Sequenced-based Rwanda population provides insights into demographic history.

Rwanda is known as the heart of Africa, reflecting the history of the world. Colonization and genocide have led to Rwanda's existing genetic structure. Herein, we used massively parallel sequencing to analyze 296 loci in 185 Rwandans and constructed a database for Rwandan forensic data for the first time. We found the following results: First, forensic parameters demonstrated that all loci were highly informative and could be used for forensic identification and paternity tests in Rwandans. Second, we found that the differences in genetic background between Rwandans and other African populations were similar but slight, as indicated by the massively parallel sequencing panel. Rwandans belonged to the African population and were inseparable from populations from neighboring countries. Also, Rwandans were closer to the European and American populations because of colonization, war, and other reasons. There was no scientific basis for racial classification established by colonization. Further research still needs to be carried out on more loci and larger Rwandan samples.

Unambiguous chromosome identification reveals the factors impacting irregular chromosome behaviors in allotriploid AAC Brassica.

KEY MESSAGE: The major irregular chromosome pairing and mis-segregation were detected during meiosis through unambiguous chromosome identification and found that allotriploid Brassica can undergo meiosis successfully and produce mostly viable aneuploid gametes. Triploids have played a crucial role in the evolution of species by forming polyploids and facilitating interploidy gene transfer. It is widely accepted that triploids cannot undergo meiosis normally and predominantly produce nonfunctional aneuploid gametes, which restricts their role in species evolution. In this study, we demonstrated that natural and synthetic allotriploid Brassica (AAC), produced by crossing natural and synthetic Brassica napus (AACC) with Brassica rapa (AA), exhibits basically normal chromosome pairing and segregation during meiosis. Homologous A chromosomes paired faithfully and generally segregated equally. Monosomic C chromosomes were largely retained as univalents and randomly entered daughter cells. The primary irregular meiotic behaviors included associations of homoeologs and 45S rDNA loci at diakinesis, as well as homoeologous chromosome replacement and premature sister chromatid separation at anaphase I. Preexisting homoeologous arrangements altered meiotic behaviors in both chromosome irregular pairing and mis-segregation by increasing the formation of A-genomic univalents and A-C bivalents, as well as premature sister chromatid separation and homologous chromosome nondisjunction. Meiotic behaviors depended significantly on the genetic background and heterozygous homoeologous rearrangement. AAC triploids mainly generated aneuploid gametes, most of which were viable. These results demonstrate that allotriploid Brassica containing an intact karyotype can proceed through meiosis successfully, broadening our current understanding of the inheritance and role in species evolution of allotriploid.

Phosphorylation of Neurofilament Light Chain in the VLO Is Correlated with Morphine-Induced Behavioral Sensitization in Rats.

Neurofilament light chain (NF-L) plays critical roles in synapses that are relevant to neuropsychiatric diseases. Despite postmortem evidence that NF-L is decreased in opiate abusers, its role and underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. We found that the microinjection of the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor Trichostatin A (TSA) into the ventrolateral orbital cortex (VLO) attenuated chronic morphine-induced behavioral sensitization. The microinjection of TSA blocked the chronic morphine-induced decrease of NF-L. However, our chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-qPCR results indicated that this effect was not due to the acetylation of histone H3-Lysine 9 and 14 binding to the NF-L promotor. In line with the behavioral phenotype, the microinjection of TSA also blocked the chronic morphine-induced increase of p-ERK/p-CREB/p-NF-L. Finally, we compared chronic and acute morphine-induced behavioral sensitization. We found that although both chronic and acute morphine-induced behavioral sensitization were accompanied by an increase of p-CREB/p-NF-L, TSA exhibited opposing effects on behavioral phenotype and molecular changes at different addiction contexts. Thus, our findings revealed a novel role of NF-L in morphine-induced behavioral sensitization, and therefore provided some correlational evidence of the involvement of NF-L in opiate addiction.

