Optical feedback frequency locking: impact of directly reflected field and responding strategies.

The challenges presented by the directly reflected field in optical feedback cavity-enhanced spectroscopy systems serve as substantial obstacles, introducing additional complexity to existing systems and compromising their sensitivity, as the underlying mechanisms of its adverse effects remain not fully understood. This study aims to address this issue by introducing a comprehensive analytical model. Additionally, frequency locking can be achieved by decreasing the feedback rate, the laser's linewidth enhancement factor, and the directly reflected field, and by increasing the refractive index of the gain medium, the length of the laser's resonant cavity, the electric field reflectivity of the laser's output facet, and the resonant field. These parameters can affect the feedback coupling rate pre-factor, and for a resonant cavity with a length of 0.394 m, optical feedback can only be established when the feedback coupling rate pre-factor is less than 1.05 × 109. Through experimental validation, we successfully confirm the effectiveness of the proposed solution in eliminating the detrimental effects of the directly reflected field. Importantly, this suppression is achieved without compromising other aspects of the system's performance. The research findings not only offer the potential to optimize various cavity-enhanced spectroscopy systems that rely on optical feedback but also show promising applications in advancing the development of high-purity spectrum diode lasers utilizing optical feedback from an external high-finesse cavity.

Fluorescence Noise Eliminating Fiber-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Simultaneous and Multiprocess Analysis of Intermediate Compositions for C2H2 and H2 Production.

C2H2 and H2, as important chemical and energy raw materials, can be produced effectively and environmentally friendly by the partial oxidation (POX) of CH4. Simultaneous analysis of intermediate gas compositions in the multiprocess (cracking, recovery, degassing, etc) of POX can regulate product generation and improve production efficiency. To overcome the disadvantage of common gas chromatography, we propose a fluorescence noise eliminating fiber-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (FNEFERS) technique for simultaneous and multiprocess analysis of the POX process, in which the fluorescence noise eliminating (FNE) method can effectively eliminate the horizontal and vertical spatial noise to ensure ppm level limits of detection (LOD). The vibration modes of gas compositions related to each POX process such as cracked gas, synthesis gas, and product acetylene are analyzed. Meanwhile, the composition of three-process intermediate sample gases from Sinopec Chongqing SVW Chemical Co., Ltd is quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed simultaneously, along with the ppm level LODs (H2: 11.2 ppm, C2H2: 3.1 ppm, CO2: 9.4 ppm, C2H4: 4.8 ppm, CH4: 1.5 ppm, CO: 17.9 ppm, allene: 1.5 ppm, methyl acetylene: 2.6 ppm, 1,3-butadiene: 2.8 ppm) with a laser power of 180 mW, exposure time of 30 s, and accuracy of higher than 95.2%. This study fully demonstrates the ability of FNEFERS to replace gas chromatography to achieve simultaneous and multiprocess analysis of intermediate compositions for C2H2 and H2 production and to monitor other chemical and energy production processes.

Risk Factors for Spinal Structural Damage in a Chinese Cohort With Ankylosing Spondylitis.

OBJECTIVES: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 270 Chinese patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in order to identify potential risk factors for severity of spinal structural damage. METHODS: Two hundred seventy AS patients fulfilled the Modified New York Criteria. Computed tomography (CT) was used to scan sacroiliac and hip joints, and radiography was used to scan anteroposterior and lateral lumbar spine, as well as lateral cervical spine. Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Radiology Index and modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spine Score (mSASSS) were scored in duplicate. RESULTS: One hundred eighty-three patients had low mSASSS (mSASSS, <10), and 87 patients had high mSASSS (mSASSS, ≥10). Univariate analysis revealed that AS age of onset, body mass index (BMI), smoking duration, duration of symptoms, diagnostic delay, hip involvement, and sacroiliitis grade were significantly associated with the risk of having high mSASSS after adjustment (all p's < 0.05). Hip involvement interacted significantly with BMI and smoking duration in a graded manner. Particularly, relative to patients with low BMI-negative hip involvement, those with high BMI-negative hip involvement, low BMI-positive hip involvement, and high BMI-positive hip involvement had a 1.94-fold, 3.29-fold, and 5.07-fold increased risk of high mSASSS (95% confidence interval, 0.84-4.47, 1.37-7.89, and 1.97-13.06, p = 0.118, 0.008, and 0.001, respectively). Finally, a nomogram graph based on 7 significant risk factors was generated with substantial prediction accuracy (concordance index, 0.906). CONCLUSIONS: We have identified 7 potential risk factors for the severity of spinal structural damage in Chinese AS patients. Importantly, positive hip involvement, combined with high BMI or long smoking duration, was associated with a remarkably increased risk of having severe spinal structural damage.

