Rashba valleys and quantum Hall states in few-layer black arsenic.

Exciting phenomena may emerge in non-centrosymmetric two-dimensional electronic systems when spin-orbit coupling (SOC)1 interplays dynamically with Coulomb interactions2,3, band topology4,5 and external modulating forces6-8. Here we report synergetic effects between SOC and the Stark effect in centrosymmetric few-layer black arsenic, which manifest as particle-hole asymmetric Rashba valley formation and exotic quantum Hall states that are reversibly controlled by electrostatic gating. The unusual findings are rooted in the puckering square lattice of black arsenic, in which heavy 4p orbitals form a Brillouin zone-centred Γ valley with pz symmetry, coexisting with doubly degenerate D valleys of px origin near the time-reversal-invariant momenta of the X points. When a perpendicular electric field breaks the structure inversion symmetry, strong Rashba SOC is activated for the px bands, which produces spin-valley-flavoured D± valleys paired by time-reversal symmetry, whereas Rashba splitting of the Γ valley is constrained by the pz symmetry. Intriguingly, the giant Stark effect shows the same px-orbital selectiveness, collectively shifting the valence band maximum of the D± Rashba valleys to exceed the Γ Rashba top. Such an orchestrating effect allows us to realize gate-tunable Rashba valley manipulations for two-dimensional hole gases, hallmarked by unconventional even-to-odd transitions in quantum Hall states due to the formation of a flavour-dependent Landau level spectrum. For two-dimensional electron gases, the quantization of the Γ Rashba valley is characterized by peculiar density-dependent transitions in the band topology from trivial parabolic pockets to helical Dirac fermions.

A Unified Synthetic Approach to the Pleurotin Natural Products.

The asymmetric total syntheses of four pleurotin natural products, namely, (-)-pleurotin, (+)-leucopleurotin, (+)-leucopleurotinic acid, and (+)-dihydropleurotinic acid, were described in a concise manner. Key transformations feature a Johnson-Claisen rearrangement, a diastereo-controlled sequential hydroboration-oxidation, a SOMO/photoredox activated aldehyde α-alkylation, and oxidative cyclizations.

Sodium Octahydridotriborate as a Solid Electrolyte with Excellent Stability Against Sodium-Metal Anode.

Solid-state sodium metal batteries have been extensively investigated because of their potential to improve safety, cost-effectiveness, and energy density. The development of such batteries urgently required a solid-state electrolyte with fast Na-ion conduction and favorable interfacial compatibility. Herein, the progress on developing the NaB3H8 solid-state electrolytes is reported, which show a liquid-like ionic conductivity of 0.05 S cm-1 at 56 °C with an activation energy of 0.35 eV after an order-disorder phase transformation, matching or surpassing the best single-anion hydridoborate conductors investigated up to now. The steady polarization voltage and significantly decreased resistance are achieved in the symmetric Na/NaB3H8/Na cell, indicating the great electrochemical stability and favorable interfacial contact with the Na metal of NaB3H8. Furthermore, a Na/NaB3H8/TiS2 battery, the first high-rate (up to 1 C) solid-state sodium metal battery using the single-anion hydridoborate electrolyte, is demonstrated, which exhibits superior rate capability (168.2 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C and 141.2 mAh g-1 at 1 C) and long-term cycling stability (70.9% capacity retention at 1 C after 300 cycles) at 30 °C. This work may present a new possibility to solve the interfacial limitations and find a new group of solid-state electrolytes for high-performance sodium metal batteries.

