Mussel-inspired protein-based nanoparticles for curcumin encapsulation and promoting antitumor efficiency.

Curcumin demonstrated therapeutic potential for cancer. However, its medical application is limited due to low solubility, poor stability and low absorption rate. Here, we used the mussel-inspired functional protein (MPKE) to fabricate the curcumin-carrying nanoparticle (Cur-MPKE) for encapsulating and delivering curcumin. The protein MPKE is composed of the mussel module and zwitterionic peptide. The Dopa group bonding characteristic of the mussel module was leveraged for the self-assembly of nanoparticles, while the superhydrophilic property of the zwitterionic peptide was utilized to enhance the stability of nanoparticles. As expected, MPKE and Cur are tightly bound through hydrogen bonds and dynamic imide bonds to form nanoparticles. Cur-MPKE showed improved solubility and stability in aqueous solutions as well as excellent biocompatibility. Besides, Cur-MPKE also exhibited pH-triggered release and enhanced uptake of curcumin by tumor cells, promoting the antioxidant activity and antitumor effect of curcumin. Moreover, systemic experiments of Cur-MPKE to rats demonstrated that Cur-MPKE significantly inhibited tumor tissue growth and proliferation without causing obvious systemic toxicity. This work provides a new strategy for fabricating the delivery system of curcumin with improved stability, sustainability and bioavailability.

KLF15-activated MARCH2 boosts cell proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition and presents diagnostic significance for hepatocellular carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Membrane associated ubiquitin ligase MARCH2 majorly involves in inflammation response and protein trafficking. However, its comprehensive role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is largely unknown. METHODS: Firstly, multiple bioinformatic analyses were applied to determine MARCH2 mRNA level, its expression comparison in diverse molecular and immune subtypes, and diagnostic value in HCC. Subsequently, RNA-seq, real-time quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry and cell proliferation assay are used to explore the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and proliferation by gene-silencing or overexpressing in cultured HCC cells or in vivo xenograft. Moreover, dual luciferase reporter assay and immunoblotting are delved into verify the transcription factor that activating MARCHF2 promoter. RESULTS: Multiple bioinformatic analyses demonstrate that MARCH2 is upregulated in multiple cancer types and exhibits startling diagnostic value as well as distinct molecular and immune subtypes in HCC. RNA-seq analysis reveals MARCH2 may promote EMT, cell proliferation and migration in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, overexpression of MARCH2 triggers EMT and significantly enhances HCC cell migration, proliferation and colony formation in a ligase activity-dependent manner. Additionally, above observations are validated in the HepG2 mice xenografts. For up-stream mechanism, transcription factor KLF15 is highly expressed in HCC and activates MARCH2 expression. CONCLUSION: KLF15 activated MARCH2 triggers EMT and serves as a fascinating biomarker for precise diagnosis of HCC. Consequently, MARCH2 emerges as a promising candidate for target therapy in cancer management.

Allochthonous Trichoderma Isolates Boost Atractylodes lancea Herb Quality at the Cost of Rhizome Growth.

Atractylodes lancea is a perennial herb whose rhizome (AR) is a valuable traditional Chinese medicine with immense market demand. The cultivation of Atractylodes lancea faces outbreaks of root rot and deterioration in herb quality due to complex causes. Here, we investigated the effects of Trichoderma spp., well-known biocontrol agents and plant-growth-promoters, on ARs. We isolated Trichoderma strains from healthy ARs collected in different habitats and selected three T. harzianum strains (Th2, Th3 and Th4) with the strongest antagonizing effects on root rot pathogens (Fusarium spp.). We inoculated geo-authentic A. lancea plantlets with Th2, Th3 and Th4 and measured the biomass and quality of 70-day-old ARs. Th2 and Th3 promoted root rot resistance of A. lancea. Th2, Th3 and Th4 all boosted AR quality: the concentration of the four major medicinal compounds in ARs (atractylon, atractylodin, hinesol and ß-eudesmol) each increased 1.6- to 18.2-fold. Meanwhile, however, the yield of ARs decreased by 0.58- to 0.27-fold. Overall, Th3 dramatically increased the quality of ARs at a relatively low cost, namely lower yield, showing great potential for practical application. Our results showed selectivity between A. lancea and allochthonous Trichoderma isolates, indicating the importance of selecting specific microbial patches for herb cultivation.