Predisposition of six well-characterized microRNAs to syndesmophytes among Chinese patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

OBJECTIVES: We quantified the expression of six well-characterized microRNAs (miRNAs) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells to see whether they can predispose to syndesmophytes in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study involving 46 AS patients (23/23 with/without syndesmophytes) and 22 healthy controls. miRNAs expression was quantified by real-time PCR. RESULTS: Six examined miRNAs were comparably expressed between AS patients without syndesmophytes and healthy controls (p > .05). Relative to AS patients without syndesmophytes, patients with syndesmophytes had significantly higher levels of miR-29a, miR-335-5p, miR-27a and let-7i (p = .001, .002, .013 and .029, respectively). Nine significant contributors associated with syndesmophytes in AS, including smoking, AS duration, human leukocyte antigen B27, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, miR-335-5p, miR-27a, miR-218 and sacroiliitis, were identified. The addition of miR-335-5p, miR-27a and miR-218 can significantly improve the accuracy of baseline risk factors. Based on the nine significant contributors, a nomogram was constructed, with good prediction accuracy (C-index: 0.86, p < .001). CONCLUSION: We provide evidence for the predisposition of miR-335-5p, miR-27a and miR-218 to syndesmophytes in AS patients, indicating a contributory role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of syndesmophytes. Further validation is warranted.

Off-Nadir Hyperspectral Sensing for Estimation of Vertical Profile of Leaf Chlorophyll Content within Wheat Canopies.

Monitoring the vertical profile of leaf chlorophyll (Chl) content within winter wheat canopies is of significant importance for revealing the real nutritional status of the crop. Information on the vertical profile of Chl content is not accessible to nadir-viewing remote or proximal sensing. Off-nadir or multi-angle sensing would provide effective means to detect leaf Chl content in different vertical layers. However, adequate information on the selection of sensitive spectral bands and spectral index formulas for vertical leaf Chl content estimation is not yet available. In this study, all possible two-band and three-band combinations over spectral bands in normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)-, simple ratio (SR)- and chlorophyll index (CI)-like types of indices at different viewing angles were calculated and assessed for their capability of estimating leaf Chl for three vertical layers of wheat canopies. The vertical profiles of Chl showed top-down declining trends and the patterns of band combinations sensitive to leaf Chl content varied among different vertical layers. Results indicated that the combinations of green band (520 nm) with NIR bands were efficient in estimating upper leaf Chl content, whereas the red edge (695 nm) paired with NIR bands were dominant in quantifying leaf Chl in the lower layers. Correlations between published spectral indices and all NDVI-, SR- and CI-like types of indices and vertical distribution of Chl content showed that reflectance measured from 50°, 30° and 20° backscattering viewing angles were the most promising to obtain information on leaf Chl in the upper-, middle-, and bottom-layer, respectively. Three types of optimized spectral indices improved the accuracy for vertical leaf Chl content estimation. The optimized three-band CI-like index performed the best in the estimation of vertical distribution of leaf Chl content, with R² of 0.84-0.69, and RMSE of 5.37-5.56 µg/cm² from the top to the bottom layers, while the optimized SR-like index was recommended for the bottom Chl estimation due to its simple and universal form. We suggest that it is necessary to take into account the penetration characteristic of the light inside the canopy for different Chl absorption regions of the spectrum and the formula used to derive spectral index when estimating the vertical profile of leaf Chl content using off-nadir hyperspectral data.

