Anaerobic hydrocarbon biodegradation by alkylotrophic methanogens in deep oil reservoirs.

Methanogenic biodegradation of crude oil is a common process in subsurface biodegraded oil reservoirs. This process was previously assigned to syntrophy of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, and methanogenic archaea. Recent studies showed that archaea of the Candidatus Methanoliparum named as alkylotrophic methanogens coupled hydrocarbon degradation and methane production in a single archaeon. To assess geochemical role of Ca. Methanoliparum, we analyzed the chemical, and microbial composition, and metabolites of 209 samples from 15 subsurface oil reservoirs across China. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed that 92% of the tested samples were substantially degraded. Molecular analysis showed that 85% of the tested samples contained Ca. Methanoliparum, and 52% of the tested samples harbored multiple alkyl-coenzyme M derivatives, the intercellular metabolites of alkylotrophic archaea. According to metagenomic, and metatranscriptomic analysis, Ca. Methanoliparum dominates hydrocarbon degradation in biodegraded samples from the Changqing (CQ), Jiangsu (JS), and Shengli (SL) oilfields, and it is persistently present as shown in a 15-year long sampling effort at the SL oilfield. Together, these findings demonstrate that Ca. Methanoliparum is a widely distributed oil degrader in reservoirs of China, suggesting that alkylotrophic methanogenesis by archaea plays a key role in the alteration of oil reservoirs, thereby expanding our understanding of biogeochemical process in deep biosphere.

Direct observation of photoinduced sequential spin transition in a halogen-bonded hybrid system by complementary ultrafast optical and electron probes.

A detailed understanding of the ultrafast dynamics of halogen-bonded materials is desired for designing supramolecular materials and tuning various electronic properties by external stimuli. Here, a prototypical halogen-bonded multifunctional material containing spin crossover (SCO) cations and paramagnetic radical anions is studied as a model system of photo-switchable SCO hybrid systems using ultrafast electron diffraction and two complementary optical spectroscopic techniques. Our results reveal a sequential dynamics from SCO to radical dimer softening, uncovering a key transient intermediate state. In combination with quantum chemistry calculations, we demonstrate the presence of halogen bonds in the low- and high-temperature phases and propose their role during the photoinduced sequential dynamics, underscoring the significance of exploring ultrafast dynamics. Our research highlights the promising utility of halogen bonds in finely tuning functional properties across diverse photoactive multifunctional materials.

High resolution acoustic sensing based on microcavity optomechanical oscillator.

In this paper, a simple sensing method based on a silicon oxide microcavity optomechanical oscillator (OMO) is proposed and demonstrated for the detection of acoustic signals. Firstly, the resonance damping was reduced by improving the optical quality factor (Qo) and increasing the sphere-to-neck ratio. After optimizing the process, a microsphere OMO was fabricated, which has an ultra-high mechanical quality factor (6.8 × 106) and greater sphere-to-neck ratio (∼11:1), based on which ultra-narrow linewidth phonon laser (∼1 Hz) is constructed. Secondly, by changing the refractive index of the coupling interval, the low-frequency acoustic pressure signal is efficiently coupled into the microcavity OMO to construct a high-resolution acoustic sensor. This sensing mechanism can not only measure the acoustic pressure, but also use the sideband signal in the modulation mechanism to measure the frequency of acoustic signals (15 Hz∼16 kHz), the sensitivity is 10.3 kHz/Pa, the minimum detectable pressure is 1.1 mPa, and noise-limited minimum detectable pressure is 28.8 µPa/Hz1/2. It is the highest detection resolution compared with the same type of low-frequency acoustic signal detection currently reported. This OMO-based acoustic sensing detection method opens up a new path for future miniaturized, ultra-high-precision, and cost-effective acoustic sensing.

Ultra-stable control near the EP in non-Hermitian systems and high-precision angular rate sensing applications.