Screening of Genes Co-Associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Infectious Sudden Death in Infancy and Bioinformatics Analysis of Their Regulatory Networks.

OBJECTIVES: The common differentially expressed mRNAs in brain, heart and liver tissues of deceased sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and infectious sudden death in infancy (ISDI) confirmed by autopsy was screened by bioinformatics to explore the common molecular markers and pathogenesis of SIDS and ISDI. METHODS: The datasets of GSE70422 and GSE136992 were downloaded, the limma of R software was used to screen differentially expressed mRNA in different tissue samples of SIDS and ISDI decedents for overlapping analysis. The clusterProfiler of R software was used to conduct gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by STRING database, while the hub gene was screened by cytoHubba plug-in. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, there were 19 significant differentially expressed genes in the tissue samples of SIDS and ISDI decedents, among which 16 in the heart tissue and 3 in the liver tissue, and the astrotactin 1 (ASTN1) gene expression difference in the heart tissue was most significant. The PPI network identified Ras homolog family member A (RHOA), integrin subunit alpha 1 (ITGA1), and H2B clustered histone 5 (H2BC5) were hub genes. The analysis of GO and KEGG showed that differentially expressed genes were enriched in the molecular pathways of actin cytoskeleton regulation, focal adhesion and response to mycophenolic acid. CONCLUSIONS: ASTN1, RHOA and ITGA1 may participate in the development of SIDS and ISDI. The enrichment of differentially expressed genes in immune and inflammatory pathways suggests a common molecular regulatory mechanism between SIDS and ISDI. These findings are expected to provide new biomarkers for molecular anatomy and forensic identification of SIDS and ISDI.

Genetic Polymorphism of 24 Autosomal STR in the Population of Rwanda.

Rwanda is one of the smallest countries of Africa, where forensic genetic studies are rarely being conducted and very few DNA databases have been developed. Short tandem repeats (STRs) polymorphisms were investigated in 505 unrelated Rwandese by using the HUMDNA TYPING (Yanhuang) Kit. The following STRs were targeted: D3S1358, D13S317, D7S820, D16S539, SE33, D10S1248, D5S818, D21S11, TPOX, D1S1656, D6S1043, D19S433, D22S1045, D8S1179, Penta E, D2S441, D12S391, D2S1338, vWA, Penta D, TH01, D18S51, CSF1PO and FGA. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the genetic diversity and explore the potential of applying these 24 STR in 505 Rwandan population in forensics. A total of 360 alleles, with corresponding allele frequencies in the range from 0.001 to 0.442, were found in the Rwandan population. SE33 presented the highest polymorphism (PIC=0.921) among these 24 loci, whereas D13S317 presented the lowest one (PIC=0.671). No deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was observed for any of the 24 loci. The forensic parameters, including the combined power of discrimination (PD and the combined exclusion power, have demonstrated that this panel of 24 STRs is highly informative and useful for forensic applications such as individuals' identification and paternity tests. Additionally, the genetic distances between Rwanda population and other 24 published populations were calculated based on 8 overlapping loci with the polygenetic tree revealing significant clusters in the populations associated with their geographic locations and their historical relationship.

Psychometric properties of two abbreviated Connor-Davidson Resilience scales in Chinese infertile couples.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the 10-item and 2-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the agreement between these two versions, and the measurement invariance of the CD-RISC-10 across genders in Chinese infertile couples. METHODS: A total of 170 infertile couples were enrolled from an infertility outpatient clinic between September 2019 and January 2020. The CD-RISC scores were tested for floor and ceiling effects. Reliability was evaluated by calculating Cronbach's α. Convergent and divergent validity were assessed by bivariate correlations between resilience and infertility-related stress, depression, anxiety, and two divergent variables. Agreement between the two versions was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis. A multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to assess the measurement equivalence of CD-RISC-10 across genders. RESULTS: No floor or ceiling effects were observed. Internal consistencies of CD-RISC-10 and CD-RISC-2 were 0.91 and 0.63, respectively. The CFA analysis indicated an excellent model fit for a one-factor structure of CD-RISC-10 (TLI > 0.950, CFI > 0.950, RMSEA < 0.060). Both scales displayed good convergent and divergent validity, and the agreement between them was significant with an ICC of 0.80 (95% CI ranging from 0.76 to 0.84). Measurement invariance across genders was supported by multigroup CFA, and a higher level of resilience was found in men than in women. CONCLUSION: Our findings showed significant reliability, validity, and stability of CD-RISC-10 and acceptable internal consistency and validity of CD-RISC-2. CD-RISC-10 is recommended as a resilience measure in clinical evaluations of infertile patients.

