Immediate postpartum cessation of tenofovir did not increase risk of virological or clinical relapse in highly viremic pregnant mothers with chronic hepatitis B infection.

Background & Aims: Peripartum prophylaxis (PP) with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is the standard of care to prevent mother-to-child transmission of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection in mothers who are highly viremic. We investigated the maternal and infant outcomes in a large Chinese cohort of TDF-treated CHB pregnant participants. Methods: In this prospective study, treatment-naive mothers with CHB and highly viremic (HBV DNA ≥200,000 IU/ml) but without cirrhosis were treated with TDF at 24-28 weeks of pregnancy. In accordance with Chinese CHB guidelines, TDF was stopped at delivery or ≥4 weeks postpartum. Serum HBV DNA and alanine aminotransferase were monitored every 6-8 weeks to determine virological relapse (VR). Infants received standard neonatal immunization, and HBV serology was checked at 7-12 months of age. Results: Among 330 participants recruited (median age 30, 82.7% HBeAg+, median HBV DNA 7.82 log IU/ml), TDF was stopped at delivery in 66.4% and at ≥4 weeks in 33.6%. VR was observed in 98.3%, among which 11.6% were retreated with TDF. Timing of TDF cessation did not alter the risk of VR (99.0 vs. 96.9%), clinical relapse (19.5 vs. 14.3%), or retreatment (12.6 vs. 10.1%) (all p > 0.05). A similar proportion of patients developed alanine aminotransferase flare five times (1.1 vs. 2.1%; p = 0.464) and 10 times (0.5 vs. 0%; p = 0.669) above the upper limit of normal (ULN) in the early withdrawal and late withdrawal groups, respectively. No infants developed HBsAg-positivity. Conclusions: PP-TDF and neonatal immunization were highly effective in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HBV in mothers who are highly viremic. Timing of cessation of PP-TDF did not affect the risk of VR or retreatment. Impact and Implications: In pregnant mothers with chronic hepatitis B infection who are started on peripartum tenofovir to prevent mother-to-child-transmission (MTCT), the optimal timing for antiviral withdrawal during the postpartum period remains unknown. This prospective study demonstrates that stopping tenofovir immediately at delivery, compared with longer treatment duration of tenofovir, did not lead to an increased risk of virological relapse, retreatment, or transmission of the virus to the baby. Shortening the duration of peripartum antiviral prophylaxis from 12 weeks to immediately after delivery can be considered. The immediate withdrawal of peripartum tenofovir, combined with standard neonatal immunization schemes, is 100% effective in preventing MTCT among pregnant mothers with CHB who are highly viremic, with a high rate of vaccine response in infants.

Objectivization study of acupuncture Deqi and brain modulation mechanisms: a review.

Deqi is an important prerequisite for acupuncture to achieve optimal efficacy. Chinese medicine has long been concerned with the relationship between Deqi and the clinical efficacy of acupuncture. However, the underlying mechanisms of Deqi are complex and there is a lack of systematic summaries of objective quantitative studies of Deqi. Acupuncture Deqi can achieve the purpose of treating diseases by regulating the interaction of local and neighboring acupoints, brain centers, and target organs. At local and neighboring acupoints, Deqi can change their tissue structure, temperature, blood perfusion, energy metabolism, and electrophysiological indicators. At the central brain level, Deqi can activate the brain regions of the thalamus, parahippocampal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, insular, middle temporal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, etc. It also has extensive effects on the limbic-paralimbic-neocortical-network and default mode network. The brain mechanisms of Deqi vary depending on the acupuncture techniques and points chosen. In addition, Deqi 's mechanism of action involves correcting abnormalities in target organs. The mechanisms of acupuncture Deqi are multi-targeted and multi-layered. The biological mechanisms of Deqi are closely related to brain centers. This study will help to explore the mechanism of Deqi from a local-central-target-organ perspective and provide information for future clinical decision-making.

The Surface Confinement of FeO Assists in the Generation of Singlet Oxygen and High-Valent Metal-Oxo Species for Enhanced Fenton-Like Catalysis.

