Genome-wide analysis of the peanut CaM/CML gene family reveals that the AhCML69 gene is associated with resistance to Ralstonia solanacearum.

BACKGROUND: Calmodulins (CaMs)/CaM-like proteins (CMLs) are crucial Ca2+-binding sensors that can decode and transduce Ca2+ signals during plant development and in response to various stimuli. The CaM/CML gene family has been characterized in many plant species, but this family has not yet been characterized and analyzed in peanut, especially for its functions in response to Ralstonia solanacearum. In this study, we performed a genome-wide analysis to analyze the CaM/CML genes and their functions in resistance to R. solanacearum. RESULTS: Here, 67, 72, and 214 CaM/CML genes were identified from Arachis duranensis, Arachis ipaensis, and Arachis hypogaea, respectively. The genes were divided into nine subgroups (Groups I-IX) with relatively conserved exon‒intron structures and motif compositions. Gene duplication, which included whole-genome duplication, tandem repeats, scattered repeats, and unconnected repeats, produced approximately 81 pairs of homologous genes in the AhCaM/CML gene family. Allopolyploidization was the main reason for the greater number of AhCaM/CML members. The nonsynonymous (Ka) versus synonymous (Ks) substitution rates (less than 1.0) suggested that all homologous pairs underwent intensive purifying selection pressure during evolution. AhCML69 was constitutively expressed in different tissues of peanut plants and was involved in the response to R. solanacearum infection. The AhCML69 protein was localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Transient overexpression of AhCML69 in tobacco leaves increased resistance to R. solanacearum infection and induced the expression of defense-related genes, suggesting that AhCML69 is a positive regulator of disease resistance. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of the AhCaM/CML gene family and potential genetic resources for the molecular design and breeding of peanut bacterial wilt resistance.

Factors related to mental health of inpatients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the mental health status of hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to explore the related factors. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional survey among COVID-19 inpatients in two isolation wards of a designated hospital in Wuhan, China, from March 7, 2020, to March 24, 2020. Participants' demographic data, clinical data and levels of circulating inflammatory markers were collated. Mental health symptoms were evaluated with questionnaires, which included the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) scale, the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale, and questions about patients' self-perceived illness severity. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to explore factors that associated with mental symptoms, and a structural equation model (SEM) was used to assess the possible relationships between those factors and the patients' mental health. RESULTS: Among the 85 participants, 45.9% had symptoms of depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 5), 38.8% had anxiety (GAD-7 ≥ 5), and 54.1% had insomnia (ISI ≥ 8). According to multivariate regression analysis, female sex, a higher level of interleukin (IL)-1ß and greater self-perceived illness severity were all significantly associated with a higher PHQ-9 score, higher GAD-7 score and higher ISI score. In addition, the disease duration and the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were positively related to patients' self-perceived illness severity. The results of the SEM analyses suggested that sex (ß = 0.313, P < 0.001), self-perceived illness severity (ß = 0.411, P < 0.001) and levels of inflammatory markers (ß = 0.358, P = 0.002) had direct effects on patients' mental health. The disease duration (ß = 0.163, P = 0.003) and levels of inflammatory markers (ß = 0.101, P = 0.016) also indirectly affected patients' mental health, with self-perceived illness severity acting as a mediator. CONCLUSION: A majority of COVID-19 infected inpatients reported experiencing mental health disturbances. Female sex, disease duration, levels of inflammatory markers and self-perceived illness severity are factors that could be used to predict the severity of patients' mental symptoms.

Synthesis and bioactivity of indoleacetic acid-carbendazim and its effects on Cylindrocladium parasiticum.

Indoleacetic acid (IAA)-carbendazim was synthesized to assess whether this conjugate could retain the fungicidal activity of carbendazim and gain root-inducing properties upon the addition of an indoleacetic acid group. An indoor virulence test demonstrated that the conjugate retained the fungicidal activity of carbendazim towards Cylindrocladium parasiticum. The conjugate was detected in roots after soaking Ricinus communis L. leaves into a solution of the IAA-carbendazim, which confirmed its phloem mobility. The activities of the cellulase, polygalacturonase and xylanase produced by Cylindrocladium parasiticum treated with different concentrations of the conjugate were determined, and the peak activities appeared at 72 h or 96 h. More importantly, the conjugate showed the ability to promote root growth. These results revealed that indoleacetic acid-carbendazim may be useful in preventing Cylindrocladium parasiticum and other diseases.