Probing a Reversible Cationic Switch on a Mixed Self-Assembled Monolayer Using Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy.

Probing a switch on biomimic membrane surfaces would offer some references to the research on permeability of cytomembranes. In this work, a mixed 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid/1-undecanethiol self-assembled monolayer (MUA/UT SAM) was constructed as a model of a biomembrane. In this mixed SAM, the MUA molecules work as functional parts for the switch and the UT molecules work as diluents. The surface coverage, wetting property, and pKa of this mixed SAM all have been well-inspected. The mixed SAM exhibits excellent switchable properties for cations, which is well-monitored by scanning electrochemical microscopy. When the pH of a solution is higher than the pKa, protons would stimulate a shift of dissociation equilibrium of terminal carboxyl groups. The dissociated carboxylate ions would lead to a switch on the state of the SAM. Otherwise, the SAM shows an off state when the pH is lower than the pKa. In addition, the repeatability, applicability, and the mechanism of the switch all have been well-evaluated.

Age estimation using pulp/enamel volume ratio of impacted mandibular third molars measured on CBCT images in a northern Chinese population.

The present study aims to evaluate the relation between chronological age and the ratio of pulp volume (PV) to enamel volume (EV) of impacted mandibular third molars (IMTMs) by using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images and an improved 3D image segmentation technique. A sample of CBCT images of IMTM was collected from 414 northern Chinese subjects (214 male and 200 female clinical patients) ranging in age from 20 to 65 years. The GrowCut effect image segmentation (GCEIS) module algorithm was used to calculate the PV and EV from CBCT images. The total sample was divided into a training group and validation group in a ratio of 7 to 3. The PV/EV ratio (PEr) in the training sample was used to develop a mathematical formula for age estimation as follows: age = - 5.817-21.726 × Ln PEr (p < 0.0001) (Ln, natural logarithm). The mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) were used to determine the precision and accuracy of the mathematical formula in the validation group and all samples. The MAEs in the male, female, and pooled gender samples were 9.223, 7.722, and 8.41, respectively, and the RMSEs in the male, female, and pooled gender samples were 10.76, 9.58, and 9.986, respectively. The precise and accurate results indicate that the PEr of IMTM in CBCT images is a potential index for dental age estimation and is possible to be used in forensic medicine.

Novel Association between Flavin-Containing Monooxygenase 3 Gene Polymorphism and Antithyroid Drug-Induced Agranulocytosis in the Han Population.

Some effective antithyroid drugs (ATDs) have been widely used for patients with Graves' disease (GD) but are associated with ATD-induced agranulocytosis. We selected 29 ATD-induced agranulocytosis patients, 44 ATD-induced neutropenia patients, and 140 GD controls among the Chinese Han population who were recruited at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiao Tong University. We assessed their response to ATDs treatment by performing genotyping for a candidate gene association study of samples from patients receiving treatment. Human flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 (FMO3), which is the major hepatic enzyme involved in the production of N-oxide of trimethylamine, catalyzes the oxygenation of a variety of drug compounds. Six single SNP, genotype, haplotype (HAP), and association analyses of the FMO3 gene with ATD-induced agranulocytosis/neutropenia under different models (i.e., additive, dominant, and recessive models) were performed. Rs1736557, which caused an amino acid variation V257M, showed a strong association between ATD-induced agranulocytosis and GD controls after Bonferroni correction (p = 0.011, OR 2.301, 95% CI 1.201-4.409). The presence of HAP 3 (HAP3) in the FMO3 gene HAP was statistically associated with ATD-induced agranulocytosis (p = 0.038, permutation p value). Our findings indicate that genetic variations in the FMO3 gene are associated with the response to ATDs maintenance treatment in ATD-induced agranulocytosis patients of -Chinese Han population.

