Electrochemiluminescence-Based Single-Particle Tracking of the Biomolecules Moving along Intercellular Membrane Nanotubes between Live Cells.

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) imaging, a rapidly evolving technology, has attracted significant attention in the field of cellular imaging. However, its primary limitation lies in its inability to analyze the motion behaviors of individual particles in live cellular environments. In this study, we leveraged the exceptional ECL properties of quantum dots (QDs) and the excellent electrochemical properties of carbon dots (CDs) to develop a high-brightness ECL nanoprobe (CDs-QDs) for real-time ECL imaging between living cells. This nanoprobe has excellent signal-to-noise ratio imaging capabilities for the single-particle tracking (SPT) of biomolecules. Our finding elucidated the enhanced ECL mechanism of CDs-QDs in the presence of reactive oxygen species through photoluminescence, electrochemistry, and ECL techniques. We further tracked the movement of single particles on membrane nanotubes between live cells and confirmed that the ECL-based SPT technique using CD-QD nanoparticles is an effective approach for monitoring the transport behaviors of biomolecules on membrane nanotubes between live cells. This opens a promising avenue for the advancement of ECL-based single-particle detection and the dynamic quantitative imaging of biomolecules.

Stem cell-derived exosomes for chronic wound repair.

Stem cells possess the capability of self-renewal and multipotency, which endows them with great application potential in wound repair fields. Yet, several problems including immune concerns, ethical debates, and oncogenicity impede the broad and deep advance of stem cell-based products. Recently, owing to their abundant resources, excellent biocompatibility, and ease of being engineered, stem cell-derived exosomes were proved to be promising nanomedicine for curing chronic wounds. What is more, stem cell-derived exosomes are almost the mini record of their maternal cells, which even equipped them with the unique characteristics of stem cells. Chronic wound healing efficacy is dominated by several complicated factors, especially the excessive inflammation conditions and impaired vessels. Therefore, this review tries to concentrate on the current advances of stem cell-derived exosomes for reducing inflammation and promoting angiogenesis in chronic wound healing processes. Last but not least, the existing limitations and future perspectives of stem cell-derived exosomes for chronic wound treatment are also outlined.

FvWRKY48 binds to the pectate lyase FvPLA promoter to control fruit softening in Fragaria vesca.

The regulatory mechanisms that link WRKY gene expression to fruit ripening are largely unknown. Using transgenic approaches, we showed that a WRKY gene from wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca), FvWRKY48, may be involved in fruit softening and ripening. We showed that FvWRKY48 is localized to the nucleus and that degradation of the pectin cell wall polymer homogalacturonan, which is present in the middle lamella and tricellular junction zones of the fruit, was greater in FvWRKY48-OE (overexpressing) fruits than in empty vector (EV)-transformed fruits and less substantial in FvWRKY48-RNAi (RNA interference) fruits. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that the expression of pectate lyase A (FvPLA) was significantly downregulated in the FvWRKY48-RNAi receptacle. We determined that FvWRKY48 bound to the FvPLA promoter via a W-box element through yeast one-hybrid, electrophoretic mobility shift, and chromatin immunoprecipitation quantitative polymerase chain reaction experiments, and ß-glucosidase activity assays suggested that this binding promotes pectate lyase activity. In addition, softening and pectin degradation were more intense in FvPLA-OE fruit than in EV fruit, and the middle lamella and tricellular junction zones were denser in FvPLA-RNAi fruit than in EV fruit. We speculated that FvWRKY48 maybe increase the expression of FvPLA, resulting in pectin degradation and fruit softening.

Assessment of Fungal Diversity in Minqin County, a Typical Arid Region in Northwestern China.

Minqin County is located in the Shiyang River Basin. As a typical arid area, it is eroded by the Badain Jaran and Tengger Desert all year round, and knowledge of the fungal diversity in this area is limited. Therefore, fungal community structure and distribution in the soil of the artificial forest, desert transition zone, farmland, and desert were investigated using amplicon sequencing of the fungal ITS gene. Ten fungal phyla and 23 classes were identified, including 1131 fungi OTUs, Sordariomycetes, Dothideomycetes, Pezizomycetes, and Agaricomycetes were the most abundant classes. Although most OTUs are shared among habitats, fungal community composition among samples was highly variable, which may influence the design of restoration practices in this area.

[Advantages, development opportunities, and practice paths of traditional Chinese medicine in prevention and treatment of elderly comorbidities].