Based on molecular docking and real-time PCR technology, the two-component system Bae SR was investigated on the mechanism of drug resistance in CRAB.

This study aimed to explore the role of the two-component system Bae SR in the mechanism of drug resistance in carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) using molecular docking and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The two-component system Bae SR of Acinetobacter baumannii was subjected to molecular docking with imipenem, meropenem, and levofloxacin. Antibacterial assays and fluorescence quantitative PCR were used to explore protein-ligand interactions and molecular biological resistance mechanisms related to CRAB. The analysis of the two-component system in A. baumannii revealed that imipenem exhibited the highest docking energy in Bae S at - 5.81 kcal/mol, while the docking energy for meropenem was - 4.92 kcal/mol. For Bae R, imipenem had a maximum docking energy of - 4.28 kcal/mol, compared with - 4.60 kcal/mol for meropenem. The highest binding energies for Bae S-levofloxacin and Bae R-levofloxacin were - 3.60 and - 3.65 kcal/mol, respectively. All imipenem-resistant strains had minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 16 µg/mL, whereas levofloxacin-resistant strains had MIC values of 8 µg/mL. The time-sterilization curve showed a significant decrease in bacterial colony numbers at 2 h under the action of 8 µg/mL imipenem, indicating antibacterial effects. In contrast, levofloxacin did not exhibit any antibacterial activity. Fluorescence quantitative PCR results revealed significantly increased relative expression levels of bae S and bae R genes in the CRAB group, which were 2 and 1.5 times higher than those in the CSAB group, respectively, with statistically significant differences. Molecular docking in this study found that the combination of Bae SR and carbapenem antibiotics (imipenem, meropenem) exhibited stronger affinity and stability compared with levofloxacin. Moreover, the overexpression of the two-component system genes in carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii enhanced its resistance to carbapenem, providing theoretical and practical insights into carbapenem resistance in respiratory tract infections caused by A. baumannii.

Unraveling the intrinsic mechanism behind the retention of arsenic in the co-gasification of coal and sewage sludge: Focus on the role of Ca and Fe compounds.

Minimizing the emission of arsenic (As) is one of the urgent problems during co-gasification of Shenmu coal (SM) and sewage sludge (SS). The intrinsic mechanism of As retention was obtained by analyzing the effect of different SM addition ratios on the As form transformation during co-gasification at 1000 °C under CO2 atmosphere. The results showed that the addition of SM effectively promoted the enrichment of As in the co-gasified residues. Especially, the best As retention rate of 65.71% was achieved with the 70 wt% addition ratio of SM. The addition of SM promoted the adsorption and chemical oxidation of As(III) to the less toxic As(V) through the coupling of Ca and Fe compounds in the co-gasified residues. XRD and XPS results indicated that Fe2O3 adsorbed As2O3(g) after partial conversion to Fe3O4 by the Boudouard reaction, while part of As2O3 was oxidized to As2O5 by lattice oxygen. Finally, the generated As2O5 was successively trapped by CaO and Fe2O3 to form stable Ca3(AsO4)2 and FeAsO4. HRTEM and TEM analysis comprehensively proved that As(III) was stabilized by the lattice cage of CaAl2Si2O8. In conclusion, the co-oxidation of Ca and Fe compounds and lattice stabilization simultaneously played a crucial role in the retention of As2O3(g) during co-gasification.

Population Structures and Dynamics of Rhododendron Communities with Different Stages of Succession in Northwest Guizhou, China.

To explore the population structures and dynamics of Rhododendron shrub communities at different stages of succession in northwest Guizhou, China, this study examined the populations of Rhododendron annae and Rhododendron irroratum shrub with two different stages. A space-for-time substitution was employed to establish the diameter class/height structures, static life tables, and survival/mortality rate/disappearance rate curves of both Rhododendron populations with different orders of succession. Their structural and quantitative dynamics were analyzed, and their development trends were predicted. The results showed that, quantitatively, the populations of R. annae and R. irroratum in the two Rhododendron communities with different orders of succession were dominated by age classes one, two, and three as well as height classes i, ii, and iii. The number of Rhododendron plants at the three age classes and the three height classes accounted for 97.61-100% of the total. The quantitative dynamic indices of R. annae and R. irroratum were both greater than 0, with and without considering external interference. In terms of age class and height structures, both Rhododendron populations were expanding populations, presenting "inverted-J-shaped" and irregular pyramid patterns. There was a sufficient number of young individuals, but few or no old individuals. Both survival curves of the populations of R. annae and R. irroratum in the two Rhododendron communities with different orders of succession belonged to the Deevy-II type. In the late stage of succession, the mortality curves and disappearance curves of both Rhododendron populations in these communities presented a trend of increasing first and then decreasing with increasing age class. This result indicates that at each age class, R. annae and R. irroratum showed a trend of gradual increase after two, four, and six years. In brief, the populations of R. annae and R. irroratum have rich reserves of seedlings and saplings, but high mortality and disappearance rates. In this context, it is necessary to reduce human interference and implement targeted conservation measures to promote the natural renewal of Rhododendron populations.

