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Photo-responsive materials have garnered significant interest for their ability to react to non-contact stimuli, though achieving self-healing under gentle conditions remains an elusive goal. In this research, an innovative and straightforward approach for synthesizing silicone elastomers is proposed that not only self-heal at room temperature but also possess unique photochromic properties and adjustable mechanical strength, along with being both transparent and reprocessable. Initially, aldehyde-bifunctional dithiophene-ethylene molecules with dialdehyde groups (DTEM) and isocyanurate (IPDI) is introduced into the aminopropyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (H2N-PDMS-NH2) matrix. Subsequently, palladium is incorporated to enhance coordination within the matrix. These silicone elastomers transition to a blue state under 254 nm UV light and revert to transparency under 580 nm light. Remarkably, they demonstrate excellent thermal stability at temperatures up to 100 °C and show superior fatigue resistance. The optical switching capabilities of the silicone elastomers significantly affect both their mechanical characteristics and self-healing abilities. Notably, the PDMS-DTEM-IPDI-@Pd silicone elastomer, featuring closed-loop photo-switching molecules, exhibits a fracture toughness that is 1.3 times greater and a room temperature self-healing efficiency 1.4 times higher than its open-loop counterparts. This novel photo-responsive silicone elastomer offers promising potential for applications in data writing and erasure, UV protective coatings, and micro-trace development.
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INTRODUCTION: Reduced doses of emicizumab improve the affordability among patients in developing countries. However, the relationship between variant dose selection and efficacy in the real world of China is still unclear. AIM: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of emicizumab especially in those on reduced dose regimens in a real-world setting. METHODS: We carried out a multicentre study from 28 hospitals between June 2019 and June 2023 in China and retrospectively analysed the characteristics including demographics, diagnosis, treatment, bleeding episodes, and surgical procedures. RESULTS: In total, 127 patients with haemophilia A, including 42 with inhibitors, were followed for a median duration of 16.0 (IQR: 9.0-30.0) months. Median age at emicizumab initiation was 2.0 (IQR: 1.0-4.0) years. Median (IQR) consumption for loading and maintenance was 12.0 (8.0-12.0) and 4.2 (3.0-6.0) mg/kg/4 weeks, respectively. While on emicizumab, 67 (52.8%) patients had no bleeds, whereas 60 (47.2%) patients had any bleeds, including 26 with treated bleeds. Compared to previous treatments, patients on emicizumab had significantly decreased annualized bleeding rate, annualized joint bleeding rate, target joints and intracerebral haemorrhage. Different dosages had similar efficacy except the proportion of patients with treated spontaneous bleeds and target joints. Adverse events were reported in 12 (9.4%) patients. Postoperative excessive bleeding occurred following two of nine procedures. CONCLUSION: This is the largest study describing patients with HA receiving emicizumab prophylaxis on variant dose regimens in China. We confirmed that nonstandard dose is efficacious and can be considered where full-dose emicizumab is ill affordable.
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Anticuerpos Biespecíficos , Anticuerpos Monoclonales Humanizados , Hemofilia A , Humanos , Anticuerpos Biespecíficos/uso terapéutico , Anticuerpos Biespecíficos/farmacología , Anticuerpos Monoclonales Humanizados/uso terapéutico , China , Hemofilia A/tratamiento farmacológico , Masculino , Estudios Retrospectivos , Preescolar , Femenino , Resultado del Tratamiento , Lactante , Hemorragia , Niño , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a DrogaRESUMEN
Phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinases (PIP5Ks), essential enzymes in the phosphatidylinositol signaling pathway, are crucial for the abiotic stress responses and the overall growth and development of plants. However, the GhPIP5Ks had not been systematically studied, and their function in upland cotton was unknown. This study identified a total of 28 GhPIP5Ks, and determined their chromosomal locations, gene structures, protein motifs and cis-acting elements via bioinformatics analysis. A quantitative real-time PCR (qRTâPCR) analysis showed that most GhPIP5Ks were upregulated under different stresses. A virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) assay indicated that the superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) activities were significantly decreased, while malondialdehyde (MDA) content were significantly increased in GhPIP5K2- and GhPIP5K22-silenced upland cotton plants under abiotic stress. Furthermore, the expression of the stress marker genes GhHSFB2A, GhHSFB2B, GhDREB2A, GhDREB2C, GhRD20-1, GhRD29A, GhBIN2, GhCBL3, GhNHX1, GhPP2C, GhCBF1, GhSnRK2.6 and GhCIPK6 was significantly decreased in the silenced plants after exposure to stress. These results revealed that the silencing of GhPIP5K2 and GhPIP5K22 weakened the tolerance to abiotic stresses. These discoveries provide a foundation for further inquiry into the actions of the GhPIP5K gene family in regulating the response and resistance mechanisms of cotton to abiotic stresses.