This article focused on the significant public health issue of comorbidities in the elderly population and highlighted the important role of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) in the prevention and treatment of comorbidities in the elderly. It suggested that TCM should fully utilize its advantages in holistic perspective, syndrome differentiation and treatment, and preventive medicine in the process of preventing and treating comorbidities in the elderly. At the same time, in response to the significant shift in the disease spectrum of the elderly, the increasingly innovative concepts in diagnosis and treatment, the growing demand for proactive health by the el-derly population, and the current emphasis on patient-centered evaluation standards, it is necessary to further conduct basic theoretical and experimental research on comorbidities in the elderly using TCM, emphasize clinical research on comorbidities in the elderly, explore appropriate efficacy evaluation systems, improve TCM prevention and treatment strategies and comprehensive intervention programs for comorbidities in the elderly, and leverage the unique role of TCM in the rehabilitation of elderly comorbidity patients. By analyzing the potential of TCM in the field of comorbidities in the elderly, this article is expected to provide new insights for future clinical practice and scientific research.

Diversity of bacterial communities in the plasmodia of myxomycetes.

BACKGROUND: Myxomycetes are a group of eukaryotes belonging to Amoebozoa, which are characterized by a distinctive life cycle, including the plasmodium stage and fruit body stage. Plasmodia are all found to be associated with bacteria. However, the information about bacteria diversity and composition in different plasmodia was limited. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the bacterial diversity of plasmodia from different myxomycetes species and reveal the potential function of plasmodia-associated bacterial communities. RESULTS: The bacterial communities associated with the plasmodia of six myxomycetes (Didymium iridis, Didymium squamulosum, Diderma hemisphaericum, Lepidoderma tigrinum, Fuligo leviderma, and Physarum melleum) were identified by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The six plasmodia harbored 38 to 52 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that belonged to 7 phyla, 16 classes, 23 orders, 40 families, and 53 genera. The dominant phyla were Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. Most OTUs were shared among the six myxomycetes, while unique bacteria in each species only accounted for a tiny proportion of the total OTUs. CONCLUSIONS: Although each of the six myxomycetes plasmodia had different bacterial community compositions, a high similarity was observed in the plasmodia-associated bacterial communities' functional composition. The high enrichment for gram-negative (> 90%) and aerobic (> 99%) bacteria in plasmodia suggest that myxomycetes may positively recruit certain kinds of bacteria from the surrounding environment.

An lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA-ceRNA network regulates intervertebral disc degeneration: A bioinformatics study based on the dataset analysis.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) leads to low back pain (LBP). This study aimed to determine the regulation of IDD by competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs). We obtained the GSE63492, GSE124272, and GSE129789 datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The changes of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and mRNAs in IDD were characterized. The significantly changed mRNAs were subjected to protein-protein interaction analysis using the STRING database, and its functions and involved pathways were analyzed using the DAVID database and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). The significant changed lncRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs were linked in a ceRNA network based on their interactions - predicted by Starbase and miRWalk. Differentially methylated loci of significantly changed mRNAs in early and advanced IDD were compared using the GSE129789 dataset. We identified 245 significantly changed mRNAs, 133 lncRNAs, and 228 miRNAs between patients with IDD and normal individuals. GSEA suggested that 17 pathways related to cell proliferation were activated while 35 cell signaling and immune-related pathways were suppressed in IDD. The following ceRNA network in IDD was built: LINC00665/hsa-miR-7-5p/FZD3, ZNF549; LINC00665/hsa-let-7e-5p/FZD3, ACVR2B; TRG-AS1/hsa-miR-574-5p/ACVR2B, P3H2; TRG-AS1/ hsa-let-7e-5p/FZD3, ACVR2B; and ZNF571-AS1/let-7e-5p/ACVR2B, FZD3. A lncRNA-miRNAmRNA ceRNA network which might regulate the progression of IDD was developed.

The applications of research progress of common wheat in teaching genetics.

Common wheat (T. aestivum L.) is also known as allohexaploid wheat. Its genome is composed of A/B/D sub-genomes from three closely related diploid ancestors. The evolutionary history of common wheat is used as a classic example to illustrate the mechanism of species formation and chromosome number variation in the current genetics class. In recent years, with the rapid development and application of research technologies, there have been many breakthroughs in the study of common wheat, at the cytological, molecular and genomic level. Here, we summarize the latest research achievements on common wheat, and discuss our practice in combining them with the genetics teaching. Our approach is not only a supplement to the current genetics textbooks, but also enables students to realize that genetics is a constantly evolving natural science. We aim to enhance students' interests in learning, as well as their systematic learning abilities on genetics and related scientific research frontiers.

