Root branching under high salinity requires auxin-independent modulation of LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARY DOMAIN 16 function.

Salinity stress constrains lateral root (LR) growth and severely affects plant growth. Auxin signaling regulates LR formation, but the molecular mechanism by which salinity affects root auxin signaling and whether salt induces other pathways that regulate LR development remains unknown. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the auxin-regulated transcription factor LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARY DOMAIN 16 (LBD16) is an essential player in LR development under control conditions. Here, we show that under high-salt conditions, an alternative pathway regulates LBD16 expression. Salt represses auxin signaling but, in parallel, activates ZINC FINGER OF ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA 6 (ZAT6), a transcriptional activator of LBD16. ZAT6 activates LBD16 expression, thus contributing to downstream cell wall remodeling and promoting LR development under high-salt conditions. Our study thus shows that the integration of auxin-dependent repressive and salt-activated auxin-independent pathways converging on LBD16 modulates root branching under high-salt conditions.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals tumor heterogeneity, microenvironment, and drug-resistance mechanisms of recurrent glioblastoma.

Glioblastomas are highly heterogeneous brain tumors. Despite the availability of standard treatment for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), i.e., Stupp protocol, which involves surgical resection followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, glioblastoma remains refractory to treatment and recurrence is inevitable. Moreover, the biology of recurrent glioblastoma remains unclear. Increasing evidence has shown that intratumoral heterogeneity and the tumor microenvironment contribute to therapeutic resistance. However, the interaction between intracellular heterogeneity and drug resistance in recurrent GBMs remains controversial. The aim of this study was to map the transcriptome landscape of cancer cells and the tumor heterogeneity and tumor microenvironment in recurrent and drug-resistant GBMs at a single-cell resolution and further explore the mechanism of drug resistance of GBMs. We analyzed six tumor tissue samples from three patients with primary GBM and three patients with recurrent GBM in which recurrence and drug resistance developed after treatment with the standard Stupp protocol using single-cell RNA sequencing. Using unbiased clustering, nine major cell clusters were identified. Upregulation of the expression of stemness-related and cell-cycle-related genes was observed in recurrent GBM cells. Compared with the initial GBM tissues, recurrent GBM tissues showed a decreased proportion of microglia, consistent with previous reports. Finally, vascular endothelial growth factor A expression and the blood-brain barrier permeability were high, and the O6 -methylguanine DNA methyltransferase-related signaling pathway was activated in recurrent GBM. Our results delineate the single-cell map of recurrent glioblastoma, tumor heterogeneity, tumor microenvironment, and drug-resistance mechanisms, providing new insights into treatment strategies for recurrent glioblastomas.

Engineered Bifunctional Luminescent Pillared-Layer Frameworks for Adsorption of CO2 and Sensitive Detection of Nitrobenzene in Aqueous Media.

Through a dual-ligand synthetic approach, five isoreticular primitive cubic (pcu)-type pillared-layer metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), [Zn2 (dicarboxylate)2 (NI-bpy-44)]⋅x DMF⋅y H2 O, in which dicarboxylate=1,4-bdc (1), Br-1,4-bdc (2), NH2 -1,4-bdc (3), 2,6-ndc (4), and bpdc (5), have been engineered. MOFs 1-5 feature twofold degrees of interpenetration and have open pores of 27.0, 33.6, 36.8, 52.5, and 62.1 %, respectively. Nitrogen adsorption isotherms of activated MOFs 1'-5' at 77 K all displayed type I adsorption behavior, suggesting their microporous nature. Although 1' and 3'-5' exhibited type I adsorption isotherms of CO2 at 195 K, MOF 2' showed a two-step gate-opening sorption isotherm of CO2 . Furthermore, MOF 3' also had a significant influence of amine functions on CO2 uptake at high temperature due to the CO2 -framework interactions. MOFs 1-5 revealed solvent-dependent fluorescence properties; their strong blue-light emissions in aqueous suspensions were efficiently quenched by trace amounts of nitrobenzene (NB), with limits of detection of 4.54, 5.73, 1.88, 2.30, and 2.26 µm, respectively, and Stern-Volmer quenching constants (Ksv ) of 2.93×103 , 1.79×103 , 3.78×103 , 4.04×103 , and 3.21×103 m-1 , respectively. Of particular note, the NB-included framework, NB@3, provided direct evidence of the binding sites, which showed strong host-guest π-π and hydrogen-bonding interactions beneficial for donor-acceptor electron transfer and resulting in fluorescence quenching.