Assessment of the Diagnostic Performance of Clinical Examinations and High-Frequency Ultrasound in Patients With Pigmented Skin Tumors.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether the integration of high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) to routine clinical examinations could improve diagnostic performance and management decision for pigmented skin tumors. METHODS: Three general practitioners trained previously and a dermatologist independently assessed pigmented skin tumors and rendered management decision based on clinical examinations alone or clinical examinations integrating HFUS. RESULTS: After integrating HFUS, the diagnostic area under the curve (AUC) (0.658-0.693 versus 0.848, all P < .05) and specificity (46.6-58.6% versus 89.7%, all P < .05) for pigmented skin malignancies were improved for general practitioners, meanwhile unnecessary biopsy rate reduced (42.9-53.6% versus 10.7%, P < .001). To the dermatologist, the diagnostic AUC (0.822 versus 0.949, P < .001), sensitivity (81.7% versus 96.7%, P = .012) and specificity (0.828 versus 0.931, P = .031) improved significantly, meanwhile both missed biopsy rate (14.5% versus 4.8%, P = .031) and unnecessary biopsy rate (19.6% versus 7.1%, P = .016) decreased. Additionally, the diagnostic performance of the general practitioner with integrating HFUS could be comparable with the dermatologist based on clinical examinations alone (all P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: As a complementary tool of clinical examinations, HFUS could help physicians differentiate pigmented skin malignancies and manage decision.

A Novel Ultrafiltrate Extract of Propolis Exerts Anti-inflammatory Activity through Metabolic Rewiring.

Thousands of years ago, humans started to use propolis because of its medicinal properties, and modern science has successfully identified several bioactive molecules within this resinous bee product. However, a natural propolis extract which has been removed the adhesive glue and preserved propolis bioactive compounds is urgently needed to maximise the therapeutic opportunities. In this study, a novel ultrafiltrate fraction from Brazilian green propolis, termed P30K, was demonstrated with anti-inflammatory properties, both in vitro and in vivo. Total flavonoids and total phenolic acids content in P30K were 244.6 mg/g and 275.8 mg/g respectively, while the IC50 value of inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) was 8.30 µg/mL. The anti-inflammatory activity of P30K was furtherly corroborated in experimental models of lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced acute liver and lung injury. Mechanistically, integrated GC-MS and LC-MS based serum metabolomics analysis revealed that P30K modulated citrate cycle (TCA), pyruvate, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism pathways to inhibit secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Results of network pharmacology and molecular docking suggested that P30K targeted catechol-O-methyltransferases (COMT), 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (HSD11B1), and monoamine oxidases (MAOA and MAOB) to promote cellular metabolomic rewiring. Collectively, our work reveals P30K as an efficient therapeutic agent against inflammatory conditions and its efficacy is related to metabolic rewiring.

Divergent Synthetic Approach to Grayanane Diterpenoids.

The total syntheses of nine grayanane diterpenoids, namely, GTX-II (1), GTX-III (2), rhodojaponin III (3), GTX-XV (4), principinol D (5), iso-GTX-II (6), 1,5-seco-GTX-Δ1,10-ene (7), and leucothols B (8) and D (9), that belong to five distinct subtypes, were disclosed in a divergent manner. Among them, six members were accomplished for the first time. The concise synthetic approach features three key transformations: (1) an oxidative dearomatization-induced [5 + 2] cycloaddition/pinacol rearrangement cascade to assemble the bicyclo[3.2.1]octane carbon framework (CD rings); (2) a photosantonin rearrangement to build up the 5/7 bicycle (AB rings) of 1-epi-grayanoids; and (3) a Grob fragmentation/carbonyl-ene process to access four additional subtypes of grayanane skeletons. Density functional theory calculations were performed to elucidate the mechanistic origins of the crucial divergent transformation, which combined with late-stage synthetic findings provided insights into the biosynthetic relationships between these diverse skeletons.

Distinctive plastome evolution in carnivorous angiosperms.

BACKGROUND: Independent origins of carnivory in multiple angiosperm families are fabulous examples of convergent evolution using a diverse array of life forms and habitats. Previous studies have indicated that carnivorous plants have distinct evolutionary trajectories of plastid genome (plastome) compared to their non-carnivorous relatives, yet the extent and general characteristics remain elusive. RESULTS: We compared plastomes from 9 out of 13 carnivorous families and their non-carnivorous relatives to assess carnivory-associated evolutionary patterns. We identified inversions in all sampled Droseraceae species and four species of Utricularia, Pinguicula, Darlingtonia and Triphyophyllum. A few carnivores showed distinct shifts in inverted repeat boundaries and the overall repeat contents. Many ndh genes, along with some other genes, were independently lost in several carnivorous lineages. We detected significant substitution rate variations in most sampled carnivorous lineages. A significant overall substitution rate acceleration characterizes the two largest carnivorous lineages of Droseraceae and Lentibulariaceae. We also observe moderate substitution rates acceleration in many genes of Cephalotus follicularis, Roridula gorgonias, and Drosophyllum lusitanicum. However, only a few genes exhibit significant relaxed selection. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the carnivory of plants have different effects on plastome evolution across carnivorous lineages. The complex mechanism under carnivorous habitats may have resulted in distinctive plastome evolution with conserved plastome in the Brocchinia hechtioides to strongly reconfigured plastomes structures in Droseraceae. Organic carbon obtained from prey and the efficiency of utilizing prey-derived nutrients might constitute possible explanation.

