Survey of prothioconazole sensitivity in Fusarium pseudograminearum isolates from Henan Province, China, and characterization of resistant laboratory mutants.

BACKGROUND: Fusarium crown rot (FCR) is one of the most significant diseases limiting crop production in the Huanghuai wheat-growing region of China. Prothioconazole, a triazole sterol 14α-demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicide developed by the Bayer Crop Protection Company, is mainly registered for the prevention and control of wheat powdery mildew and stripe rust (China Pesticide Information Network). It is known to exhibit high activity against F. pseudograminearum, but further research, particularly regarding the potential for fungicide resistance, is required before it can be registered for the control of FCR in China. RESULTS: The current study found that the baseline sensitivity of 67 field isolates of F. pseudograminearum collected between 2019 and 2021 ranged between 0.016-2.974 µg/mL, with an average EC50 value of 1.191 ± 0.720 µg/mL (mean ± SD). Although none of the field isolates exhibited signs of resistance, three highly resistant mutants were produced by repeated exposure to prothioconazole under laboratory conditions. All of the mutants were found to exhibit significantly reduced growth rates on potato dextrose agar (PDA), as well as reduced levels of sporulation, which indicated that there was a fitness cost associated with the resistance. However, inoculation of wounded wheat coleoptiles revealed that the pathogenicity of the resistant mutants was little affected or actually increased. Molecular analysis of the genes corresponding to the prothioconazole target protein, FpCYP51 (FpCYP51A, FpCYP51B, and FpCYP51C), indicated that the resistant mutants contained three conserved substitutions (M63I, A205S, and I246V) that were present in the FpCYP51C sequence of all three mutants, as well as several non-conserved substations in their FpCYP51A and FpCYP51B sequences. Expression analysis revealed that the presence of prothioconazole (0.1 µg/mL) generally resulted in reduced expression of the three FpCYP51 genes, but that the three mutants exhibited more complex patterns of expression that differed in comparison to their parental isolates. The study found no evidence of cross-resistance between prothioconazole and any of the fungicides tested including three DMI fungicides tebuconazole, prochloraz, and flutriafol. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together these results not only provide new insight into the resistant mechanism and biological characteristics associated with prothioconazole resistance in F. pseudograminearum, but also strong evidence that prothioconazole could provide effective and sustained control of FCR, especially when applied in combination with other fungicides.

Regulation of carbohydrate metabolism during anther development in a thermo-sensitive genic male-sterile wheat line.

Bainong sterility (BNS) is a thermo-sensitive genic male sterile wheat line, characterised by anther fertility transformation in response to low temperature (LT) stress during meiosis, the failure of vacuole decomposition and the absence of starch accumulation in sterile bicellular pollen. Our study demonstrates that the late microspore (LM) stage marks the transition from the anther growth to anther maturation phase, characterised by the changes in anther structure, carbohydrate metabolism and the main transport pathway of sucrose (Suc). Fructan is a main storage polysaccharide in wheat anther, and its synthesis and remobilisation are crucial for anther development. Moreover, the process of pollen amylogenesis and the fate of the large vacuole in pollen are closely intertwined with fructan synthesis and remobilisation. LT disrupts the normal physiological metabolism of BNS anthers during meiosis, particularly affecting carbohydrate metabolism, thus determining the fate of male gametophytes and pollen abortion. Disruption of fructan synthesis and remobilisation regulation serves as a decisive event that results in anther abortion. Sterile pollen exhibits common traits of pollen starvation and impaired starch accumulation due to the inhibition of apoplastic transport starting from the LM stage, which is regulated by cell wall invertase TaIVR1 and Suc transporter TaSUT1.

mPPTMP195 nanoparticles enhance fracture recovery through HDAC4 nuclear translocation inhibition.