Insect flight velocity measurement with a CW near-IR Scheimpflug lidar system.

Flight velocity measurement is an important aspect of insect research that can aid insect identification and facilitate studies and monitoring of insect movements. We propose a novel scheme for the 1-D flight velocity measurement of insects, based on a near-IR Scheimpflug lidar system. We implement this new technique and apply it to study insects at the Salter Research Farm, Robertson County, Texas. The resolution property perpendicular to the probing direction of the Scheimpflug lidar system is explored and reveals the capability of retrieving the velocity component normal to the probing direction of insects passing through the field of view of our system. We observe a shift in wingbeat frequency, which indicates the presence of new insect species during the multi-day measurement. The study on 1-D flight velocity reveals a net directional movement of insects, providing supportive evidence of the arrival of a new species.

Analysis of differentially expressed circular RNAs in endothelial cells under impinging flow.

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a special type of non-coding RNA. To elucidate the relationship between hemodynamics and the function of circRNAs in endothelial cells (ECs), a modified T chamber system was designed and produced for the present experiment. This T chamber system can be used to simulate the hemodynamic environment at the bifurcation of the arteries. METHODS: Normal ECs cultured on glass slides were placed in the T chamber, the cell layer was impacted at a flow rate of 500 mL/min, and high-throughput microarrays were used to analyze the expression profiles of circRNAs in ECs. The differential expressions of circRNAs in the ECs treated with impinging flow were compared to those in ECs in conventional culture conditions. The characteristics of the differentially expressed circRNAs were analyzed with bioinformatics and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analyses were conducted to verify results. RESULTS: Compared to normal samples, there were changes in the expressions of many circRNAs. A total of 974 circRNAs were differentially expressed, and of these, 378 were upregulated and 596 were downregulated (fold change [FC] ≥ 2 and P < 0.05), which suggests that these circRNAs were altered under hemodynamic conditions. CONCLUSIONS: We present the differential expression profiles of circRNAs in ECs after the application of impinging flow; our results indicate that these differentially expressed circRNAs may be involved in inflammatory responses and damage in ECs. The present findings provide valuable information on cRNA profiles as well as clues for future studies that will investigate the roles that circRNAs play in ECs after inflammatory injury.

Optical characterization of Chinese hybrid rice using laser-induced fluorescence techniques-laboratory and remote-sensing measurements: publisher's note.

This publisher's note corrects the author listing and a figure caption in Appl. Opt.57, 3481 (2018)APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.57.003481.

Optical characterization of Chinese hybrid rice using laser-induced fluorescence techniques-laboratory and remote-sensing measurements.

Chinese hybrid rice of different varieties, growing in paddies in the Pingqiao district, north of Xinyang city, Henan province, China, was studied in detailed spectroscopic characteristics using laser-induced fluorescence. The base for the studies was the new South China Normal University mobile lidar laboratory, which was dispatched on site, providing facilities both for laboratory studies using a 405 nm excitation source as well as remote sensing measurements at ranges from around 40 m-120 m, mostly employing the 532 nm output from a Nd:YAG laser. We, in particular, studied the spectral influence of the species varieties as well as the level of nitrogen fertilization supplied. Specially developed contrast functions as well as multivariate techniques with principal components and Fisher's discriminate analyses were applied, and useful characterization of the rice could be achieved. The chlorophyll content mapping of the 30 zones was obtained with the remote sensing measurements.

Laser spectroscopy applied to environmental, ecological, food safety, and biomedical research.