Spin-Lattice Coupled Metamagnetism in Frustrated van der Waals Magnet CrOCl.

The long-range magnetic ordering in frustrated magnetic systems is stabilized by coupling magnetic moments to various degrees of freedom, for example, by enhancing magnetic anisotropy via lattice distortion. Here, the unconventional spin-lattice coupled metamagnetic properties of atomically-thin CrOCl, a van der Waals antiferromagnet with inherent magnetic frustration rooted in the staggered square lattice, are reported. Using temperature- and angle-dependent tunneling magnetoconductance (TMC), in complementary with magnetic torque and first-principles calculations, the antiferromagnetic (AFM)-to-ferrimagnetic (FiM) metamagnetic transitions (MTs) of few-layer CrOCl are revealed to be triggered by collective magnetic moment flipping rather than the established spin-flop mechanism, when external magnetic field (H) enforces a lattice reconstruction interlocked with the five-fold periodicity of the FiM phase. The spin-lattice coupled MTs are manifested by drastic jumps in TMC, which show anomalous upshifts at the transition thresholds and persist much higher above the AFM Néel temperature. While the MTs exhibit distinctive triaxial anisotropy, reflecting divergent magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the c-axis AFM ground state, the resulting FiM phase has an a-c easy plane in which the magnetization axis is freely rotated by H. At the 2D limit, such a field-tunable FiM phase may provide unique opportunities to explore exotic emergent phenomena and novel spintronics devices.

Outbreak of acute respiratory disease caused by human adenovirus type 7 and human coronavirus-229E in Zhejiang Province, China.

In 2019, an outbreak of pharyngoconjunctival fever (PCF) occurred at a swimming center in Zhejiang Province, China. A total of 97 (13.55%) of the 716 amateur swimmers had illnesses, with 24 patients (24.74%) hospitalized in the pediatric ward. Human adenovirus serotype 7 (HAdV-7) was isolated from one concentrated water from the swimming pool, and 20 of 97 positive cases without liver damage. This outbreak led to a nosocomial outbreak in the pediatric ward, in which 1 nurse had a fever and was confirmed to be adenovirus positive. The hexon, fiber, and penton genes from 20 outbreak cases, 1 water sample, and 1 nurse had 100% homology. Furthermore, 2 cases admitted to the pediatric ward, 2 parents, and 1 doctor were confirmed to be human coronaviruses (HCoV-229E) positive. Finally, all outbreak cases had fully recovered, regardless of a single infection (adenovirus or HCoV-229E) or coinfection of these two viruses simultaneously. Thus, PCF and acute respiratory disease outbreaks in Zhejiang were caused by the completely homologous type 7 adenovirus and HCoV-229E, respectively. The swimming pool water contaminated with HAdV-7 was most likely the source of the PCF outbreak, whereas nosocomial transmission might be the source of HCoV-229E outbreak.

The Value of Ultra-High-Frequency Ultrasound for the Differentiation between Superficial Basal Cell Carcinoma and Bowen's Disease.

