegetation sensitivity were always accompanied by strong resilience. Based on the relationship between vegetation sensitivity and resilience, we further identify the critical regions and periods of vegetation with high change risk in Central Asia. Results suggest that herbaceous plants in semi-arid areas present high instability, especially in summer. This study offers a comprehensive perspective to assess vegetation stability to climate variability and the results will facilitate the protection of ecosystems and the implementation of sustainable development goals in Central Asia.

Involvement of the chloroplast gene ferredoxin 1 in multiple responses of Nicotiana benthamiana to Potato virus X infection.

The chloroplast protein ferredoxin 1 (FD1), with roles in the chloroplast electron transport chain, is known to interact with the coat proteins (CPs) of Tomato mosaic virus and Cucumber mosaic virus. However, our understanding of the roles of FD1 in virus infection remains limited. Here, we report that the Potato virus X (PVX) p25 protein interacts with FD1, whose mRNA and protein levels are reduced by PVX infection or by transient expression of p25. Silencing of FD1 by Tobacco rattle virus-based virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) promoted the local and systemic infection of plants by PVX. Use of a drop-and-see (DANS) assay and callose staining revealed that the permeability of plasmodesmata (PDs) was increased in FD1-silenced plants together with a consistently reduced level of PD callose deposition. After FD1 silencing, quantitative reverse transcription-real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis and LC-MS revealed these plants to have a low accumulation of the phytohormones abscisic acid (ABA) and salicylic acid (SA), which contributed to the decreased callose deposition at PDs. Overexpression of FD1 in transgenic plants manifested resistance to PVX infection, but the contents of ABA and SA, and the PD callose deposition were not increased in transgenic plants. Overexpression of FD1 interfered with the RNA silencing suppressor function of p25. These results demonstrate that interfering with FD1 function causes abnormal plant hormone-mediated antiviral processes and thus enhances PVX infection.

TNFAIP8 variants as potential epidemiological and predictive biomarkers in ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: This research aimed to investigate the association between tumor necrosis factor-a-induced protein 8 (TNFAIP8) polymorphisms and ovarian cancer (OC) susceptibility. METHODS: A case-control study of 210 patients with OC and 231 healthy controls was conducted to assess the association between TNFAIP8 polymorphisms (rs11064, rs1045241, and rs1045242) and OC risk in Heilongjiang Province of China. The SNaPshot SNP assay was conducted to detect SNP genotype. Logistic regression analysis was applied to illustrate the underlying association. RESULTS: Our research found that TNFAIP8 rs11064 and rs1045242 were significantly connected with the susceptibility of OC. Additionally, rs1045242 increased the risk of OC, while rs11064 performed a protective role in the risk of OC. Data revealed that rs1045242 strongly related with advanced FIGO stage, larger residual tumor, and the presence of recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: TNFAIP8 genetic variants, which may play difference roles, were significantly associated with OC susceptibility. The underlying molecular mechanism needs be clarified with scientific evidence.

Molecular epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 clusters caused by asymptomatic cases in Anhui Province, China.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is a newly emerging disease caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which spread globally in early 2020. Asymptomatic carriers of the virus contribute to the propagation of this disease, and the existence of asymptomatic infection has caused widespread fear and concern in the control of this pandemic. METHODS: In this study, we investigated the origin and transmission route of SARS-CoV-2 in Anhui's two clusters, analyzed the role and infectiousness of asymptomatic patients in disease transmission, and characterized the complete spike gene sequences in the Anhui strains. RESULTS: We conducted an epidemiological investigation of two clusters caused by asymptomatic infections sequenced the spike gene of viruses isolated from 12 patients. All cases of the two clusters we investigated had clear contact histories, both from Wuhan, Hubei province. The viruses isolated from two outbreaks in Anhui were found to show a genetically close link to the virus from Wuhan. In addition, new single nucleotide variations were discovered in the spike gene. CONCLUSIONS: Both clusters may have resulted from close contact and droplet-spreading and asymptomatic infections were identified as the initial cause. We also analyzed the infectiousness of asymptomatic cases and the challenges to the current epidemic to provided information for the development of control strategies.

Association of TNFAIP8 gene polymorphisms with endometrial cancer in northern Chinese women.