In non-Hermitian systems, enhancing sensitivity under exceptional point (EP) conditions offers an ideal solution for reconciling the trade-off between sensitivity and size constraints in sensing applications. However, practical application is limited by undesired sensitivity to external fluctuations, noise, and errors in signal amplification synchronization. This paper presents a precisely controlled EP tracking and detection system (EPTDS) that achieves long-term rapid tracking and locking near the EP by constructing a second-order non-Hermitian optical sensing unit, employing an optical power adaptive control method, and utilizing a combinatorial demodulation-based dual-loop cascaded control (CDCC) technique to selectively suppress traditional noise at different frequencies. The system locking time is 10 ms, and in room temperature conditions, the output frequency error over 1 hour is reduced by more than 30 times compared to before locking. To assess its sensing capabilities, the EPTDS undergoes testing in a rotational experiment based on the Sagnac effect, with the output bias instability based on Allan deviation measured at 0.036 °/h. This is the best result for EP-enhanced angular rate sensing that we are aware of that has been reported. The EPTDS method can be extended to various sensing fields, providing a new path for transitioning non-Hermitian sensing from the laboratory to practical applications.

Molecular identification and physiological functional analysis of NtNRT1.1B that mediated nitrate long-distance transport and improved plant growth when overexpressed in tobacco.

Although recent physiological studies demonstrate that flue-cured tobacco preferentially utilizes nitrate ( NO 3 - ) or ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), and possesses both high- and low-affinity uptake systems for NO 3 - , little is known about the molecular component(s) responsible for acquisition and translocation in this crop. Here we provide experimental data showing that NtNRT1.1B with a 1,785-bp coding sequence exhibited a function in mediating NO 3 - transport associated with tobacco growth on NO 3 - nutrition. Heterologous expression of NtNRT1.1B in the NO 3 - uptake-defective yeast Hp△ynt1 enabled a growth recovery of the mutant on 0.5 mM NO 3 - , suggesting a possible molecular function of NtNRT1.1B in the import of NO 3 - into cells. Transient expression of NtNRT1.1B::green fluorescent protein (GFP) in tobacco leaf cells revealed that NtNRT1.1B targeted mainly the plasma membrane, indicating the possibility of NO 3 - permeation across cell membranes via NtNRT1.1B. Furthermore, promoter activity assays using a GFP marker clearly indicated that NtNRT1.1B transcription in roots may be down-regulated by N starvation and induced by N resupply, including NO 3 - , after 3 days' N depletion. Significantly, constitutive overexpression of NtNRT1.1B could remarkably enhance tobacco growth by showing a higher accumulation of biomass and total N, NO 3 - , and even NH 4 + in plants supplied with NO 3 - ; this NtNRT1.1B-facilitated N acquisition/accumulation could be strengthened by short-term 15N- NO 3 - root influx assays, which showed 15%-20% higher NO 3 - deposition in NtNRT1.1B-overexpressors as well as a high affinity of NtNRT1.1B for NO 3 - at a K m of around 30-45 µM. Together with the detection of NtNRT1.1B promoter activity in the root stele and shoot-stem vascular tissues, and higher NO 3 - in both xylem exudate and the apoplastic washing fluid of NtNRT1.1B-transgenic lines, NtNRT1.1B could be considered as a valuable molecular breeding target aiming at improving crop N-use efficiency by manipulating the absorption and long-distance distribution/transport of nitrate, thus adding a new functional homolog as a nitrate permease to the plant NRT1 family.

Tertiary lymphoid structures in oral lichen planus and oral epithelial dysplasia with lichenoid features: A comparative study.