BACKGROUND: The similar visual appearance of superficial basal cell carcinoma (sBCC) and Bowen's disease (BD) may cause confusion for diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate the value of ultra-high-frequency ultrasound (uHFUS) in differentiating sBCC from BD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study included a pilot cohort of 110 patients (73 BDs and 37 sBCCs) from November 2016 to October 2020 and a validation cohort of 42 patients (30 BDs and 12 sBCCs) from July 2021 to December 2021. Clinical and uHFUS features of pathologically confirmed sBCC and BD were assessed. A predictive model was developed based on the uHFUS features of the pilot cohort. Subsequently, the model was validated and compared with clinical diagnosis in the validation cohort. RESULTS: uHFUS features with significant differences between sBCC and BD included lesion surface, skin layer involvement, hyperkeratosis, and hyperechoic spots (all p < 0.05). A prediction model based on the above features was established to identify sBCC and BD in the pilot and validation cohorts with areas under the curve (AUC) of 0.908 and 0.923, sensitivity of 82.3% and 83.3%, specificity of 91.9% and 91.7%, and accuracy of 85.5% and 85.7%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those obtained by clinical diagnosis based on photographic pictures of lesions, with the AUC of 0.692, sensitivity of 63.3%, specificity of 75.3%, and accuracy of 66.7% (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: uHFUS provides detailed internal features of sBCC and BD, which facilitates the differentiation between sBCC and BD, and its diagnostic performance is superior to clinical diagnosis.

Discrepancy of synaptic and microtubular protein phosphorylation in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 and MAPT×P301S transgenic mice at the early stage of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder, and is caused by multiple pathological factors, such as the overproduction of ß-amyloid (Aß) and the hyperphosphorylation of tau. However, there is limited knowledge of the mechanisms underlying AD pathogenesis and no effective biomarker for the early diagnosis of this disorder. Thus in this study, a quantitative phosphoproteomics analysis was performed to evaluate global protein phosphorylation in the hippocampus of Aß overexpressing APP/PS1 transgenic mice and tau overexpressing MAPT×P301S transgenic mice, two in vivo AD model systems. These animals, up to ten weeks old, do not exhibit cognitive dysfunctions and are widely used to simulate early-stage AD patients. The number of differentially phosphorylated proteins (DPPs) was greater for APP/PS1 transgenic mice than for MAPT×P301S transgenic mice. The function of the DPPs in APP/PS1 transgenic mice was mainly related to synapses, while the function of the DPPs in MAPT×P301S transgenic mice was mainly related to microtubules. In addition, an AD core network was established including seven phosphoproteins differentially expressed in both animal models, and the function of this core network was related to synapses and oxidative stress. The results of this study suggest that Aß and tau induce different protein phosphorylation profiles in the early stage of AD, leading to the dysfunctions in synapses and microtubule, respectively. And the detection of same DPPs in these animal models might be used for early AD diagnosis.

Molecular Identification of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma malaysianum'-Related Strains Associated with Areca catechu Palm Yellow Leaf Disease and Phylogenetic Diversity of the Phytoplasmas within 16SrXXXII Group.

Areca catechu palm is an important cash plant in Hainan Island of China and even tropical regions worldwide. Areca catechu palm yellow leaf (AcYL) disease caused by the phytoplasmas is a devastating disease for the plant production. In the study, the phytoplasmas associated with the AcYL diseases were identified and characterized based on the conserved genes of the phytoplasmas, and genetic variation and phylogenetic relationship of the phytoplasma strains in the 16SrXXXII group was demonstrated. The results indicated that Areca catechu palm showing yellow leaf symptoms were single infected by 'Candidatus Phytoplasma malaysianum'-related strains belonging to 16SrXXXII-D subgroup. BLAST and multiple sequence alignment analysis based on 16S rRNA and secA genes showed that the AcYL phytoplasmas shared 100% sequence identity and 100% homology with the 'Ca. Phytoplasma malaysianum'-related strains. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the AcYL phytoplasmas and 'Ca. Phytoplasma malaysianum'-related strains belonging to 16SrXXXII group were clustered into one clade with a 100% bootstrap value. Based on computer-simulated digestions, 6 kinds of RFLP patterns within 16SrXXXII group were obtained and a novel subgroup in the 16Sr group was recommended to propose to describe the relevant strains in this 16Sr subgroup. To our knowledge, this is the first report that Areca catechu palm showing yellow leaf symptoms infected by 'Ca. Phytoplasma malaysianum'-related strains belonging to 16SrXXXII group. And a novel 16Sr subgroup 16SrXXXII-F was proposed based on the systematical analysis of genetic variation of all the phytoplasmas within 16SrXXXII group. The findings of this study would support references for monitoring the epidemiology and developing effective prevention strategies of the AcYL diseases.