Overexpression of a novel peanut NBS-LRR gene AhRRS5 enhances disease resistance to Ralstonia solanacearum in tobacco.

Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a ruinous soilborne disease affecting more than 450 plant species. Efficient control methods for this disease remain unavailable to date. This study characterized a novel nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat resistance gene AhRRS5 from peanut, which was up-regulated in both resistant and susceptible peanut cultivars in response to R. solanacearum. The product of AhRRS5 was localized in the nucleus. Furthermore, treatment with phytohormones such as salicylic acid (SA), abscisic acid (ABA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and ethephon (ET) increased the transcript level of AhRRS5 with diverse responses between resistant and susceptible peanuts. Abiotic stresses such as drought and cold conditions also changed AhRRS5 expression. Moreover, transient overexpression induced hypersensitive response in Nicotiana benthamiana. Overexpression of AhRRS5 significantly enhanced the resistance of heterogeneous tobacco to R. solanacearum, with diverse resistance levels in different transgenic lines. Several defence-responsive marker genes in hypersensitive response, including SA, JA and ET signals, were considerably up-regulated in the transgenic lines as compared with the wild type inoculated with R. solanacearum. Nonexpressor of pathogenesis-related gene 1 (NPR1) and non-race-specific disease resistance 1 were also up-regulated in response to the pathogen. These results indicate that AhRRS5 participates in the defence response to R. solanacearum through the crosstalk of multiple signalling pathways and the involvement of NPR1 and R gene signals for its resistance. This study may guide the resistance enhancement of peanut and other economic crops to bacterial wilt disease.

Identification of low Ca(2+) stress-induced embryo apoptosis response genes in Arachis hypogaea by SSH-associated library lift (SSHaLL).

Calcium is a universal signal in the regulation of wide aspects in biology, but few are known about the function of calcium in the control of early embryo development. Ca(2+) deficiency in soil induces early embryo abortion in peanut, producing empty pods, which is a general problem; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, embryo abortion was characterized to be caused by apoptosis marked with cell wall degradation. Using a method of SSH cDNA libraries associated with library lift (SSHaLL), 62 differentially expressed genes were isolated from young peanut embryos. These genes were classified to be stress responses, catabolic process, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, embryo morphogenesis, regulation, etc. The cell retardation with cell wall degradation was caused by up-regulated cell wall hydrolases and down-regulated cellular synthases genes. HsfA4a, which was characterized to be important to embryo development, was significantly down-regulated under Ca(2+) -deficient conditions from 15 days after pegging (DAP) to 30 DAP. Two AhCYP707A4 genes, encoding abscisic acid (ABA) 8'-hydroxylases, key enzymes for ABA catabolism, were up-regulated by 21-fold under Ca(2+) -deficient conditions upstream of HsfA4a, reducing the ABA level in early embryos. Over-expression of AhCYP707A4 in Nicotiana benthamiana showed a phenotype of low ABA content with high numbers of aborted embryos, small pods and less seeds, which confirms that AhCYP707A4 is a key player in regulation of Ca(2+) deficiency-induced embryo abortion via ABA-mediated apoptosis. The results elucidated the mechanism of low Ca(2+) -induced embryo abortion and described the method for other fields of study.

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the thyroid gland: A rare case report and literature review.

INTRODUCTION: Primary thyroid leiomyosarcoma is an extremely rare soft tissue sarcoma, characterized by high malignancy and poor prognosis. Currently, only 13 cases of primary thyroid leiomyosarcoma have been described in the medical literature (limited to English). CASE PRESENTATION: A 76-year-old female presented with a giant neck mass. Physical examination revealed a large, firm mass in the left thyroid gland. No symptoms such as hoarseness or dysphagia were noted at the time of presentation. The patient underwent unilateral thyroidectomy and cervical lymph node dissection. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Pathologic findings revealed a low-grade sarcoma with spindle-shaped tumor cells in an interwoven, sheet-like distribution. Immunohistochemistry showed positivity for desmin, SMMHC, STAT6, CK19, and Galectin3, but negativity for S-100, MyoD1, CD34, CK (AE1/AE3), CD117, and CD56. The findings were consistent with thyroid leiomyosarcoma. CONCLUSION: The treatment of primary thyroid LMS presents challenges due to its atypical symptoms and high malignance, highlighting the imperative for further exploration of therapeutic strategies to improve the outcomes.