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Gossypium , Estrés Fisiológico , Gossypium/metabolismo , Estrés Fisiológico/genética , Secuencias Reguladoras de Ácidos Nucleicos , Transducción de Señal , Biología Computacional , Regulación de la Expresión Génica de las Plantas , Proteínas de Plantas/genética , Proteínas de Plantas/metabolismo , FilogeniaRESUMEN
Clinical progress in the treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is hindered by the poor understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie secondary brain injury (SBI). USP30, a mitochondrial deubiquitinase, has been implicated in the pathological progress of various diseases. However, the precise role of USP30 in TBI-induced SBI remains unclear. In this study, we found that USP30 was differentially upregulated after TBI in humans and mice. Immunofluorescence staining further revealed that the enhanced USP30 mainly localized in neurons. Neuron-specific knockout of USP30 reduced lesion volumes, mitigated brain edema, and attenuated neurological deficits after TBI in mice. Additionally, we found that USP30 deficiency effectively suppressed oxidative stress and neuronal apoptosis in TBI. Those protective effects of USP30 loss may be attributed, at least partially, to the reduction of TBI-induced impairment of mitochondrial quality control, including mitochondrial dynamics, function, and mitophagy. Collectively, our findings identify a previously undisclosed role of USP30 in the pathophysiology of TBI and lay a preliminary foundation for future research in this field.
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Lesiones Traumáticas del Encéfalo , Humanos , Ratones , Animales , Mitocondrias/metabolismo , Estrés Oxidativo , Apoptosis , Mitofagia/fisiologíaRESUMEN
Exploration of high-performance photoanodes is considered as an essential challenge in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting due to the complex four-electron reaction in water oxidation. Herein, the nano-structured WO3-Se heterojunction decorated by organic Nafion layer is designed. The optimized WO3-Se200-0.05Nafion photoanode shows a remarkable photocurrent of 1.40 mA cm-2at 1.23 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, which is 2.5-fold higher than that of pure WO3nanosheets (WO3NS) photoelectrode. Remarkably, the photocurrent increments of WO3-Se200-0.05Nafion is larger than the increment sum of WO3-Se200 and WO3-0.05Nafion, which affirming the synergistic effect of Se nanospheres and Nafion layer. The improved PEC performances are attributed to the quick charge separation and transfer, the increased electric conductivity, and the excellent kinetics of oxygen evolution, which is derived from the strong interaction among WO3, Se and Nafion. Meanwhile, the better visible-light harvesting from Se nanospheres as photosensitizer and the induction of transparent Nafion as a passivation layer can explain this synergy. It hopes this heterostructure design with organic Nafion decoration can inspire to exploit outstanding performance photoanodes for PEC water splitting.
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The CRISPR/Cas9 system has been harnessed to cleave a targeted DNA fragment via its Cas nuclease activity under the direction of guide RNA for rendering gene insertions, deletions, and point mutations in basic research and clinical applications. There are a number of vehicles, including lipofectamine, viruses, and nanoparticles, that can deliver the CRISPR/Cas9 system, but all these methods face numerous challenges during their application in life science contexts. Here, we focus on the delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 via nanoparticles because this method has shown great advantages in terms of safety, simplicity and flexibility.