[Effect of Bushen Qiangdu Recipe on Histomorphology and Wnt Pathway of DBA/1 Mice].

Objective To observe the effect of Bushen Qiangdu Recipe (BQR) on the entheses ossification histomorphology of articular ligament of DBA/1 mice with spontaneous ankylosing spondylitis (AS) , and to study its mechanism for prevention and treatment of AS. Methods Thirty 12-week old male DBA/1 mice were randomly divided into the model group, the positive drug group, low, medium, high dose BQR groups, 6 in each group. Another 6 C57BLE mice of the same age were recruited as a blank control group. BQR containing 11. 25, 22. 50, 45.00 g/kg crude drugs was respectively adminis- tered to mice in low, medium, high dose BQR groups by gastrogavage, 0. 2 mL for each mouse, once per day. Celecoxib Capsule (0. 2 mL/0. 8 mg for each mouse, once per day) was administered to mice in the positive drug group by gastrogavage. Equal volume of normal saline was administered to mice in the model group and the blank control group by gastrogavage. All mice were fed and intragastically adminis- tered for 12 successive weeks. Body weight, diet, stools, and hair were routinely observed. Signs of ar- thritis were evaluated once per two weeks. Mice were sacrifice, and then general observation of achilles tendon was performed. The achilles tendon tissue was HE stained. Protein expressions of alkaline phos- phatase (ALP) , bone gamma-carboxyglutamic-acid-containing proteins (BGP) , Dickkopfl (DKK1) , and Wnt5a in the achilles tendon were detected using immunohistochemical method. Results Compared with the blank control group, the scoring of arthritis obviously increased in the model group (P <0. 05). But the scoring of arthritis was obviously lower in the 3 BQR groups and the positive drug group than in the model group (P <0. 05). Histopathological results of achilles tendon tissue showed that no infiltration of inflammatory cells or fibroblasts occurred in the normal group. Their histomorphological structures were normal. Cartilage formation and bone formation at various degrees occurred in the model group. Filtration of fibroblast-like cells occurred in inflammatory cells and attachment points. Scattered lymphocyte infiltra- tion was often seen in the achilles tendon tissue of each medicated group. Cartilage formation and bone formation were rarely seen. Compared with the blank control group, the scoring of arthritis increased in the model group (P <0. 05). Compared with the model group, the scoring of arthritis was decreased in the 3 BQR groups and the positive drug group (P <0. 05). Compared with the blank control group, protein expression of DKK1 decreased and protein expression of Wnt5a increased in the model group (P <0. 05). Compared with the model group, protein expression of DKK1 increased and protein expression of Wnt5a decreased in middle and high dose BQR groups (P <0. 05). Conclusion BQR could delay the occur- rence and development of arthritis and ossification in DBA/1 mice of spontaneous AS model possibly by inhibiting classical Wnt pathway.

Solvothermal synthesis of stable nanoporous polymeric bases-crystalline TiO2 nanocomposites: visible light active and efficient photocatalysts for water treatment.

