The Holothuria leucospilota genome elucidates sacrificial organ expulsion and bioadhesive trap enriched with amyloid-patterned proteins.

Some tropical sea cucumbers of the family Holothuriidae can efficiently repel or even fatally ensnare predators by sacrificially ejecting a bioadhesive matrix termed the Cuvierian organ (CO), so named by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier who first described it in 1831. Still, the precise mechanisms for how adhesiveness genetically arose in CO and how sea cucumbers perceive and transduce danger signals for CO expulsion during defense have remained unclear. Here, we report the first high-quality, chromosome-level genome assembly of Holothuria leucospilota, an ecologically significant sea cucumber with prototypical CO. The H. leucospilota genome reveals characteristic long-repeat signatures in CO-specific outer-layer proteins, analogous to fibrous proteins of disparate species origins, including spider spidroin and silkworm fibroin. Intriguingly, several CO-specific proteins occur with amyloid-like patterns featuring extensive intramolecular cross-ß structures readily stainable by amyloid indicator dyes. Distinct proteins within the CO connective tissue and outer surface cooperate to give the expelled matrix its apparent tenacity and adhesiveness, respectively. Genomic evidence offers further hints that H. leucospilota directly transduces predator-induced mechanical pressure onto the CO surface through mediation by transient receptor potential channels, which culminates in acetylcholine-triggered CO expulsion in part or in entirety. Evolutionarily, innovative events in two distinct regions of the H. leucospilota genome have apparently spurred CO's differentiation from the respiratory tree to a lethal defensive organ against predators.

The abscisic acid-responsive element binding factors MAPKKK18 module regulates abscisic acid-induced leaf senescence in Arabidopsis.

The mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 18 (MAPKKK18) has been reported to play a role in abiotic stress priming in long-term abscisic acid (ABA) response including drought tolerance and leaf senescence. However, the upstream transcriptional regulators of MAPKKK18 remain to be determined. Here, we report ABA-responsive element binding factors (ABFs) as upstream transcription factors of MAPKKK18 expression. Mutants of abf2, abf3, abf4, and abf2abf3abf4 dramatically reduced the transcription of MAPKKK18. Our electrophoresis mobility shift assay and dual-luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that ABF2, ABF3, and ABF4 bound to ABA-responsive element cis-elements within the promoter of MAPKKK18 to transactivate its expression. Furthermore, enrichments of the promoter region of MAPKKK18 by ABF2, ABF3, and ABF4 were confirmed by in vivo chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with quantitative PCR. In addition, we found that mutants of mapkkk18 exhibited obvious delayed leaf senescence. Moreover, a genetic study showed that overexpression of ABF2, ABF3, and ABF4 in the background of mapkkk18 mostly phenocopied the stay-green phenotype of mapkkk18 and, expression levels of five target genes of ABFs, that is, NYE1, NYE2, NYC1, PAO, and SAG29, were attenuated as a result of MAPKKK18 mutation. These findings demonstrate that ABF2, ABF3, and ABF4 act as transcription regulators of MAPKKK18 and also suggest that, at least in part, ABA acts in priming leaf senescence via ABF-induced expression of MAPKKK18.

Transition from Flat-Band Localization to Anderson Localization in a One-Dimensional Tasaki Lattice.

We report an extensive experimental investigation on the transition from flat-band localization (FBL) to Anderson localization (AL) in a one-dimensional synthetic lattice in the momentum dimension. By driving multiple Bragg processes between designated momentum states, an effective one-dimensional Tasaki lattice is implemented with highly tunable parameters, including nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor coupling coefficients and onsite energy potentials. With that, a flat-band localization phase is realized and demonstrated via the evolution dynamics of the particle population over different momentum states. The localization effect is undermined when a moderate disorder is introduced to the onsite potential and restored under a strong disorder. We find clear signatures of the FBL-AL transition in the density profile evolution, the inverse participation ratio, and the von Neumann entropy, where good agreement is obtained with theoretical predictions.

Preterm birth associated alterations in brain structure, cognitive functioning and behavior in children from the ABCD dataset.