A retrospective clinical analysis of 11 cases of PEComa from different sites.

PURPOSE: The objective of this paper is to offer a thorough examination of the clinical presentations, etiology, and treatment strategies associated with perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas). METHODS: This retrospective study examined the comprehensive archival data of PEComa cases diagnosed at Beijing Hospital from 2015 to 2023. The pathology slides of all patients were thoroughly reassessed by two experienced pathologists. A thorough retrospective analysis was undertaken, incorporating clinicopathological data including gender, age at diagnosis, initial clinical manifestations, signs, disease onset site, tumor markers, imaging findings, therapeutic modalities, pathological features, immunohistochemical profiles, treatment responses, and prognostic indicators. Patients were evaluated for disease severity according to established pathological classification criteria and were followed up until the designated analysis cut-off date. In instances where patients were unable to be monitored on-site, they were contacted via telephone for postoperative follow-up inquiries. RESULTS: This study included 11 patients with ages ranging from 17 to 66 years old, presenting with the disease in multiple anatomical sites, including the retroperitoneum (2/11), liver (4/11), kidney (4/11), lung (1/11), and broad ligament of the uterus (1/11). Most patients presented with non-specific clinical symptoms and were subsequently diagnosed with space-occupying lesions upon physical examination. The tumor demonstrated progressive growth and enlargement, which could result in compression of neighboring organs. Preoperative imaging alone is insufficient for a definitive diagnosis of PEComa, but MRI can provide an initial evaluation of the tumor's potential malignancy. Molecular marker testing specific to PEComa, such as HMB-45 (90.0%), SMA (81.8%), Melan-A (90.9%), vimentin (90.9%), and Desmin (36.3%), was conducted on all patients. No adjuvant therapies were administered postoperatively. Upon analysis, no instances of relapse at the primary site or the development of new tumors at other sites were observed. Regular imaging reviews of three patients with malignant PEComa post-surgery showed no evidence of recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical presentation, tumor biomarkers, and imaging characteristics of PEComa lack specificity, necessitating dependence on pathology and immunohistochemistry for precise diagnosis. The mainstay of treatment consists of surgical resection, with patients typically experiencing a favorable prognosis.

FGAHOI: Fine-Grained Anchors for Human-Object Interaction Detection.

Human-Object Interaction (HOI), as an important problem in computer vision, requires locating the human-object pair and identifying the interactive relationships between them. The HOI instance has a greater span in spatial, scale, and task than the individual object instance, making its detection more susceptible to noisy backgrounds. To alleviate the disturbance of noisy backgrounds on HOI detection, it is necessary to consider the input image information to generate fine-grained anchors which are then leveraged to guide the detection of HOI instances. However, it has the following challenges. i) how to extract pivotal features from the images with complex background information is still an open question. ii) how to semantically align the extracted features and query embeddings is also a difficult issue. In this paper, a novel end-to-end transformer-based framework (FGAHOI) is proposed to alleviate the above problems. FGAHOI comprises three dedicated components namely, multi-scale sampling (MSS), hierarchical spatial-aware merging (HSAM) and task-aware merging mechanism (TAM). MSS extracts features of humans, objects and interaction areas from noisy backgrounds for HOI instances of various scales. HSAM and TAM semantically align and merge the extracted features and query embeddings in the hierarchical spatial and task perspectives in turn. In the meanwhile, a novel training strategy Stage-wise Training Strategy is designed to reduce the training pressure caused by overly complex tasks done by FGAHOI. In addition, we propose two ways to measure the difficulty of HOI detection and a novel dataset, i.e., HOI-SDC for the two challenges (Uneven Distributed Area in Human-Object Pairs and Long Distance Visual Modeling of Human-Object Pairs) of HOI instances detection. Experiments are conducted on three benchmarks: HICO-DET, HOI-SDC and V-COCO. Our model outperforms the state-of-the-art HOI detection methods, and the extensive ablations reveal the merits of our proposed contribution.

