Incorporation of Sequence Aza-Substitution and Thiophene Bridge in Linear Conjugated Polymers Toward Highly Efficient Photo-Catalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

The hydrogen evolution performance of organic photo-catalysts is lagged by numerous factors, such as the narrow photon absorption window, low charge transport, and so on. In this paper, four linear conjugated polymers are designed and synthesized based on dibenzothiophene-S,S-dioxide as an acceptor, and aza-substituted thiophene-phenyl-thiophene with different substitution numbers as co-units. The polymers with the thiophene bridge and aza-substitution exhibit broad visible absorption because of the extended conjugated length and improved planar structures resulting from the intramolecular non-covalent interactions (S···N or CH···N). The mono-substitution polymer without the addition of any co-catalysts shows the highest photo-catalytic performances with the hydrogen evolution rates of 8950 and 7388 µmol g-1 h-1 under the UV-vis (>295 nm) and visible (>420 nm) irradiation, respectively. The corresponding apparent quantum yields are as high as 8.34, 5.37, and 1.96% for the 420, 500, and 550 nm monochromatic light irradiation, respectively, which are much higher than those of the classic polymer (P7) without thiophene bridge and aza-substitution. This work indicats that the incorporation of thiophene bridge enhances visible absorption and aza-substitution optimized co-planarity and activate reactive sites, which should be an effective strategy to improve the photo-catalytic performance of linear conjugated polymers.

Systematic Understanding of the Mechanism of Baicalin against Gastric Cancer Using Transcriptome Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer (GC) is the most common type of cancer. It is highly malignant and is characterized by rapid and uncontrolled growth. The antitumour activity of Baicalin was studied in multiple cancers. However, its mechanism of action has not been fully elucidated. We provided a systematic understanding of the mechanism of action of baicalin against GC using a transcriptome analysis of RNA-seq. METHODS: Human GC cells (SGC-7901) were exposed to 200 µg/ml baicalin for 24 h. RNA-seq with a transcriptome, Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were used to identify the antitumour effects of baicalin on SGC-7901 cells in vitro. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was constructed. A competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was constructed and further analysed after validation using qRT-PCR. RESULTS: A total of 68 lncRNAs, 20 miRNAs, and 1648 mRNAs were differentially expressed in baicalin-treated SGC-7901 GC cells. Three lncRNAs, 6 miRNAs, and 7 mRNAs were included in the ceRNA regulatory network. GO analysis revealed that the main DEGs were involved in the biological processes of the cell cycle and cell death. KEGG pathway analysis further suggested that the p53 signalling pathway was involved in the baicalin-induced antitumour effect on SGC-7901 cells. Further confirmation using qPCR indicated that baicalin induced an antitumour effect on SGC-7901 cells, which is consistent with the results of the sequencing data. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, the mechanism of baicalin against GC involves multiple targets and signalling pathways. These results provide new insight into the antitumour mechanism of baicalin and help the development of new strategies to cure GC.

Analysis and Construction of a Competitive Endogenous RNA Regulatory Network of Baicalin-Induced Apoptosis in Human Osteosarcoma Cells.

BACKGROUND: Baicalin is an extract from the traditional Chinese herb Scutellaria baicalensis and has the potential to treat osteosarcoma (OS). However, the transcriptome-level mechanism of baicalin-mediated antitumor effects in OS has not yet been investigated. The aim of this study was to analyze the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network involved in baicalin-induced apoptosis of OS cells. METHODS: In this study, CCK-8 and flow cytometry assays were used to detect the antitumor effects of baicalin on human OS MG63 cells. Furthermore, transcriptome sequencing was employed to establish the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and mRNA profiles. RESULTS: Baicalin inhibited MG63 cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. Totals of 58 lncRNAs, 31 miRNAs, and 2136 mRNAs in the baicalin-treated MG63 cells were identified as differentially expressed RNAs compared to those in control cells. Of these, 2 lncRNAs, 3 miRNAs, and 18 mRNAs were included in the ceRNA regulatory network. The differentially expressed RNAs were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). CONCLUSIONS: By identifying the ceRNA network, our results provide new information about the possible molecular basis of baicalin, which has potential applications in OS treatment.

Association between sleep duration and weight gain and incident overweight/obesity: longitudinal analyses from the China Health and Nutrition Survey.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between sleep duration and weight gain and incident overweight/obesity in the population of China. METHODS: Data were derived from the China Health and Nutrition Survey. Adult participants with baseline data of sleep duration and body mass index (BMI) and who received at least one follow-up evaluation were selected to analyze the association of sleep duration with weight gain (n = 12,871) and incident overweight/obesity (n = 7,752). Daily sleep duration was categorized into five groups: ≤ 6, 7, 8 (as reference), 9, and ≥ 10 h. The study outcomes were weight gain ≥ 5 kg and incident overweight/obesity (BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2). RESULTS: Adjusted Cox proportional hazards models showed that only short sleep duration (≤ 6 h) significantly increased the risk of weight gain ≥ 5 kg (HR: 1.160, 95% CI: 1.005-1.339, p < 0.001) and incident overweight/obesity (HR: 1.403, 95% CI: 1.185-1.660, p < 0.001), whereas sleep duration 9 h was significantly associated with a lower risk of incident overweight/obesity (HR: 0.817, 95% CI: 0.700-0.953, p = 0.010). No significant correlation was found between long sleep duration (> 10 h) and the risk of weight gain ≥ 5 kg and incident overweight/obesity. CONCLUSION: Short sleep duration is a risk factor for the development of weight gain ≥ 5 kg and incident overweight/obesity in Chinese adults, whereas long sleep duration had no effect on future obesity.