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth is a global health problem and associated with increased risk of long-term developmental impairments, but findings on the adverse outcomes of prematurity have been inconsistent. METHODS: Data were obtained from the baseline session of the ongoing longitudinal Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. We identified 1706 preterm children and 1865 matched individuals as Control group and compared brain structure (MRI data), cognitive function and mental health symptoms. RESULTS: Results showed that preterm children had higher psychopathological risk and lower cognitive function scores compared to controls. Structural MRI analysis indicated that preterm children had higher cortical thickness in the medial orbitofrontal cortex, parahippocampal gyrus, temporal and occipital gyrus; smaller volumes in the temporal and parietal gyrus, cerebellum, insula and thalamus; and smaller fiber tract volumes in the fornix and parahippocampal-cingulum bundle. Partial correlation analyses showed that gestational age and birth weight were associated with ADHD symptoms, picvocab, flanker, reading, fluid cognition composite, crystallized cognition composite and total cognition composite scores, and measures of brain structure in regions involved with emotional regulation, attention and cognition. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest a complex interplay between psychopathological risk and cognitive deficits in preterm children that is associated with changes in regional brain volumes, cortical thickness, and structural connectivity among cortical and limbic brain regions critical for cognition and emotional well-being.

Exploring clinical evaluation indicators for predicting coagulation in the extracorporeal circulation circuit in hemodialysis patients receiving individualized regional citrate anticoagulation-A single-center, retrospective clinical study.

BACKGROUND: Citrate anticoagulation is an important anticoagulation method in hemodialysis (HD) but cannot completely prevent the occurrence of coagulation in the extracorporeal circulation (ECC) circuit, and the clinical coagulation status can significantly affect the effect of citrate anticoagulation. In this study, the relationships between clinical coagulation status indicators and coagulation in the ECC circuit in HD patients receiving individualized citrate anticoagulant were studied to explore indicators that may predict coagulation in the ECC circuit. METHODS: This study was a single-center, retrospective clinical study, and clinical data and laboratory tests related to the coagulation status of HD patients receiving individualized regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA) were collected. The relationships between indicators commonly used in clinical practice to evaluate clinical coagulation status and coagulation in the ECC circuit were statistically analyzed to find indicators that can predict the occurrence of coagulation in the ECC circuit. RESULTS: The individualized RCA had a good anticoagulation effect, and the actual citrate infusion rate in nearly 80% of the patients was within ±10% of the theoretical infusion rate. The combined diseases or conditions that affect the coagulation status in vivo may increase the incidence of coagulation in the ECC circuit. The clinical D-dimer level is an independent risk factor that affects and can predict coagulation in the ECC circuit, with a cutoff value of 2.03 mg/L, sensitivity of 59%, and specificity of 78%. CONCLUSION: Individualized RCA can meet the needs of most HD treatments. Abnormal coagulation status in HD patients may increase the incidence of coagulation in the ECC circuit during individualized RCA for HD, and the D-dimer level can predict the occurrence of coagulation in the ECC circuit during this treatment.

Associations between body mass index, sleep-disordered breathing, brain structure, and behavior in healthy children.

Pediatric overweight/obesity can lead to sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), abnormal neurological and cognitive development, and psychiatric problems, but the associations and interactions between these factors have not been fully explored. Therefore, we investigated the associations between body mass index (BMI), SDB, psychiatric and cognitive measures, and brain morphometry in 8484 children 9-11 years old using the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development dataset. BMI was positively associated with SDB, and both were negatively correlated with cortical thickness in lingual gyrus and lateral orbitofrontal cortex, and cortical volumes in postcentral gyrus, precentral gyrus, precuneus, superior parietal lobule, and insula. Mediation analysis showed that SDB partially mediated the effect of overweight/obesity on these brain regions. Dimensional psychopathology (including aggressive behavior and externalizing problem) and cognitive function were correlated with BMI and SDB. SDB and cortical volumes in precentral gyrus and insula mediated the correlations between BMI and externalizing problem and matrix reasoning ability. Comparisons by sex showed that obesity and SDB had a greater impact on brain measures, cognitive function, and mental health in girls than in boys. These findings suggest that preventing childhood obesity will help decrease SDB symptom burden, abnormal neurological and cognitive development, and psychiatric problems.