Delayed repair of fractures seriously impacts patients' health and significantly increases financial burdens. Consequently, there is a growing clinical demand for effective fracture treatment. While current materials used for fracture repair have partially addressed bone integrity issues, they still possess limitations. These challenges include issues associated with autologous material donor sites, intricate preparation procedures for artificial biomaterials, suboptimal biocompatibility, and extended degradation cycles, all of which are detrimental to bone regeneration. Hence, there is an urgent need to design a novel material with a straightforward preparation method that can substantially enhance bone regeneration. In this context, we developed a novel nanoparticle, mPPTMP195, to enhance the bioavailability of TMP195 for fracture treatment. Our results demonstrate that mPPTMP195 effectively promotes the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts while inhibiting the differentiation of bone marrow mononuclear macrophages into osteoclasts. Moreover, in a mouse femur fracture model, mPPTMP195 nanoparticles exhibited superior therapeutic effects compared to free TMP195. Ultimately, our study highlights that mPPTMP195 accelerates fracture repair by preventing HDAC4 translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, thereby activating the NRF2/HO-1 signaling pathway. In conclusion, our study not only proposes a new strategy for fracture treatment but also provides an efficient nano-delivery system for the widespread application of TMP195 in various other diseases.

Effects of Streptomyces sp. HU2014 inoculation on wheat growth and rhizosphere microbial diversity under hexavalent chromium stress.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major foodstuff for over 40% of the world's population. However, hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] in contaminated soil significantly affects wheat production and its ecological environment. Streptomyces sp. HU2014 was first used to investigate the effects of Cr (VI) stress on wheat growth. We analyzed the Cr(VI) concentration, physicochemical properties of wheat and soil, total Cr content, and microbial community structures during their interactions. HU2014 reduced the toxicity of Cr(VI) and promoted wheat growth by increasing total nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, total phosphorus, and Olsen-phosphorus in Cr(VI)-contaminated soil. These four soil variables had strong positive effects on two bacterial taxa, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidota, in the HU2014 treatments. In addition, the level of the dominant Proteobacteria positively correlated with the total Cr content in the soil. Among the fungal communities, which had weaker correlations with soil variables compared with bacterial communities, Ascomycota was the most abundant. Our findings suggest that HU2014 can promote the phytoremediation of Cr(VI)-contaminated soil.

Semantic Segmentation of Surface Cracks in Urban Comprehensive Pipe Galleries Based on Global Attention.

Cracks inside urban underground comprehensive pipe galleries are small and their characteristics are not obvious. Due to low lighting and large shadow areas, the differentiation between the cracks and background in an image is low. Most current semantic segmentation methods focus on overall segmentation and have a large perceptual range. However, for urban underground comprehensive pipe gallery crack segmentation tasks, it is difficult to pay attention to the detailed features of local edges to obtain accurate segmentation results. A Global Attention Segmentation Network (GA-SegNet) is proposed in this paper. The GA-SegNet is designed to perform semantic segmentation by incorporating global attention mechanisms. In order to perform precise pixel classification in the image, a residual separable convolution attention model is employed in an encoder to extract features at multiple scales. A global attention upsample model (GAM) is utilized in a decoder to enhance the connection between shallow-level features and deep abstract features, which could increase the attention of the network towards small cracks. By employing a balanced loss function, the contribution of crack pixels is increased while reducing the focus on background pixels in the overall loss. This approach aims to improve the segmentation accuracy of cracks. The comparative experimental results with other classic models show that the GA SegNet model proposed in this study has better segmentation performance and multiple evaluation indicators, and has advantages in segmentation accuracy and efficiency.