BACKGROUND: Tumor necrosis factor-a-induced protein 8 (TNFAIP8) presented a elevated expression in endometrial cancer (EC). However, the relationship of TNFAIP8 gene polymorphisms with EC risk remains unclear. This case-control study aimed to investigate the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TNFAIP8 on northern Chinese women with EC. METHODS: SNP rs11064, rs1045241, and rs1045242 in TNFAIP8 were successfully genotyped in 248 cancer-free controls and 226 ECs by SNaPshot method, respectively. Logistic regression was performed to assess relationship of SNPs with EC risk. The relationships of SNPs with clinicopathological variables were evaluated by Chi-square test or Student's t-test or Fisher's text. RESULTS: The minor alleles of rs11064 in TNFAIP8 were strongly associated with EC risk, with adjust odds ratio (OR) of 1.719 (95% CI 1.180-2.506, P = 0.005). The minor allele of rs1045242 in the TNFAIP8 gene was strongly associated with with EC risk (adjust OR: 1.636, 95% CI 1.107-2.417, P = 0.014). rs11064 SNPs correlated with TNFAIP8 protein expression in EC (P = 0.015). For rs1045242, patients with AG + GG presented higher TNFAIP8 protein expression than that with AA (P = 0.020). It also showed that SNP rs11064 was associated with advanced FIGO stage (P = 0.001), deep myometrial invasion (P = 0.047), and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.048) under the codominant model in ECs. CONCLUSIONS: SNP rs11064 in TNFAIP8 increased EC risk and significantly related with its protein expression in northern Chinese women.

Triticum aestivum heat shock protein 23.6 interacts with the coat protein of wheat yellow mosaic virus.

The role of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in viral replication has been described in numerous publications. Wheat yellow mosaic virus (WYMV) belongs to the genus Bymovirus (family Potyviridae), which causes yellow mosaic and dwarf symptoms in wheat (Triticum aestivum). In this study, the T. aestivum heat shock protein 23.6 (TaHSP23.6), which belongs to the small heat shock protein family, was shown to interact with the WYMV coat protein (CP) in a yeast two-hybrid screen. The co-localization and interaction between TaHSP23.6 and WYMV CP were additionally verified in Nicotiana benthamiana by co-localization assays and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC). Not only the transcription of TaHSP23.6 but also that of other HSP family members (TaHSP70, TaHSP90, and TaHSP101) was up-regulated in WYMV-infected leaves, as shown by semi-quantitative PCR assays. Interestingly, the expression levels of the T. aestivum heat stress transcription factor A2 (TaHSFA2) members were varied in response to WYMV infection. Thus, our results provide insights into the interaction between TaHSP23.6 and WYMV infection.

p15 encoded by Garlic virus X is a pathogenicity factor and RNA silencing suppressor.

Garlic virus X (GarVX) encodes a 15 kDa cysteine-rich protein (CRP). To investigate the function(s) of p15, its subcellular localization, role as a symptom determinant and capacity to act as a viral suppressor of RNA silencing (VSR) were analysed. Results showed that GFP-tagged p15 was distributed in the cytoplasm, nucleus and nucleolus. Expression of p15 from PVX caused additional systemic foliar malformation and led to increased accumulation of PVX, showing that p15 is a virulence factor for reconstructed PVX-p15. Moreover, using a transient agro-infiltration patch assay and a Turnip crinkle virus (TCV) movement complementation assay, it was demonstrated that p15 possesses weak RNA silencing suppressor activity. Removal of an amino acid motif resembling a nuclear localization signal (NLS) prevented p15 from accumulating in the nucleus but did not abolish its silencing suppression activity. This study provides the first insights into the multiple functions of the GarVX p15 protein.

Downregulation of INPP4B is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Epithelial Ovarian Carcinoma.