Transition metal compounds (TMCs) have long been potential candidate catalysts in persulfate-based advanced oxidation process (PS-AOPs) due to their Fenton-like catalyze ability for radical generation. However, the mechanism involved in TMCs-catalyzed nonradical PS-AOPs remains obscure. Herein, the growth of FeO on the Fe3O4/carbon precursor is regulated by restricted pyrolysis of MIL-88A template to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for tetracycline (TC) removal. The higher FeO incorporation conferred a 2.6 times higher degradation performance than that catalyzed by Fe3O4 and also a higher interference resistance to anions or natural organic matter. Unexpectedly, the quenching experiment, probe method, and electron paramagnetic resonance quantitatively revealed that the FeO reassigned high nonradical species (1O2 and FeIV═O) generation to replace original radical system created by Fe3O4. Density functional theory calculation interpreted that PMS molecular on strongly-adsorbed (200) and (220) facets of FeO enjoyed unique polarized electronic reception for surface confinement effect, thus the retained peroxide bond energetically supported the production of 1O2 and FeIV═O. This work promotes the mechanism understanding of TMCs-induced surface-catalyzed persulfate activation and enables them better perform catalytic properties in wastewater treatment.

Effect of M2-macrophage treated lymphatic endothelial cells on angiogenesis that promoted osteointegration.

Early vascularization plays an essential role during the whole process in bone regeneration because of the function of secreting cytokines, transporting nutrients and metabolic wastes. As the preliminary basis of bone repair, angiogenesis is regulated by immune cells represented by macrophages to a great extent. However, with the discovery of the endolymphatic circulation system inside bone tissue, the role of vascularization became complicated and confusing. Herein, we developed a macrophage/lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs)/human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) co-culture system to evaluate the effect of macrophage treated lymphatic endothelial cells on angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we collected the medium from macrophage (CM) for LECs culture. We found that CM2 could promote the expression of LECs markers and migration ability, which indicated the enhanced lymphogenesis. In addition, the medium from LECs was collected for culturing HUVECs. The CM2-treated LECs showed superior angiogenesis property including the migration capacity and expression of angiogenetic markers, which suggested the superior vascularization. Rat femoral condyle defect model was applied to confirm the hypothesis in vivo. Generally, M2-macrophage treated LECs showed prominent angiogenetic potential coupling with osteogenesis.

Albumin Nanoparticles Increase the Efficacy of Doxorubicin Hydrochloride Liposome Injection Based on Threshold Theory.

One of the most significant reasons hindering the clinical translation of nanomedicines is the rapid clearance of intravenously injected nanoparticles by the mononuclear phagocyte system, particularly by Kupffer cells in the liver, leading to an inefficient delivery of nanomedicines for tumor treatment. The threshold theory suggests that the liver's capacity to clear nanoparticles is limited, and a single high dose of nanoparticles can reduce the hepatic clearance efficiency, allowing more nanomedicines to reach tumor tissues and enhance therapeutic efficacy. Building upon this theory, researchers have conducted numerous validation studies based on the same nanoparticle carrier systems. These studies involve the use of albumin nanoparticles to improve the therapeutic efficacy of albumin nanomedicines as well as polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified liposomal nanoparticles to enhance the efficacy of PEGylated liposomal nanomedicines. However, there is no research indicating the feasibility of the threshold theory when blank nanoparticles and nanomedicine belong to different nanoparticle carrier systems currently. In this study, we prepared two different sizes of albumin nanoparticles by using bovine serum albumin. We used the marketed nanomedicine liposomal doxorubicin hydrochloride injection (trade name: LIBOD, manufacturer: Shanghai Fudan-zhangjiang Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), as the representative nanomedicine. Through in vivo experiments, we found that using threshold doses of albumin nanoparticles still can reduce the clearance rate of LIBOD, prolong its time in vivo, increase the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC), and also lead to an increased accumulation of the drug at the tumor site. Furthermore, evaluation of in vivo efficacy and safety further indicates that threshold doses of 100 nm albumin nanoparticles can enhance the antitumor effect of LIBOD without causing harm to the animals. During the study, we found that the particle size of albumin nanoparticles influenced the in vivo distribution of the nanomedicine at the same threshold dose. Compared with 200 nm albumin nanoparticles, 100 nm albumin nanoparticles more effectively reduce the clearance efficiency of LIBOD and enhance nanomedicine accumulation at the tumor site, warranting further investigation. This study utilized albumin nanoparticles to reduce hepatic clearance efficiency and enhance the delivery efficiency of nonalbumin nanocarrier liposomal nanomedicine, providing a new avenue to improve the efficacy and clinical translation of nanomedicines with different carrier systems.