Feasibility of implant placement in healed mandibular molar sites: A retrospective cone beam computed tomography study.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Implant placement in the mandibular molar sites plays a crucial role in the restoration of edentulous mandibles. However, the evaluation of bone quantity before implant surgery using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is lacking. PURPOSE: The purpose of this clinical study was to evaluate CBCT images of edentulous patients to analyze the feasibility of implant placement in healed mandibular molar sites. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The CBCT data of 138 patients were analyzed in the sagittal plane for measurements of mandibular bone height (MBH), superior bone height (SBH), inferior bone height (IBH), buccal bone width (BBW), lingual bone width (LBW), and alveolar bone widths (ABWs). The edentulous sites were categorized according to the bone quantity and complexity of the implant surgery. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze the site, sex, and age-related variations. An independent t test was used to compare the difference of bone dimension in different sites and between sexes. One-way ANOVA followed by post hoc tests were used to analyze the difference between different age groups. Categorical variables were presented as number of events and percentages. The chi-squared test was used to compare categorical variables (α=.05). RESULTS: A total of 534 sites of interest were recorded, including 274 hemimandibles. A significant difference in BBW was found between the first and second molar sites. Men had higher MBH, SBH, IBH, and BBW than women. The distribution of implant surgical complexity in the conventional group was 63.5%, while the buccolingual tilted implant group accounted for 17.0%, and the complicated group accounted for 19.5%. Of the 274 hemimandibles, an implant could be placed directly at molar sites in 88% of situations. CONCLUSIONS: The BBW at the mandibular second molar site was greater than that at the first molar site. The amount of available bone in the SBH and BBW was greater in men than in women at the healed molar sites. Age did not significantly affect the complexity of the implant surgery. Implants can be placed directly in healed mandibular molar sites in most patients who require a complete arch mandibular implant-supported restoration.

The application of 3D printing in dentistry: A bibliometric analysis from 2012 to 2023.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Three-dimensional (3D) printing has had extensive applications across dentistry, but a comprehensive bibliometric analysis relating to the application of 3D printing in dentistry is lacking. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature concerning the application of 3D printing in dentistry from 2012 to 2023. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The literature search was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection Database. The retrieved literature data were downloaded as plain text file in "full record and cited references" format, with software programs (VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Biblioshiny, RStudio, Carrot2, and Microsoft Excel) used for bibliometric analysis and quantitative assessment. RESULTS: The bibliometric analysis incorporated 1911 publications. Revilla-León, Marta was the most productive author. Zurich University had the highest number of publications and citations. The United States dominated the research landscape with the highest publication volume and H-index. The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry was the leading journal in both publication volume and citation frequency. Co-occurrence analysis of keyword and co-cited analysis of reference indicated a robust research environment, characterized by a strong focus on the pursuit of accuracy in dental restorative solutions, biocompatibility of materials, and clinical applications. CONCLUSIONS: Research on 3D printing in the field of dentistry continues to grow. Collaborations with leading organizations and countries have been established, with Revilla-León, Marta et al playing a pivotal role. Top journals represented included the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry and Dental Materials. Main research domain resided in prosthodontics and implantology. Hot research topics included improvements in accuracy, dental materials, and clinical applications centered on implant guide design.

Boosting Conductive Loss and Magnetic Coupling Based on "Size Modulation Engineering" toward Lower-Frequency Microwave Absorption.

The rational design of absorber size is a promising strategy for obtaining excellent electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption performance. However, achieving controllable tuning of the material size through simple methods is challenging and the associated EMW attenuation mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, the sizes of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are successfully tailored by changing the growth time and the molar ratio of iron (Fe)/organic ligands. The lateral and vertical lengths of MOFs vary in the range of 200 nm to 2 µm and 100 nm to 1 µm, respectively. Both experiments and simulations confirm that the decrease of MOF size favors the formation of more conductive networks, which is beneficial for improving the conductivity loss. Meanwhile, the micromagnetic simulation reveals that the magnetic coupling can be effectively enhanced by the decrease of MOF size, which is conducive to the improvement of magnetic loss, especially in low-frequency range. The reflection loss of Fe-based MOFs with optimized size reaches -46.4 dB at 6.2 GHz with an effective absorption bandwidth of 3.1 GHz. This work illustrates the important role of size effect in EMW dissipation and provides an effective strategy for enhancing the low-frequency EMW absorption performance.