Associations among body mass index, working memory performance, gray matter volume, and brain activation in healthy children.

To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the association between poorer working memory performance and higher body mass index (BMI) in children. We employed structural-(sMRI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with a 2-back working memory task to examine brain abnormalities and their associations with BMI and working memory performance in 232 children with overweight/obesity (OW/OB) and 244 normal weight children (NW) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development dataset. OW/OB had lower working memory accuracy, which was associated with higher BMI. They showed smaller gray matter (GM) volumes in the left superior frontal gyrus (SFG_L), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, medial orbital frontal cortex, and medial superior frontal gyrus, which were associated with lower working memory accuracy. During the working memory task, OW/OB relative to NW showed weaker activation in the left superior temporal pole, amygdala, insula, and bilateral caudate. In addition, caudate activation mediated the relationship between higher BMI and lower working memory accuracy. Higher BMI is associated with smaller GM volumes and weaker brain activation in regions involved with working memory. Task-related caudate dysfunction may account for lower working memory accuracy in children with higher BMI.

Obesity is associated with decreased gray matter volume in children: a longitudinal study.

Childhood obesity has become a global health problem. Previous studies showed that childhood obesity is associated with brain structural differences relative to controls. However, few studies have been performed with longitudinal evaluations of brain structural developmental trajectories in childhood obesity. We employed voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis to assess gray matter (GM) volume at baseline and 2-year follow-up in 258 obese children (OB) and 265 normal weight children (NW), recruited as part of the National Institutes of Health Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study. Significant group × time effects on GM volume were observed in the prefrontal lobe, thalamus, right precentral gyrus, caudate, and parahippocampal gyrus/amygdala. OB compared with NW had greater reductions in GM volume in these regions over the 2-year period. Body mass index (BMI) was negatively correlated with GM volume in prefrontal lobe and with matrix reasoning ability at baseline and 2-year follow-up. In OB, Picture Test was positively correlated with GM volume in the left orbital region of the inferior frontal gyrus (OFCinf_L) at baseline and was negatively correlated with reductions in OFCinf_L volume (2-year follow-up vs. baseline). These findings indicate that childhood obesity is associated with GM volume reduction in regions involved with reward evaluation, executive function, and cognitive performance.

Habenular connectivity predict weight loss and negative emotional-related eating behavior after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.

Habenular (Hb) processes negative emotions that may drive compulsive food-intake. Its functional changes were reported following laparoscopic-sleeve-gastrectomy (LSG). However, structural connectivity (SC) of Hb-homeostatic/hedonic circuits after LSG remains unclear. We selected regions implicated in homeostatic/hedonic regulation that have anatomical connections with Hb as regions-of-interest (ROIs), and used diffusion-tensor-imaging with probabilistic tractography to calculate SC between Hb and these ROIs in 30 obese participants before LSG (PreLSG) and at 12-month post-LSG (PostLSG12) and 30 normal-weight controls. Three-factor-eating-questionnaire (TFEQ) and Dutch-eating-behavior-questionnaire (DEBQ) were used to assess eating behaviors. LSG significantly decreased weight, negative emotion, and improved self-reported eating behavior. LSG increased SC between the Hb and homeostatic/hedonic regions including hypothalamus (Hy), bilateral superior frontal gyri (SFG), left amygdala (AMY), and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). TFEQ-hunger negatively correlated with SC of Hb-Hy at PostLSG12; and increased SC of Hb-Hy correlated with reduced depression and DEBQ-external eating. TFEQ-disinhibition negatively correlated with SC of Hb-bilateral SFG at PreLSG. Increased SC of Hb-left AMY correlated with reduced DEBQ-emotional eating. Higher percentage of total weight-loss negatively correlated with SC of Hb-left OFC at PreLSG. Enhanced SC of Hb-homeostatic/hedonic regulatory regions post-LSG may contribute to its beneficial effects in improving eating behaviors including negative emotional eating, and long-term weight-loss.

FGF21 overexpression alleviates VSMC senescence in diabetic mice by modulating the SYK-NLRP3 inflammasome-PPARγ-catalase pathway.