First Report of Erysiphe astragali Causing Powdery Mildew on Astragalus mongholicus in China.

Astragalus mongholicus Bge. [A. membranaceus Bge. var. mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao] is a highly valuable perennial medicinal plant mainly distributed in China, whose dry roots are known as Huangqi in traditional Chinese medicine for reinforcing vital energy, strengthening superficial resistance, and promoting tissue regeneration (Lin et al. 2000). A. mongholicus roots of high quality are produced in Northwest and North China. Since July 2021, powdery mildew outbreaks happened annually on the leaves of A. mongholicus in a plantation (123° 56' 40'' E, 47° 22' 20'' N) in Qiqihar city, Heilongjiang Province, China. Disease incidence reached 100% by October (Fig. 1A-C), causing severe impairment of growth. Powdery mildew spots of circular or irregular shapes emerged on upper surface of leaf, resulting in plentiful lesion specks. Dense white hyphae appeared chaotically intertwined. Hyphae were hyaline and highly flexuous, 5.3 - 10.7 µm in diameter (n = 20). Chasmothecia were globose or slightly ovoid-shaped and turned dark brown when matured. Chasmothecia (diameter: 135.2 - 222.9 µm, n = 20) existed abundantly on the diseased leaves in the fields. Conidiophores were 89.0 - 129.9 µm in length (n = 20) and composed of one cylindrical, straight foot cell, followed by two cells and one to three conidia. Conidia were slim ellipsoid-shaped, occasionally ovoid-shaped, measuring 14.6 - 24.7 µm by 6.4 to10.4 µm, length/width ratio was 1.8 - 3.0 (n = 30). Hyphal appressoria were nipple-shaped and appeared in singular, occasionally in pairs. Unbranched germ tube emerged reaching out of the germinating conidia while forming an acute angle with the long axis. Comprehensively, the pathogen exhibited micro-morphology of the genus Erysiphe. For molecular identification, pathogen was carefully scraped off diseased leaves for DNA extraction. We used the DNA samples of three biological replicates for the sequencing of the ITS rDNA fragment (primers by (White et al. 1990). All the samples resulted in an identical ITS sequence (deposited in GenBank as OQ390098.1). It displayed 99.83% identity with OP806835.1 of an E. astragali voucher collected in Iran (Fig. 1D-M, O). Hence, our pathogen was identified as an E. astragali stain. Additionally, we amplified the Mcm7 sequence (using primers by (Ellingham et al. 2019), deposited as OQ397582.1). We propagated 40-day-old A. mongholicus plants via germinating seeds in pot soil and performed pathogenicity tests. Firstly, we incubated detached healthy leaves of propagated plants with severely symptomatic leaves collected from the fields in petri dishes under saturated moisture content and room temperature. Powdery mildew symptoms emerged on each healthy leaf (n = 5) after two weeks. Further, we infected healthy plants (n = 5) by gently pressing and rubbing symptomatic leaves on each healthy leaf, and kept them in a greenhouse (24 ℃, 80% humidity, 16/8-hour light/dark cycle). After a month, symptoms emerged on a number of leaves of each infected plant. We performed micromorphology observation (Fig. 1N-P) and ITS sequencing to confirm that the results fulfilled Koch's postulates. Powdery mildew caused by E. astragali on A. strictus in Tibet (Wang and Jiang 2023) and on A. scaberrimus in Inner Mongolia (Sun et al. 2023) have been reported. Here we report powdery mildew caused by E. astragali on Astragalus mongholicus for the first time. These Astragalus spp. are all acknowledged to have medicinal values in China but their usages are quite different.

Fabrication of Multifunctional Silylated GO/FeSiAl Epoxy Composites: A Heat Conducting Microwave Absorber for 5G Base Station Packaging.