OBJECTIVE: Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) provide sites for antigen presentation and activation of lymphocytes, promoting their infiltration; thus, enhancing specific immune responses. The aim of this comparative cross-sectional study was to reveal the characteristics and influence of TLSs in oral lichen planus (OLP) and oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) with lichenoid features. METHODS: Clinical information and samples of 51 OLP and 19 OED with lichenoid features were collected. Immunohistochemistry was performed, and the structures where CD20+ B cells and CD3+ T cells aggregated with peripheral lymph node addressin positive (PNAd+) vessels were defined as TLSs. The results and clinical information were analysed. RESULT: TLS were found in 44 (86.3%) patients with OLP and 19 (100%) patients with OED. The TLS score was higher in OED group (p = 0.023), accompanied by an increased number of PNAd+ vessels. The TLS was significantly correlated with PNAd+ vessels (p = 0.027), CD20+ B (p < 0.001) and CD208+ dendritic cells (p = 0.001). Foxp3+ Treg cells but not CD8+ T cells infiltrated more severely in OED (p = 0.003) and increased when TLS score was high (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed the widespread development of TLSs in the OLP and OED. The presence of TLSs showed a close relationship with dysplasia and may increase malignant potency by over-inducing Treg cells.

Influence of PD-1/PD-L1 on immune microenvironment in oral leukoplakia and oral squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relation between the expression of PD-1, PD-L1, CD3, CD8, Foxp3 and clinicopathological features in patients with oral leukoplakia (OLK) and oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) as well as the malignant outcome in OLK patients, and to study the effect of PD-1 and PD-L1 on immune microenvironment in the progression of oral carcinogenesis. METHODS: We evaluated the expression of PD-1/PD-L1 and composition of CD3+ , CD8+ and Foxp3+ T lymphocytes in OLK and OSCC samples by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and analyzed their relation with clinical information and malignant transformation in OLK patients. RESULTS: IHC staining demonstrated that the expression of PD-1 was significantly increased in the high-grade OLK group than in the low-grade OLK group, while PD-L1 was detected mainly in OSCC. The expression of CD3, CD8, and Foxp3 was found higher in the high-grade OLK group than in the low-grade OLK group, and the Foxp3+ cells were found more in the OSCC group than in the high-grade OLK group. PD-1 was significantly correlated with CD3 (p < 0.05, R = 0.52), CD8 (p < 0.05, R = 0.46), and Foxp3 (p < 0.05, R = 0.46), and the low PD-1-expression group showed a better malignant-free survival than high PD-1 expression group in the OLK (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The PD-1/PD-L1 may induce immune suppression in OLK and accelerate the progress of malignant transformation.

An Analysis of Injury Trends and Disease Burden From Three Surveillance Hospitals in Urumqi From 2006 to 2018.

Objective: To investigate injury trends, injury distribution, and disease burden from three surveillance hospitals in Urumqi from 2006 to 2018. Method: Injury data from the National Injury Surveillance System (NISS) from three hospitals in Urumqi (2006 to 2018) were collected to analyze changes in the characteristics of outpatient injury cases. Years of potential life lost (YPLL) were calculated to determine the disease burden of the injury cases. Results: A total of 161,400 injury cases were recorded over 13 years, and the average age of the patient seeking medical attention was 32.4 years old. Male patients outnumbered female patients with a ratio of 1.6:1, but the proportion of female patients was greater after 45 years of age. The highest number of cases occurred in patients 15-29 years of age, accounting for 26.8% of all injury cases. Injury in females occurred most frequently in the home. A total of 41.4% of injury cases occurred while doing housework. The top three causes of injury were falls (49.7%), blunt force of an object, (13.7%), and motor vehicle accidents (MVA) (13.5%). Years of potential life lost from injury accounted for 7.39% of the total YPLL in the three hospitals. Conclusion: Males should be targeted for injury prevention and intervention in Urumqi. The prevention of falls, blunt force of objects, and MVA should be made a priority. Injury prevention strategies and targeted projects should be developed to reduce the disease burden of injury.

Diversity-oriented synthesis of marine polybrominated diphenyl ethers as potential KCNQ potassium channel activators.

Natural polybrominated diphenyl ethers, often isolated from marine sponges, have been reported to possess various biological activities, such as antibacterial, antioxidant and antidiabetic effects. Via a high throughput screening of our marine natural product library, the polybrominated diphenyl ether 3 was found to display a KCNQ potassium channel activation effect. To obtain more compound 3 related natural products and their derivatives for further bioactivity study, a diversity-oriented synthesis was conducted, leading to the successful synthesis of five polybrominated diphenyl ether natural products (1-4, 6) and 30 new derivatives. Compound 3 was found to preferentially potentiate KCNQ1 potassium channel, whereas 17h relatively activated KCNQ2 potassium channel. The structure-activity relationship was analyzed assisted by molecular docking and 17h was further conducted for its agonistic mechanism study on KCNQ2 channel. This research work may give an insight for the discovery of marine polybrominated diphenyl ether derived new drug leads.