Diabetes accelerates vascular senescence, which is the basis for atherosclerosis and stiffness. The activation of the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and oxidative stress are closely associated with progressive senescence in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). The vascular protective effect of FGF21 has gradually gained increasing attention, but its role in diabetes-induced vascular senescence needs further investigation. In this study, diabetic mice and primary VSMCs are transfected with an FGF21 activation plasmid and treated with a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonist (rosiglitazone), an NLRP3 inhibitor (MCC950), and a spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK)-specific inhibitor, R406, to detect senescence-associated markers. We find that FGF21 overexpression significantly restores the level of catalase (CAT), vascular relaxation, inhibits the intensity of ROSgreen fluorescence and p21 immunofluorescence, and reduces the area of SA-ß-gal staining and collagen deposition in the aortas of diabetic mice. FGF21 overexpression restores CAT, inhibits the expression of p21, and limits the area of SA-ß-gal staining in VSMCs under high glucose conditions. Mechanistically, FGF21 inhibits SYK phosphorylation, the production of the NLRP3 dimer, the expression of NLRP3, and the colocalization of NLRP3 with PYCARD (ASC), as well as NLRP3 with caspase-1, to reverse the cleavage of PPARγ, preserve CAT levels, suppress ROSgreen density, and reduce the expression of p21 in VSMCs under high glucose conditions. Our results suggest that FGF21 alleviates vascular senescence by regulating the SYK-NLRP3 inflammasome-PPARγ-catalase pathway in diabetic mice.

Optimizing the aldosterone-to-renin ratio cut-off for screening primary aldosteronism based on cardiovascular risk: a collaborative study.

OBJECTIVES: Aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) based screening is the first step in the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA). However, the guideline-recommended ARR cutoff covers a wide range, from the equivalent of 1.3 to 4.9 ng·dl-1/mIU∙l-1. We aimed to optimize the ARR cutoff for PA screening based on the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). METHODS: Longitudinally, we included hypertensive participants from the Framingham Offspring Study (FOS) who attended the sixth examination cycle and followed up until 2014. At baseline (1995-1998), we used circulating concentrations of aldosterone and renin to calculate ARR (unit: ng·dl-1/mIU∙l-1) among 1,433 subjects who were free of CVD. We used spline regression to calculate the ARR threshold based on the incident CVD. We used cross-sectional data from the Chongqing Primary Aldosteronism Study (CONPASS) to explore whether the ARR cutoff selected from FOS is applicable to PA screening. RESULTS: In FOS, CVD risk increased with an increasing ARR until a peak of ARR 1.0, followed by a plateau in CVD risk (hazard ratio 1.49, 95%CI 1.19-1.86). In CONPASS, when compared to essential hypertension with ARR < 1.0, PA with ARR ≥ 1.0 carried a higher CVD risk (odds ratio 2.24, 95%CI 1.41-3.55), while essential hypertension with ARR ≥ 1.0 had an unchanged CVD risk (1.02, 0.62-1.68). Setting ARR cutoff at 2.4 ~ 4.9, 10% ~30% of PA subjects would be unrecognized although they carried a 2.45 ~ 2.58-fold higher CVD risk than essential hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: The CVD risk-based optimal ARR cutoff is 1.0 ng·dl-1/mIU∙l-1 for PA screening. The current guideline-recommended ARR cutoff may miss patients with PA and high CVD risk. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03224312).

Reducing Remifentanil Usage in Laparoscopic Rectal Cancer Surgery for Elderly Patients by Optimizing Dosing.