Laser spectroscopy provides many possibilities for multi-disciplinary applications in environmental monitoring, in the ecological field, for food safety investigations, and in biomedicine. The paper gives several examples of the power of multi-disciplinary applications of laser spectroscopy as pursued in our research group. The studies utilize mostly similar and widely applicable spectroscopic approaches. Air pollution and vegetation monitoring by lidar techniques, as well as agricultural pest insect monitoring and classification by elastic scattering and fluorescence spectroscopy are described. Biomedical aspects include food safety applications and medical diagnostics of sinusitis and otitis, with strong connection to the abatement of antibiotics resistance development.

Reflectance and fluorescence characterization of maize species using field laboratory measurements and lidar remote sensing.

Laser-induced fluorescence is an important technique to study photosynthesis and plants. Information on chlorophyll and other pigments can be obtained. We have been using a mobile laboratory in a Chinese experimental farm setting to study maize (Zea mays L.) leaves by reflectance and fluorescence measurements and correlated the spectroscopic signals to the amount of fertilizer supplied. Further, we studied five different species of maize using the remote monitoring of the fluorescence signatures obtained with the same mobile laboratory, but now in a laser radar remote-sensing configuration. The system separation from the target area was 50 m, and 355 nm pulsed excitation using the frequency-tripled output from an Nd:YAG laser was employed. Principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis were combined to identify the different maize species using their fluorescence spectra. Likewise, the spectral signatures in reflectance and fluorescence frequently allowed us to separate different fertilizer levels applied to plants of the same species.

Radix puerariae extracts ameliorate paraquat-induced pulmonary fibrosis by attenuating follistatin-like 1 and nuclear factor erythroid 2p45-related factor-2 signalling pathways through downregulation of miRNA-21 expression.

BACKGROUND: Puerarin, extracted from Radix puerariae, was reported to ameliorate airway inflammation, lung injury and lung fibrosis induced by paraquat (PQ) in mice. However, effects of Radix puerariae extracts (RPEs) on lung fibrosis or signalling pathways in PQ-induced lung injury have not been well studied. Therefore, the goals of our study were to investigate whether Radix puerariae extracts are antifibrotic in a paraquat (PQ) induced lung fibrosis model in mice and to propose possible mechanisms of action of the RPE effects. METHODS: We used a long-term exposure model of PQ-induced lung fibrosis in mice to evaluate effects of antioxidant-containing RPE. We examined effects of miR-21 on follistatin-like 1 (Fstl 1) pathways and oxidative stress in the lung. Gene expression levels of miR-21, Fstl 1, transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), collagen-1 and collagen III were measured by real-time PCR. Protein expression levels of Fstl 1(FSTL1), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), nuclear factor erythroid 2p45-related factor-2 (Nrf2), Smad2/3, p38MAPK, nuclear factor-κB 65 (NF-κB65), and matrix metalloproteinase-9 were detected by western blotting. FSTL1 andalpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in lung tissue were detected by immunohistochemistry. Malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced (GSH) and oxidised (GSSH) glutathione and reactive oxygen species levels, hydroxyproline and total lung collagen were also determined. RESULTS: Long-term challenge with PQ enhanced miRNA-21 (miR-21), Fstl 1 pathways, oxidative stress and development of fibrotic features in the lungs. RPE reduced features of lung fibrosis by blocking Fstl 1 pathways and oxidative stress through decreased miR-21 expression. This was accompanied by suppression of CTGF, TGF-ß1, vascular endothelial growth factor, collagen I, and collagen III. In addition, PQ-induced activation of NF-κB, Nrf2 and α-SMA were enhanced by puerarin. We also found that puerarin increased HO-1, SOD and GSH levels. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrated that RPEs blocked PQ-induced Fstl 1 pathways and oxidative stress by inhibiting miR-21 expression, leading to attenuation of PQ-induced lung fibrosis.

Insights into the Dynamic Succession of Microbial Community and Related Factors of Vanillin Content Change Based by High-Throughput Sequencing and Daqu Quality Drivers.