A multifunctional microwave absorber with high thermal conductivity for 5G base station packaging comprising silylated GO/FeSiAl epoxy composites were fabricated by a simple solvent-handling method, and its microwave absorption properties and thermal conductivity were presented. It could act as an applicable microwave absorber for highly integrated 5G base station packaging with 5G antennas within a range of operating frequency of 2.575-2.645 GHz at a small thickness (2 mm), as evident from reflection loss with a maximum of -48.28 dB and an effective range of 3.6 GHz. Such a prominent microwave absorbing performance results from interfacial polarization resonance attributed to a nicely formed GO/FeSiAl interface through silylation. It also exhibits a significant enhanced thermal conductivity of 1.6 W/(mK) by constructing successive thermal channels.

Authenticating the geographic origins of Atractylodes lancea rhizome chemotypes in China through metabolite marker identification.

Introduction: Atractylodes lancea is widely distributed in East Asia, ranging from Amur to south-central China. The rhizome of A. lancea is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine, however, the quality of products varies across different regions with different geochemical characteristics. Method: This study aimed to identify the chemotypes of A. lancea from different areas and screen for chemical markers by quantifying volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using a targeted metabolomics approach based on GC-MS/MS. Results: The A. lancea distributed in Hubei, Anhui, Shaanxi, and a region west of Henan province was classified as the Hubei Chemotype (HBA). HBA is characterized by high content of ß-eudesmol and hinesol with lower levels of atractylodin and atractylon. In contrast, the Maoshan Chemotype (MA) from Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, and other northern regions, exhibited high levels of atractylodin and atractylon. A total of 15 categories of VOCs metabolites were detected and identified, revealing significant differences in the profiles of terpenoid, heterocyclic compound, ester, and ketone among different areas. Multivariate statistics indicated that 6 compounds and 455 metabolites could serve as candidate markers for differentiating A. lancea obtained from the southern, northern, and Maoshan areas. Discussion: This comprehensive analysis provides a chemical fingerprint of selected A. lancea. Our results highlight the potential of metabolite profiling combined with chemometrics for authenticating the geographical origin of A. lancea.

[Advances in research and application of Trichoderma for inducing resistance against root rot diseases in root and rhizome of Chinese medicinal materials].

Root rot is a microbial disease that is difficult to control and can result in serious losses in the planting of most Chinese medicinal materials. As high as 87.6% of roots or rhizomes of Chinese medicinal materials are susceptible to root rot, which seriously affects the cultivation development of Chinese medicinal materials. Trichoderma fungi, possessing biological control functions, can induce plants to improve their resistance to microbial diseases, promote plant growth, and effectively reduce the losses caused by various microbial diseases on cultivation. At present, Trichoderma is rarely used in the cultivation of Chinese medicinal materials, so it has great application potential for the prevention and control of root rot diseases in farmed Chinese medicinal materials. Based on the above situation, after comparison and discussion, it is believed that compared with chemical control and physical control, biological control of root rot diseases of Chinese medicinal materials is more efficient and meets the development needs of Chinese medicinal materials ecological planting in China. This paper reviewed the progress in the research and application of Trichoderma in the control of root rot diseases in the root and rhizome of farmed Chinese medicinal materials in the past 10 years and found that most of the current research on the biological control of root rot diseases in Chinese medicinal materials was mostly limited to the verification of the inhibitory effect of Trichoderma strains on the growth of the pathogenic microbes. Studies on the induction effect of Trichoderma on Chinese medicinal materials are not in depth. Studies on the responding mechanisms of most Chinese medicinal materials to Trichoderma are highly absent. Moreover, there are few reports on field experiments, which indicates that there is a long way to go before Trichoderma is widely applied in the farming practice of Chinese medicinal materials. To sum up, this paper aimed to link the present and the future and advocated further relevant research and more experiments on the application of Trichoderma in the farming of Chinese medicinal materials.

Effects of fertilization gradient on the production performance and nutritional quality of cultivated grasslands in karst areas.