Morphology and Molecular Identification of Twelve Commercial Varieties of Kiwifruit.

The quality and safety of food are important guarantees for the health and legal rights of consumers. As an important special fruitcrop, there are frequently shoddy practices in the kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) market, which harms the interests of consumers. However, there is lack of rapid and accurate identification methods for commercial kiwifruit varieties. Here, twelve common commercial varieties of kiwifruit were morphologically discriminated. DNA barcodes of chloroplast regions psbA-trnH, rbcL, matK, rpoB, rpoC1, ycf1b, trnL and rpl32_trnL(UAG), the nuclear region At103 and intergenic region ITS2 were amplified. Divergences and phylogenetic trees were used to analyze the phylogenetic relationship of these twelve commercial kiwifruit varieties. The results showed that matK, ITS2 and rpl32_trnL(UAG) can be utilized as molecular markers to identify CuiYu, JinYan, HuangJinGuo, ChuanHuangJin, HuaYou, YaTe, XuXiang and HongYang. This provides experimental and practical basis to scientifically resolve kiwifruit-related judicial disputes and legal trials.

The optimal corepressor function of nuclear receptor corepressor (NCoR) for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ requires G protein pathway suppressor 2.

Repression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ)-dependent transcription by the nuclear receptor corepressor (NCoR) is important for homeostatic expression of PPARγ target genes in vivo. The current model states that NCoR-mediated repression requires its direct interaction with PPARγ in the repressive conformation. Previous studies, however, have shown that DNA-bound PPARγ is incompatible with a direct, high-affinity association with NCoR because of the inherent ability of PPARγ to adopt the active conformation. Here we show that NCoR acquires the ability to repress active PPARγ-mediated transcription via G protein pathway suppressor 2 (GPS2), a component of the NCoR corepressor complex. Unlike NCoR, GPS2 can recognize and bind the active state of PPARγ. In GPS2-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblast cells, loss of GPS2 markedly reduces the corepressor function of NCoR for PPARγ, leading to constitutive activation of PPARγ target genes and spontaneous adipogenesis of the cells. GPS2, however, is dispensable for repression mediated by unliganded thyroid hormone receptor α or a PPARγ mutant unable to adopt the active conformation. This study shows that GPS2, although dispensable for the intrinsic repression function of NCoR, can mediate a novel corepressor repression pathway that allows NCoR to directly repress active PPARγ-mediated transcription, which is important for the optimal corepressor function of NCoR for PPARγ. Interestingly, GPS2-dependent repression specifically targets PPARγ but not PPARα or PPARδ. Therefore, GPS2 may serve as a unique target to manipulate PPARγ signaling in diseases.

Age estimation in northern Chinese children by measurement of open apices in tooth roots.