Alocasia macrorrhiza Represents a New Host of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris'-Related Strains Associated with Yellows Symptoms in China.

Alocasia macrorrhiza, which belongs to the Araceae family, is an important landscape plant in China, and has of significant medicinal uses. In 2022, A. macrorrhiza displaying abnormal symptoms were found in Qionghai, Hainan Island of China (110°23'3.06″，19°7'56.29″). The incidence of symptomatic plants was about 40% in the sampled areas. The abnormal symptoms included that the ovoid leaves color turned yellow from green gradually, with ovoid leaves chlorosis, mesophyll tissue yellowing, miniature leaves and systemic wilting. The diseased symptoms suspected to be associated with phytoplasma according to the protocols of phytoplasma identification. In order to identify the pathogen, eleven diseased samples and three asymptomatic samples were collected from an area of about 40 hectares. Total DNAs were extracted from 0.10 g fresh plant leaf tissues using a CTAB DNA extraction method. PCR amplifications were performed using primers R16mF2/R16mR1 and fTuf1/rTuf1 specific for the phytoplasma 16S rRNA and tuf genes. Target PCR amplicons were obtained from the DNA of 11 diseased samples, whereas not from the DNA of the asymptomatic samples. The PCR products were cloned and sequenced by Biotechnology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Guangzhou, China), and the obtained sequences were assembled, edited and analyzed using the EditSeq program and DNAMAN version 6.0. The phytoplasma 16S rRNA and tuf gene amplicons were 1336 and 930 bp in length, respectively. The sequences of all 16S rRNA and tuf amplicons in this study were identical. The sequencing data were deposited in GenBank with accession numbers OR466206 (16S rDNA) and OR513090 (tuf). According to the methods and protocols of phytoplasma identified and classification, the phytoplasma strain was described as Alocasia macrorrhiza yellows (AmY) phytoplasma, AmY-hn strain. BLAST search were conducted based on 16Sr RNA and tuf genes. The results showed that the AmY-hn had 100 % 16Sr RNA sequence identity (1336 bp out of 1336 bp) with that of 16SrI-B subgroup phytoplasmas like onion yellows phytoplasma (OY-M, AP006628). The AmY-hn had 100 % tuf sequence identity (930 bp out of 930 bp) with that of 16SrI-B subgroup phytoplasmas like OY-M. RFLP profiles obtained with iPhyClassifier demonstrated that AmY-hn strain was a member of the 16SrI-B subgroup with a similarity coefficient 1.00 to the reference phytoplasma strain (AP006628). Separated phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA and tuf genes obtained with MEGA 7.0 using the neighbor-joining (NJ) method with 1000 bootstrap value indicated that AmY-hn clustered into one clade with phytoplasma strains of OY-M and chinaberry witches'-broom (KP662119) with 100 % and 87 % bootstrap value respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first report that a 'Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris'-related strain belonging to 16SrI-B subgroup infects A. macrorrhiza in China. The 16SrI-B subgroup 'Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris'-related strains can spread outwards through the plant A. macrorrhiza. Thus, the findings in the study will be beneficial to the detection of phytoplasmas which parasitic in this plant and the epidemic monitoring of the related diseases.

OsRAM2 Function in Lipid Biosynthesis Is Required for Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis in Rice.

Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) is a mutualistic symbiosis formed between most land plants and Glomeromycotina fungi. During symbiosis, plants provide organic carbon to fungi in exchange for mineral nutrients. Previous legume studies showed that the required for arbuscular mycorrhization2 (RAM2) gene is necessary for transferring lipids from plants to AM fungi (AMF) and is also likely to play a "signaling" role at the root surface. To further explore RAM2 functions in other plant lineages, in this study, two rice (Oryza sativa) genes, OsRAM2 and OsRAM2L, were identified as orthologs of legume RAM2. Examining their expression patterns during symbiosis revealed that only OsRAM2 was strongly upregulated upon AMF inoculation. CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis was then performed to obtain three Osram2 mutant lines (-1, -2, and -3). After inoculation by AMF Rhizophagus irregularis or Funneliformis mosseae, all of the mutant lines showed extremely low colonization rates and the rarely observed arbuscules were all defective, thus supporting a conserved "nutritional" role of RAM2 between monocot and dicot lineages. As for the signaling role, although the hyphopodia numbers formed by both AMF on Osram2 mutants were indeed reduced, their morphology showed no abnormality, with fungal hyphae invading roots successfully. Promoter activities further indicated that OsRAM2 was not expressed in epidermal cells below hyphopodia or outer cortical cells enclosing fungal hyphae but instead expressed exclusively in cortical cells containing arbuscules. Therefore, this suggested an indirect role of RAM2 rather than a direct involvement in determining the symbiosis signals at the root surface.[Formula: see text] The author(s) have dedicated the work to the public domain under the Creative Commons CC0 "No Rights Reserved" license by waiving all of his or her rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law, 2022.

How Hole Injection Accelerates Both Ion Migration and Nonradiative Recombination in Metal Halide Perovskites.

Ion migration, hole trapping, and electron-hole recombination are common processes in metal halide perovskites. We demonstrate using ab initio non-adiabatic molecular dynamics and time-domain density functional theory that they are intricately related and strongly influence each other. The hole injection accelerates ion migration by decreasing the diffusion barrier and shortening the migration length. The injected hole also promotes the nonradiative charge recombination by strengthening electron-phonon interactions in the low-frequency region and prolonging the quantum coherence time. The synergy stems from the soft perovskite lattice and response of the valence band maximum to the Pb-I lattice distortion induced by the hole. This work provides important insights into the influence of ion mobility and hole injection on the performance of perovskite solar cells and suggests that high concentration of holes should be avoided.

Temperature-Modulated Selective Detection of Part-per-Trillion NO2 Using Platinum Nanocluster Sensitized 3D Metal Oxide Nanotube Arrays.

Semiconductor chemiresistive gas sensors play critical roles in a smart and sustainable city where a safe and healthy environment is the foundation. However, the poor limits of detection and selectivity are the two bottleneck issues limiting their broad applications. Herein, a unique sensor design with a 3D tin oxide (SnO2 ) nanotube array as the sensing layer and platinum (Pt) nanocluster decoration as the catalytic layer, is demonstrated. The Pt/SnO2 sensor significantly enhances the sensitivity and selectivity of NO2 detection by strengthening the adsorption energy and lowering the activation energy toward NO2 . It not only leads to ultrahigh sensitivity to NO2 with a record limit of detection of 107 parts per trillion, but also enables selective NO2 sensing while suppressing the responses to interfering gases. Furthermore, a wireless sensor system integrated with sensors, a microcontroller, and a Bluetooth unit is developed for the practical indoor and on-road NO2 detection applications. The rational design of the sensors and their successful demonstration pave the way for future real-time gas monitoring in smart home and smart city applications.

LncRNA NEAT1-associated aerobic glycolysis blunts tumor immunosurveillance by T cells in prostate cancer.

Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) nuclear enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) is nuclear-located and transcribed from chromatin 11. To date, little is known about the cellular functions and regulatory mechanisms of NEAT1 in prostate cancer (PCa). In this study, whole-genome RNA sequencing data were downloaded from TCGA and GEO databases. Biological information was used to analyze the different expressions of NEAT1. In situ hybridization (ISH) was performed to detect the expression of NEAT1 in PCa and paracarcinoma clinical samples. Then, NEAT1 was knocked down in PC3 cells through lentiviral infection with a plasmid construct. Bioinformatics and integrative analytical approaches were utilized to identify the relationships of NEAT1 with specific cancer-related gene sets. Cell proliferation assay and colony formation assay were performed to evaluate the cell proliferative ability. Glycolysis stress test, metabolism assay, and infiltrating T-cell function analysis were implemented to assess the changes in metabolism and immune microenvironment of PCa. We found that the expression of NEAT1 was higher in PCa than in non-neoplastic tissues. The cell proliferative capability of PCa cells was significantly reduced in the NEAT1 knockdown group. PCR array and bioinformatics analysis revealed that the enrichment of acidic substance-related gene sets was associated with NEAT1 expression. NEAT1 depletion inhibited PCa cell aerobic glycolysis accompanied by the reduction of lactate levels in the medium. Further, we found that lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) expression was positively regulated by NEAT1. At last, co-culture systems indicated that NEAT1 or LDHA knockdown promoted the secretion of CD8+ T-lymphocyte factors, including TNF-α, IFN-γ, and Granzyme B, and enhanced the antitumor effects.