Optimal fertilization is an important measure for managing cultivated grasslands, and a necessary means for maintaining the nutrient balance, yield, and quality of grassland ecosystems. This study aimed to explore the effects of organic fertilizers on the production performance and nutritional quality of cultivated grasslands in karst areas. Two types of monocultured cultivated grasslands (i.e., Medicago sativa and Dactylis glomerata) were employed as the research objects, and a randomized block design was adopted to investigate the effects of five fertilization gradients on the forage height, coverage, yield, and nutritional quality of the cultivated grasslands. According to the results, the plant height, coverage, and yield of M. sativa first presented an increasing trend, then decreased with increasing fertilization gradient, with a peak at 20-30 t/hm2 fertilization gradient. The height, coverage, and yield of D. glomerata increased gradually with increase in fertilization gradient, and peaked at 40 t/hm2. Meanwhile, the crude protein (CP) and ether extract (EE) contents of both grassland types displayed first presented an increasing trend, then decreased with increasing fertilization gradient, and peaked at 10-30 t/hm2 fertilization gradient. The neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acidic detergent fiber (ADF) contents of M. sativa presented "N-shaped" and "M-shaped" change trends with increasing fertilization gradient, while those of D. glomerata showed "V-shaped" and "M-shaped" change trends, reaching minimum values under fertilization gradients of 30 and 20 t/hm2, respectively. Year, fertilization, and year × fertilization (Y×F) significantly affected the plant heights, coverages, dry/fresh weight ratios, and yields of M. sativa and D. glomerata. The contribution of coverage to the subordinate function of M. sativa was greatest at a fertilization gradient of 20 t/hm2. Meanwhile, the subordinate function values of the height and coverage of D. glomerata increased gradually with increasing fertilization gradient, but the difference in the subordinate function value of height was only 0.09%-0.18% under the fertilization gradient of 20-40 t/hm2. Evaluation of forage nutrition revealed 10-30 t/hm2 and 20-30 t/hm2 as the optimal organic fertilizer application rates for M. sativa and D. glomerata, respectively.

Multi-omics analyses based on genes associated with oxidative stress and phospholipid metabolism revealed the intrinsic molecular characteristics of pancreatic cancer.

Oxidative stress (OS), which impacts lipid metabolic reprogramming, can affect the biological activities of cancer cells. How oxidative stress and phospholipid metabolism (OSPM) influence the prognosis of pancreatic cancer (PC) needs to be elucidated. The metabolic data of 35 pancreatic tumor samples, 34 para-carcinoma samples, and 31 normal pancreatic tissues were obtained from the previously published literature. Pan-cancer samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). And the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC), ArrayExpress, and the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases were searched for more PC and normal pancreatic samples. The metabolites in PC were compared with normal and para-carcinoma tissues. The characteristics of the key OSPM genes were summarized in pan-cancer. The random survival forest analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis were utilized to construct an OSPM-related signature. Based on this signature, PC samples were divided into high- and low-risk subgroups. The dysregulations of the tumor immune microenvironment were further investigated. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to investigate the expression of genes in the signature in PC and normal tissues. The protein levels of these genes were further demonstrated. In PC, metabolomic studies revealed the alteration of PM, while transcriptomic studies showed different expressions of OSPM-related genes. Then 930 PC samples were divided into three subtypes with different prognoses, and an OSPM-related signature including eight OSPM-related genes (i.e., SLC2A1, MMP14, TOP2A, MBOAT2, ANLN, ECT2, SLC22A3, and FGD6) was developed. High- and low-risk subgroups divided by the signature showed different prognoses, expression levels of immune checkpoint genes, immune cell infiltration, and tumor microenvironment. The risk score was negatively correlated with the proportion of TIL, pDC, Mast cell, and T cell co-stimulation. The expression levels of genes in the signature were verified in PC and normal samples. The protein levels of SLC2A1, MMP14, TOP2A, MBOAT2, ANLN, and SLC22A3 showed up-regulation in PC samples compared with normal tissues. After integrating metabolomics and transcriptomics data, the alterations in OSPM in PC were investigated, and an OSPM-related signature was developed, which was helpful for the prognostic assessment and individualized treatment for PC.

[DUS testing guidelines for new varieties of Chinese medicinal plants].

A rich diversity of wild medicinal plant resources is distributed in China, but the breeding of new plant varieties of Chinese medicinal plants started late and the breeding level is relatively weak. Chinese medicinal plant resources are the foundation for new varieties breeding, and the plant variety rights(PVP) are of great significance for the protection and development of germplasm resources. However, most Chinese medicinal plants do not have a distinctness, uniformity, and stability(DUS) testing guideline. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has put 191 plant species(genera) on protection lists, of which only 30 are medicinal species(genera). At the same time, only 29 of 293 species(genera) plants in the Protection List of New Plant Varieties of the People's Republic of China(Forest and Grass) belong to Chinese medicinal plants. The number of PVP applications and authorization of Chinese medicinal plants is rare, and the composition of variety is unreasonable. Up to now, 29 species(genera) of DUS test guidelines for Chinese medicinal plants have been developed. Some basic problems in the breeding of new varieties of Chinese medicinal plants have appeared, such as the small number of new varieties and insufficient utilization of Chinese medicinal plant resources. This paper reviewed the current situation of breeding of new varieties of Chinese medicinal plants and the research progress of DUS test guidelines in China and discussed the application of biotechnology in the field of Chinese medicinal plant breeding and the existing problems in DUS testing. This paper guides the further application of DUS to protect and utilize the germplasm resources of Chinese medicinal plants.