Visible light active and stable nanoporous polymeric base-crystalline TiO2 nanocomposites were solvothermally synthesized from in situ copolymerization of divinylbenzene (DVB) with 1-vinylimidazolate (VI) or 4-vinylpyridine (Py) in the presence of tetrabutyl titanate without the use of any other additives (PDVB-VI-TiO2-x, PDVB-Py-TiO2-x, where x stands for the molar ratio of TiO2 to VI or Py), which showed excellent activity with respect to catalyzing the degradation of organic pollutants of p-nitrophenol (PNP) and rhodamine-B (RhB). TEM and SEM images show that PDVB-VI-TiO2-x and PDVB-Py-TiO2-x have abundant nanopores, and TiO2 nanocrystals with a high degree of crystallinity were homogeneously embedded in the PDVB-VI-TiO2-x and PDVB-Py-TiO2-x, forming a stable 'brick-and-mortar' nanostructure. PDVB-VI and PDVB-Py supports act as the glue linking TiO2 nanocrystals to form nanopores and constraining the agglomeration of TiO2 nanocrystals. XPS spectra show evidence of unique interactions between TiO2 and basic sites in these samples. UV diffuse reflectance shows that PDVB-VI-TiO2-x and PDVB-Py-TiO2-x exhibit a unique response to visible light. Catalytic tests show that the PDVB-VI-TiO2-x and PDVB-Py-TiO2-x were active in catalyzing the degradation of PNP and RhB organic pollutants under visible light irradiation. The enhanced activities of the PDVB-VI-TiO2-x and PDVB-Py-TiO2-x were ascribed to synergistic effects between abundant nanopores and the unique optical adsorption of visible light in the samples.

[Efficacy and Safety Evaluation of Bushen Shuji Granule in Treating Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients: a Clinical Study].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the short-term efficacy and safety of Bushen Shuji Granule (BSG) in treating ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. METHODS: A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial was carried out in 62 active stage AS patients with Shen deficiency Du-channel cold syndrome (SDDCS), who were randomly assigned to the BSG group (treated with BSG) and the control group (treated with Celecoxib Capsule). Twelve weeks consisted of one therapeutic course. Therapeutic effects were evaluated by ASAS20 and ASAS40 (set by Assessments in Ankylosing Spondylitis working group) , BASDA150, Chinese medical (CM) syndrome efficacy evaluation standards. BASDAI, the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), the Bath AS Metrology Index (BASMI), scores for spine pain, scores for pain at night, patient global assessment (PGA) , erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) , and C reactive protein (CRP) were observed before and after treatment. RESULTS: After three-month treatment by BSG, ASAS20 standard rate was 63. 33% (19/30 cases) in the BSG group and 66.67% (20/30 cases) in the control group with no significant difference between the two groups (χ2 = 0.073, P > 0.05). The efficacy for CM syndromes was 70.00% (21/30 cases) in the BSG group, higher than that in the control group [40.00% (12/30 cases), χ2 = 5.455, P < 0.05]. Scores for CM syndromes, BASDAI, night pain index, spinal pain index, PGA, CRP were improved in the BSG group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The incidence of adverse events in the BSG group was lower than that of the control group. CONCLUSION: BSG based on Shen supplementing, Du-channel strengthening, blood activating, and channels dredging method had good short-term clinical efficacy and safety in treating AS.

Isolation, characterization, and expression analysis of CmMLO2 in muskmelon.

The full-length cDNA sequence of the MLO gene was cloned via SMART-RACE-PCR from muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.), and was designated as CmMLO2 (GenBank Accession No. FJ713542). The gene is 1,710 bp long and encodes a 570-amino acid peptide with a seven-transmembrane domain topology, and is a typical transmembrane protein. Localization analysis in onion epidermal cells showed that CmMLO2-GFP is localized in the plasma membrane. The expression of CmMLO2 gene was analyzed in melon leaf infected with powdery mildew using a quantitative RT-PCR and it was found that CmMLO2 was mainly expressed in melon leaves in a no-tissue-specific pattern. Moreover, CmMLO2 may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of powdery mildew.

Identification of CmACL genes in melon and analysis of their potential functions in fruit sugar and acid accumulation.