Harnessing Native Bacillus spp. for Sustainable Wheat Production.

The genus Bacillus has been widely applied in contemporary agriculture as an environmentally-friendly biological agent. However, the real effect of commercial Bacillus-based fertilizers and pesticides varies immensely in the field. To harness Bacillus for efficient wheat production, we reviewed the diversity, functionality, and applicability of wheat-associated native Bacillus for the first time. Our main findings are: (i) Bacillus spp. inhabit the rhizosphere, root, stem, leaf, and kernel of wheat; (ii) B. subtilis and B. velezensis are the most widely endophytic species that can be isolated from both below and aboveground tissues; (iii) major functions of these representative strains are promotion of plant growth and alleviation of both abiotic and biotic stresses in wheat; (iv) stability and effectiveness are 2 major challenges during field application; (v) a STVAE pipeline that includes 5 processes, namely, Screen, Test, Validation, Application, and Evaluation, has been proposed for the capture and refinement of wheat-associated Bacillus spp. In particular, this review comprehensively addresses possible solutions, concerns, and criteria during the development of native Bacillus-based inoculants for sustainable wheat production.

Synthesis of isobutanol using acetate as sole carbon source in Escherichia coli.

BACKGROUND: With concerns about depletion of fossil fuel and environmental pollution, synthesis of biofuels such as isobutanol from low-cost substrate by microbial cell factories has attracted more and more attention. As one of the most promising carbon sources instead of food resources, acetate can be utilized by versatile microbes and converted into numerous valuable chemicals. RESULTS: An isobutanol synthetic pathway using acetate as sole carbon source was constructed in E. coli. Pyruvate was designed to be generated via acetyl-CoA by pyruvate-ferredoxin oxidoreductase YdbK or anaplerotic pathway. Overexpression of transhydrogenase and NAD kinase increased the isobutanol titer of recombinant E. coli from 121.21 mg/L to 131.5 mg/L under batch cultivation. Further optimization of acetate supplement concentration achieved 157.05 mg/L isobutanol accumulation in WY002, representing the highest isobutanol titer by using acetate as sole carbon source. CONCLUSIONS: The utilization of acetate as carbon source for microbial production of valuable chemicals such as isobutanol could reduce the consumption of food-based substrates and save production cost. Engineering strategies applied in this study will provide a useful reference for microbial production of pyruvate derived chemical compounds from acetate.

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and glucose oxidase (GOX) based dual-enzyme system: Sustainable release of H2O2 and its effect on the desirable ping pong bibi degradation mechanism.

In this study, an adaptable HRP/GOX-Glu system was established due to the trait, efficient degradation of pollutants in the catalytic process of HRP named the ping-pong bibi mechanism and a sustained release of H2O2 in-situ under the catalysis of glucose oxidase (GOX). Compared with the traditional HRP/H2O2 system, the HRP was more stable in the HRP/GOX-Glu system based on the feature of persistent releasing H2O2 in-situ. Simultaneously, the high valent iron was found out to give a greater contribution to Alizarin Green (AG) removal through ping-pong mechanism, whereas the hydroxyl radical and superoxide free radical generated by Bio-Fenton were also the main active substances for AG degradation. Furthermore, on the basis of effect evaluation of the co-existence of two different degradation mechanisms in the HRP/GOX-Glu system, the degradation pathways of AG were proposed. Moreover, the optimum reaction conditions preferentially triggering ping-pong bibi mechanism instead of Bio-Fenton were determined by single factor analysis and degradation mechanism elaboration. This study would provide a reference for how to give full play to the advantages of ping-pong bibi mechanism in the dual-enzyme system based on HRP to degrade pollutants with high efficiency.

MicroRNA Expression Profiles in Response to Phytophthora infestans and Oidium neolycopersici and Functional Identification of sly-miR397 in Tomato.