[Application of tissue culture technology of medicinal plants in sustainable development of Chinese medicinal resources].

Chinese medicinal resources are the cornerstone of the sustainable development of traditional Chinese medicine industry. However, due to the fecundity of species, over-exploitation, and limitations of artificial cultivation, some medicinal plants are depleted and even endangered. Tissue culture, a breakthrough technology in the breeding of traditional Chinese medicinal materials, is not limited by time and space, and can allow the production on an annual basis, which plays an important role in the protection of Chinese medicinal resources. The present study reviewed the applications of tissue culture of medicinal plants in the field of Chinese medicinal resources, including rapid propagation of medicinal plant seedlings, breeding of novel high-yield and high-quality cultivars, construction of a genetic transformation system, and production of secondary metabolites. Meanwhile, the current challenges and suggestions for the future development of this field were also proposed.

Bait-trap chip for accurate and ultrasensitive capture of living circulating tumor cells.

Accurate analysis of living circulating tumor cells (CTCs) plays a crucial role in cancer diagnosis and prognosis evaluation. However, it is still challenging to develop a facile method for accurate, sensitive, and broad-spectrum isolation of living CTCs. Herein, inspired by the filopodia-extending behavior and clustered surface-biomarker of living CTCs, we present a unique bait-trap chip to achieve accurate and ultrasensitive capture of living CTCs from peripheral blood. The bait-trap chip is designed with the integration of nanocage (NCage) structure and branched aptamers. The NCage structure could "trap" the extended filopodia of living CTCs and resist the adhesion of filopodia-inhibited apoptotic cells, thus realizing the accurate capture (∼95% accuracy) of living CTCs independent of complex instruments. Using an in-situ rolling circle amplification (RCA) method, branched aptamers were easily modified onto the NCage structure, and served as "baits" to enhance the multi-interactions between CTC biomarker and chips, leading to ultrasensitive (99%) and reversible cell capture performance. The bait-trap chip successfully detects living CTCs in broad-spectrum cancer patients and achieves high diagnostic sensitivity (100%) and specificity (86%) of early prostate cancer. Therefore, our bait-trap chip provides a facile, accurate, and ultrasensitive strategy for living CTC isolation in clinical. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: A unique bait-trap chip integrated with precise nanocage structure and branched aptamers was developed for the accurate and ultrasensitive capture of living CTCs. Compared with the current CTC isolation methods that are unable to distinguish CTC viability, the nanocage structure could not only "trap" the extended-filopodia of living CTCs, but also resist the adhesion of filopodia-inhibited apoptotic cells, thus realizing the accurate capture of living CTCs. Additionally, benefiting from the "bait-trap" synergistic effects generated by aptamer modification and nanocage structure, our chip achieved ultrasensitive, reversible capture of living CTCs. Moreover, this work provided a facile strategy for living CTC isolation from the blood of patients with early-stage and advanced cancer, exhibiting high consistency with the pathological diagnosis.

Predicting future cancer incidence by age, race, ethnicity, and sex.

INTRODUCTION: Cancer remains a substantial burden on society. Our objective was to update projections on the number of new cancer diagnoses in the United States by age, race, ethnicity, and sex through 2040. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Population-based cancer incidence data were obtained using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data. Population estimates were made using the 2010 US Census data population projections to calculate future cancer incidence. Trends in age-adjusted incidence rates for 23 cancer types along with total cancers were calculated and incorporated into a second projection model. RESULTS: If cancer incidence remains stable, annual cancer diagnoses are projected to increase by 29.5% from 1.86 million to 2.4 million between 2020 and 2040. This increase outpaces the projected US population growth of 12.3% over the same period. The population of older adults is projected to represent an increasing proportion of total cancer diagnoses with patients ≥65 years old comprising 69% of all new cancer diagnoses and patients ≥85 years old representing 13% of new diagnoses by 2040. Cancer diagnoses are projected to increase in racial minority groups, with a projected 44% increase in Black Americans (from 222,000 to 320,000 annually), and 86% in Hispanic Americans (from 175,000 to 326,000 annually). DISCUSSION: The landscape of cancer care will continue to change over the next several decades. The burden of disease will remain substantial, and the growing proportion of older and minority patients with cancer remains of particular interest. These projections should help guide future health policy and research priorities.