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Edición Génica , Nanopartículas , Sistemas CRISPR-Cas/genética , Técnicas de Transferencia de Gen , ARN Guía de Kinetoplastida/genéticaRESUMEN
PURPOSE: Congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) is a major cause of obstructive azoospermia and male factor infertility. CBAVD is mainly caused by mutations in the genes encoding CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) and ADGRG2 (adhesion G protein-coupled receptor G2). This study aimed to describe CFTR and ADGRG2 variations in 46 Chinese CBAVD patients and evaluated sperm retrieval and assisted reproductive technology outcomes. METHODS: The CFTR and ADGRG2 genes were sequenced and analyzed by whole-exome sequencing (WES), and variations were identified by Sanger sequencing. Bioinformatic analysis was performed. We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of patients undergoing sperm retrieval surgery and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). RESULTS: In total, 35 of 46 (76.09%) patients carried at least one variation in CFTR, but no copy number variants or ADGRG2 variations were found. In addition to the IVS9-5 T allele, there were 27 CFTR variations, of which 4 variations were novel and predicted to be damaging by bioinformatics. Spermatozoa were successfully retrachieved in 46 patients, and 39 of the patients had their own offspring through ICSI. CONCLUSION: There are no obvious hotspot CFTR mutations in Chinese CBAVD patients besides the IVS9-5 T allele. Therefore, WES might be the best detection method, and genetic counseling should be different from that provided to Caucasian populations. After proper counseling, all patients can undergo sperm retrieval from their epididymis or testis, and most of them can have their own children through ICSI.
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Infertilidad Masculina , Enfermedades Urogenitales Masculinas , Niño , China , Regulador de Conductancia de Transmembrana de Fibrosis Quística/genética , Humanos , Infertilidad Masculina/genética , Masculino , Enfermedades Urogenitales Masculinas/genética , Mutación/genética , Estudios Retrospectivos , Inyecciones de Esperma Intracitoplasmáticas , Conducto Deferente/anomalíasRESUMEN
Defect passivation via post-treatment of perovskite films is an effective method to fabricate high-performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the passivation durability is still an issue due to the weak and vulnerable bonding between passivating functional groups and perovskite defect sites. Here we propose a cholesterol derivative self-assembly strategy to construct crosslinked and compact membranes throughout perovskite films. These supramolecular membranes act as a robust protection layer against harsh operational conditions while providing effective passivation of defects from surface toward inner grain boundaries. The resultant PSCs exhibit a power conversion efficiency of 23.34 % with an impressive open-circuit voltage of 1.164â eV. The unencapsulated devices retain 92 % of their initial efficiencies after 1600â h of storage under ambient conditions, and remain almost unchanged after heating at 85 °C for 500â h in a nitrogen atmosphere, showing significantly improved stability.
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The development of activatable photosensitizers to allow for the reversible control of singlet oxygen (1O2) production for photodynamic therapy (PDT) faces great challenges. Fortunately, the flourishing field of supramolecular biotechnology provides more effective strategies for activatable PDT systems. Here, we developed a new reversible PDT on a switch that controls the 1O2 generation of self-assembled albumin nanotheranostics in vitro and in vivo. A new molecular design principle of aggregation-induced self-quenching photochromism and albumin on-photoswitching was demonstrated using a new asymmetric, synthetic diarylethene moiety DIA. The photosensitizer porphyrin and DIA were incorporated as building blocks in a glutaraldehyde-induced covalent albumin cross-linking nanoplatform, HSA-DIA-porphyrin nanoparticles (NPs). More importantly, the excellent photoswitching property of DIA enables the resultant nanoplatform to act as a facile, switchable strategy for photodynamic-immunotherapy.
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Albúminas/metabolismo , Hidrocarburos Aromáticos/química , Hidrocarburos Aromáticos/farmacología , Inmunoterapia/métodos , Fotoquimioterapia/métodos , Oxígeno Singlete/metabolismo , Línea Celular Tumoral , Humanos , Hidrocarburos Aromáticos/metabolismoRESUMEN
The results of numerous studies have led to the development of supramolecular (assembled) organic substances for use in biomedical imaging as part of comprehensive approaches to the diagnosis of diseases. This review summarizes recent advances that have been made in the design and fabrication of assembled organic dyes for fluorescence and photoacoustic bioimaging.
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Fluorescencia , Colorantes Fluorescentes/química , Neoplasias/diagnóstico por imagen , Compuestos Orgánicos/química , Técnicas Fotoacústicas , Trombosis/diagnóstico por imagen , Animales , Colorantes Fluorescentes/síntesis química , Humanos , Compuestos Orgánicos/síntesis químicaRESUMEN
In this investigation, a new terpyridine metal complex was developed as a probe for selective detection of ATP and imaging of melanoma cells. The probe takes advantage of the ability of the metal complex to be transformed to its imaging competent turn-on state through assembly with ATP.