Camrelizumab in combination with chemotherapy versus concurrent chemoradiotherapy for the conversion of locally advanced unresectable oesophageal squamous carcinoma: protocol for a two-arm, open-label phase II trial.

INTRODUCTION: Oesophageal cancer (OC) has higher morbidity and mortality rate than most other malignancies. The standard treatment for unresectable locally advanced oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is concurrent chemoradiotherapy, with tumour regression observed in a proportion of patients after treatment, but prognostic improvement remains limited. Immunotherapy in combination with chemotherapy (CT) has been shown to be efficacious as the first-line treatment of advanced OC and neoadjuvant therapy. Therefore, we conducted a prospective, two-arm, randomised, unblinded phase II study to explore the efficacy of camrelizumab in combination with CT versus chemoradiotherapy for the conversion of unresectable advanced OSCC. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: All participants meeting the inclusion criteria will be enrolled after signing an informed consent form. Patients with clinically cT4b or spread to at least one group of lymph nodes with possible invasion of surrounding organs and unresectable locally advanced squamous carcinoma of the thoracic segment of the oesophagus will be included in the study. Patients with suspected distant metastases on the preoperative examination will be excluded from this study. Patients eligible for enrolment will be grouped by centre randomisation according to the study plan. Patients will undergo radical surgery after completion of two cycles of chemotherapy (CT) combined with camrelizumab induction therapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy if assessed to be operable. Patients evaluated as inoperable will be scheduled for a multidisciplinary consultation to determine the next treatment option. The primary endpoint is the R0 resection rate in patients undergoing surgery after treatment. Secondary endpoints are the rate of major pathological remission, pathological complete response rate, overall survival, progression-free survival and adverse events for all patients. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was obtained from the ethics committees of Fujian Medical University Union Hospital (No. 2022YF039-02). The findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05821452.

Multidimensional Frailty Instruments Can Predict Acute Exacerbations Within One Year in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Retrospective Longitudinal Study.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is closely associated with frailty, and prevention of acute exacerbations is important for disease management. Moreover, COPD patients with frailty experience a higher risk of acute exacerbations. However, the frailty instruments that can better predict acute exacerbations remain unclear. Purpose: (1) To explore the factors influencing frailty and acute exacerbations in stable COPD patients, and (2) quantify the ability of multidimensional frailty instruments to predict acute exacerbations within 1 year. Patients and methods: In this retrospective longitudinal study, stable COPD patients were recruited from the outpatient department of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital from July 2022 to June 2023. COPD patients reviewed their frailty one year ago and their acute exacerbations within one year using face-to-face interviews with a self-developed frailty questionnaire. Frailty status was assessed using the Frailty Index (FI), frailty questionnaire (FRAIL), and Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). One-way logistic regression was used to explore the factors influencing frailty and acute exacerbations. Multivariate logistic regression was used to establish a prediction model for acute exacerbations, and the accuracy of the three frailty instruments was compared by measuring the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results: A total of 120 individuals were included. Frailty incidence estimates using FI, FRAIL, and CFS were 23.3%, 11.7%, and 15.8%, respectively. The three frailty instruments showed consistency in COPD assessments (P<0.05). After adjusting for covariates, frailty reflected by the FI and CFS score remained an independent risk factor for acute exacerbations. The CFS score was the best predictor of acute exacerbations (AUC, 0.764 (0.663-0.866); sensitivity, 57.9%; specificity, 80.0%). Moreover, the combination of CFS plus FRAIL scores was a better predictor of acute exacerbations (AUC, 0.792 (0.693-0.891); sensitivity, 86.3%; specificity, 60.0%). Conclusion: Multidimensional frailty assessments could improve the identification of COPD patients at high risk of acute exacerbations and facilitate targeted interventions to reduce acute exacerbations in these patients.