A High-Sensitivity Resonant Magnetic Sensor Based on Graphene Nanomechanical Resonator.

This paper presents a novel resonant magnetic sensor consisting of a graphene nanomechanical oscillator and magnetostrictive stress coupling structure, using Si/SiO2 substrate and Fe-Ga alloy, respectively. In this device, the deformation of the Fe-Ga alloy resulting from the external magnetic field changed the surface tension of the graphene, resulting in a significant change in the resonance frequency of graphene. Using the finite element analysis, it could be found that the response of the resonance frequency revealed a good linear relationship with the external magnetic field (along the x-axis) in the range of the 1 to 1.6 mT. By optimizing the sizes of each component of the magnetic sensor, such as the thickness of the Si/SiO2 substrate and the Fe-Ga alloy, and the length of the graphene, the sensitivity could even reach 834 kHz/mT, which is three orders of magnitude higher than conventional resonant magnetic devices. This provides a new method for highly sensitive and miniaturized magnetic sensors.

The airway microbiota of non-small cell lung cancer patients and its relationship to tumor stage and EGFR gene mutation.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating studies have suggested the airway microbiota in lung cancer patients is significantly different from that of healthy controls. However, little is known about the relationship between airway microbiota and important clinical parameters of lung cancer. In this study, we aimed to explore the association between sputum microbiota and lung cancer stage, lymph node metastasis, intrathoracic metastasis, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutation. METHODS: The microbiota of sputum samples from 85 newly-diagnosed NSCLC patients were sequenced via 16S rRNA sequencing of the V3-V4 region. Sequencing reads were filtered using QIIME2 and clustered against UPARSE. RESULTS: Alpha- and ß-diversity was significantly different between patients in stages I to II (early stage, ES) and patients in stages III to IV (advanced stage, AS). Linear discriminant analysis Effect Size (LEfSe) identified that genera Granulicatella and Actinobacillus were significantly enriched in ES, and the genus Actinomyces was significantly enriched in AS. PICRUSt2 identified that the NAD salvage pathway was significantly enriched in AS, which was positively associated with Granulicatella. Patients with intrathoracic metastasis were associated with increased genus Peptostreptococcus and incomplete reductive TCA cycle, which was associated with increased Peptostreptococcus. Genera Parvimonas, Pseudomona and L-valine biosynthesis were positively associated with lymph node metastasis. L-valine biosynthesis was related with increased Pseudomona. Finally, the genus Parvimonas was significantly enriched in adenocarcinoma patients with EGFR mutation. CONCLUSION: The taxonomy structure differed between different lung cancer stages. The tumor stage, intrathoracic metastasis, lymph node metastasis, and EGFR mutation were associated with alteration of specific airway genera and metabolic function of sputum microbiota.

Design and Optimize the Performance of Self-Powered Photodetector Based on PbS/TiS3 Heterostructure by SCAPS-1D.