High-frequency ultrasound for differentiation between high-risk basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The similar visual appearance of high-risk basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) may cause confusion for diagnosis. High-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) may provide additional intralesional information and thus help to distinguish them. METHOD: In this retrospective study, we analyzed the clinical characteristics, HFUS grayscale, and color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) features of pathologically confirmed high-risk BCC and cSCC lesions (n = 65 vs n = 68). Subsequently, discrimination models based on the significant HFUS features were established. RESULTS: Between high-risk BCC and cSCC lesions, the HFUS grayscale features of the lesion size (10.0 mm vs 17.4 mm), thickness (3.1 mm vs 5.9 mm), internal hyperechoic spots (80.0% vs 23.5%), and posterior acoustic shadowing (16.9% vs 66.2%) were statistically different (all p < 0.001). As for the CDFI features, high-risk BCC lesions mainly appeared as pattern II (47.7%), while cSCC lesions mainly appeared as pattern III (66.2%). Based on the above five features, an optimal discrimination model was established with a sensitivity of 91.2%, a specificity of 87.7%, and an accuracy of 89.5%. CONCLUSION: HFUS features, including size, thickness, internal hyperechoic spots, posterior acoustic shadowing, and Doppler vascularity pattern, are useful for differential diagnosis between high-risk BCC and cSCC.

Carica papaya Represents a New Host of 16SrI-B Subgroup Phytoplasma Associated with Yellow Symptoms in China.