[Efficacy and safety of Shentong Zhuyu Decoction for lumbar disc herniation: systematic review and Meta-analysis].

To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Shentong Zhuyu Decoction in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation, in order to provide evidence for its clinical application. PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, WanFang, VIP, CBM and Clinical Trials.gov databases were sysmatically retrieved. Two researchers independently searched, screened and extracted data. Randomized controlled trials in line with the inclusion criteria were included in the study. The article quality was assessed with the bias risk tool in the Cochrane Handbook. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3. A total of 604 articles were obtained from the retrieval, and 824 patients in 9 studies were finally selected through screening. The course of treatment was about 1 month, and all of the studies were completed in China. Meta-analysis showed that the efficacy of Shentong Zhuyu Decoction in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation was better than that of the control group(RR=1.19, 95%CI[1.12, 1.26], P<0.000 01), including the comparison with Yaotongning Capsules(RR=1.10, 95%CI[1.02, 1.19], P=0.01) and diclofenac sodium tablets(RR=1.26, 95%CI[1.11, 1.44], P=0.000 4). In VAS pain score, Shentong Zhuyu Decoction had also obvious advantages(MD=-3.70, 95%CI[-6.31,-1.09], P=0.005). In addition, the number of adverse events in the Shentong Zhuyu Decoction group was lower than that in the control group. Shentong Zhuyu Decoction can effectively alleviate discomfort symptoms of patients with LDH. It has an obvious clinical efficacy and less adverse reactions. However, restricted by the quality of the included literatures, prospective, multi-center, large-sample-size randomized controlled trials are still needed to further improve the clinical evidence of the effect of Shentong Zhuyu Decoction in the treatment of LDH.

The Role of Angle in the Evaluation of Ablation Accuracy in Pulmonary Vein Isolation Navigated by Image Integration.

BACKGROUND: The conventional index for ablation accuracy is to compare the distance between mapping points with and without treatment by using image integration. We attempted to quantitatively evaluate the role of angle as an index in the ablation accuracy in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: A total of 48 patients with AF were included in the present study. Virtual fluoroscopy planes were predicted by pulmonary vein (PV) angiography, and the standard image planes were defined on the basis of the computed tomography images. Ablations were performed, guided by image integration; and the ablation planes were defined by the actual ablation rings. The predicted angle (distance) was defined as the angle (distance) between the fluoroscopy (predicted) plane and image (standard) plane, whereas the actual angle (distance) was defined as the angle (distance) between the ablation (actual) planes and the image (standard) planes. RESULTS: We found that all actual angles were significantly smaller than the predicted angles (P <.05), but only the actual distances in the left PV, right inferior PV, right superior PV, and right PV were significantly smaller; the distances in the left inferior PV and left superior PV were not significantly different (P >.05). CONCLUSION: Our finding indicates that both the angle and the distance can be significantly reduced by navigation with image integration, but that the angle exhibited better sensitivity than the conventional index of distance. We suggest that the angle should be considered as a new index for ablation accuracy.

Enzymatic gene expression by Pleurotus tuoliensis (Bailinggu): differential regulation under low temperature induction conditions.

Pleurotus tuoliensis is a valuable, rare and edible mushroom that is been commercially cultivated and is rapidly developing in China markets. Low temperatures are required to induces primordia initiation for the successful production of fruiting bodies (basidiomes) during commercial cultivation. In this work, we investigated the enzymatic activities and performed transcription profiling analysis of enzymatic genes under different low temperature conditions. The results suggest that the enzymatic activities and transcription levels decrease or increase significantly at 4 and 13 °C. Lacc10 and mnp6 seems to play a dominant role during nutrition growth. Furthermore, the expression of laccase and peroxidase genes was highly correlated to the detected extracellular enzymatic activity. Cold stress genes expression profiles were upregulated under 4 °C/13 °C (3 days), while only the Hsp70 gene was downregulated (at the stage of fruiting bodies production) at 13 °C (12 days). Our results showed that the transcriptional regulation of laccase and ligninolytic peroxidase genes plays an important role in the fruiting bodies of Bailinggu under low temperature induction (4 °C). Induction at low temperatures was a highly important cultivation condition in Bailinggu.

Evolution of the BBAA component of bread wheat during its history at the allohexaploid level.