Titanium trisulphide (TiS3) has been widely used in the field of optoelectronics owing to its superb optical and electronic characteristics. In this work, a self-powered photodetector using bulk PbS/TiS3 p-n heterojunction is numerically investigated and analyzed by a Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator in one-Dimension (SCAPS-1D) software. The energy bands, electron-holes generation or recombination rate, current density-voltage (J-V), and spectral response properties have been investigated by SCAPS-1D. To improve the performance of photodetectors, the influence of thickness, shallow acceptor or donor density, and defect density are investigated. By optimization, the optimal thickness of the TiS3 layer and PbS layer are determined to be 2.5 µm and 700 nm, respectively. The density of the superior shallow acceptor (donor) is 1015 (1022) cm-3. High quality TiS3 film is required with the defect density of about 1014 cm-3. For the PbS layer, the maximum defect density is 1017 cm-3. As a result, the photodetector based on the heterojunction with optimal parameters exhibits a good photoresponse from 300 nm to 1300 nm. Under the air mass 1.5 global tilt (AM 1.5G) illuminations, the optimal short-circuit current reaches 35.57 mA/cm2 and the open circuit voltage is about 870 mV. The responsivity (R) and a detectivity (D*) of the simulated photodetector are 0.36 A W-1 and 3.9 × 1013 Jones, respectively. The simulation result provides a promising research direction to further broaden the TiS3-based optoelectronic device.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts promote oral squamous cell carcinoma progression through LOX-mediated matrix stiffness.

BACKGROUND: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), the most abundant cells in the tumor microenvironment, have prominent roles in the development of solid tumors as stromal targets. However, the underlying mechanism of CAFs' function in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) development remains unclear. Here, we investigated the role of lysyl oxidase (LOX) expression in CAFs in tumor stromal remodeling and the mechanism of its effect on OSCC progression. METHODS: Multiple immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was performed to detect the correlation of CAFs and LOX in the stroma of OSCC specimens, as well as the correlation with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis. The expression of LOX in CAFs were detected by RT-qPCR and western blot. The effects of LOX in CAFs on the biological characteristics of OSCC cell line were investigated using CCK-8, wound-healing and transwell assay. CAFs were co-cultured with type I collagen in vitro, and collagen contraction test, microstructure observation and rheometer were used to detect the effect of CAFs on remodeling collagen matrix. Then, collagen with different stiffness were established to investigate the effect of matrix stiffness on the progression of OSCC. Moreover, we used focal adhesion kinase (FAK) phosphorylation inhibitors to explored whether the increase in matrix stiffness promote the progression of OSCC through activating FAK phosphorylation pathway. RESULTS: LOX was colocalized with CAFs in the stroma of OSCC tissues, and its expression was significantly related to the degree of malignant differentiation and poor prognosis in OSCC. LOX was highly expressed in CAFs, and its knockdown impaired the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT process of OSCC cells. The expression of LOX in CAFs can catalyze collagen crosslinking and increase matrix stiffness. Furthermore, CAFs-derived LOX-mediated increase in collagen stiffness induced morphological changes and promoted invasion and EMT process in OSCC cells by activating FAK phosphorylation pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that CAFs highly express LOX in the stroma of OSCC and can remodel the matrix collagen microenvironment, and the increase in matrix stiffness mediated by CAFs-derived LOX promotes OSCC development through FAK phosphorylation pathway. Thus, LOX may be a potential target for the early diagnosis and therapeutic treatment of OSCC.

Evaluation of the effect of transgenic Bt cotton on snails Bradybaena (Acusta) ravida and Bradybaena similaris (Ferussac).

The impact of transgenic crops on non-target organisms is a key aspect of environmental safety assessment to transgenic crops. In the present study, we fed two snail species, Bradybaena (Acusta) ravida (B. ravida) and Bradybaena similaris (Ferussac)(B. similaris), with the leaves of transgenic Bt cotton Zhong 30 (Z30) and control cotton, its parent line zhong 16 (Z16), to assess the environmental safety of Bt cotton to common non-target organisms in the field. Survival, body weight, shell diameter, helix number, reproduction rate, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and Bt protein concentration in snails were monitored in 15 days and 180 days experiments. We also monitored the population dynamics of B. ravida and B. similaris in Z30 and Z16 cotton fields for two successive years. Compared to the snails fed on the control cotton Z16, there was no significant difference in survival, growth, reproduction, and SOD activity on Bt cotton Z30. Bt protein concentrations were significantly between different treatments, and Bt protein residues were only detected in the feces of the Z30 treatment. According to the field data, the number of B. ravida and B. similaris fluctuated considerably across seasons over the entire cotton-growing season; however, there were no significant differences between the Bt and control cotton fields at similar time. As the results showed, in our experiments, Bt cotton Z30 had no adverse effects on the two snail species, both in the laboratory and in the fields.