Characterization, purification of Poncirin from edible citrus Ougan (Citrus reticulate cv. Suavissima) and its growth inhibitory effect on human gastric cancer cells SGC-7901.

Poncirin is a bitter flavanone glycoside with various biological activities. Poncirin was isolated from four different tissues (flavedo, albedo, segment membrane, and juice sac) of Ougan fruit (Citrus reticulate cv. Suavissima). The highest content of poncirin was found in the albedo of Ougan fruit (1.37 mg/g DW). High speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) combined with D101 resin chromatography was utilized for the separation and purification of poncirin from the albedo of Ougan fruit. After this two-step purification, poncirin purity increased from 0.14% to 96.56%. The chemical structure of the purified poncirin was identified by both HPLC-PDA and LC-MS. Poncirin showed a significant in vitro inhibitory effect on the growth of the human gastric cancer cells, SGC-7901, in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, poncirin from Ougan fruit, may be beneficial for gastric cancer prevention. The purification method demonstrated here will be useful for further studies on the pharmacological mechanism of poncirin activity, as well as for guiding the consumption of Ougan fruit.

Dynamic light scattering microscopy sensing mitochondria dynamics for label-free detection of triple-negative breast cancer enhanced by deep learning.

We established a deep learning-based dynamic light scattering (DLS) microscopy sensing mitochondria dynamic for label-free identification of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. The capacity of DLS microscopy to detect the intracellular motility of subcellular scatters was verified with the analysis of the autocorrelation function. We also conducted an in-depth examination of the impact of mitochondrial dynamics on DLS within TNBC cells, employing confocal fluorescent imaging to visualize the morphology of the mitochondria. Furthermore, we applied the DLS microscopy incorporating the two-stream deep learning method to differentiate the TNBC subtype and HER2 positive breast cancer subtype, with the classification accuracy achieving 0.89.

Transcription Factor OsbZIP60-like Regulating OsP5CS1 Gene and 2-Acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP) Biosynthesis in Aromatic Rice.

The most important volatile in determining the aroma of fragrant rice is 2-Acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP); however, the transcriptional regulation mechanism of 2-AP biosynthesis in fragrant rice is still unclear. In this study, Osp5cs1 knockout mutant lines and OsP5CS1 over-expression lines were constructed by the genetic transformation of the Indica rice cultivar, i.e., 'Zhonghua11', which knocks out OsBADH2 to produce fragrance in aromatic rice. The OsP5CS1 gene was also identified as a key gene in the 2-AP biosynthesis pathway of aromatic rice. The OsP5CS1 promoter was used as bait, and the OsbZIP60-like transcription factor was screened by yeast one-hybrid assays. The OsbZIP60-like transcription factor specifically bound to the OsP5CS1 gene. The dual luciferase reporting system found that the OsbZIP60-like transcription factor promoted the transcriptional activation of OsP5CS1. Compared with the wild type, OsP5CS1 gene expression was significantly down-regulated in the Osbzip60-like mutant and resulted in a substantial reduction in 2-AP biosynthesis. Moreover, the OsP5CS1 gene expression was significantly up-regulated in OsbZIP60-like over-expressed plants, and the 2-AP concentrations were also increased, whereas the Osbzip60-like mutants were found to be sensitive to Zn deficiency. Overall, the OsbZIP60-like transcription factor promoted the 2-AP accumulation. This study provides a theoretical basis for the transcriptional regulation mechanism of 2-AP biosynthesis and explores the function of the OsbZIP transcription factor in fragrant rice.

Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses of two peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cultivars differing in amino acid metabolism of the seeds.