The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of Cameriere's methods on dental age estimation in the northern Chinese population. A sample of orthopantomographs of 785 healthy children (397 girls and 388 boys) aged between 5 and 15 years was collected. The seven left permanent mandibular teeth were evaluated with Cameriere's method. The sample was split into a training set to develop a Chinese-specific prediction formula and a test set to validate this novel developed formula. Following the training dataset study, the variables gender (g), x 3 (canine teeth), x 4 (first premolar), x 7 (second molar), N 0, and the first-order interaction between s and N 0 contributed significantly to the fit, yielding the following linear regression formula: Age = 10.202 + 0.826 g - 4.068x 3 - 1.536x 4 - 1.959x 7 + 0.536 N 0 - 0.219 s [Symbol: see text] N 0, where g is a variable, 1 for boys and 0 for girls. The equation explained 91.2 % (R (2) = 0.912) of the total deviance. By analyzing the test dataset, the accuracy of the European formula and Chinese formula was determined by the difference between the estimated dental age (DA) and chronological age (CA). The European formula verified on the collected Chinese children underestimated chronological age with a mean difference of around -0.23 year, while the Chinese formula underestimated the chronological age with a mean difference of -0.04 year. Significant differences in mean differences in years (DA - CA) and absolute difference (AD) between the Chinese-specific prediction formula and Cameriere's European formula were observed. In conclusion, a Chinese-specific prediction formula based on a large Chinese reference sample could ameliorate the age prediction accuracy in the age group of children.

RRP41L, a putative core subunit of the exosome, plays an important role in seed germination and early seedling growth in Arabidopsis.

In prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, the 3'-5'-exonucleolytic decay and processing of RNAs are essential for RNA metabolism. However, the understanding of the mechanism of 3'-5'-exonucleolytic decay in plants is very limited. Here, we report the characterization of an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) transfer DNA insertional mutant that shows severe growth defects in early seedling growth, including delayed germination and cotyledon expansion, thinner yellow/pale-green leaves, and a slower growth rate. High-efficiency thermal asymmetric interlaced polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that the insertional locus was in the sixth exon of AT4G27490, encoding a predicted 3'-5'-exonuclease, that contained a conserved RNase phosphorolytic domain with high similarity to RRP41, designated RRP41L. Interestingly, we detected highly accumulated messenger RNAs (mRNAs) that encode seed storage protein and abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis and signaling pathway-related protein during the early growth stage in rrp41l mutants. The mRNA decay kinetics analysis for seed storage proteins, 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenases, and ABA INSENSITIVEs revealed that RRP41L catalyzed the decay of these mRNAs in the cytoplasm. Consistent with these results, the rrp41l mutant was more sensitive to ABA in germination and root growth than wild-type plants, whereas overexpression lines of RRP41L were more resistant to ABA in germination and root growth than wild-type plants. RRP41L was localized to both the cytoplasm and nucleus, and RRP41L was preferentially expressed in seedlings. Altogether, our results showed that RRP41L plays an important role in seed germination and early seedling growth by mediating specific cytoplasmic mRNA decay in Arabidopsis.

Tudor-SN, a component of stress granules, regulates growth under salt stress by modulating GA20ox3 mRNA levels in Arabidopsis.

The Tudor-SN protein (TSN) is universally expressed and highly conserved in eukaryotes. In Arabidopsis, TSN is reportedly involved in stress adaptation, but the mechanism involved in this adaptation is not understood. Here, we provide evidence that TSN regulates the mRNA levels of GA20ox3, a key enzyme for gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis. The levels of GA20ox3 transcripts decreased in TSN1/TSN2 RNA interference (RNAi) transgenic lines and increased in TSN1 over-expression (OE) transgenic lines. The TSN1 OE lines displayed phenotypes that may be attributed to the overproduction of GA. No obvious defects were observed in the RNAi transgenic lines under normal conditions, but under salt stress conditions these lines displayed slower growth than wild-type (WT) plants. Two mutants of GA20ox3, ga20ox3-1 and -2, also showed slower growth under stress than WT plants. Moreover, a higher accumulation of GA20ox3 transcripts was observed under salt stress. The results of a western blot analysis indicated that higher levels of TSN1 accumulated after salt treatment than under normal conditions. Subcellular localization studies showed that TSN1 was uniformly distributed in the cytoplasm under normal conditions but accumulated in small granules and co-localized with RBP47, a marker protein for stress granules (SGs), in response to salt stress. The results of RNA immunoprecipitation experiments indicated that TSN1 bound GA20ox3 mRNA in vivo. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that TSN is a novel component of plant SGs that regulates growth under salt stress by modulating levels of GA20ox3 mRNA.

