Natural Allelic Variations of Bch10G006400 Controlling Seed Size in Chieh-qua (Benincasa hispida Cogn. var. Chieh-qua How).

Seeds are the most important reproductive organs of higher plants, the beginning and end of a plant's lifecycle. They are very important to plant growth and development, and also an important factor affecting yield. In this study, genetic analysis and BSA-seq of the F2 population crossed with the large-seeded material 'J16' and small-seeded material 'FJ5' were carried out, and the seed size locus was initially located within the 1.31 Mb region on chr10. In addition, 2281 F2 plants were used to further reduce the candidate interval to 48.8 Kb. This region contains only one gene encoding the N-acetyltransferase (NAT) protein (Bch10G006400). Transcriptome and expression analysis revealed that the gene was significantly more highly expressed in 'J16' than in 'FJ5'. Variation analysis of Bch10G006400 among parents and 50 chieh-qua germplasms revealed that as well as a nonsynonymous mutation (SNP_314) between parents, two mutations (SNP_400 and InDel_551) were detected in other materials. Combining these three mutations completely distinguished the seed size of the chieh-qua. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that DGEs played the most important roles in carbohydrate metabolism and plant hormone signal transduction, respectively. The results of this study provide important information for molecular marker-assisted breeding and help to reveal the molecular mechanism of seed size.

Effects of Cardiac Rehabilitation Training in Patients with Heart Failure Based on Traditional Chinese Exercise: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and three Chinese databases, namely, China National Knowledge Network, Wanfang, and China Biomedical Network, were searched from the time of their inceptions through August, 2021. We retrieved the studies on the application of TCE-based cardiac rehabilitation in patients with HF. Based on the standard evaluation methods of Cochrane Reviewer's Handbook 5.1.0, two authors independently assessed the risk of bias and evaluated the methodological quality of the studies included. The RevMan 5.3 software was used for further meta-analysis. Additionally, the GRADEpro GDT web version was used to assess the quality of the evidence in these studies. RESULTS: Nine randomized controlled trials involving 721 patients were included in this analysis. The meta-analysis revealed that the TCE (experimental group) effectively improved the patient's motor function and endurance compared to walking or other activities (control group) (mean difference, MD = 68.23, 95% CI [54.55, 81.91]; P < 0.00001). From each subgroup analysis, the exercising ability of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group. The quality of life's score in the experimental group was lower than that of the control group (MD = -9.51, 95%CI [-17.84, -1.18]; P=0.03). The plasma B-type natriuretic peptide content in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group (MD = -59.77, 95%CI [-82.85, -36.7]; P < 0.00001). The number of hospitalizations (MD = -0.83, 95%CI [-0.98, -0.68]; P < 0.00001) and hospital costs in the experimental group (MD = -1.6, 95%CI [-1.89, -1.31]; P < 0.00001) were lower than those in the control group. However, no significant differences were observed in the left ventricular ejection fraction and maximal oxygen consumption between the two groups (MD = 1.38, 95%CI [-3.08, 5.84] and P=0.54; MD = -0.04, 95%CI [-1.62, 1.54] and P=0.96, respectively). From the current analysis, TCE can be considered a relatively safe exercise method. According to the GRADE evaluation results on the evidence level, the studies included were of moderate quality, low quality, or very low quality. CONCLUSIONS: Our systematic review showed that TCE had potential benefits in improving patients' cardiac function, motor function, and quality of life. Therefore, TCE might be an effective adjuvant therapy in patients with HF. However, given the inclusion of the low-quality elucidations, further rigorous studies are urgently needed to confirm these results.

Development and validation of genome-wide InDel markers with high levels of polymorphism in bitter gourd (Momordica charantia).

BACKGROUND: The preferred choice for molecular marker development is identifying existing variation in populations through DNA sequencing. With the genome resources currently available for bitter gourd (Momordica charantia), it is now possible to detect genome-wide insertion-deletion (InDel) polymorphisms among bitter gourd populations, which guides the efficient development of InDel markers. RESULTS: Here, using bioinformatics technology, we detected 389,487 InDels from 61 Chinese bitter gourd accessions with an average density of approximately 1298 InDels/Mb. Then we developed a total of 2502 unique InDel primer pairs with a polymorphism information content (PIC) ≥0.6 distributed across the whole genome. Amplification of InDels in two bitter gourd lines '47-2-1-1-3' and '04-17,' indicated that the InDel markers were reliable and accurate. To highlight their utilization, the InDel markers were employed to construct a genetic map using 113 '47-2-1-1-3' × '04-17' F2 individuals. This InDel genetic map of bitter gourd consisted of 164 new InDel markers distributed on 15 linkage groups with a coverage of approximately half of the genome. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report on the development of genome-wide InDel markers for bitter gourd. The validation of the amplification and genetic map construction suggests that these unique InDel markers may enhance the efficiency of genetic studies and marker-assisted selection for bitter gourd.