Late blight and powdery mildew are two widespread tomato diseases caused by Phytophthora infestans and Oidium neolycopersici, respectively, which reduce the quantity and quality of tomato. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in tomato resistance to various pathogens. Investigating the function of miRNAs is of great significance in controlling tomato diseases. To identify potential miRNAs involved in the interaction of tomato with P. infestans or O. neolycopersici, we analyzed the expression profiles of small RNAs in tomato leaves infected with these two pathogens using RNA-seq technology. A total of 330 and 288 miRNAs exhibited differences in expression levels after exposure to P. infestans and O. neolycopersici, respectively. One hundred and forty-six commonly differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs responsive to P. infestans and O. neolycopersici infestation were detected, including 10 commonly known conserved DE miRNAs and 136 novel miRNAs. Among these known DE miRNAs, sly-miR397 was strongly downregulated in response to P. infestans or O. neolycopersici infection. Silencing of sly-miR397 resulted in enhanced tolerance to the pathogens, whereas overexpression of sly-miR397 showed increased susceptibility. Furthermore, changes in sly-miR397 expression could also affect expression levels of pathogenesis-related genes and reactive oxygen species-scavenging genes, leading to altered necrotic cells and H2O2 levels. In addition, the number of lateral branches significantly changed in transgenic plants. Taken together, our results provide potential miRNA resources for further research of miRNA-disease associations and indicates that sly-miR397 acts as a negative regulator of disease resistance and influences lateral branch development in tomato.

Effects of intravenous glucocorticoids on postoperative delirium in adult patients undergoing major surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis.

BACKGROUND: The effects of intravenous glucocorticoids on postoperative delirium (POD) in adult patients undergoing major surgery remain controversial. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to assess whether intravenous glucocorticoids can decrease POD incidence in the entire adult population undergoing major surgery and its association with patients age, type of surgery, and type of glucocorticoid. METHODS: We searched the relevant literature published before November 3, 2023, through Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. The primary outcome was POD incidence. The risk ratio for the primary outcome was calculated using the Mantel-Haenszel method. The secondary outcomes included 30-day mortality, length of hospital stay, ICU duration, mechanical ventilation duration, and occurrence of glucocorticoid-related adverse effects (e.g., infection and hyperglycemia). This meta-analysis was registered in PROSPERO: CRD42022345997. RESULTS: We included eight randomized controlled studies involving 8972 patients. For the entire adult population undergoing major surgery, intravenous glucocorticoids reduced the POD incidence (risk ratio = 0.704, 95% confidence interval, 0.519-0.955; P = 0.024). However, subgroups defined by type of surgery showed differential effects of glucocorticoids on POD. Intravenous glucocorticoids can not reduce POD incidence in adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery (risk ratio = 0.961, 95% confidence interval, 0.769-1.202; P = 0.728), with firm evidence from trial sequential analysis. However, in major non-cardiac surgery, perioperative intravenous glucocorticoid reduced the incidence of POD (risk ratio = 0.491, 95% confidence interval, 0.338-0.714; P < 0.001), which warrants further studies due to inconclusive evidence by trial sequence analysis. In addition, the use of glucocorticoids may reduce the mechanical ventilation time (weighted mean difference, -1.350; 95% confidence interval, -1.846 to -0.854; P < 0.001) and ICU duration (weighted mean difference = -7.866; 95% confidence interval, -15.620 to -0.112; P = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: For the entire adult population undergoing major surgery, glucocorticoids reduced the POD incidence. However, the effects of glucocorticoids on POD appear to vary according to the type of surgery. In patients receiving major non-cardiac surgery, glucocorticoid may be an attractive drug in the prevention of POD, and further studies are needed to draw a definitive conclusion. In cardiac surgery, intravenous glucocorticoids have no such effect.

Fatty infiltration of the cervical multifidus musculature and its clinical correlation to cervical spondylosis.