The influence of impaction to the third molar mineralization in northwestern Chinese population.

Age estimation by third molar mineralization has been developed for a period of time. Recent studies showed that impaction status has an influence on the rate of the third molar mineralization in Europids and male Black African populations. In this regard, the present study was conducted to determine whether the impaction status could delay the chronological process of third molar mineralization in northwestern Chinese population too. A total of 3,512 digital orthopantomograms of 1,255 male and 2,257 female northwestern Chinese subjects aged from 11 to 26 years were assessed based on the formation stages described by Demirjian et al. with two modifications. Mineralization stage and impaction status were determined for all third molars. Statistical measures were calculated at stages C-H in the male and female gender for both impacted and non-impacted third molars. It was ascertained that the mean ages with impacted third molars at stages C-H were 0.02-1.42 years higher in males and 0.04-1.52 years higher in females than those with non-impacted third molars, but statistical differences were only found at stages C, D, and E in males and stages D and E in females. The probabilities of being under 14, 16, or 18 years of age with non-impacted third molars were all higher than those with impacted third molars. The results prove that impacted third molars show significant slower mineralization than non-impacted ones at stages D and E in both males and females of northwestern Chinese population. It is recommended to consider the influence of impaction on the rate of third molar mineralization for dental age estimation.

[Development of CBCT technique and its application on dental age assessment].

Teeth are the hardest organs in the human body. They are not easily affected by external physical and chemical factors to degrade or deform. Dental age assessment has been widely used in forensic practice. Dental image is one of the most common methods in the age estimation. The emergence of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) technology provides a new way to obtain three-dimensional image of teeth. It has many advantages such as low-dose radiation, short-time scanning, high-precision image, and finical convenience. Recent development of CBCT technology and its application on age estimation are reviewed in this paper.

Constructing a 3D Ion Transport Channel-Based CNF Composite Film with an Intercalated Structure for Superior Performance Flexible Supercapacitors.

The weak stiffness, huge thickness, and low specific capacitance of commonly utilized flexible supercapacitors hinder their great electrochemical performance. Learning from a biomimetic interface strategy, we design flexible film electrodes based on functional intercalated structures with excellent electrochemical properties and mechanical flexibility. A composite film with high strength and flexibility is created using graphene (reduced graphene oxide (rGO)) as the plane layer, layered double metal hydroxide (LDH) as the support layer, and cellulose nanofiber (CNF) as the connection agent and flexible agent. The interlayer height can be adjusted by the ion concentration. The highly interconnected network enables excellent electron and ion transport channels, facilitating rapid ion diffusion and redox reactions. Moreover, the high flexibility and mechanical properties of the film achieve multiple folding and bending. The CNF-rGO-NiCoLDH film electrode exhibits high capacitance performance (3620.5 mF cm-2 at 2 mA cm-2), excellent mechanical properties, and high flexibility. Notably, flexible all-solid assembled CNF-rGO-NiCoLDH//rGO has an extremely high area energy density of 53.5 mWh cm-2 at a power density of 1071.2 mW cm-2, along with cycling stability of 89.8% retention after 10 000 charge-discharge cycles. This work provides a perspective for designing high-performance energy storage materials for flexible electronics and wearable devices.

Hydrophobic modification of cellulose nanofibers by gallic acid and the application in pressure sensing.