Subgenome integrity in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum; BBAADD) makes possible the extraction of its BBAA component to restitute a novel plant type. The availability of such a ploidy-reversed wheat (extracted tetraploid wheat [ETW]) provides a unique opportunity to address whether and to what extent the BBAA component of bread wheat has been modified in phenotype, karyotype, and gene expression during its evolutionary history at the allohexaploid level. We report here that ETW was anomalous in multiple phenotypic traits but maintained a stable karyotype. Microarray-based transcriptome profiling identified a large number of differentially expressed genes between ETW and natural tetraploid wheat (Triticum turgidum), and the ETW-downregulated genes were enriched for distinct Gene Ontology categories. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that gene expression differences between ETW and a set of diverse durum wheat (T. turgidum subsp durum) cultivars were distinct from those characterizing tetraploid cultivars per se. Pyrosequencing revealed that the expression alterations may occur to either only one or both of the B and A homoeolog transcripts in ETW. A majority of the genes showed additive expression in a resynthesized allohexaploid wheat. Analysis of a synthetic allohexaploid wheat and diverse bread wheat cultivars revealed the rapid occurrence of expression changes to the BBAA subgenomes subsequent to allohexaploidization and their evolutionary persistence.

Persistent whole-chromosome aneuploidy is generally associated with nascent allohexaploid wheat.

Allopolyploidization has been a driving force in plant evolution. Formation of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) represents a classic example of successful speciation via allopolyploidy. Nevertheless, the immediate chromosomal consequences of allopolyploidization in wheat remain largely unexplored. We report here an in-depth investigation on transgenerational chromosomal variation in resynthesized allohexaploid wheats that are identical in genome constitution to common wheat. We deployed sequential FISH, genomic in situ hybridization (GISH), and homeolog-specific pyrosequencing, which enabled unequivocal identification of each of the 21 homologous chromosome pairs in each of >1,000 individual plants from 16 independent lines. We report that whole-chromosome aneuploidy occurred ubiquitously in early generations (from selfed generation S(1) to >S(20)) of wheat allohexaploidy although at highly variable frequencies (20-100%). In contrast, other types of gross structural variations were scant. Aneuploidy included an unexpected hidden type, which had a euploid chromosome number of 2n = 42 but with simultaneous loss and gain of nonhomeologous chromosomes. Of the three constituent subgenomes, B showed the most lability for aneuploidy, followed by A, but the recently added D subgenome was largely stable in most of the studied lines. Chromosome loss and gain were also unequal across the 21 homologous chromosome pairs. Pedigree analysis showed no evidence for progressive karyotype stabilization even with multigenerational selection for euploidy. Profiling of two traits directly related to reproductive fitness showed that although pollen viability was generally reduced by aneuploidy, the adverse effect of aneuploidy on seed-set is dependent on both aneuploidy type and synthetic line.

Intrinsic karyotype stability and gene copy number variations may have laid the foundation for tetraploid wheat formation.

Polyploidy or whole-genome duplication is recurrent in plant evolution, yet only a small fraction of whole-genome duplications has led to successful speciation. A major challenge in the establishment of nascent polyploids is sustained karyotype instability, which compromises fitness. The three putative diploid progenitors of bread wheat, with AA, SS (S ∼ B), and DD genomes occurred sympatrically, and their cross-fertilization in different combinations may have resulted in fertile allotetraploids with various genomic constitutions. However, only SSAA or closely related genome combinations have led to the speciation of tetraploid wheats like Triticum turgidum and Triticum timopheevii. We analyzed early generations of four newly synthesized allotetraploid wheats with genome compositions S(sh)S(sh)A(m)A(m), S(l)S(l)AA, S(b)S(b)DD, and AADD by combined fluorescence and genomic in situ hybridization-based karyotyping. Results of karyotype analyses showed that although S(sh)S(sh)A(m)A(m) and S(l)S(l)AA are characterized by immediate and persistent karyotype stability, massive aneuploidy and extensive chromosome restructuring are associated with S(b)S(b)DD and AADD in which parental subgenomes showed markedly different propensities for chromosome gain/loss and rearrangements. Although compensating aneuploidy and reciprocal translocation between homeologs prevailed, reproductive fitness was substantially compromised due to chromosome instability. Strikingly, localized genomic changes in repetitive DNA and copy-number variations in gene homologs occurred in both chromosome stable lines, S(sh)S(sh)A(m)A(m) and S(l)S(l)AA. Our data demonstrated that immediate and persistent karyotype stability is intrinsic to newly formed allotetraploid wheat with genome combinations analogous to natural tetraploid wheats. This property, coupled with rapid gene copy-number variations, may have laid the foundation of tetraploid wheat establishment.