Citric acid is the most important organic acid in melon and has a great influence on fruit flavor quality. ATP-citrate (pro-S) lyase (ACL) is a key regulator in the acetyl-CoA pathway and plays an important role in citric acid metabolism. In this study we analyzed the structure and phylogenetics of CmACL genes and their functions in sugar and acid accumulation in melon. A total of four CmACL genes were identified in the melon genome, and phylogenetic analysis assigned these genes into the α subfamily (CmACLα1 and CmACLα2) and the ß subfamily (CmACLß1 and CmACLß2). Conserved motif and gene structure analyses showed that members of the same subfamily shared identical conserved motifs and gene structures, and probably have similar biological functions. Analysis of cis-acting elements revealed that CmACL promoter sequences contained regulatory elements related to light, stress, phytohormones, and growth and development, indicating that CmACL genes may be involved in melon growth and stress responses. The prediction of protein interaction network showed that CmACL proteins were closely related to the proteins belonging to tricarboxylic acid cycle, glyoxylic acid cycle and glycolytic pathway, suggesting that CmACL proteins may play an important role in sugar and acid metabolism. The expression of CmACLß1 was significantly and positively correlated with sucrose content, and CmACLß2 expression was significantly positively correlated with citric acid content, suggesting that CmACLß1 and CmACLß2 have important roles in sugar and acid accumulation in melon. Our results offer novel insights and avenues for the regulation of sugar and acid levels in melon and provide a theoretical foundation for breeding high-quality melon cultivars.

Eosinophilic fasciitis difficult to differentiate from scleroderma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Eosinophilic fasciitis (EF) is a rare connective tissue disease that can cause swelling and sclerosis of the extremities, and special attention is needed to differentiate EF from systemic sclerosis. Misdiagnosis or omission markedly delays treatment of EF, and severe skin sclerosis in advanced stages can cause joint contracture and tendon retraction, worsening the patient's prognosis and quality of life. CASE SUMMARY: We report a case of EF in a young woman diagnosed by tissue biopsy, confirming the difficulty of differential diagnosis with scleroderma. CONCLUSION: Focusing on skin manifestations, completing tissue biopsy and radiography can help diagnose EF effectively. Clinicians should enhance their understanding of the differences between EF and scleroderma, and early diagnosis and standardized treatment can improve the prognosis of patients with EF.

Interaction effects of significant risk factors on low bone mineral density in ankylosing spondylitis.

Background: To analyze individually and interactively critical risk factors, which are closely related to low bone mineral density (BMD) in patient with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods: A total of 249 AS patients who visited China-Japan Friendship Hospital were included in this training set. Patients with questionnaire data, blood samples, X-rays, and BMD were collected. Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify key risk factors for low BMD in different sites, and predictive accuracy was improved by incorporating the selected significant risk factors into the baseline model, which was then validated using a validation set. The interaction between risk factors was analyzed, and predictive nomograms for low BMD in different sites were established. Results: There were 113 patients with normal BMD, and 136 patients with low BMD. AS patients with hip involvement are more likely to have low BMD in the total hip, whereas those without hip involvement are more prone to low BMD in the lumbar spine. Chest expansion, mSASSS, radiographic average grade of the sacroiliac joint, and hip involvement were significantly associated with low BMD of the femoral neck and total hip. Syndesmophytes, hip involvement and higher radiographic average grade of the sacroiliac joint increases the risk of low BMD of the femoral neck and total hip in an additive manner. Finally, a prediction model was constructed to predict the risk of low BMD in total hip and femoral neck. Conclusions: This study identified hip involvement was strongly associated with low BMD of the total hip in AS patients. Furthermore, the risk of low BMD of the femoral neck and total hip was found to increase in an additive manner with the presence of syndesmophytes, hip involvement, and severe sacroiliitis. This finding may help rheumatologists to identify AS patients who are at a high risk of developing low BMD and prompt early intervention to prevent fractures.

Cold and heat pattern of rheumatoid arthritis in traditional Chinese medicine: distinct molecular signatures indentified by microarray expression profiles in CD4-positive T cell.