Via rational molecular structure design and using gallic acid (GA) for hydrophobic modification of cellulose nanofibers (CNF), the "polymer dipole" CNF-GA with hydrophilic main chains and hydrophobic side chains was prepared, which improved the poor piezoelectric properties of CNF used for preparing pressure sensors. Due to the appearance of the side chains, the elongation at break of the CNF-GA-2, compared with CNF, was enhanced by 186 %, and the excellent tensile strength, puncture load, and tearing strength were displayed. Moreover, the significant glass transition temperature (Tg) near the human body temperature was exhibited for CNF-GA, making it possible to be applied in temperature sensing. Most importantly, the CNF-GA-2 showed the maximum hydrophobicity, with a contact angle of 76.77°. Finally, the CNF-GA-2/MXene nanocomposite film was prepared by the CNF-GA-2 with MXene through vacuum filtration. The results indicated that the film had excellent piezoelectric properties (d33 = 63.283), the generated stable induced voltage (125.6 mV), the preferable piezoresistive performance (ΔR/R0 = 2.15), the fast response/recovery time (48/61 ms), which could achieve dynamic and static responses. Moreover, this film could be used for real-time detection of limb movements (such as wrists).

Integrative Analysis of Morphine-Induced Differential Circular RNAs and ceRNA Networks in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel type of non-coding RNAs. Despite the fact that the functional mechanisms of most circRNAs remain unknown, emerging evidence indicates that circRNAs could sponge microRNAs (miRNAs), bind to RNA binding proteins (RBP), and even be translated into protein. Recent research has demonstrated the crucial roles played by circRNAs in neuropsychiatric disorders. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a crucial component of drug reward circuitry and exerts top-down control over cognitive functions. However, there is currently limited knowledge about the correlation between circRNAs and morphine-associated contextual memory in the mPFC. Here, we performed morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in mice and extracted mPFC tissue for RNA-sequencing. Our study represented the first attempt to identify differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs) and mRNAs (DEmRNAs) in the mPFC after morphine-induced CPP. We identified 47 significantly up-regulated DEcircRNAs and 429 significantly up-regulated DEmRNAs, along with 74 significantly down-regulated DEcircRNAs and 391 significantly down-regulated DEmRNAs. Functional analysis revealed that both DEcircRNAs and DEmRNAs were closely associated with neuroplasticity. To further validate the DEcircRNAs, we conducted qRT-PCR, Sanger sequencing, and RNase R digestion assays. Additionally, using an integrated bioinformatics approach, we constructed ceRNA networks and identified critical circRNA/miRNA/mRNA axes that contributed to the development of morphine-associated contextual memory. In summary, our study provided novel insights into the role of circRNAs in drug-related memory, specifically from the perspective of ceRNAs.

Leverage Effective Deep Learning Searching Method for Forensic Age Estimation.

Dental age estimation is extensively employed in forensic medicine practice. However, the accuracy of conventional methods fails to satisfy the need for precision, particularly when estimating the age of adults. Herein, we propose an approach for age estimation utilizing orthopantomograms (OPGs). We propose a new dental dataset comprising OPGs of 27,957 individuals (16,383 females and 11,574 males), covering an age range from newborn to 93 years. The age annotations were meticulously verified using ID card details. Considering the distinct nature of dental data, we analyzed various neural network components to accurately estimate age, such as optimal network depth, convolution kernel size, multi-branch architecture, and early layer feature reuse. Building upon the exploration of distinctive characteristics, we further employed the widely recognized method to identify models for dental age prediction. Consequently, we discovered two sets of models: one exhibiting superior performance, and the other being lightweight. The proposed approaches, namely AGENet and AGE-SPOS, demonstrated remarkable superiority and effectiveness in our experimental results. The proposed models, AGENet and AGE-SPOS, showed exceptional effectiveness in our experiments. AGENet outperformed other CNN models significantly by achieving outstanding results. Compared to Inception-v4, with the mean absolute error (MAE) of 1.70 and 20.46 B FLOPs, our AGENet reduced the FLOPs by 2.7×. The lightweight model, AGE-SPOS, achieved an MAE of 1.80 years with only 0.95 B FLOPs, surpassing MobileNetV2 by 0.18 years while utilizing fewer computational operations. In summary, we employed an effective DNN searching method for forensic age estimation, and our methodology and findings hold significant implications for age estimation with oral imaging.