Background: INPP4B is a tyrosine-specific phosphatase in the human body, which plays an important role in the developing process of carcinogenesis. However, The correlation between INPP4B and epithelial ovarian cancer is rarely explored. In this study, the expression of INPP4B in human epithelial ovarian carcinoma and normal ovaries was detected, to explore the correlation between INPP4B expression and clinicopathological risk factors of epithelial ovarian carcinoma and to clarify its significance in the developing process of and prognosis of epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Methods: The expression of INPP4B in various tumors was detected by bioinformatics method, and the expression in epithelial ovarian cancer and normal control group was detected by Elisa. The immunohistochemical method was used in this experiment to analyze the expression of INPP4B in specimens of 100 cases of epithelial ovarian carcinoma and 20 cases of normal ovaries. Analysis of clinicopathological risk factors and related survival analysis was carried out on the expression of INPP4B in 100 cases of epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Results: The results showed that the positive expressed INPP4B protein in epithelial ovarian carcinoma was significantly less, compared with that in normal ovaries (P < 0.05). The expression of INPP4B was significantly associated with many clinicopathologic factors, such as tumor differentiation (P < 0.001), FIGO stage (P < 0.001), lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001) and distant metastasis at recurrence (P=0. 009), but not with age, pathologic type of tumor, serum CA125 at recurrence and chemotherapy sensitivity. Conclusion: In epithelial ovarian carcinoma, there is a downregulation of INPP4B expression, which may be related to poor tumor differentiation, late FIGO stage, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis at recurrence and insensitivity to chemotherapy. Under-expression of INPP4B, lymph node metastasis, FIGO stage, and distant metastasis at recurrence are factors of poor prognostic. The under-expression level of INPP4B may be involved in the progression of epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

CO2 utilization for methanol production: a review on the safety concerns and countermeasures.

The catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide is one of the important ways to achieve the goal of carbon neutralization, which can be further divided into electrocatalysis, thermal catalysis, and photocatalysis. Although photocatalysis and electrocatalysis have the advantages of mild reaction conditions and low energy consumption, the thermal catalytic conversion of CO2 has larger processing capacity, better reduction effect, and more complete industrial foundation, which is a promising technology in the future. During the development of new technology from laboratory to industrial application, ensuring the safety of production process is essential. In this work, safety optimization design of equipment, safety performance of catalysts, accident types, and their countermeasures in the industrial applications of CO2 to methanol are reviewed and discussed in depth. Based on that, future research demands for industrial process safety of CO2 to methanol were proposed, which provide guidance for the large-scale application of CO2 thermal catalytic conversion technology.

Phenotypic and genetic characteristics of 24 cases of early infantile epileptic encephalopathy in East China, including a rare case of biallelic UGDH mutations.

BACKGROUND: Early infantile epileptic encephalopathy (EIEE) is a group of highly heterogeneous diseases, both phenotypically and genetically. Usually, it starts early on and manifests as intractable epilepsy, abnormal electroencephalogram, and growth retardation/intellectual impairment. With the advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS), its genetic etiology has attracted increasing clinical attention. This study aimed to investigate the genetic characteristics and clinical phenotypes of patients with EIEE from a central hospital in Eastern China. METHODS: This study retrospectively included the gene variants from 24 EIEE-positive patients admitted between January 2021 and January 2022 to a hospital in Anhui Province, China. The genetic diagnosis was performed in all cases by trio-based whole-exome sequencing (WES). Additionally, Video electroencephalogram (VEEG) and neuroimaging examinations were performed. RESULTS: A total of 24 children were included. The average age at the first seizure was approximately 5 months. About 42% of children had developmental retardation of varying degrees, 43% had brain structural abnormalities, and 64% had VEEG abnormalities. In addition, other phenotypes, including endocrine metabolism and cardiac structural abnormalities, have been independently reported. In total, fifteen pathogenic gene variants were identified in 24 patients. The main pathogenic genes identified were SCN1A (25%, 6/24), KCNQ2 (8.3%, 2/24), and TBC1D24 (8.3%, 2/24). We also found an extremely rare case of EIEE84 type caused by biallelic UGDH gene variants, predicting that this variant might affect the stability of the protein structure. CONCLUSIONS: SCN1A pathogenic variants are the main factor leading to EIEE, similar to previously published cohort reports. NGS is useful for accurate clinical diagnoses and precise treatment choices. We also reported a rare case of EIEE84 caused by variants in the UGDH gene in a Chinese patient. This study further enriches the known spectrum of pathogenic EIEE genes.