The research is aimed to explore the distinct molecular signatures in discriminating the rheumatoid arthritis patients with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) cold pattern and heat pattern. Twenty patients with typical TCM cold pattern and heat pattern were included. Microarray technology was used to reveal gene expression profiles in CD4+ T cells. The signal intensity of each expressed gene was globally normalized using the R statistics program. The ratio of cold pattern to heat pattern in patients with RA at more or less than 1:2 was taken as the differential gene expression criteria. Protein-protein interaction information for these genes from databases was searched, and the highly connected regions were detected by IPCA algorithm. The significant pathways were extracted from these subnetworks by Biological Network Gene Ontology tool. Twenty-nine genes differentially regulated between cold pattern and heat pattern were found. Among them, 7 genes were expressed significantly more in cold pattern. Biological network of protein-protein interaction information for these significant genes were searched and four highly connected regions were detected by IPCA algorithm to infer significant complexes or pathways in the biological network. Particularly, the cold pattern was related to Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. The following related pathways in heat pattern were included: Calcium signaling pathway; cell adhesion molecules; PPAR signaling pathway; fatty acid metabolism. These results suggest that better knowledge of the main biological processes involved at a given pattern in TCM might help to choose the most appropriate treatment.

Detecting Key Factors of Grasshopper Occurrence in Typical Steppe and Meadow Steppe by Integrating Machine Learning Model and Remote Sensing Data.

Grasshoppers mainly threaten natural grassland vegetation and crops. Therefore, it is of great significance to understand the relationship between environmental factors and grasshopper occurrence. This paper studies the spatial distribution and key factors of grasshopper occurrence in two grass types by integrating a machine learning model (Maxent) and remote sensing data within the major grasshopper occurrence areas of Inner Mongolia, China. The modelling results demonstrate that the typical steppe has larger suitable area and more proportion for grasshopper living than meadow steppe. The soil type, above biomass, altitude and temperature mainly determine the grasshopper occurrence in typical steppe and meadow steppe. However, the contribution of these factors in the two grass types is significantly different. In addition, related vegetation and meteorological factors affect the different growing stages of grasshoppers between the two grass types. This study clearly defines the different effects of key environmental factors (meteorology, vegetation, soil and topography) for grasshopper occurrence in typical steppe and meadow steppe. It also provides a methodology to guide early warning and precautions for grasshopper pest prevention. The findings of this study will be helpful for future management measures, to ensure grass ecological environment security and the sustainable development of grassland.

Biangular-Combined Vegetation Indices to Improve the Estimation of Canopy Chlorophyll Content in Wheat Using Multi-Angle Experimental and Simulated Spectral Data.

Canopy chlorophyll content (CCC) indicates the photosynthetic functioning of a crop, which is essential for the growth and development and yield increasing. Accurate estimation of CCC from remote-sensing data benefits from including information on leaf chlorophyll and canopy structures. However, conventional nadir reflectance is usually subject to the lack of an adequate expression on the geometric structures and shaded parts of vegetation canopy, and the derived vegetation indices (VIs) are prone to be saturated at high CCC level. Using 3-year field experiments with different wheat cultivars, leaf colors, structural types, and growth stages, and integrated with PROSPECT+SAILh model simulation, we studied the potential of multi-angle reflectance data for the improved estimation of CCC. The characteristics of angular anisotropy in spectral reflectance were investigated. Analyses based on both simulated and experimental multi-angle hyperspectral data were carried out to compare performances of 20 existing VIs at different viewing angles, and to propose an algorithm to develop novel biangular-combined vegetation indices (BCVIs) for tracking CCC dynamics in wheat. The results indicated that spectral reflectance values, as well as the coefficient of determination (R 2) between mono-angular VIs and CCC, at back-scattering directions, were mostly higher than those at forward-scattering directions. Mono-angular VIs at +30° angle, were closest to the hot-spot position in our case, achieved the highest R 2 among 13 viewing angles including the nadir observation. The general formulation for the newly developed BCVIs was BCVIVI = f × VI(θ1) - (1 - f) × VI(θ2), in which the VI was used to characterize chlorophyll status, while the subtraction of VI at θ1 and θ2 viewing angles in a proportion was used to highlight the canopy structural information. From our result, the values of the θ1 and θ2 around hot-spot and dark-spot positions, and the f of 0.6 or 0.7 were found as the optimized values. Through comparisons revealed that large improvements on CCC modeling could be obtained by the BCVIs, especially for the experimental data, indicated by the increase in R 2 by 25.1-51.4%, as compared to the corresponding mono-angular VIs at +30° angle. The BCVIMCARI[705,750] was proved to greatly undermine the saturation effect of mono-angular MCARI[705,750], expressing the best linearity and the most sensitive to CCC, with R 2 of 0.98 and 0.72 for simulated and experimental data, respectively. Our study will eventually have extensive prospects in monitoring crop phenotype dynamics in for example large breeding trials.