Raman Spectroscopy Study Structural Changes in Black Bean Protein Isolate upon Ultrasonic-Treatment.

This article focused on the assessment of the potential of Raman spectroscopy for the determination of structural changes in black-bean protein isolate (BBPI) dispersions with low-frequency (20 kHz) ultrasonication applied at various powers (150, 300 or 450 W) and for different durations (12 or 24 min). It also reported on differential scanning calorimetry analyses. A decrease in TD at low- and medium-power ultrasonication confirmed these ultrasonication treatment disrupted internal hydrophobic interactions of protein molecules and broke up unstable aggregates to smaller soluble protein aggregates, while an increase in TD at high-power was attributed to repolymerization of aggregates. Raman spectroscopy analysis revealed a decrease in the α-helix proportion and an increase in ß-sheets after ultrasonic treatment except Sample E (300 W, 24 min). Transformation of aggregation results in a reconstruction in secondary structure of BBPI, especially in ß-sheet structure. Ultrasonic-treatment induced a decrease in the normalized intensity of the Raman band near 760 cm-1 which indicated that Tryptophan residues tended to expose and also indicated protein partially unfolding. No significant difference was found in Tyr doublet ratios between unheated and ultrasound-treated BBPI indicated that ultrasound did not change the microenvironment around tyrosyl residues. While the intensity of 1 450 cm-1 band increased with increasing ultrasonic intensity and treatment time, and then decreased with further increase in power and treatment time. In general, the formation of aggregation transferred g-g-t conformation to t-g-t conformation. Though some mechanism of aggregation-repolymerization of BBPI remains to be clearly defined, Raman spectroscopy provide a feasible tool to study the structural changes of BBPI prepared under different ultrasonic conditions, give a new perspective to elucidation of protein structure.

A retrospective comparison of the modified tension band technique and the parallel titanium cannulated lag screw technique in transverse patella fracture.

OBJECTIVE: To compare efficacy between the modified tension band technique and the parallel titanium cannulated lag screw technique for the transverse patella fracture. METHODS: Seventy-two patients were retrospectively analyzed aged 22 to 79 years (mean, 55.6 years) with transverse patella fractures, among whom 37 patients underwent the modified tension band and 35 patients received the titanium cannulated lag screw. Patients were followed up for 1-3 years. We analyzed the difference of operation time, complications, fracture reduction, fracture healing time, and the Iowa score for knee function between both groups. RESULTS: In modified tension band group, five patients had skin irritation and seven suffered wire migration, two of whom required a second operation. In comparison, there were no complications in the titanium cannulated lag screw group, which also had a higher fracture reduction rate and less operation time. CONCLUSION: The parallel titanium cannulated lag screw technique has superior results and should be considered as an alternative method to treat transverse patella fracture.

Didymium arenosum, a myxomycete new to science from the confluence of deserts in northwestern China.

A new myxomycete species, Didymium arenosum, was described based on morphological evidence and phylogenetic analyses. The species was discovered in the arid region at the confluence of the Badain Jaran desert and Tengger desert on the leaves of Betula platyphylla and was cultivated in a moist chamber culture. Morphologically, the species is distinguished by the greenish-yellow calcium carbonate crystals on the surface and the spores covered with small warts, some of which are connected into a short line. A phylogenetic analysis of D. arenosum strongly supports its classification as a separate clade. The spore to spore agar culture of D. arenosum requires 23 days, and this study provides a detailed description of its life cycle.

Distribution characteristics and diversity of myxomycetes in three parallel rivers in Yunnan, China.

Three Parallel Rivers is one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. However, the research on myxomycetes diversity is scarce in this area. Random sampling was used to investigate myxomycetes' diversity and distribution characteristics in this area. One hundred and seventeen species, including three varieties, were obtained, belonging to 28 genera, nine families, and six orders, with Arcyria cinerea and Physarum viride being the dominant species. Moreover, four species and one variety were first reported in China. Twenty-six species and one variety were first reported in Yunnan Province. The species' most commonly utilized substrate for fruiting bodies was decaying wood, and Cribraria was the dominant genus. The species diversity was most abundant in mixed broadleaf-conifer forests. Species similarity between coniferous and broad-leaved forests was much higher than the pairwise comparison of other forest types. NMDS analysis shows that substrate and forest types had insignificant effects on myxomycetes communities, while river valley had a significant effect. The myxomycetes community similarity between river valleys is unrelated to geographical proximity.