Association between anti-Müllerian hormone concentrations and sperm retrieval outcomes in patients with idiopathic nonobstructive azoospermia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT: Microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) is commonly performed to retrieve sperm in the testes for assisted reproductive techniques in patients with idiopathic nonobstructive azoospermia (iNOA). However, the success rate of sperm retrieval varies among individuals. We aim to investigate the association between clinical parameters and sperm retrieval outcomes in patients with iNOA. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science from database inception to August 2, 2023. The main measure was whether sperm retrieval was successful in patients with iNOA who underwent mTESE. Pooled estimates of the sperm retrieval rate and weighted mean differences were calculated using random-effects models. The overall sperm retrieval rate was 36.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 27.5%-46.0%, I2 = 95.0%) in nine studies comprising 1892 patients with iNOA. No significant differences were found in age, testicular volume, serum total testosterone concentrations, or inhibin B concentrations between positive and negative sperm retrieval outcomes. Lower anti-Müllerian hormone concentrations in patients with iNOA were associated with a positive outcome of mTESE (weighted mean differences: -2.70; 95% CI: -3.94--1.46, I2 = 79.0%). In conclusion, this study shows a significant relationship between anti-Müllerian hormone and sperm retrieval outcomes in patients with iNOA, while age, testicular volume, total testosterone, and inhibin B show no significant association. These findings have important implications for assessing the potential success of sperm retrieval and selecting appropriate treatment strategies in patients with iNOA.

The Causes Behind the Survival Paradox in Non-Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients and its Impact on the Treatment Regimen: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The survival paradox (ie, the prognosis of the population at earlier tumor stages is worse than that of the population at later stages) has been observed in colorectal cancer based on the American Joint Committee on Cancer Tumor-Nodes-Metastases staging system. We aimed to clarify the reason for the survival paradox and its impact on patient treatment. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study analyzing eligible patients with colorectal cancer from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database and Zhejiang Cancer Hospital between 2010 and 2019. Adjusting for confounders using propensity score matching allowed confirmation of the effect of staging on the survival paradox. RESULTS: Based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, the subgroups with survival paradox might be IIB/C versus IIIA, IIA versus IIIA, and T4N0 (IIB/C) versus T3N1 (IIIB). After propensity score matching, stage IIB/C still had a worse prognosis than stage IIIA (5-year overall survival: 69.3% vs 78.5%, P < .001). Interestingly, the proportion of stage IIIA people receiving chemotherapy was higher than that of stage IIB/C (P < .001), and logistic regression models showed that staging was the reason for deciding whether a patient receives chemotherapy or not. These phenomena between stage IIB/C and IIIA were verified in the local database. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that the survival paradox was mainly due to underestimation of stage T4 weights or overestimation of stage N1 weights, and the low proportion of chemotherapy in patients with T4N0M0 colorectal cancer (proven to be more malignant than stage IIIA) might be related to the assignment to earlier stages, resulting in a lack of attention and poor compliance to chemotherapy in these patients.

Real-Time Multi-Person Video Synthesis with Controllable Prior-Guided Matting.

In order to enhance the matting performance in multi-person dynamic scenarios, we introduce a robust, real-time, high-resolution, and controllable human video matting method that achieves state of the art on all metrics. Unlike most existing methods that perform video matting frame by frame as independent images, we design a unified architecture using a controllable generation model to solve the problem of the lack of overall semantic information in multi-person video. Our method, called ControlMatting, uses an independent recurrent architecture to exploit temporal information in videos and achieves significant improvements in temporal coherence and detailed matting quality. ControlMatting adopts a mixed training strategy comprised of matting and a semantic segmentation dataset, which effectively improves the semantic understanding ability of the model. Furthermore, we propose a novel deep learning-based image filter algorithm that enforces our detailed augmentation ability on both matting and segmentation objectives. Our experiments have proved that prior information about the human body from the image itself can effectively combat the defect masking problem caused by complex dynamic scenarios with multiple people.

ROS-Responsive and Self-Tumor Curing Methionine Polymer Library Based Nanoparticles with Self-Accelerated Drug Release and Hydrophobicity/Hydrophilicity Switching Capability for Enhanced Cancer Therapy.