Peanut is an important economic crop worldwide. The content of amino acids, especially essential amino acids, is an important nutritional quality trait of peanut seeds. However, the regulation of amino acid metabolism in peanut seeds is poorly understood. Here, two peanut cultivars, Zhonghuahei 1 and Zhongkaihua 151, with high and low free amino acids in mature seeds, respectively, were selected to investigate the regulatory mechanisms of amino acids during seed development. Zhonghuahei 1 is composed of significantly higher arginine (Arg), asparagine (Asn), and glutamate (Glu) contents than Zhongkaihua 151. However, the metabolomic analyses indicated that the contents of most amino acids were significantly lower in Zhonghuahei 1 at the early developmental stage, while they were reverse at the middle and late stages. Transcriptomic analyses also revealed that the differentially expressed genes between the two cultivars during different stages were enriched in multiple pathways associated with amino acid metabolism. Among them, the Arg biosynthesis pathway showed different regulatory profiles between the two cultivars according to the temporal analysis of gene expression patterns. Subsequent gene co-expression network analysis showed that the gene module darkorange was significantly correlated with Arg content, with an enriched Arg biosynthesis pathway. Accordingly, a gene regulatory network for Arg biosynthesis and metabolism, including key genes (ALDH, ASS1, OTC, and GAD) and transcription factors (GATA, HEX, and ATF), was constructed. These findings provide insights into the regulatory network of amino acid metabolism in peanuts and provide candidate genes that can be applied to facilitate peanut breeding with desirable seeds.

Genome-wide identification of acyl-CoA binding proteins and possible functional prediction in legumes.

Acyl-CoA-binding proteins (ACBPs), members of a vital housekeeping protein family, are present in various animal and plant species. They are divided into four classes: small ACBPs (class I), ankyrin-repeat ACBPs (class II), large ACBPs (class III), and kelch-ACBPs (class IV). Plant ACBPs play a pivotal role in intracellular transport, protection, and pool formation of acyl-CoA esters, promoting plant development and stress response. Even though legume crops are important for vegetable oils, proteins, vegetables and green manure, legume ACBPs are not well investigated. To comprehensively explore the functions of ACBPs in nine legumes (Lotus japonicus, Medicago truncatula, Glycine max, Vigna angularis, Vigna radiata, Phaseolus vulgaris, Arachis hypogaea, Arachis duranensis, and Arachis ipaensis), we conducted genome-wide identification of the ACBP gene family. Our evolutionary analyses included phylogenetics, gene structure, the conserved motif, chromosomal distribution and homology, subcellular localization, cis-elements, and interacting proteins. The results revealed that ACBP Orthologs of nine legumes had a high identity in gene structure and conserved motif. However, subcellular localization, cis-acting elements, and interaction protein analyses revealed potentially different functions from previously reported. The predicted results were also partially verified in Arachis hypogaea. We believe that our findings will help researchers understand the roles of ACBPs in legumes and encourage them to conduct additional research.

Switching charge states in quasi-2D molecular conductors.

2D molecular entities build next-generation electronic devices, where abundant elements of organic molecules are attractive due to the modern synthetic and stimuli control through chemical, conformational, and electronic modifications in electronics. Despite its promising potential, the insufficient control over charge states and electronic stabilities must be overcome in molecular electronic devices. Here, we show the reversible switching of modulated charge states in an exfoliatable 2D-layered molecular conductor based on bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene molecular dimers. The multiple stimuli application of cooling rate, current, voltage, and laser irradiation in a concurrent manner facilitates the controllable manipulation of charge crystal, glass, liquid, and metal phases. The four orders of magnitude switching of electric resistance are triggered by stimuli-responsive charge distribution among molecular dimers. The tunable charge transport in 2D molecular conductors reveals the kinetic process of charge configurations under stimuli, promising to add electric functions in molecular circuitry.

Transcriptomic Analysis Provides Insights into the Differential Effects of Aluminum on Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.).