Mild shading promotes sesquiterpenoid synthesis and accumulation in Atractylodes lancea by regulating photosynthesis and phytohormones.

Atractylodes lancea rhizome (AR) has high medicinal and economic value. A previous study has reported that the accumulation of sesquiterpenoids in AR has obvious advantages under bamboo canopy. A concrete shade value to promote the cultivation of high-quality AR has not been established. In this study, 80% shading was screened at six different light intensities (100%, 80%, 60%, 40%, 20%, 7%), and the mechanism was explored in terms of photosynthetic efficiency and phytohormones levels. The results indicated that the total sesquiterpenoid content of 80% mild shading increased by 58%, 52%, and 35%, respectively, compared to 100% strong light in seedling, expansion, and harvest stages and increased by 144%, 178%, and 94%, respectively, compared with 7% low light. The sesquiterpenoids hinesol and ß-eudesmol contributed approximately 70% to the differential contribution ratio between mild shading and strong light (100%) or between mild shading and low light (7%). Furthermore, HMGR, DXR, and FPPS genes, which regulate sesquiterpenoid synthesis, were significantly upregulated in 80% mild shading. Transpiration rate; the intercellular CO2 concentration; net photosynthetic rate; and levels of jasmonic acid, abscisic acid, and gibberellin were strongly correlated (r > 0.85) with sesquiterpenoid accumulation. Cis-acting elements responding to light and phytohormones were present within the promoter regions of HMGR, DXR, and FPPS. Therefore, 80% shading promotes the synthesis and accumulation of sesquiterpenoids in AR by regulating photosynthetic efficiency and phytohormone production, thereby promoting transcriptional expression.

Drought stress modifies the community structure of root-associated microbes that improve Atractylodes lancea growth and medicinal compound accumulation.

Atractylodes lancea is an important medicinal plant in traditional Chinese medicine, its rhizome is rich of volatile secondary metabolites with medicinal values and is largely demanded in modern markets. Currently, supply of high-yield, high-quality A. lancea is mainly achieved via cultivation. Certain soil microbes can benefit plant growth, secondary metabolism and induce resistance to environmental stresses. Hence, studies on the effects of soil microbe communities and isolates microorganisms on A. lancea is extremely meaningful for future application of microbes on cultivation. Here we investigated the effects of the inoculation with an entire soil microbial community on the growth, resistance to drought, and accumulation of major medicinal compounds (hinesol, ß-eudesmol, atractylon and atractylodin) of A. lancea. We analyzed the interaction between A. lancea and the soil microbes at the phylum and genus levels under drought stress of different severities (inflicted by 0%, 10% and 25% PEG6000 treatments). Our results showed that inoculation with soil microbes promoted the growth, root biomass yield, medicinal compound accumulation, and rendered drought-resistant traits of A. lancea, including relatively high root:shoot ratio and high root water content under drought. Moreover, our results suggested drought stress was more powerful than the selectivity of A. lancea in shaping the root-associated microbial communities; also, the fungal communities had a stronger role than the bacterial communities in protecting A. lancea from drought. Specific microbial clades that might have a role in protecting A. lancea from drought stress were identified: at the genus level, the rhizospheric bacteria Bacillus, Dylla and Actinomadura, and rhizospheric fungi Chaetomium, Acrophialophora, Trichoderma and Thielava, the root endophytic bacteria Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia, Allorhizobium-Neorhizobium-Pararhizobium-Rhizobium, Dylla and Actinomadura, and the root endophytic fungus Fusarium were closely associated with A. lancea under drought stress. Additionally, we acquired several endophytic Paenibacillus, Paraburkholderia and Fusarium strains and verified they had differential promoting effects on the medicinal compound accumulation in A. lancea root. This study reports the interaction between A. lancea and soil microbe communities under drought stress, and provides insights for improving the outcomes in A. lancea farming via applying microbe inoculation.