Daqu is an important saccharifying starter in the fermentation of Nongxiangxing Baijiu in China. Vanillin is a health and flavor factor in Baijiu. However, only a few research studies on the vanillin content of Daqu are currently not systematic. In order to investigate the metabolic mechanism of vanillin in the fermentation process of Daqu, we analyzed the changes in microorganisms, influencing factors, and enzymes related to vanillin in Daqu. This research found that there were differences between bacterial and fungal genera in each sample, and the abundance of bacteria was greater than that of fungi. Among the microbial genera, Klebsiella, Escherichia, Acinetobacter, Saccharopolyspora, Aerococcus, and Puccinia were positively correlated with vanillin. Meanwhile, we also found that moisture and reducing sugar were the main physicochemical factors affecting the formation of vanillin. The functional annotation results indicate that carbohydrate metabolism and energy metabolism were important microbial metabolic pathways that impacted vanillin production in solid-state fermentation. The feruloyl-CoA hydratase/lyase (EC 4.1.2.61) and acylamidase (EC 3.5.1.4) were positively correlated with vanillin content (p ≤ 0.05) and promote the increase in vanillin content. These findings contribute to furthering our understanding of the functional microorganisms, physicochemical factors, and enzymes related to the change in vanillin content during the fermentation of Daqu and can help to further explore the flavor substances in Baijiu fermentation in the future.

Optical multiband polarimetric modulation sensing for gender and species identification of flying native solitary pollinators.

Native pollinators are crucial to local ecosystems but are under threat with the introduction of managed pollinators, e.g., honeybees (Apis mellifera). We explored the feasibility of employing the entomological lidar technique in native pollinator abundance studies. This study included individuals of both genders of three common solitary bee species, Osmia californica, Osmia lignaria, and Osmia ribifloris, native to North America. Properties including optical cross-section, degree of linear polarization, and wingbeat power spectra at all three wavelengths have been extracted from the insect signals collected by a compact stand-off sensing system. These properties are then used in the classification analysis. For species with temporal and spatial overlapping, the highest accuracies of our method exceed 96% (O. ribifloris & O. lignaria) and 93% (O. lignaria & O. californica). The benefit of employing the seasonal activity and foraging preference information in enhancing identification accuracy has been emphasized.

Management and Prognosis of Snake Envenomation Among Pediatric Patients: A National Database Study.

Background: Snakebites constitute a common medical emergency in tropical and subtropical regions. Pediatric snake envenomation is a special category that has not been well studied. This study investigated the management and prognostic factors of snake envenomation in children using a Taiwanese national database. Methods: This observational study used the National Health Insurance database of all pediatric snake envenomation patients treated from 2005 to 2009. Patients' demographic data, antivenom types and doses, medical and surgical interventions, and prognostic variables were collected. Comparisons were made according to the envenomation types, age groups, and whether the patients were hospitalized using univariate and multivariate methods. Results: A total of 106 patients' data were collected. Of the patients, 73 (68.9%) were male, 62 (58.5%) were under the age of 12, 69 (65.1%) received intravenous (IV) antibiotic treatment, 38 (35.9%) were hospitalized, 5 (4.72%) required surgical intervention, and none died. Compared with non-hospitalized patients, the patients who required hospitalization were more likely to have suffered hemorrhagic envenomation ( p = 0.035), receive IV antibiotic treatment ( p = 0.0078), and require surgical intervention ( p = 0.005). In the multivariate analysis, hemorrhagic envenomation was an independent predictor for hospitalization (odds ratio: 3.47, 95% confidence interval: 1.18-10.21) after adjusting for other covariates. No significant differences were observed between age groups in total antivenom usage ( p = 0.2880), IV antibiotic usage ( p = 0.3190), hospitalization ( p = 0.3988), and surgical intervention ( p = 0.1874). Conclusions: In this Taiwanese population-based national database study, antivenom treatment of pediatric snakebite patients resulted in zero mortality and a low surgical intervention rate. Patients with hemorrhagic envenomation were associated with a higher probability of hospitalization.