Background: Colorectal cancer is a prevalent and serious health concern globally, particularly among the elderly population. Laparoscopic surgery is a commonly used approach for colorectal cancer treatment. However, the use of appropriate anesthesia and muscle relaxants is essential to ensure optimal surgical outcomes. Elderly patients undergoing surgery often have unique physiological characteristics and comorbidities, such as hypertension, diabetes, and coronary heart disease. These factors can affect treatment efficiency and patient outcomes. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of different target-controlled infusion concentrations of rocuronium bromide on elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery. Methods: This is a prospective randomized controlled study. Ninety senior adults who underwent laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery at our hospital between September 2018 and May 2020 were selected as the eligible participants. They were randomly divided into three groups: the low-dose group (0.6 mg/L of rocuronium bromide), the middle-dose group (0.9 mg/L of rocuronium bromide), and the high-dose group (1.2 mg/L of rocuronium bromide). The purpose of this division was to administer target-controlled infusions of rocuronium bromide to maintain skeletal muscle relaxation during the surgical procedure. Data on various outcome measures, including skeletal muscle relaxation effectiveness, patient satisfaction, skeletal muscle relaxation recovery times and indices, extubation duration, and remifentanil dosage, were collected and analyzed. Results: The middle-dose group and the high-dose group exhibited notably higher levels of satisfaction with skeletal muscle relaxation compared to the low-dose group. As the rocuronium bromide dosage increased, the patients experienced prolonged recovery times and had higher skeletal muscle indices (P < .05). Additionally, the middle-dose group demonstrated significantly reduced extubation times and lower remifentanil dosages compared to the other groups (P < .05). The enhanced satisfaction levels in the middle-dose and high-dose groups, indicating that higher concentrations of rocuronium bromide may be more effective in achieving optimal skeletal muscle relaxation during laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery. The prolonged recovery times and higher skeletal muscle indices associated with increased dosage suggest a dose-dependent effect on muscle relaxation. Conclusion: For elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery, the use of a target-controlled infusion of 0.9 mg/L of rocuronium bromide appears to be a viable option. It maintains adequate skeletal muscle relaxation, shortens postoperative recovery time, and reduces the demand for remifentanil, demonstrating excellent potential for clinical application. These findings provide valuable insights for anesthesiologists and healthcare professionals involved in the perioperative management of elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery. Implementing the optimized dosage of rocuronium bromide can contribute to enhanced surgical outcomes, improved patient satisfaction, and more efficient resource utilization in the clinical setting.

Recent progress in mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy for acute lung injury.

Acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are life-threatening diseases in critically ill patients. Although pathophysiology of ALI/ARDS has been investigated in many studies, effective therapeutic strategies are still limited. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapy is emerging as a promising therapeutic intervention for patients with ALI. During the last two decades, researchers have focused on the efficacy and mechanism of MSC application in ALI animal models. MSC derived from variant resources exhibited therapeutic effects in preclinical studies of ALI with different mechanisms. Based on this, clinical studies on MSC treatment in ALI/ARDS has been tried recently, especially in COVID-19 caused lung injury. Emerging clinical trials of MSCs in treating COVID-19-related conditions have been registered in past two years. The advantages and potential of MSCs in the defense against COVID-19-related ALI or ARDS have been confirmed. This review provides a brief overview of recent research progress in MSC-based therapies in preclinical study and clinical trials in ALI treatment, as well as the underlying mechanisms.

Environmental DNA and remote sensing datasets reveal the spatial distribution of aquatic insects in a disturbed subtropical river system.

Biodiversity datasets with high spatial resolution are critical prerequisites for river protection and management decision-making. However, traditional morphological biomonitoring is inefficient and only provides several site estimates, and there is an urgent need for new approaches to predict biodiversity on fine spatial scales throughout the entire river systems. Here, we combined the environmental DNA (eDNA) and remote sensing (RS) technologies to develop a novel approach for predicting the spatial distribution of aquatic insects with high spatial resolution in a disturbed subtropical Dongjiang River system of southeast China. First, we screened thirteen RS-based vegetation indices that significantly correlated with the eDNA-inferred richness of aquatic insects. In particular, the green normalized difference vegetation index (GNDVI) and normalized difference red-edge2 (NDRE2) were closely related to eDNA-inferred richness. Second, using the gradient boosting decision tree, our data showed that the spatial pattern of eDNA-inferred richness could achieve a high spatial resolution to 500 m reach and accurate prediction of more than 80%, and the prediction efficiency of the headwater streams (Strahler stream order = 1) was slightly higher than the downstream (Strahler stream order >1). Third, using the random forest algorithm, the spatial distribution of aquatic insects could reach a prediction rate of over 70% for the presence or absence of specific genera. Overall, this study provides a new approach to achieving high spatial resolution prediction of the distribution of aquatic insects, which supports decision-making on river diversity protection under climate changes and human impacts.

A novel microRNA, novel-m009C, regulates methamphetamine rewarding effects.