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Adenosina Trifosfato/análisis , Complejos de Coordinación/química , Colorantes Fluorescentes/química , Melanoma/diagnóstico por imagen , Piridinas/química , Línea Celular Tumoral , Humanos , Modelos Moleculares , Imagen Óptica/métodosRESUMEN
Oocytes are extremely sensitive to radiation and chemotherapy, and premature ovarian failure (POF) is one of the side effects of anti-tumor therapy. The pathogenesis of POF is very complex and still not fully elucidated. A mouse POF model was established after 14 days of cyclophosphamide injection. POF mice presented ovarian atrophy, destroyed follicular structure, a reduction in the number of primordial and mature follicles, and an decrease in the number of corpora luteal along with increased level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), decreased levels of estradiol (E2), and anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH). Additionally, the proportion of bone marrow myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in peripheral blood, spleen, and ovarian tissue increased. MDSCs were mainly distributed around follicles and corpora luteal. Levels of mTOR and p-mTOR increased in ovarian tissue and inhibition of mTOR with rapamycin reduced the aggregation of MDSCs in peripheral blood, spleen, and ovarian tissue. This investigation sheds new light on the modulatory role of mTOR and demonstrates that an increase in MDSC number may play a key role in the pathological reaction during POF. Inhibition of mTOR and reduction of MDSCs in the ovary may represent a novel strategy for the treatment of POF.
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Células Supresoras de Origen Mieloide/efectos de los fármacos , Ovario/efectos de los fármacos , Ovario/patología , Insuficiencia Ovárica Primaria/inducido químicamente , Serina-Treonina Quinasas TOR/metabolismo , Animales , Agregación Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Ciclofosfamida , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Femenino , Ovario/metabolismo , Insuficiencia Ovárica Primaria/metabolismo , Insuficiencia Ovárica Primaria/patología , Pérdida de PesoRESUMEN
Stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) is a transmembrane endoplasmic reticulum protein, and it serves as a Ca2+ sensor and activator of store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). We have previously identified STIM1 in the proteome profile of mice neonatal testes, revealing STIM1 to be associated with neonatal testicular development. Here, to further explore the location and function of STIM1 in mice testes, we studied the effect of Stim1 gene knockdown on neonatal testicular development by testicular culture. Our results revealed that STIM1 was primarily located in Sertoli cells. Knockdown of Stim1 gene using morpholino in neonatal testis caused the mislocation of Sertoli cells and loss of germ cells, which were associated with the aberrant reactive oxygen species (ROS) activation, while inhibition of ROS could partly rescue the phenotypes caused by Stim1 gene knockdown. In conclusion, our study suggests that STIM1 can maintain neonatal testicular development by inhibiting ROS activation.
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Molécula de Interacción Estromal 1/metabolismo , Testículo/crecimiento & desarrollo , Animales , Femenino , Técnicas de Silenciamiento del Gen , Masculino , Ratones Endogámicos ICR , Técnicas de Cultivo de Órganos , Estrés Oxidativo/efectos de los fármacos , Embarazo , Especies Reactivas de Oxígeno/metabolismo , Células de Sertoli/citología , Células de Sertoli/efectos de los fármacos , Células de Sertoli/metabolismo , Molécula de Interacción Estromal 1/genética , Testículo/citología , Testículo/metabolismo , Ubiquinona/análogos & derivados , Ubiquinona/farmacología , Vía de Señalización Wnt/genética , beta Catenina/metabolismoRESUMEN
In this article, the significance of anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) to aid the clinical diagnosis and treatment of Descemet membrane (DM) detachment after phacoemulsification combined with intraocular lens implantation was retrospectively analyzed using 26 patients (26 eyes). The location and scope of DM detachment, its causative factors and the percentage of each detachment type are considered for clinical treatments. Based on the location and scope, the detachment can be divided into three types: (1) simple, (2) symmetrical and (3) complete DM detachment. Simple detachment, confined to the area of surgical incision (detachment range <1/4 corneal area), occurred in 69.20 % of cases (18/26), in which the DM detachment in the anterior lip accounted for 42.30% (11/26) and in the posterior lip accounted for 26.90% (7/26). Symmetrical DM detachment, referring to detachment (1/4 cornea area < detached area <1/2 corneal area) that appeared symmetrically on the surgical incision and the opposite site, accounted for 19.20% (5/26). Complete DM detachment (>1/2 of the corneal area), accounted for 11.50% (3/26). Interestingly, our findings suggest that the DM detachment after phacoemulsification is closely related to the location (simple and symmetrical DM detachment) and the skillfulness (complete DM detachment) of the surgical incision. Therefore, appropriate classification of DM detachment by AS-OCT and wise selection of surgical location can better guide cataract surgery in the future.