Initial whole-genome sequencing and analysis of the host genetic contribution to COVID-19 severity and susceptibility.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accounted for millions of infections and hundreds of thousand deaths worldwide in a short-time period. The patients demonstrate a great diversity in clinical and laboratory manifestations and disease severity. Nonetheless, little is known about the host genetic contribution to the observed interindividual phenotypic variability. Here, we report the first host genetic study in the Chinese population by deeply sequencing and analyzing 332 COVID-19 patients categorized by varying levels of severity from the Shenzhen Third People's Hospital. Upon a total of 22.2 million genetic variants, we conducted both single-variant and gene-based association tests among five severity groups including asymptomatic, mild, moderate, severe, and critical ill patients after the correction of potential confounding factors. Pedigree analysis suggested a potential monogenic effect of loss of function variants in GOLGA3 and DPP7 for critically ill and asymptomatic disease demonstration. Genome-wide association study suggests the most significant gene locus associated with severity were located in TMEM189-UBE2V1 that involved in the IL-1 signaling pathway. The p.Val197Met missense variant that affects the stability of the TMPRSS2 protein displays a decreasing allele frequency among the severe patients compared to the mild and the general population. We identified that the HLA-A*11:01, B*51:01, and C*14:02 alleles significantly predispose the worst outcome of the patients. This initial genomic study of Chinese patients provides genetic insights into the phenotypic difference among the COVID-19 patient groups and highlighted genes and variants that may help guide targeted efforts in containing the outbreak. Limitations and advantages of the study were also reviewed to guide future international efforts on elucidating the genetic architecture of host-pathogen interaction for COVID-19 and other infectious and complex diseases.

Shorter incubation period is associated with severe disease progression in patients with COVID-19.

The diagnosed COVID-19 cases revealed that the incubation periods (IP) varied a lot among patients. However, few studies had emphasized on the different clinical features and prognosis of patients with different IP. A total of 330 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled and classified into immediate onset group(IP<3 days, I group, 57 cases) and late onset group(IP>10 days, L group, 75 cases) based on IP. The difference of clinical characteristics and prognosis of the two groups were compared. There were more patients with fever in I group than in L group(P = 0.003), and counts of all the total lymphocytes, total T lymphocytes, CD4 + and CD8 + T lymphocytes were significantly different between the two groups(all P < 0.01). Besides, patients in L group had more GGOs in CT scan than I group and there were more patients in I group receiving antibiotic treatment than in L group(P < 0.001). For disease aggravation, the median CT scores were comparable between the two groups, but individually, there were more patients with increased CT score during hospitalization in I group than in L group. The aggravation incidence of CT presentation was 21.1% in I group, significantly higher than L group(8.0%, P = 0.042). Multivariable COX models suggested that IP was the only independent factors for CT aggravation. Conclusively, patients with different IP were different in clinical symptoms, laboratory tests, and CT presentations. Shorter IP was associated with the aggravation of lung involvement in CT scan.

The timeline and risk factors of clinical progression of COVID-19 in Shenzhen, China.

BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) broke out globally. Early prediction of the clinical progression was essential but still unclear. We aimed to evaluate the timeline of COVID-19 development and analyze risk factors of disease progression. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we included 333 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection hospitalized in the Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen from 10 January to 10 February 2020. Epidemiological feature, clinical records, laboratory and radiology manifestations were collected and analyzed. 323 patients with mild-moderate symptoms on admission were observed to determine whether they exacerbated to severe-critically ill conditions (progressive group) or not (stable group). We used logistic regression to identify the risk factors associated with clinical progression. RESULTS: Of all the 333 patients, 70 (21.0%) patients progressed into severe-critically ill conditions during hospitalization and assigned to the progressive group, 253 (76.0%) patients belonged to the stable group, another 10 patients were severe before admission. we found that the clinical features of aged over 40 (3.80 [1.72, 8.52]), males (2.21 [1.20, 4.07]), with comorbidities (1.78 [1.13, 2.81]) certain exposure history (0.38 [0.20, 0.71]), abnormal radiology manifestations (3.56 [1.13, 11.40]), low level of T lymphocytes (0.99 [0.997, 0.999]), high level of NLR (0.99 [0.97, 1.01]), IL-6 (1.05 [1.03, 1.07]) and CRP (1.67 [1.12, 2.47]) were the risk factors of disease progression by logistic regression. CONCLUSIONS: The potential risk factors of males, older age, with comorbidities, low T lymphocyte level and high level of NLR, CRP, IL-6 can help to predict clinical progression of COVID-19 at an early stage.