Methamphetamine (METH) is a widely abused psychostimulant, whose hyper-rewarding property is believed to underlie its addictive effect, but the molecular mechanism regulating this effect remains unclear. We previously reported that decreased expression of a novel microRNA (miRNA), novel-m009C, is implicated in the regulation of METH hyperlocomotion. Here, we found that novel-m009C may be homologous to hsa-miR-604. Its expression is consistently downregulated in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of mice when exposed to METH and cocaine, whereas significant alterations in novel-m009C expression were not observed in the NAc of mice subjected to other rewarding and psychiatric stimuli, such as sucrose, morphine and MK-801. We further found the substantial reduction in novel-m009C expression may be regulated by both dopamine receptor D1 (D1R) and D2 (D2R). Increasing novel-m009C levels in the NAc attenuated METH-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) and hyperlocomotion, whereas inhibiting novel-m009C expression in the NAc enhanced these effects but did not change the preference of mice for a natural reward, i.e., sucrose. These effects may involve targeting of genes important for the synaptic transmission, such as Grin1 (NMDAR subunit 1). Our findings demonstrate an important role for NAc novel-m009C in regulating METH reward, reveal a novel molecular regulator of the actions of METH on brain reward circuitries and provide a new strategy for treating METH addiction based on the modulation of small non-coding RNAs.

Relation between red blood cell distribution width and 30-day in-hospital mortality of patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have demonstrated an association between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and the prognosis of pneumonia-associated diseases. However, prognostic value of RDW in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) has yet to be investigated. This study aimed to explore the association between RDW and in-hospital mortality in VAP patients and explore predictive value of RDW for VAP patients. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 1,543 VAP patients from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database 2008-2019. The primary outcome was considered to 30-day in-hospital mortality of VAP patients in this study. Non-high RDW level group was defined as <15 %, and high RDW level group as ≥15%. The possible confounding factors were screened by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression. Univariate and multivariate COX regression analyses were used for the assessment on the association of RDW and 30-day in-hospital mortality in VAP patients. We also performed subgroup analyses. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of RDW and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score and simplified acute physiology score II (SAPS II) were performed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: The 30-day in-hospital mortality of VAP patients was approximately 19.05%. After adjusting all confounding factors, high RDW was associated with 30-day in-hospital mortality among VAP patients by using non-high RDW as the reference [hazard ratio (HR) =1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.63]. Additionally, the relationship was also robust in several populations, such as patients were younger than 60 years, or had not a history of congestive heart failure, or had a history of sepsis, or had not received renal replacement therapy, or had a duration of mechanical ventilation for more than 7 days. The result of ROC indicated that RDW had a better prognostic value in predicting 30-day in-hospital mortality for VAP patients than SOFA score and SAPS II score. CONCLUSION: High RDW level is associated with an increased 30-day in-hospital mortality. The RDW is a promising biomarker in predicting 30-day in-hospital mortality for patients admitted to the ICU, regardless of VAP.

Analysis of the spatiotemporal patterns and decoupling effects of China's water resource spatial equilibrium.

The significance of water resource spatial equilibrium (WRSE) research is to maximally remove the spatial restrictions of water on regional development, including social development, economic development and eco-environmental maintenance. Although great achievements have been made, national-scale WRSE research is rare; besides, the spatiotemporal patterns and decoupling effects of WRSE have been poorly studied in current research. Thus, the aim of this research is to measure the WRSE in China for the period 2008-2019 by using an improved coupling coordination model and to empirically analyse its distribution dynamics and decoupling effects. The results show that the WRSE status of China's 31 provincial administrative regions from 2008 to 2019 is at a moderate level. Based on the spatiotemporal patterns and decoupling effects analysis, areas in urgent need of improving WRSE status are identified, and tailored countermeasures are provided for each area. To our knowledge, this paper is the first nationwide study of the spatiotemporal patterns and decoupling effects of WRSE.

Alterations in functional connectivity and interactions in resting-state networks in female patients with functional constipation.