PURPOSE: Fat infiltration (FI) of the deep neck extensor muscles has been shown to be associated with poor outcomes in cervical injury, mechanical neck pain, and axial symptoms after cervical spine surgery. However, information is scarce on the severity of FI in cervical extensors associated with different clinical syndromes in patients with cervical spondylosis. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the severity of FI in the cervical multifidus musculature and its clinical correlates in the syndromes and sagittal alignment of patients with cervical spondylosis. METHODS: This study was conducted as a retrospective study of twenty-eight healthy volunteers (HV) together with sixty-six patients who underwent cervical radiculopathy (CR), degenerative myelopathy (DM), and axial joint pain (AJP) from January 2020 to March 2022. MRI was used to measure the fat cross-sectional area (FCSA), functional muscle cross-sectional area (FMCSA), total muscle cross-sectional area (TMCSA), FI ratio of the cervical multifidus musculature at each cervical level from the C3 to C6 segments and the cervical lordosis angle in the included subjects. RESULTS: The difference in the FCSA and FI ratio in patient groups with cervical spondylosis was significantly greater than that of the HV group (P < 0.05), and the Cobb angle of the DM group, AJP group and HV group was significantly greater than that of the CR group (P < 0.05). The FI ratio comparison showed no significant difference by sex, and the comparison of FCSA, FMCSA, TMCSA and FI ratio showed no significant difference by age range from 35 to 69 in the included subjects. The FCSA and TMCSA in patients with cervical spondylosis were positively related to the Cobb angle (rs= 0.336, P = 0.006, rs =0.319, P = 0.009, respectively), and the FI ratio was inversely correlated with the Cobb angle (rs= -0.285, P = 0.020) and positively correlated with age (rs =0.261, P = 0.034). In the HV group, FMCSA was inversely correlated with age (rs= -0.400, P = 0.035), while the FI ratio had a positive correlation with age (rs= -0.423, P = 0.025). CONCLUSION: Compared with healthy subjects, a more severe degree of FI in the multifidus musculature and sagittal imbalance were found in patients with cervical spondylosis. These two imaging features are considered to be important concomitant phenomena of cervical spondylosis, and the more severe FI is, the worse the sagittal imbalance. However, each syndrome had no obvious difference in FI in the multifidus musculature.

Identification of a Novel Streptomyces sp. Strain HU2014 Showing Growth Promotion and Biocontrol Effect Against Rhizoctonia spp. in Wheat.

Wheat sharp eyespot is a serious disease caused by the phytopathogens Rhizoctonia cerealis and R. solani. Some species in the genus Streptomyces have been identified as potential biocontrol agents against phytopathogens. In this investigation, the physiological, biochemical, phylogenetic, and genomic characteristics of strain HU2014 indicate that it is a novel Streptomyces sp. most closely related to Streptomyces albireticuli. Strain HU2014 exhibited strong antifungal activity against R. cerealis G11 and R. solani YL-3. Ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry on the four extracts from the extracellular filtrate of strain HU2014 identified 10 chemical constituents in the Natural Products Atlas with high match levels (more than 90%). In an antifungal efficiency test on wheat sharp eyespot, two extracts significantly reduced the lesion areas on bean leaves infected by R. solani YL-3. The drenching of wheat in pots with spore suspension of strain HU2014 demonstrated a control efficiency of 65.1% against R. cerealis G11 (compared with 66.9% when treated by a 30% hymexazol aqueous solution). Additionally, in vitro and pot experiments demonstrated that strain HU2014 can produce indoleacetic acid, siderophores, extracellular enzymes, and solubilized phosphate, and it can promote plant growth. We conclude that strain HU2014 could be a valuable microbial resource for growth promotion of wheat and biological control of wheat sharp eyespot.

Baseline Pydiflumetofen Sensitivity of Fusarium pseudograminearum Isolates Collected from Henan, China, and Potential Resistance Mechanisms.