The applications of amino acid-based polymers are impeded by their limited structure and functions. Herein, a small library of methionine-based polymers (Met-P) with programmed structure and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive properties is developed for tumor therapy. The Met-P can self-assemble into sub-100 nm nanoparticles (NPs) and effectively load anticancer drugs (such as paclitaxel (PTX) (P@Met-P NPs)) via the nanoprecipitation method. The screened NPs with superior stability and high drug loading are further evaluated in vitro and in vivo. When encountering with ROS, the Met-P polymers will be oxidized and then switch from a hydrophobic to a hydrophilic state, triggering the rapid and self-accelerated release of PTX. The in vivo results indicated that the screened P@2Met10 NPs possessed significant anticancer performance and effectively alleviated the side effects of PTX. More interestingly, the blank 2Met10 NPs displayed an obvious self-tumor inhibiting efficacy. Furthermore, the other Met-P NPs (such as 2Met8, 4Met8, and 4Met10) are also found to exhibit varied self-anti-cancer capabilities. Overall, this ROS-responsive Met-P library is a rare anticancer platform with hydrophobic/hydrophilic switching, controlled drug release, and self-anticancer therapy capability.

A novel deep generative model for mRNA vaccine development: Designing 5' UTRs with N1-methyl-pseudouridine modification.

Efficient translation mediated by the 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) is essential for the robust efficacy of mRNA vaccines. However, the N1-methyl-pseudouridine (m1Ψ) modification of mRNA can impact the translation efficiency of the 5' UTR. We discovered that the optimal 5' UTR for m1Ψ-modified mRNA (m1Ψ-5' UTR) differs significantly from its unmodified counterpart, highlighting the need for a specialized tool for designing m1Ψ-5' UTRs rather than directly utilizing high-expression endogenous gene 5' UTRs. In response, we developed a novel machine learning-based tool, Smart5UTR, which employs a deep generative model to identify superior m1Ψ-5' UTRs in silico. The tailored loss function and network architecture enable Smart5UTR to overcome limitations inherent in existing models. As a result, Smart5UTR can successfully design superior 5' UTRs, greatly benefiting mRNA vaccine development. Notably, Smart5UTR-designed superior 5' UTRs significantly enhanced antibody titers induced by COVID-19 mRNA vaccines against the Delta and Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2, surpassing the performance of vaccines using high-expression endogenous gene 5' UTRs.

Bilateral synchronous double primary lung cancer: A case report.

Key Clinical Message: Bilateral synchronous double primary lung cancer (sDPLC) is a rare disease in clinics. This study analyzed the clinical data of a patient with bilateral sDPLC, aiming to improve medical workers' understanding of the disease and avoid missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis. Abstract: A 68-year-old male was admitted to the hospital with "intermittent cough and expectoration for two months." Enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) showed that the upper lobe of the left lung had a mass of high-density shadow, bronchial opening of the left lobe was thickened, lumen was narrow, and middle lobe of the right lung had a mass of high-density shadow. Bronchoscopy was performed to observe the microscopic characteristics of the lesions in the upper lobe of the left lung, and abnormal mucosa was biopsied. The pathological and immunohistochemical results confirmed that it was small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in the upper lobe of the left lung. Considering the occupation of the middle lobe of the right lung, CT-guided lung biopsy was performed, and the pathological and immunohistochemical results confirmed that it was moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the middle lobe of the right lung. Clinicians should strengthen their understanding of sDPLC and focus on the imaging characteristics of chest CT and performance under bronchoscopy. Additionally, it is necessary to perform both CT-guided lung biopsy and bronchoscopy to obtain histopathological findings for the diagnosis.

A meta-analysis: laparoscopic versus open liver resection for large hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The indication of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) for treating large hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is controversial. In this study, we compared the short-term and long-term outcomes of LLR and open liver resection (OLR) for large HCC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We searched eligible articles about LLR versus OLR for large HCC in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE and performed a meta-analysis. RESULTS: Eight publications involving 1,338 patients were included. Among them, 495 underwent LLR and 843 underwent OLR. The operation time was longer in the LLR group (MD: 22.23, 95% CI: 4.14-40.33, p = 0.02). but the postoperative hospital stay time was significantly shorter (MD : -4.88, CI: -5.55 to -4.23, p < 0.00001), and the incidence of total postoperative complications and major complications were significantly fewer (OR: 0.49, 95% CI:0.37-0.66, p < 0.00001; OR: 0.54, 95% CI:0.36 - 0.82, p = 0.003, respectively). Patients in the laparoscopic group had no significant difference in intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative transfusion rate, resection margin size, R0 resection rate, three-year overall survival (OS) and three-year disease-free survival (DFS). CONCLUSION: LLR for large HCC is safe and feasible. This surgical strategy will not affect the long-term outcomes of patients.