Comparison of the therapeutic effects of 15 mg and 30 mg initial dosage of prednisolone daily in patients with subacute thyroiditis: protocol for a multicenter, randomized, open, parallel control study.

BACKGROUND: Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) is the most common cause of thyroid pain. Several clinical guidelines recommend that patients who fail to respond to full doses of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should be treated instead with oral corticosteroid therapy. However, albeit strong recommendations, the treatment protocol is based on low-quality evidence and high-quality clinical trials are lacking with respect to the optimal initiation dosage and usage of corticosteroid. We aimed to evaluate whether 15 mg/day of prednisolone (PSL) as the initial dosage could provide non-inferiority effectiveness but with lower risk and more safety compared with 30 mg/day of PSL as the initial dosage. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a multicenter, open-label, randomized, parallel trial that will be conducted at five academic hospitals in China. A total of 90 adult patients diagnosed with SAT who present moderate to severe pain or fail to respond to full doses of NSAIDs will be randomly assigned with a 1:1 ratio to the low initial PSL dosage group (15 mg daily) and standard initial PSL dosage group (30 mg daily). The primary endpoint is the time period (days) required for PSL treatment (including PSL treatment for recurrence). DISCUSSION: Our randomized controlled trial will try to determine the optimal protocol in the treatment of SAT by providing high-quality evidence. TRIALS REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Register, ChiCTR1900023884. Registered on 15 June 2019.

Genetic diversity and population structure of feral rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) in Japan.

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is one of the most economically important oilseed crops worldwide. In Japan, it has been cultivated for more than a century and has formed many feral populations. The aim of this study was to elucidate the genetic diversity of feral rapeseeds by genotyping 537 individuals (among which 130 were determined to be genetically modified) sampled from various regions in Japan. Analysis of 30 microsatellite markers amplified 334 alleles and indicated moderate genetic diversity and high inbreeding (expected heterozygosity, 0.50; observed heterozygosity, 0.16; inbreeding coefficient within individuals, 0.68) within the feral populations. The Mantel test showed only an insignificant weak positive correlation between geographic distance and genetic distance. Analysis of molecular variance showed a greater genetic diversity among individuals than between populations. These results are in accordance with population structure assessed by using principal coordinate analysis and the program STRUCTURE, which showed that the 537 individuals could be assigned to 8 genetic clusters with very large genetic differences among individuals within the same geographic population, and that among feral individuals, many are closely related to rapeseed accessions in the NARO Genebank but some have unknown origins. These unique feral rapeseeds are likely to be affected by strong selection pressure. The results for genetically modified individuals also suggest that they have two different sources and have a considerable degree of diversity, which might be explained by hybridization with nearby individuals and separation of hybrid cultivars. The information obtained in this study could help improve the management of feral rapeseed plants in Japan.

The PROMOTE study (High-protein and resistance-training combination in overweight and obesity) for short-term weight loss and long-term weight maintenance for Chinese people: a protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: It is very important for clinicians and dieticians to explore reasonable weight management strategies for obese people that address both short-term weight loss and subsequent weight maintenance. We hypothesized that resistance training combined with a high-protein diet would result in similar short-term weight loss but better long-term weight maintenance than either a conventional low-fat diet control or a high-protein diet alone. METHODS/DESIGN: This is an 8-week randomized parallel controlled trial followed by a 24-week observational follow-up study. A 48-week supplementary follow-up study will be carried out if necessary. The study will be conducted between June 2019 and October 2020. The 90 overweight or obese participants will be randomly assigned to the conventional low-fat diet group, the high-protein diet group and the high-protein diet and resistance training combination group. Primary outcomes are body weight change at week 8 and week 24 compared with the baseline level. DISCUSSION: High-quality research on the effect of a high-protein diet combined resistance training on weight loss and weight maintenance is limited in the Chinese population. Our study will provide a basis for obesity management in China and will promote the development of exercise- and diet-related studies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1900023841. Registered on 14 June 2019.

Analysis of genetic diversity of rapeseed genetic resources in Japan and core collection construction.

Diversity analysis of rapeseed accessions preserved in the Japanese Genebank can provide valuable information for breeding programs. In this study, 582 accessions were genotyped with 30 SSR markers covering all 19 rapeseed chromosomes. These markers amplified 311 alleles (10.37 alleles per marker; range, 3-39). The genetic diversity of Japanese accessions was lower than that of overseas accessions. Analysis of molecular variance indicated significant genetic differentiation between Japanese and overseas accessions. Small but significant differences were found among geographical groups in Japan, and genetic differentiation tended to increase with geographical distance. STRUCTURE analysis indicated the presence of two main genetic clusters in the NARO rapeseed collection. With the membership probabilities threshold, 227 accessions mostly originating from overseas were assigned to one subgroup, and 276 accessions mostly originating from Japan were assigned to the other subgroup. The remaining 79 accessions are assigned to admixed group. The core collection constructed comprises 96 accessions of diverse origin. It represents the whole collection well and thus it may be useful for rapeseed genetic research and breeding programs. The core collection improves the efficiency of management, evaluation, and utilization of genetic resources.