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Catarata , Lámina Limitante Posterior/lesiones , Facoemulsificación , Lámina Limitante Posterior/diagnóstico por imagen , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Estudios Retrospectivos , Tomografía de Coherencia ÓpticaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To detect FOXL2 gene mutation in a Chinese pedigree affected with blepharophimosis-ptosis-epicanthus inversus syndrome (BPES) type I, and to explore its genotype-phenotype correlation. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 3 patients and 19 healthy members from the pedigree for the isolation of genomic DNA. All exons and flanking sequences of the FOXL2 gene were amplified by PCR with 7 pairs of overlapping primers and sequenced. RESULTS: DNA sequencing indicated that the BPES phenotype in this pedigree was caused by a hotspot c.843_859dup17 mutation. The same mutation was not found among the healthy members of the pedigree. CONCLUSION: The c.843_859dup17 frameshift mutation probably underlies the BPES type I in this Chinese pedigree, which may manifest as either BEPS type I or type II.
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Blefarofimosis/genética , Blefaroptosis/genética , Proteína Forkhead Box L2/genética , China , Estudios de Asociación Genética , Humanos , Mutación , Linaje , SíndromeRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) infection in infertile men, its influence on routine semen parameters and the distribution of antisperm antibody (AsAb) and its types in infertile patients with UU infection. METHODS: We detected the positive rate of UU infection, semen parameters, and the distribution of AsAb and its types in 662 infertile men and 25 normal fertile male controls followed by comparison of the obtained data between the two groups of subjects. RESULTS: The positive rate of UU infection was significantly higher in the infertile men than in the normal controls (52.87% ï¼»350/662ï¼½ vs 16.00% ï¼»4/25ï¼½, χ2 = 11.68, P <0.05). The semen volume, sperm count, sperm concentration and percentage of progressively motile sperm were remarkably lower in the UU-positive infertile males than in the control group (P <0.05). No statistically significant difference was observed between the UU-positive and UU-negative groups in the positive rates of total AsAb (43.4% vs 36.5%, χ2 = 3.25, P >0.05) and AsAb IgA, IgM and IgG in the seminal plasma, or in the percentages of serum AsAb IgM (16.9% vs 20.5%, χ2 = 1.22, P >0.05) and IgG (32.7% vs 28.9%, χ2 = 0.99, P >0.05) except in that of serum AsAb IgA (23.6% vs 17.0%, χ2 = 4.03, P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The UU infection rate is high in infertile males, which decreases the semen volume, total sperm count, motile sperm concentration and percentage of progressively motile sperm and increases the positive rate of serum AsAb IgA.
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Anticuerpos Antibacterianos/análisis , Infertilidad Masculina/microbiología , Espermatozoides/inmunología , Infecciones por Ureaplasma/diagnóstico , Ureaplasma urealyticum/inmunología , Humanos , Infertilidad Masculina/inmunología , Masculino , Semen , Recuento de Espermatozoides , Infecciones por Ureaplasma/inmunologíaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) is widely used to predict male infertility and the methods of detecting SDF are varied. This study aimed to compare two methods of SDF detection and investigate the correlation between SDF and sperm quality. METHODS: Using sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) and sperm chromatin dispersion test (SCD), we detected SDF in 108 semen samples collected in the Center of Reproduction and Genetics of Suzhou Municipal Hospital. We compared the results of the two methods and analyzed the correlations of SDF routine semen parameters, sperm morphology and the age of the patients. RESULTS: A significant consistency was found in the SDF index (DFI) between the two methods (P<0.01). The DFI was correlated negatively with sperm motility, the percentage of progressively motile sperm, and that of morphologically normal sperm (P <0.01), but positively with the teratozoospermia index (P <0.01 in SCSA and P <0.05 in SCD). The DFI measured by SCSA showed a significantly positive correlation with the patients' age (P <0.01), but not that obtained by SCD. CONCLUSIONS: The results of both SCSA and SCD play an important role in predicting sperm quality. As a clinical index, the DFI has a predictive value for male infertility. However, the results of different detecting methods vary widely, which calls for further studies on their standardization.