Associations between Geriatric Nutrition Risk Index, bone mineral density and body composition in type 2 diabetes patients.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a fast-growing issue in public health, is one of the most common chronic metabolic disorders in older individuals. Osteoporosis and sarcopenia are highly prevalent in T2DM patients and may result in fractures and disabilities. In people with T2DM, the association between nutrition, sarcopenia, and osteoporosis has rarely been explored. AIM: To evaluate the connections among nutrition, bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition in patients with T2DM. METHODS: We enrolled 689 patients with T2DM for this cross-sectional study. All patients underwent dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) examination and were categorized according to baseline Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) values calculated from serum albumin levels and body weight. The GNRI was used to evaluate nutritional status, and DXA was used to investigate BMD and body composition. Multivariate forward linear regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with BMD and skeletal muscle mass index. RESULTS: Of the total patients, 394 were men and 295 were women. Compared with patients in tertile 1, those in tertile 3 who had a high GNRI tended to be younger and had lower HbA1c, higher BMD at all bone sites, and higher appendicular skeletal muscle index (ASMI). These important trends persisted even when the patients were divided into younger and older subgroups. The GNRI was positively related to ASMI (men: r = 0.644, P < 0.001; women: r = 0.649, P < 0.001), total body fat (men: r = 0.453, P < 0.001; women: r = 0.557, P < 0.001), BMD at all bone sites, lumbar spine (L1-L4) BMD (men: r = 0.110, P = 0.029; women: r = 0.256, P < 0.001), FN-BMD (men: r = 0.293, P < 0.001; women: r = 0.273, P < 0.001), and hip BMD (men: r = 0.358, P < 0.001; women: r = 0.377, P < 0.001). After adjustment for other clinical parameters, the GNRI was still significantly associated with BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck. Additionally, a low lean mass index and higher ß-collagen special sequence were associated with low BMD at all bone sites. Age was negatively correlated with ASMI, whereas weight was positively correlated with ASMI. CONCLUSION: Poor nutrition, as indicated by a low GNRI, was associated with low levels of ASMI and BMD at all bone sites in T2DM patients. Using the GNRI to evaluate nutritional status and using DXA to investigate body composition in patients with T2DM is of value in assessing bone health and physical performance.

Algorithm of automatic identification of diabetic retinopathy foci based on ultra-widefield scanning laser ophthalmoscopy.

AIM: To propose an algorithm for automatic detection of diabetic retinopathy (DR) lesions based on ultra-widefield scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO). METHODS: The algorithm utilized the FasterRCNN (Faster Regions with CNN features)+ResNet50 (Residua Network 50)+FPN (Feature Pyramid Networks) method for detecting hemorrhagic spots, cotton wool spots, exudates, and microaneurysms in DR ultra-widefield SLO. Subimage segmentation combined with a deeper residual network FasterRCNN+ResNet50 was employed for feature extraction to enhance intelligent learning rate. Feature fusion was carried out by the feature pyramid network FPN, which significantly improved lesion detection rates in SLO fundus images. RESULTS: By analyzing 1076 ultra-widefield SLO images provided by our hospital, with a resolution of 2600×2048 dpi, the accuracy rates for hemorrhagic spots, cotton wool spots, exudates, and microaneurysms were found to be 87.23%, 83.57%, 86.75%, and 54.94%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The proposed algorithm demonstrates intelligent detection of DR lesions in ultra-widefield SLO, providing significant advantages over traditional fundus color imaging intelligent diagnosis algorithms.

Drug repurposing for cancer therapy.