Identification of Key Gene Networks Controlling Soluble Sugar and Organic Acid Metabolism During Oriental Melon Fruit Development by Integrated Analysis of Metabolic and Transcriptomic Analyses.

Oriental melon (Cucumis melo var. acidulus) is one of the most economically important fruit crops worldwide. To elucidate the molecular basis related to soluble sugar and organic acid metabolism in the fruits of two oriental melon cultivars with different sweetness, we performed integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses of the fruits of 'Tianbao' (A) with high sweetness and 'Xiaocuigua' (B) with low sweetness at different ripening stages. The high accumulation of sucrose, D-glucose, D-(+)-raffinose, and the relatively lower citric acid and malic acid might contribute to the sweet taste of A. By screening the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and correlation analysis of the DEGs and differentially accumulated metabolites, we deduced that the B cultivar might promote the conversion of glucose and fructose into intermediate compounds for downstream processes such as glycolysis. The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle might also be enhanced compared to A, thus resulting in the differential accumulation of soluble sugars and organic acids, ultimately causing the taste difference between the two oriental melon cultivars. Our finding provides important information for further exploring the metabolic mechanisms of soluble sugars and organic acids in oriental melon.

Leukemia inhibitory factor is dysregulated in ankylosing spondylitis and contributes to bone formation.

AIM: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease. However, the key inflammatory cytokines disrupted in this disease are not well defined. In this study, we performed protein array and multiple protein quantification to investigate the differentially expressed cytokines in plasma between AS patients and healthy subjects. METHOD: In the discovery cohort, 5 AS patients who never underwent biologic therapy and 5 gender- and age-matched healthy subjects were enrolled in the protein array analysis. Another 40 AS patients and 20 healthy participants were recruited in the validation stage. In addition, the messenger RNA and protein levels of osteogenesis-related genes were quantified in hFOB1.19 cells in an in vitro osteoblast model. RESULTS: Of the 318 cytokines found to be differentially expressed by protein array, leukemia inhibitor factor (LIF) was significantly increased in AS patients as compared to controls. The "signaling by interleukins" pathway was the most enriched pathway in AS patients, and "signaling by interleukins"-related cytokines, including LIF, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-23, and IL-31, were significantly differentially expressed in the validation stage. Additionally, we correlated the expression of LIF with C-reactive protein (CRP) and inflammation of magnetic resonance imaging lesions in the spine (MRI-SPINE) in AS patients. We further analyzed the effects of LIF in hFOB cells and found that LIF promoted the growth factor receptor-bound protein 2 / phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase / runt-related transcription factor 2 / alkaline phosphatase pathway at the protein level and activated several osteogenesis-related genes (RUNX2 and BGLAP). CONCLUSION: LIF was increased in the plasma of AS patients as compared with healthy subjects and significantly correlated with inflammation indices (CRP and MRI-SPINE) in AS patients. Thus, LIF may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of AS via promoting osteogenic differentiation.