Carica papaya Linn, belonging to the Caricaceae family, is an economic and medicinal plant, which is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries (Soib et al., 2020). Beginning in 2021, abnormal symptoms of Carica papaya exhibiting leaf yellow, crinkle and leaflet were found in Wanning city of Hainan Province, China. The diseased symptoms of the plant, with about 20 % incidence in the sampling regions, were suspected to be induced by phytoplasma, a phloem-limited and could not be cultured in vitro prokaryotic pathogen. Total DNAs were extracted from 0.10 g fresh leaves of symptomatic or asymptomatic Carica papaya using CTAB DNA extraction method (Doyle and Doyle, 1990). PCR reactions were performed using primers R16mF2/R16mR1 (Gundersen and Lee, 1996), secAfor1/secArev3 (Hodgetts et al., 2008) and AYgroelF/AYgroelR (Mitrovic et al., 2011) specific for phytoplasma 16S rRNA, secA and groEL gene fragments. PCR products of the 16S rRNA, secA and groEL gene target fragments of phytoplasma were obtained from the DNA of eight diseased Carica papaya samples whereas not from the DNA of the asymptomatic plant samples. The PCR amplicons of the three genes were cloned and sequenced by Biotechnology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China) and the sequences data were deposited in GenBank. The 16S rRNA, secAgroEL gene of phytoplasma was in length of 1326 (GenBank accession: OL625608), 716 (OL630087) and 1300 (OL630088) bp separately, putatively encoding 238 (secA) and 432 (groEL) amino acids sequence. The phytoplasma strain was named as Carica papaya yellow phytoplasma (CpY), CpY-hnwn strain. A blast search based on 16Sr RNA gene of CpY-hnwn showed 100 % sequence identity with that of 16SrI aster yellows group members (16SrI-B subgroup), such as Onion yellows phytoplasma strain OY-M (AP006628), Chinaberry witches'-broom phytoplasma (CWB) strain CWB-hnsy1 (KP662119) and CWB-hnsy2 (KP662120), Rapeseed phyllody phytoplasma isolate RP166 (CP055264). RFLP analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene fragment of CpY-hnwn was performed by the interactive online phytoplasma classification tool iPhyClassifier (Zhao et al., 2009) indicated that the phytoplasma strain is a member of 16SrI-B subgroup. Blast search based on secA gene of CpY-hnwn showed 100 % sequence identity with that of CWB strains CWB-gdgz (KP662182), CWB-jxnc (KP662180) and CWB-fjya (KP662178) belonging to 16SrI-B subgroup. Blast search based on groEL gene of CpY-hnwn showed 99.77 % sequence identity with that of mulberry dwarf phytoplasma (AB124809) and 99.69 % sequence identity with that of Onion yellows phytoplasma strain OY-M (AP006628) and Rapeseed phyllody phytoplasma isolate RP166 (CP055264). Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene fragments performed by MEGA 7.0 employing neighbor-joining (NJ) method with 1000 bootstrap value (Kumar et al., 2016; Felsenstein, 1985) indicated that the CpY-hnwn phytoplasma strain was clustered into one clade with the phytoplasma strains of OY-M (AP006628), RP166 (CP055264), CWB-hnsy1 (KP662119), CWB-hnsy2 (KP662120) and areca palm yellow leaf (KF728948), with 100 % bootstrap value. To our knowledge, this is the first report that a 16SrI-B subgroup phytoplasma infects Carica papaya in Hainan Province, a tropical island of China. Carica papaya was previously reported to be infected by 16SrXII-O subgroup phytoplasmas in Nigeria (Kazeem et al., 2021), 16SrII-U subgroup in Hainan Province of China (Yang et al., 2016). The findings in this study indicated that one plant couldthe phytoplasmas belonging to different 16Sr groups, which would be beneficial to the specific detection of the pathogens and the epidemic monitoring of the related diseases. References: Doyle, J.J. and Doyle, J.L. 1990. Focus 12: 13-15. Felsenstein, J. 1985. Evolution 39: 783-791. Gundersen, D.E. and Lee, I.M. 1996. Phytopath. Medit. 35: 144-151. Hodgetts, J., et al. 2008. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 58: 1826-1837. Kazeem, S.A., et al. 2021. Crop Prot. 148: 105731. Kumar, S., et al. 2016. Mol. Biol. Evol. 33: 1870-1874. Mitrovic, J., et al. 2011. Ann. Appl. Biol. 159: 41-48. Soib, H.H., et al. 2020. Molecules, 25: 517. Yang, Y., et al. 2016. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 66: 3485-3491. Zhao, Y., et al. 2009. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 59: 2582-2593.

Integrated Analysis of Transcriptome and microRNA Profile Reveals the Toxicity of Euphorbia Factors toward Human Colon Adenocarcinoma Cell Line Caco-2.

Euphorbia factors, lathyrane-type diterpenoids isolated from the medical herb Euphorbia lathyris L. (Euphorbiaceae), have been associated with intestinal irritation toxicity, but the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are still unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the transcriptome and miRNA profiles of human colon adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cells in response to Euphorbia factors L1 (EFL1) and EFL2. Whole transcriptomes of mRNA and microRNA (miRNA) were obtained using second generation high-throughput sequencing technology in response to 200 µM EFL treatment for 72 h, and the differentially expressed genes and metabolism pathway were enriched. Gene structure changes were analyzed by comparing them with reference genome sequences. After 72 h of treatment, 16 miRNAs and 154 mRNAs were differently expressed between the EFL1 group and the control group, and 47 miRNAs and 1101 mRNAs were differentially expressed between the EFL2 group and the control. Using clusters of orthologous protein enrichment, the sequenced mRNAs were shown to be mainly involved in transcription, post-translational modification, protein turnover, chaperones, signal transduction mechanisms, intracellular trafficking, secretion, vesicular transport, and the cytoskeleton. The differentially expressed mRNA functions and pathways were enriched in transmembrane transport, T cell extravasation, the IL-17 signaling pathway, apoptosis, and the cell cycle. The differentially expressed miRNA EFLs caused changes in the structure of the gene, including alternative splicing, insertion and deletion, and single nucleotide polymorphisms. This study reveals the underlying mechanism responsible for the toxicity of EFLs in intestinal cells based on transcriptome and miRNA profiles of gene expression and structure.