Cancer, a complex and multifactorial disease, presents a significant challenge to global health. Despite significant advances in surgical, radiotherapeutic and immunological approaches, which have improved cancer treatment outcomes, drug therapy continues to serve as a key therapeutic strategy. However, the clinical efficacy of drug therapy is often constrained by drug resistance and severe toxic side effects, and thus there remains a critical need to develop novel cancer therapeutics. One promising strategy that has received widespread attention in recent years is drug repurposing: the identification of new applications for existing, clinically approved drugs. Drug repurposing possesses several inherent advantages in the context of cancer treatment since repurposed drugs are typically cost-effective, proven to be safe, and can significantly expedite the drug development process due to their already established safety profiles. In light of this, the present review offers a comprehensive overview of the various methods employed in drug repurposing, specifically focusing on the repurposing of drugs to treat cancer. We describe the antitumor properties of candidate drugs, and discuss in detail how they target both the hallmarks of cancer in tumor cells and the surrounding tumor microenvironment. In addition, we examine the innovative strategy of integrating drug repurposing with nanotechnology to enhance topical drug delivery. We also emphasize the critical role that repurposed drugs can play when used as part of a combination therapy regimen. To conclude, we outline the challenges associated with repurposing drugs and consider the future prospects of these repurposed drugs transitioning into clinical application.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts promote enzalutamide resistance and PD-L1 expression in prostate cancer through CCL5-CCR5 paracrine axis.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have been shown to play a key role in prostate cancer treatment resistance, but the role of CAFs in the initial course of enzalutamide therapy for prostate cancer remains unclear. Our research revealed that CAFs secrete CCL5, which promotes the upregulation of androgen receptor (AR) expression in prostate cancer cells, leading to resistance to enzalutamide therapy. Furthermore, CCL5 also enhances the expression of tumor programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), resulting in immune escape. Mechanistically, CCL5 binds to the receptor CCR5 on prostate cancer cells and activates the AKT signaling pathway, leading to the upregulation of AR and PD-L1. The CCR5 antagonist maraviroc to inhibit the CAFs mediated CCL5 signaling pathway can effectively reduce the expression of AR and PD-L1, and improve the efficacy of enzalutamide. This study highlights a promising therapeutic approach targeting the CCL5-CCR5 signaling pathway to improve the effectiveness of enzalutamide.

Cross-kingdom RNA interference mediated by insect salivary microRNAs may suppress plant immunity.

Communication between insects and plants relies on the exchange of bioactive molecules that traverse the species interface. Although proteinic effectors have been extensively studied, our knowledge of other molecules involved in this process remains limited. In this study, we investigate the role of salivary microRNAs (miRNAs) from the rice planthopper Nilaparvata lugens in suppressing plant immunity. A total of three miRNAs were confirmed to be secreted into host plants during insect feeding. Notably, the sequence-conserved miR-7-5P is specifically expressed in the salivary glands of N. lugens and is secreted into saliva, distinguishing it significantly from homologues found in other insects. Silencing miR-7-5P negatively affects N. lugens feeding on rice plants, but not on artificial diets. The impaired feeding performance of miR-7-5P-silenced insects can be rescued by transgenic plants overexpressing miR-7-5P. Through target prediction and experimental testing, we demonstrate that miR-7-5P targets multiple plant genes, including the immune-associated bZIP transcription factor 43 (OsbZIP43). Infestation of rice plants by miR-7-5P-silenced insects leads to the increased expression of OsbZIP43, while the presence of miR-7-5P counteracts this upregulation effect. Furthermore, overexpressing OsbZIP43 confers plant resistance against insects which can be subverted by miR-7-5P. Our findings suggest a mechanism by which herbivorous insects have evolved salivary miRNAs to suppress plant immunity, expanding our understanding of cross-kingdom RNA interference between interacting organisms.

Molecular insights into linkages among free-floating macrophyte-derived organic matter, the fate of antibiotic residues, and antibiotic resistance genes.

Macrophyte rhizospheric dissolved organic matter (ROM) served as widespread abiotic components in aquatic ecosystems, and its effects on antibiotic residues and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) could not be ignored. However, specific influencing mechanisms for ROM on the fate of antibiotic residues and expression of ARGs still remained unclear. Herein, laboratory hydroponic experiments for water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) were carried out to explore mutual interactions among ROM, sulfamethoxazole (SMX), bacterial community, and ARGs expression. Results showed ROM directly affect SMX concentrations through the binding process, while CO and N-H groups were main binding sites for ROM. Dynamic changes of ROM molecular composition diversified the DOM pool due to microbe-mediated oxidoreduction, with enrichment of heteroatoms (N, S, P) and decreased aromaticity. Microbial community analysis showed SMX pressure significantly stimulated the succession of bacterial structure in both bulk water and rhizospheric biofilms. Furthermore, network analysis further confirmed ROM bio-labile compositions as energy sources and electron shuttles directly influenced microbial structure, thereby facilitating proliferation of antibiotic resistant bacteria (Methylotenera, Sphingobium, Az spirillum) and ARGs (sul1, sul2, intl1). This investigation will provide scientific supports for the control of antibiotic residues and corresponding ARGs in aquatic ecosystems.