[Effect of bushen qiangdu recipe on osteoporosis and bone loss of patients with ankylosing spondylitis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of Bushen Qiangdu Recipe (BSQDR) on osteoporosis and bone loss in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS: Patients with AS were randomly assigned to two groups. The 288 patients in the treatment group received BSQDR (consisting of cibotii rhizoma, antler, prepared rehmannia root, epimedium herb, rhizoma drynariae, teasel root, eucommia bark, pangolin scales, etc., one dose daily, taken in two portions, once in the morning and once in the evening). The 72 patients in the control group received SIDSM and sulfasalazine. The therapeutic course for both was six months. Clinical symptoms, pillow distance from the wall, hand distance from the ground, jaw distance from the handle, chest mobility, Schober test, spinal mobility and other signs of disease activity indices (ESR and CRP) were observed in patients before and after treatment. The bone mineral density (BMD) testing was performed in the lumbar spine, the femur, the forearm, and the heels, etc. Osteocalcin (BGP), calcitonin, parathyroid hormone (PTH), etc. bone metabolic indices were detected. RESULTS: BASFI, BASDAI, the overall assessment, the spinal pain, pillow distance from the wall, hand distance from the ground, jaw distance from the handle, chest mobility, Schober test, spinal mobility, and so on were all improved to some extent when compared with before treatment in the treatment group (P<0.05). The ESR and CRP decreased to various degrees, showing statistical significance when compared with before treatment (P <0.01). BGP increased and PTH decreased, showing statistical difference when compared with before treatment (P<0.05). The BMD in patients' lumbar spine, femoral neck, Ward's triangle, femoral trochanter increased to various degrees. The calcaneal intensity index, blood uric acid (BUA) and SOS values also increased more than before treatment, showing statistical significance (P<0.05). Long-term oral administration of BSQDR was safe, with no obvious adverse reaction. CONCLUSIONS: BSQDR showed significant effect in treatment of AS. It could regulate the bone metabolic level in patients, attenuate the immune inflammatory response, improve the spine and joint activities functions, increase bone formation, reduce bone resorption, thereby, enhancing the BMD, showing significant therapeutic effect on osteoporosis in AS patients.

The complete chloroplast genome of Cucumis anguria var. anguria (Cucurbitaceae) and its phylogenetic implication.

The genus Cucumis contains 52 species, including two economically significant crops, cucumber and melon, as well as other important species. Cucumis anguria var. anguria is a wild relative of C. melon, native to Africa. Cucumis anguria is rich in vitamins and minerals in gherkin fruits and carries broad-spectrum resistance to multiplex biotic and abiotic stress, such as powdery mildew, fusarium wilt, and meloidogyn incognita. Cucumis anguria provides a valuable gene pool for crop improvement of Cucumis crops. In this study, the complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of C. anguria was determined using next-generation sequencing. The entire cp genome was determined to be 156,577 bp in length. It contained large single-copy (LSC) and small single-copy (SSC) regions of 85,971 and 18,100 bp, respectively, which were separated by a pair of 26,253 bp inverted repeat (IR) regions. The genome contained 134 genes, including 88 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, 8 rRNA genes and 1 pseudogene infA. The overall GC content of the genome is 37.0%. A phylogenetic tree reconstructed by 48 chloroplast genomes reveals that C. anguria is a separate branch in Cucumis.

Nitrogen-decorated, porous carbons derived from waste cow manure as efficient catalysts for the selective capture and conversion of CO2.

The catalytic conversion of CO2 is a promising solution to the greenhouse effect and simultaneously recycles the carbon sources to produce high value-added chemicals. Herein, we demonstrated a class of nanoporous carbons, which were synthesized by the direct carbonization of bio-waste cow manure, followed by activation with KOH and NaNH2. Various characterizations indicate that the resultant nanoporous carbons have abundant nanopores and nitrogen sites. As a result, their performances for the capture and catalytic conversion of CO2 were investigated. The synthesized nanoporous carbons exhibited superior properties for the selective capture and catalytic cycloaddition of CO2 to propylene oxide as compared to various solid materials.