[Surgical management of petroclival meningiomas invading into cavernous sinus].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical features, surgical strategy and management outcomes of petroclival meningioma invading into cavernous sinus. METHODS: Fifteen cases with petroclival meningioma invading into cavernous sinus were retrospectively analyzed. The presigmoidal approach was selected to remove tumors. The surgical strategy for tumor in cavernous sinus was partial resection combined with radiosurgery. Postoperative cranial nerve function and patient survival status were analyzed. RESULTS: The main symptoms of subtype of petroclival meningiomas were headache, abducens nerve palsy and trigeminal neuropathy. Gross total tumor removal was achieved in 13 cases and more than 90% resection in 2 cases. There was no operative death. Nine cases suffered from new postoperative cranial nerve deficits. After a follow-up of 6 - 59 months, complete improvement was achieved in oculomotor nerve deficits, much improvement in VII nerve deficit, but V and VI nerve function deficits improved slightly. The tumor progression-free survival rate was 86.7%. CONCLUSION: Rational surgical strategy to petroclival meningiomas invading into cavernous sinus should be suggested to reduce the operative morbidity and improve the survival quality of these patients.

MSC-derived exosomal miR-34a/c-5p and miR-29b-3p improve intestinal barrier function by targeting the Snail/Claudins signaling pathway.

AIMS: Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived exosomes (MSCs-exos) regulate biological functions in different diseases, such as liver fibrosis, diabetes, and ischaemic heart injury. However, the function of MSC-derived exosomes on the intestinal barrier and the underlying mechanisms are poorly characterized. MAIN METHODS: The expression of miR-34a/c-5p, miR-29b-3p and Claudin-3 in human normal intestinal tissues and damaged intestinal tissues was evaluated by RT-qPCR. The effect of MSC-secreted exosomes on Claudins in Caco-2 cells was measured by using confocal microscopy, RT-qPCR and Western blot. Dual luciferase reporter assays and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were performed to study the interaction between miR-34a/c-5p, miR-29b-3p and Snail. I/R-induced intestinal damage in rats was used to determine the in vivo effect of MSC-exos on intestinal barrier function. KEY FINDINGS: In this study, we found that miR-34a/c-5p, miR-29b-3p and Claudin-3 were downregulated in damaged human intestinal tissues. MSC-exos increased the expression of Claudin-3, Claudin-2 and ZO-1 in Caco-2 cells. Further studies demonstrated that MSC-exos promoted Claudin-3, Claudin-2 and ZO-1 expression in Caco-2 cells by Snail, which was targeted by miR-34a/c-5p and miR-29b-3p. In vivo experiments showed that MSC-derived exosomes could improve I/R-induced intestinal damage through the Snail/Claudins signaling pathway. SIGNIFICANCE: The findings here suggest a novel molecular basis for the therapy of intestinal barrier dysfunction.

Mercury as a Geophysical Tracer Gas - Emissions from the Emperor Qin Tomb in Xi´an Studied by Laser Radar.

Mercury is, because of its high vapor pressure and its prevalence in the atmosphere as atoms, an interesting geophysical tracer gas, also with potential archaeological applications. According to historical records dating back 2200 years, the mausoleum chamber of the "Terracotta Army Emperor" Qin in Xi´an, China, contains large amounts of liquid mercury, considered as an elixir of life at the time. We here report on measurements of the atmospheric contents of atomic mercury above the tomb mound performed with a mobile differential absorption lidar (light detection and ranging) system. Our measurements, which were performed from three different locations around the mound, indeed indicate elevated atmospheric mercury levels, with localizations, which correlate with previous in situ soil sampling results. Concentrations up to 27 ng/m3 were observed, significantly higher than the typical general pollutant level in the area which was found to be around 5-10 ng/m3. An out-flux of about 5×10-8 kg/s was estimated. Highly volatile mercury may be escaping through cracks, which developed in the structure over time, and our investigation supports ancient chronicle records on the tomb, which is believed never to have been opened/looted. Our findings also have bearings on the proposed use of mercury as a tracer gas for valuable ores and geothermal resource exploration, and also bring problematics around reliable nuclear waste long-term underground storage to mind.