Fusarium crown rot (FCR), caused by Fusarium pseudograminearum, is one of the most important diseases impacting wheat production in the Huanghuai region, the most important wheat-growing region of China. The current study found that the SDHI fungicide pydiflumetofen, which was recently developed by Syngenta Crop Protection, provided effective control of 67 wild-type F. pseudograminearum isolates in potato dextrose agar, with an average EC50 value of 0.060 ± 0.0098 µg/ml (SE). Further investigation revealed that the risk of fungicide resistance in pydiflumetofen was medium to high. Four F. pseudograminearum mutants generated by repeated exposure to pydiflumetofen under laboratory conditions indicated that pydiflumetofen resistance was associated with fitness penalties. Mutants exhibited significantly (P < 0.05) reduced sporulation in mung bean broth and significantly (P < 0.05) reduced pathogenicity in wheat seedlings. Sequence analysis indicated that the observed pydiflumetofen resistance of the mutants was likely associated with amino acid changes in the different subunits of the succinate dehydrogenase target protein, including R18L and V160M substitutions in the FpSdhA sequence; D69V, D147G, and C257R in FpSdhB; and W78R in FpSdhC. This study found no evidence of cross-resistance between pydiflumetofen and the alternative fungicides tebuconazole, fludioxonil, carbendazim, or fluazinam, which all have distinct modes of action and could therefore be used in combination or rotation with pydiflumetofen to reduce the risk of resistance emerging in the field. Taken together, these results indicate that pydiflumetofen has potential as a novel fungicide for the control of FCR caused by F. pseudograminearum and could therefore be of great significance in ensuring high and stable wheat yields in China.

DARU-Net: A dual attention residual U-Net for uterine fibroids segmentation on MRI.

PURPOSE: Uterine fibroid is the most common benign tumor in female reproductive organs. In order to guide the treatment, it is crucial to detect the location, shape, and size of the tumor. This study proposed a deep learning approach based on attention mechanisms to segment uterine fibroids automatically on preoperative Magnetic Resonance (MR) images. METHODS: The proposed method is based on U-Net architecture and integrates two attention mechanisms: channel attention of squeeze-and-excitation (SE) blocks with residual connections, spatial attention of pyramid pooling module (PPM). We did the ablation study to verify the performance of these two attention mechanisms module and compared DARU-Net with other deep learning methods. All experiments were performed on a clinical dataset consisting of 150 cases collected from our hospital. Among them, 120 cases were used as the training set, and 30 cases are used as the test set. After preprocessing and data augmentation, we trained the network and tested it on the test dataset. We evaluated segmentation performance through the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), precision, recall, and Jaccard index (JI). RESULTS: The average DSC, precision, recall, and JI of DARU-Net reached 0.8066 ± 0.0956, 0.8233 ± 0.1255, 0.7913 ± 0.1304, and 0.6743 ± 0.1317. Compared with U-Net and other deep learning methods, DARU-Net was more accurate and stable. CONCLUSION: This work proposed an optimized U-Net with channel and spatial attention mechanisms to segment uterine fibroids on preoperative MR images. Results showed that DARU-Net was able to accurately segment uterine fibroids from MR images.

The value of HPV genotypes combined with clinical indicators in the classification of cervical squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the differences in HPV genotypes and clinical indicators between cervical squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma and to identify independent predictors for differentiating cervical squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. METHODS: A total of 319 patients with cervical cancer, including 238 patients with squamous cell carcinoma and 81 patients with adenocarcinoma, were retrospectively analysed. The clinical characteristics and laboratory indicators, including HPV genotypes, SCCAg, CA125, CA19-9, CYFRA 21-1 and parity, were analysed by univariate and multivariate analyses, and a classification model for cervical squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma was established. The model was validated in 96 patients with cervical cancer. RESULTS: There were significant differences in SCCAg, CA125, CA19-9, CYFRA 21-1, HPV genotypes and clinical symptoms between cervical squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that SCCAg and HPV genotypes (high risk) were independent predictors for differentiating cervical squamous cell carcinoma from adenocarcinoma. The AUC value of the established classification model was 0.854 (95% CI: 0.804-0.904). The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of the model were 0.846, 0.691 and 0.899, respectively. The classification accuracy was 0.823 when the model was verified. CONCLUSION: The histological type of cervical cancer patients with persistent infection of high-risk HPV subtypes and low serum SCCAg levels was more prone to being adenocarcinoma. When the above independent predictors occur, the occurrence and development of cervical adenocarcinoma should be anticipated, and early active intervention treatment should be used to improve the prognosis and survival of patients.