How Can Alternative Exercise Traditions Help Against the Background of the COVID-19 in Cancer Care? An Overview of Systematic Reviews.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the quality of systematic reviews/meta-analyses (SR/MAs) on alternative exercise traditions in cancer care. METHODS: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Ovid, EBSCOhost, WanFang Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and VIP Database were searched from their inception to June 30, 2020. The search used a combination of subject words and free words. The search terms included "Tai Chi," "Qigong," "Baduanjin," "Yoga," "Pilates," "Cancer," "Meta-analysis," and "Systematic review." Two researchers independently performed literature screening and data extraction and used AMSTAR scale and PRISMA statement to evaluate the methodology and the quality of the evidence. RESULTS: A total of 26 SR/MAs were included. The AMSTAR scale score was 5-10 points, with an average of 7.46±1.33 points. Overall, the methodological quality was considered to be moderate. The PRISMA list score was 13-24 points, with an average of 19.19±2.86 points. Among the papers evaluated, eight reports were relatively complete. A total of 15 papers indicated certain defects. A total of three papers showed relatively serious information defects. CONCLUSION: Relative to the control group, alternative exercise traditions may be effective in improving the quality of life, anxiety, depression, distress, and fatigue of cancer patients. However, they may not necessarily improve patients' sleep outcome, body mass index, and pain. During convalescence, cancer patients can be encouraged to start engaging in physical exercise, and professionals can develop appropriate exercise alternatives to ensure the expected effect of exercise while ensuring the safety of patients. The methodological quality of the systematic evaluations of the intervention effects of alternative exercise traditions on cancer patients is not satisfactory. Hence, focus should be directed to the improvement of the preliminary design scheme, publication status, literature retrieval, conflict of interest, and other aspects.

Effectiveness and Safety of Moxibustion on Constipation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the effects and safety of moxibustion in the management of constipation. BACKGROUND: Constipation is extremely common in clinical practice and causes physical and mental pain to patients. This study aimed to evaluate the effects and safety of moxibustion in the management of constipation. METHODS: Studies on moxibustion for constipation published up to November 2019 were searched in PubMed; EBSCO; EMBASE; Cochrane Library; and three Chinese databases, namely, China National Knowledge Internet, Wanfang, and China Biomedical Network. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed on the basis of the CLEAR NPT system evaluation methods of Boutron. Further meta-analysis was performed using the RevMan 5.3 and Stata 15.0 software. RESULTS: Ten randomized controlled trials involving 760 patients were included in this study. The meta-analysis revealed that, in comparison to western medicine treatment or other Chinese medicine methods (control group), moxibustion (experimental group) had a higher total effective rate (RR = 1.30, 95% CI [1.21, 1.40], P < 0.00001), and the clinical effectiveness of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group in any subgroup analysis. The first defecation time of the experimental group was shorter than that of the control group (SMD = -1.36, 95% CI [-2.03, -0.68], P < 0.0001). The clinical symptom score of the patients in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group (SMD = -0.65, 95% CI [-1.00, -0.30], P=0.0003). The patients in the experimental group had higher scores on Bristol stool form scale than those in the control group (MD = 0.99, 95% CI [0.48, 1.50], P=0.0001). However, there was no obvious difference in safety between the two groups (RR = 0.38, 95% CI [0.01, 11.8], P=0.58). CONCLUSIONS: Moxibustion may have better effect than other treatments on constipation. However, it is not yet possible to assess the safety level of moxibustion therapy, and the quality of the included literature is low, so rigorous studies are warranted. Implications for Nursing and Health Policy. The focus of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of moxibustion therapy in constipation. This evaluation showed that moxibustion therapy has a good effect on constipation and provides an effective treatment for constipation patients. Whether moxibustion therapy can be used for different syndrome types deserves further discussion.

Genome-Wide Analysis of Simple Sequence Repeats in Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia).

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) is widely cultivated as a vegetable and medicinal herb in many Asian and African countries. After the sequencing of the cucumber (Cucumis sativus), watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), and melon (Cucumis melo) genomes, bitter gourd became the fourth cucurbit species whose whole genome was sequenced. However, a comprehensive analysis of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in bitter gourd, including a comparison with the three aforementioned cucurbit species has not yet been published. Here, we identified a total of 188,091 and 167,160 SSR motifs in the genomes of the bitter gourd lines 'Dali-11' and 'OHB3-1,' respectively. Subsequently, the SSR content, motif lengths, and classified motif types were characterized for the bitter gourd genomes and compared among all the cucurbit genomes. Lastly, a large set of 138,727 unique in silico SSR primer pairs were designed for bitter gourd. Among these, 71 primers were selected, all of which successfully amplified SSRs from the two bitter gourd lines 'Dali-11' and 'K44'. To further examine the utilization of unique SSR primers, 21 SSR markers were used to genotype a collection of 211 bitter gourd lines from all over the world. A model-based clustering method and phylogenetic analysis indicated a clear separation among the geographic groups. The genomic SSR markers developed in this study have considerable potential value in advancing bitter gourd research.