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Cromatina/fisiología , Fragmentación del ADN , Infertilidad Masculina/diagnóstico , Semen/fisiología , Espermatozoides/fisiología , Cromatina/genética , Humanos , Masculino , Análisis de Semen , Motilidad Espermática , Espermatozoides/ultraestructuraRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Morphological traits related to flag leaves are determinant traits influencing plant architecture and yield potential in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). However, little is known regarding their genetic controls under drought stress. One hundred and twenty F8-derived recombinant inbred lines from a cross between two common wheat cultivars Longjian 19 and Q9086 were developed to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and to dissect the genetic bases underlying flag leaf width, length, area, length to width ratio and basal angle under drought stress and well-watered conditions consistent over four environments. RESULTS: A total of 55 additive and 51 pairs of epistatic QTLs were identified on all 21 chromosomes except 6D, among which additive loci were highly concentrated in a few of same or adjacent marker intervals in individual chromosomes. Two specific marker intervals of Xwmc694-Xwmc156 on chromosome 1B and Xbarc1072-Xwmc272 on chromosome 2B were co-located by additive QTLs for four tested traits. Twenty additive loci were repeatedly detected in more than two environments, suggestive of stable A-QTLs. A majority of QTLs involved significant additive and epistatic effects, as well as QTL × environment interactions (QEIs). Of these, 72.7 % of additive QEIs and 80 % of epistatic QEIs were related to drought stress with significant genetic effects decreasing phenotypic values. By contrast, additive and QEIs effects contributed more phenotypic variation than epistatic effects. CONCLUSIONS: Flag leaf morphology in wheat was predominantly controlled by additive and QEIs effects, where more QEIs effects occurred in drought stress and depressed phenotypic performances. Several QTL clusters indicated tight linkage or pleiotropy in the inheritance of these traits. Twenty stable QTLs for flag leaf morphology are potentially useful for the genetic improvement of drought tolerance in wheat through QTL pyramiding.
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Cromosomas de las Plantas/genética , Hojas de la Planta/anatomía & histología , Sitios de Carácter Cuantitativo , Triticum/genética , Mapeo Cromosómico , Sequías , Epistasis Genética , Ligamiento Genético , Hojas de la Planta/genética , Estrés Fisiológico , Triticum/anatomía & histologíaRESUMEN
A new europium complex coordinated between a Eu(III) ion and an unsymmetrical diarylperfluorocyclopentene yields a light-controlled diarylethene-europium dyad, DAE@TpyEu(tta)3, whose photophysical properties can be reversibly switched by optical stimuli. When DAE@TpyEu(tta)3 is exposed to 365 nm UV light, an efficient intramolecular photochromic fluorescence resonance energy transfer (pc-FRET) occurs between the emission of the Eu(3+) donor (D) and the absorption of the diarylethene acceptor (A) in closed-form DAE@TpyEu(tta)3 accompanied by luminescence quenching. However, the pc-FRET process could be effectively inhibited by visible light (λ > 600 nm) irradiation, and the lanthanide emission of DAE@TpyEu(tta)3 is rapidly recovered. Furthermore, this luminescent lanthanide molecular switch could serve as a highly reliable and sensitive "turn on" fluorescent marker in living cells irradiated by red light without any optical interference.
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BACKGROUND: Iris plays important roles in ocular physiology and disease pathogenesis. Currently it is technically challenging to noninvasively examine the human iris ultrastructure in vivo. The purpose of the current study is to reveal human iris ultrastructure in patients with synechiae by using noninvasive in vivo laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). METHODS: The ultrastructure of iris in thirty one patients, each with synechiae but transparent cornea, was examined by in vivo LSCM. RESULTS: Five characteristic iris ultrastructures was revealed in patients with synechiae by in vivo LSCM, which include: 1. tree trunk-like structure; 2. tree branch/bush-like structure; 3. Fruit-like structure; 4. Epithelioid-like structure; 5. deep structure. Pigment granules can be observed as a loose structure on the top of the arborization structure. In iris-associated diseases with Tyndall's Phenomenon and keratic precipitates, the pigment particles are more likely to fall off from the arborization structure. CONCLUSIONS: The ultrastructure of iris in patients with synechiae has been visualized using in vivo LSCM. Five iris ultrastructures can be clearly observed, with some of the structures maybe disease-associated. The fall-off of the pigment particles may cause the Tyndall's Phenomenon positive. In vivo LSCM provides a non-invasive approach to observe the human iris ultrastructure under certain eye disease conditions, which sets up a foundation to visualize certain iris-associated diseases in the future.