Green rust (GR) and glucose oxidase (GOX) based Fenton-like reaction: Capacity of sustainable release, promoted conversion of glucose through GOX-iron and pH self-adjustment.

The Fenton reaction is regarded as highly efficient for the degradation of organic contaminants. However, the traditional Fenton reaction is still flawed in a narrow pH working range and low utilization efficiency of the reagents. Based on two striking features, a sustained release of H2O2 in-situ under the catalysis of glucose oxidase (GOX) and the rapid electron donation & transferability from green rust (GR), an adaptable biological Fenton-like system (GGGMFs) was established. The coupling roles of glucose, GOX and GR in the degradation of 3,4-dimethylaniline (3,4-DMA) and the types of reactive species were deduced by electron spin resonance (ESR), etc.. Results demonstrated that the suitable pH range of the system was optimized from acidic to circumneutral, which was favorable for practical application, owing to the heterogeneous formation of GR and the pH self-adjustable capacity of GOX-Glucose. Meanwhile, hydroxyl radical (·OH), superoxide radical (·O2-) and Fe (IV) were identified to be the main oxidizing reactive species. Taking different selectivity of the reactive species to certain pollutant functional groups into consideration, the degradation pathways of 3,4-DMA were proposed. Moreover, it was shown that GR not only acted as the activating substance of the Fenton-like reaction, but also enhanced the activity of GOX, resulting in the promotion of glucose conversion in GGGMFs. This study shed light on the enhancement mechanism consisting of two aspects: (i) the elimination of product inhibition (ii) the formation of a 2Fe(III)-FAD complex with FAD, the active center of GOX, which prompted the electronic transfer in the enzyme catalytic reaction.

Lower preoperative serum uric acid level may be a risk factor for postoperative delirium in older patients undergoing hip fracture surgery: a matched retrospective case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative delirium (POD) is a common complication after hip fracture surgery that is associated with various short- and long-term outcomes. The mechanism of POD may be associated with the oxidative stress process. Uric acid has been shown to provide a neuroprotective effect in various neurodegenerative diseases through its antioxidant properties. However, it is unclear whether lower preoperative serum uric acid levels are associated with the development of POD after hip fracture surgery. Therefore, this study assessed the association of lower preoperative uric acid levels in patients with POD during hospitalization. METHODS: This is a matched retrospective case-control study that included 96 older patients (≥65 y) who underwent hip fracture surgery. POD was diagnosed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Patients diagnosed with POD (cases) were matched 1:1 with patients without POD (controls) on the basis of age, sex, and anesthesia type. The relationship between preoperative uric acid and POD was analyzed by multivariable analysis. RESULTS: The POD and non-POD groups each had 48 patients. In the univariate analysis, lower log preoperative serum uric acid value, higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and cerebrovascular disease were more likely in patients with POD than in those with no POD. Multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis showed that lower log preoperative serum uric acid (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.028; confidence interval [CI], 0.001-0.844; p = 0.040), higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (aOR, 1.314; 95% CI, 1.053-1.638; p = 0.015), and increased surgery duration (aOR, 1.034; 95% CI, 1.004-1.065; p = 0.024) were associated with increased risk of POD. CONCLUSIONS: Lower preoperative serum uric acid levels may be an independent risk factor for POD after adjustment for possible confounding factors. However, large prospective studies are needed to confirm this finding.