A Meta-Analysis of Risk Factors for the Formation of de novo Intracranial Aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the risk factors for the formation of de novo intracranial aneurysms (IAs) is important for patients who have ever suffered a cerebral aneurysm. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the risk factors for the development of a de novo IA to identify which patients need more aggressive surveillance after aneurysm treatment. METHODS: We followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines and searched the PubMed, CENTRAL, EMBASE, and LILACS databases using the key words cerebral aneurysms, de novo, IAs, risk factors combined using and/or. The search was performed in July 2017.We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using RevMan 5.3 (Cochrane, London, United Kingdom) to evaluate risk factors. Statistical significance was set at P < .05. RESULTS: The analysis included 14 studies involving 6389 patients, of whom 197 patients had de novo IAs. The main risk factors for formation included sex (OR = 1.82, 95% CI [1.30,2.56], P = .0005, female vs male), age <40 yr (OR = 2.96, 95% CI [1.76,4.96], P < .0001), family history (OR = 2.05, 95% CI [1.07,3.93], P = .03), smoking history (OR = 2.73, 95% CI [1.81,4.12], P < .0001), and multiple saccular intracranial aneurysms (sIAs) at first diagnosis (OR = 2.10, 95% CI [1.12,3.91], P = .02), internal carotid artery (ICA) as the initial site (OR = 2.58, 95% CI [1.43,4.68], P = .002). Heterogeneous analysis showed that these I2 were less than 50% and the results were reliable. CONCLUSION: Observational evidence identified multiple clinical and anatomic risk factors for the formation of de novo IAs, including female sex, age <40 yr, family history, smoking history, multiple sIAs at first diagnosis, and IC as the initial site. More aggressive long-term angiographic follow-up with digital subtraction angiography, computed tomography angiography, or magnetic resonance angiography is recommended for these patients.

Vis/NIR reflectance spectroscopy for hybrid rice variety identification and chlorophyll content evaluation for different nitrogen fertilizer levels.

Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrient indicators for the growth of crops, and is closely related to the chlorophyll content of leaves and thus influences the photosynthetic ability of the crops. In this study, five hybrid rice varieties were cultivated during one entire growing period in one experimental field supplied with six nitrogen fertilizer levels. Visible and near infrared (vis/NIR) reflectance spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis was used to identify hybrid rice varieties and nitrogen fertilizer levels, as well as to detect chlorophyll content associated with nitrogen levels. The support vector machine (SVM) algorithm was applied to identify five varieties of hybrid rice and six levels of nitrogen fertilizer. The results demonstrated that different varieties of hybrid rice for each nitrogen level can be well distinguished except for the highest nitrogen level, and no nitrogen level for each rice variety can be completely identified from the other five nitrogen levels. Further, 12 spectral indices combined with partial least square (PLS) analysis were applied for estimating chlorophyll content of rice leaves from plants subjected to different nitrogen levels, and a root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) of 0.506, a coefficient of determination (R 2) of 97.8% and a ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) of 4.6 for all rice varieties indicated this as a preferable procedure. This study demonstrates that Vis/NIR spectroscopy can have a great potential for identification of rice varieties and evaluation of nitrogen fertilizer levels.

Microsatellite-centromere mapping in large yellow croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea) using gynogenetic diploid families.

The large yellow croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea) is an economically important marine fish in China. Inheritance of 22 heterozygous microsatellite loci was examined in normal crossed diploid families and meio-gynogenetic families in P. crocea. Two gynogenetic families were produced via inhibition of the second polar body in eggs fertilized with UV-irradiated sperm. The ratio of gynogenesis was proven to be 100% and 96.9% in the two families, respectively. Of the 22 examined loci, 4 showed a segregation distortion in both control and gynogenetic families. Microsatellite-centromere (M-C) map distances were examined using 18 loci with normal Mendelian segregation. Estimated recombination rates ranged between 0 and 1.0 under the assumption of complete interference. High recombinant frequencies between heterozygous markers and the centromere were found in large yellow croaker, as in other teleosts. The average recombination frequency was 0.586. Ten loci showed high M-C recombination with frequency greater than 0.67. M-C distances provide useful information for gene mapping in large yellow croaker.