[Study on the mechanical differences between single-row belt rivets and double-row suture bridge in repairing rotator cuff injury].

OBJECTIVE: To compare and analyze the mechanical differences between single-row suture anchor fixation for repairing rotator cuff injuries and double-row suture bridges for repairing rotator cuff injuries from a biomechanical perspective. METHODS: The CT scan data of healthy adult shoulder joint were imported into Mimics, Geomagics and Hypermesh to carry out reverse reconstruction of two repair models, material assignment and mesh division, and the tearing of supraspinatus muscle was designed. After treatments, the load and boundary conditions were applied to the shoulder joint in ABAQUS software. The shoulder joint was fixed with four working conditions including flexion 15 °, flexion 30 °, internal rotation 15 ° and internal rotation 30 ° after anchor fixationand repair. The stress changes of the upper rotator cuff muscle and the anchor with thread were compared under these four conditions. RESULTS: Under the two flexion conditions, the stress of the supraspinatus in the double row suture bridge fixation model was 8.3% and 12% less than that in the single-row suture anchor fixation, respectively. Under the two internal rotation conditions, the stress of supraspinatus in the double row suture bridge fixation model was 47% and 48% less than that in the single row fixation repair model, respectively. CONCLUSION: The "load sharing" effect between the two rows of four anchors makes the stress distribution more dispersed, increases the contact area between the supraspinatus muscle and the humerus, reduces the stress of the anchor, avoids the serious stress concentration phenomenon, and explains the advantages of the fixation method of the double row suture bridge from the biomechanical angle.

Evidence that exogenous urea acts as a potent cue to alleviate ammonium-inhibition of root system growth of cotton plant (Gossypium hirsutum).

Many plants grown with low-millimolar concentration of NH4 + as a sole nitrogen source develop NH4 + -toxicity symptoms. To date, crucial molecular identities and a practical approach involved in the improvement of plant NH4 + -tolerance remain largely unknown. By phenotyping of upland cotton grown on varied nitrogen forms, we came across a phenomenon that caused sub-millimolar concentrations of urea (e.g., up 50 µM) to repress the growth inhibition of roots and whole plant cultivated in a NH4 + -containing nutrient solution. A growth-recovery assay revealed that the relief in NH4 + -inhibited growth required only a short-term exposure (≧12 h) of the roots to urea, implying that urea could elicit an internal signaling and be involved in antagonizing NH4 + -sensitivity. Intriguingly, split-root experiments demonstrated that low urea occurrence in one root-half could efficaciously stimulate not only supplied root but also the root-half grown in NH4 + -solution without urea, indicating the existence of urea-triggered local and systemic long-distance signaling. In the split-root experiment we also observed high arginase activity, strong arginine reduction and remarkable upregulation of polyamine biosynthesis-related genes (ADC1/2, SPDS and SPMS). Therefore, we suggest that external urea might serve as an effective cue (signal molecule) in an arginine-/polyamine-related process for ameliorating NH4 + -suppressed root growth, providing a novel aspect for deeper exploring and understanding plant NH4 + -tolerance.

1H NMR and UHPLC/Q-Orbitrap-MS-Based Metabolomics Combined with 16S rRNA Gut Microbiota Analysis Revealed the Potential Regulation Mechanism of Nuciferine in Hyperuricemia Rats.

Hyperuricemia seriously jeopardizes human health by increasing the risk of several diseases, such as gout and stroke. Nuciferine is able to alleviate hyperuricemia significantly. However, the underlying metabolic regulation mechanism remains unknown. To understand the metabolic effects of nuciferine on hyperuricemia by establishing a rat model of rapid hyperuricemia, 1H NMR and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to conduct nontargeted metabolomics studies. A total of 21 metabolites were authenticated in plasma and urine to be closely related with hyperuricemia, which were mainly correlated to the six metabolic pathways. Moreover, 16S rRNA analysis indicated that diversified intestinal microorganisms are closely related to changes in differential metabolites, especially bacteria from Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. We propose that indoxyl sulfate and N-acetylglutamate in urine may be the potential biomarkers besides uric acid for early diagnosis and prevention of hyperuricemia. Gut microbiological analysis found that changes in the gut microbiota are closely related to these metabolites.