In acidic soils, high concentrations of aluminum ions (Al3+) in dissolved form reduce root growth and development of most crops. In addition, Al3+ is also a beneficial element in some plant species in low concentrations. However, the regulatory mechanism of the growth and development of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) treated with different concentrations of Al3+ has been rarely studied. In this study, peanut seedlings were treated with AlCl3.18H2O in Hoagland nutrient solution at four different concentrations of Al3+, i.e., 0 (pH 6.85), 1.25 (pH 4.03), 2.5 (pH 3.85), and 5 (pH 3.69) mmol/L, which are regarded as Al0, Al1, Al2, and Al3. The results showed that low concentrations of Al treatment (Al1) promoted peanut growth, while high concentrations of Al treatments (Al2 and Al3) significantly inhibited peanut growth. Compared with the control (Al0), transcriptome analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of starch and sucrose metabolic pathways were significantly enriched at low concentrations, i.e., Al1 treatment, whereas the expression of AhERD6 (sugar transporter) was significantly up-regulated, and the soluble sugar content was significantly increased. The DEGs of the plant hormone signaling transduction pathway were significantly enriched at high concentrations of Al2 and Al3 treatments, whereas the expression of AhNCED1 (9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase) was significantly up-regulated, and the content of ABA was significantly increased. Moreover, the expression of transcription factors (TFs) in peanut was affected by different concentrations of Al. Overall, low concentrations of Al1 promoted peanut growth by increasing soluble sugar content, while high concentrations of Al2 and Al3 inhibited the growth of peanut, induced AhNCED1 gene expression, and increased endogenous ABA content. For peanut, the exposure of Al at low concentrations not only derived an adaptive mechanism to cope with Al stress, but also acted as a stimulator to promote its growth and development.

A novel form of precise segmentectomy-Triumphal arch-like anatomical segmentectomy.

The increasingly accurate sublobar anatomical resection is constantly being explored and practiced. Surgeons try to preserve as much viable lung tissue as possible. Sublobar resection of the target tissue is similar with a cone-shaped structure which penetrates deeply into the pulmonary parenchyma and runs through the lobe at both ends. This has not previously been described. The remaining lung tissue resembles the Triumphal Arch in Paris, France. Here, we describe triumphal arch-like sublobectomy in detail, aiming to provide clinicians with an idea to explore this novel sublobectomy under similar conditions.

Complete Genome Sequence Analysis of Ralstonia solanacearum Strain PeaFJ1 Provides Insights Into Its Strong Virulence in Peanut Plants.

The bacterial wilt of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a devastating soil-borne disease that seriously restricted the world peanut production. However, the molecular mechanism of R. solanacearum-peanut interaction remains largely unknown. We found that R. solanacearum HA4-1 and PeaFJ1 isolated from peanut plants showed different pathogenicity by inoculating more than 110 cultivated peanuts. Phylogenetic tree analysis demonstrated that HA4-1 and PeaFJ1 both belonged to phylotype I and sequevar 14M, which indicates a high degree of genomic homology between them. Genomic sequencing and comparative genomic analysis of PeaFJ1 revealed 153 strain-specific genes compared with HA4-1. The PeaFJ1 strain-specific genes consisted of diverse virulence-related genes including LysR-type transcriptional regulators, two-component system-related genes, and genes contributing to motility and adhesion. In addition, the repertoire of the type III effectors of PeaFJ1 was bioinformatically compared with that of HA4-1 to find the candidate effectors responsible for their different virulences. There are 79 effectors in the PeaFJ1 genome, only 4 of which are different effectors compared with HA4-1, including RipS4, RipBB, RipBS, and RS_T3E_Hyp6. Based on the virulence profiles of the two strains against peanuts, we speculated that RipS4 and RipBB are candidate virulence effectors in PeaFJ1 while RipBS and RS_T3E_Hyp6 are avirulence effectors in HA4-1. In general, our research greatly reduced the scope of virulence-related genes and made it easier to find out the candidates that caused the difference in pathogenicity between the two strains. These results will help to reveal the molecular mechanism of peanut-R. solanacearum interaction and develop targeted control strategies in the future.

Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed molecular mechanisms of peanut leaves responding to Ralstonia solanacearum and its type III secretion system mutant.

Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a serious soil-borne disease that limits peanut production and quality, but the molecular mechanisms of the peanut response to R. solanacearum remain unclear. In this study, we reported the first work analyzing the transcriptomic changes of the resistant and susceptible peanut leaves infected with R. solanacearum HA4-1 and its type III secretion system mutant strains by the cutting leaf method at different timepoints (0, 24, 36, and 72 h post inoculation). A total of 125,978 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and subsequently classified into six groups to analyze, including resistance-response genes, susceptibility-response genes, PAMPs induced resistance-response genes, PAMPs induced susceptibility-response genes, T3Es induced resistance-response genes, and T3Es induced susceptibility-response genes. KEGG enrichment analyses of these DEGs showed that plant-pathogen interaction, plant hormone signal transduction, and MAPK signaling pathway were the outstanding pathways. Further analysis revealed that CMLs/CDPKs-WRKY module, MEKK1-MKK2-MPK3 cascade, and auxin signaling played important roles in the peanut response to R. solanacearum. Upon R. solanacearum infection (RSI), three early molecular events were possibly induced in peanuts, including Ca2+ activating CMLs/CDPKs-WRKY module to regulate the expression of resistance/susceptibility-related genes, auxin signaling was induced by AUX/IAA-ARF module to activate auxin-responsive genes that contribute to susceptibility, and MEKK1-MKK2-MPK3-WRKYs was activated by phosphorylation to induce the expression of resistance/susceptibility-related genes. Our research provides new ideas and abundant data resources to elucidate the molecular mechanism of the peanut response to R. solanacearum and to further improve the bacterial wilt resistance of peanuts.

Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside extracted from the Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra Sieb. et Zucc.) alleviates antibiotic-associated diarrhea by regulating gut microbiota and down-regulating inflammatory factors in NF-κB pathway.

Chinese bayberry has been used to treat diarrhea in China for more than 2,000 years, but the mechanism is not clear. Due to the extensive use of antibiotics, antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) is becoming more and more common in clinic, but there is no effective drug for the treatment. The present study aimed to explore the therapeutic effect of Chinese bayberry on AAD for the first time, and explained the underlying mechanism from different aspects. The BALB/c mice model was established by intragastric administration of lincomycin (3 g/kg). Successfully modeled mice were treated with purified water, dried bayberry powder suspension (100 mg/kg), C3G suspension (40 mg/kg) and montmorillonite powder suspension (40 mg/kg), respectively. The changes of body weight, diarrhea index, diarrhea status score were recorded and calculated regularly. 16S rRNA gene sequencing, intestinal immunofluorescence and inflammatory factor detection were further performed. The treatment with dried bayberry powder suspension and C3G suspension could rapidly reduce the diarrhea score and diarrhea index, increase food intake and restore body weight gain. The gut microbiota richness and diversity were significantly increased after dried bayberry powder suspension and C3G suspension treatments, typically decreased bacterial genera Enterococcus and Clostridium senus stricto 1. In addition, intake of Chinese bayberry powder and C3G significantly decreased the level of p65 phosphorylation, and up-regulated the expression of intestinal tight junction protein claudin-1 and ZO-1. Chinese bayberry fruit had the effect of alleviating AAD, and C3G was supposed to play the predominant role. The mechanism was indicated to be related with restoring the homeostasis of gut microbiota, inhibiting the level of harmful bacteria and increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria, down-regulating TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-12 factors to reduce inflammation, restoring intestinal tight junction proteins and reducing intestinal permeability.

Retrorectal mucinous adenocarcinoma arising from a tailgut cyst: A case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Tailgut cysts are defined as congenital cysts that develop in the rectosacral space from the residue of the primitive tail. As a congenital disease, caudal cysts are very rare, and their canceration is even rarer, which makes the disease prone to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment. We describe a case of caudal cyst with adenocarcinogenesis and summarize in detail the characteristics of cases with analytical value reported since 1990. CASE SUMMARY: A 35-year-old woman found a mass in her lower abdomen 2 mo ago. She was asymptomatic at that time and was not treated because of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Two weeks ago, the patient developed abdominal distension and right waist discomfort and came to our hospital. Except for the high level of serum carcinoembryonic antigen, the medical history and laboratory tests were not remarkable. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a well-defined, slightly lobulated cystic-solid mass with a straight diameter of approximately 10 cm × 9 cm in the presacral space, slightly high signal intensity on T2-weighted imaging, and moderate signal intensity on T1-weighted imaging. The mass was completely removed by laparoscopic surgery. Histopathological examination showed that the lesion was an intestinal mucinous adenocarcinoma, and the multidisciplinary team decided to implement postoperative chemotherapy. The patient recovered well, the tumor marker levels returned to normal, and tumor-free survival has been achieved thus far. CONCLUSION: The case and literature summary can help clinicians and researchers develop appropriate examination and therapeutic methods for diagnosis and treatment of this rare disease.