BACKGROUND : Patients with functional constipation (FCon) have been reported with brain functional and structural abnormalities. However, no studies have been performed to investigate the differences in resting-state networks (RSNs) and changes in functional connectivity (FC) between RSNs in patients with FCon. Thus, the current study aimed to identify abnormal FC within and interaction between RSNs in patients with FCon to reveal the underlying neural mechanism. METHODS: Functional MRI with independent component analysis was applied to investigate alterations in FC within and functional network connectivity (FNC) between RSNs including default mode- (DMN), basal ganglia- (BGN), salience- (SN), and left and right control executive-networks (LCEN/RCEN) in 39 female patients with FCon and 36 female healthy controls (HC). Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life Scale (PAC-QOL) and Patient Assessment of Constipation Symptom Scale (PAC-SYM) were used to assess the constipation symptoms. RESULTS: FCon patients had changed regional FC between different networks contributing to the abnormal FNC among RSNs compared with HC. Patients with greater stool syndromes had increased FNC of BGN-SN and DMN-LCEN, and patients with greater worries/concerns and PAC-QOL total score had reduced FNC of SN-RCEN. The greater strength changes in FC in prefrontal and parietal cortices were associated with higher negative emotion scores and greater rectal symptoms, respectively. CONCLUSION: The findings suggested that FCon patients had altered FC within and interactions between RSNs and the brain FC changes were associated with constipation symptoms and altered emotions.

Unraveling Cadmium Toxicity in Trifolium repens L. Seedling: Insight into Regulatory Mechanisms Using Comparative Transcriptomics Combined with Physiological Analyses.

Trifolium repens (T. repens) can accumulate significant amounts of heavy metal ions, and has strong adaptability to wide environmental conditions, and relatively large biomass, which is considered a potential plant for phytoremediation. However, the molecular mechanisms of T. repens involved in Cd tolerance have not yet been studied in detail. This study was conducted to examine the integrative responses of T. repens exposed to a high-level CdCl2 by investigating the physiological and transcriptomic analyses. The results suggested that T. repens seedlings had a high degree of tolerance to Cd treatment. The roots accumulated higher Cd concentration than leaves and were mainly distributed in the cell wall. The content of MDA, soluble protein, the relative electrolyte leakage, and three antioxidant enzymes (POD, SOD, and APX) was increased with the Cd treatment time increasing, but the CAT enzymes contents were decreased in roots. Furthermore, the transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) mainly enriched in the glutathione (GSH) metabolism pathway and the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in the roots. Overexpressed genes in the lignin biosynthesis in the roots might improve Cd accumulation in cell walls. Moreover, the DEGs were also enriched in photosynthesis in the leaves, transferase activity, oxidoreductase activity, and ABA signal transduction, which might also play roles in reducing Cd toxicity in the plants. All the above, clearly suggest that T. repens employ several different mechanisms to protect itself against Cd stress, while the cell wall biosynthesis and GSH metabolism could be considered the most important specific mechanisms for Cd retention in the roots of T. repens.

Genetic diversity and population structure analysis in a large collection of Vicia amoena in China with newly developed SSR markers.

Vicia amoena is a high-nutritional quality forage similar to alfalfa. However, studies on the genetic background of V. amoena are scarce. In the present study, the genetic variation of 24 V. amoena populations was assessed with newly developed simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. A total of 8799 SSRs were identified in the V. amoena genomic-enriched sequences, and the most abundant repeat number was four. A total of 569 sampled individuals were assayed to evaluate the genetic diversity of the V. amoena populations based on 21 polymorphic SSR primers. The polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.896 to 0.968, with an average of 0.931, which indicated that the markers were highly informative. Based on analysis of molecular variance, 88% of the variance occurred within populations, and the remaining 12% of the variance occurred among populations. The high degree of gene flow (Nm= 4.958) also showed slight differentiation among the V. amoena populations. The V. amoena populations were mainly clustered by steppe and mountain habitats based on principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and STRUCTURE analysis. This indicated that the elevation and special habitat of geographical origins may be important factors affecting the clustered pattern of V. amoena populations. Neighbour-joining (NJ) analysis did not separate the populations well by geographical origin, which indicated that the genetic structure of V. amoena was complex and needs further study. Overall, our results showed that the newly developed SSR markers could benefit the V. amoena research community by providing genetic background information to help establish a foundation for breeding improvement and germplasm resource conservation.