Upregulation of CSF-1 is correlated with elevated TAM infiltration and poor prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Mounting lines of evidence indicated that the "colony stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1)/tumor-associated macrophage (TAM)" signature plays an important role in the progression, invasion and metastasis of multiple tumors. However, the potential role of CSF-1/TAM in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains largely unknown. In the present study, the expression of CSF-1 from 99 OSCC specimens and its correlation with clinicopathological features and patient outcomes were investigated. Meanwhile, the correlation between CSF-1 expression and TAM infiltration was also explored. To investigate the potential effect of CSF-1 on tumor growth, nude mice were subcutaneously injected with Cal27 cell line and a small molecule inhibitor of CSF-1 (BZL945). The results showed that the high expression rate of CSF-1 (52%) was found in OSCC, and the upregulation of CSF-1 was closely correlated with lymph node metastasis and clinical stage. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between a high CSF-1 level and elevated TAM infiltration. The xenograft model study showed that CSF-1 signal blockade inhibited tumor growth, with a significant synchronous decrease in CSF-1 expression and TAM infiltration. Overall, our findings indicated that CSF-1 plays a crucial role in TAMs-mediated OSCC tumor progression and invasion. The "CSF-1/TAM" signaling axis may serve as a prospective target for anti-tumor therapy of OSCC.

Phenotypical evidence of effective amelioration of ammonium-inhibited plant (root) growth by exogenous low urea.

Ammonium and nitrate are major soil inorganic-nitrogen sources for plant growth, but many species cultivated with even low millimolar NH4+ as a sole N form display a growth retardation. To date, critical biological components and applicable approaches involved in the effective enhancement of NH4+ tolerance remain to be thoroughly explored. Here, we report phenotypical traits of urea-dependent improvement of NH4+-suppressed plant/root growth. Urea at 0.1 mM was sufficient to remarkably stimulate NH4+ (3 mM)-fed cotton growth, showing a 2.5∼4-fold increase in shoot- and root-biomass and total root-length, 20 % higher GS activity, 18 % less NH4+-accumulation in roots, and a comparable plant total-N content compared to the control, implying a novel role for urea in cotton NH4+detoxification. A similar phenomenon was observed in tobacco and rice. Moreover, comparisons between twelve NH4+-grown Arabidopsis accessions revealed a great degree of natural variation in their root-growth response to low urea, with WAR and Blh-1 exhibiting the most significant increase in primary- and lateral-root length and numbers, and Sav-0 and Edi-0 being the most insensitive. Such phenotypical evidence suggests a common ability of plants to accommodate NH4+-stress by responding to exogenous urea, providing a novel aspect for further understanding the process of urea-dependent plant NH4+ tolerance.

Direct observation of nuclear reorganization driven by ultrafast spin transitions.

One of the most basic molecular photophysical processes is that of spin transitions and intersystem crossing between excited states surfaces. The change in spin states affects the spatial distribution of electron density through the spin orbit coupling interaction. The subsequent nuclear reorganization reports on the full extent of the spin induced change in electron distribution, which can be treated similarly to intramolecular charge transfer with effective reaction coordinates depicting the spin transition. Here, single-crystal [FeII(bpy)3](PF6)2, a prototypical system for spin crossover (SCO) dynamics, is studied using ultrafast electron diffraction in the single-photon excitation regime. The photoinduced SCO dynamics are resolved, revealing two distinct processes with a (450 ± 20)-fs fast component and a (2.4 ± 0.4)-ps slow component. Using principal component analysis, we uncover the key structural modes, ultrafast Fe-N bond elongations coupled with ligand motions, that define the effective reaction coordinate to fully capture the relevant molecular reorganization.