Genomic insights into local adaptation and phenotypic diversity of Wenchang chickens.

Wenchang chicken, a prized local breed in Hainan Province of China renowned for its exceptional adaptability to tropical environments and good meat quality, is deeply favored by the public. However, an insufficient understanding of its population architecture and the unclear genetic basis that governs its typical attributes have posed challenges in the protection and breeding of this precious breed. To address these gaps, we conducted whole-genome resequencing on 200 Wenchang chicken samples derived from 10 distinct strains, and we gathered data on an array of 21 phenotype traits. Population genomics analysis unveiled distinctive population structures in Wenchang chickens, primarily attributed to strong artificial selection for different feather colors. Selection sweep analysis identified a group of candidate genes, including PCDH9, DPF3, CDIN1, and SUGCT, closely linked to adaptations that enhance resilience in tropical island habitats. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) highlighted potential candidate genes associated with diverse feather color traits, encompassing TYR, RAB38, TRPM1, GABARAPL2, CDH1, ZMIZ1, LYST, MC1R, and SASH1. Through the comprehensive analysis of high-quality genomic and phenotypic data across diverse Wenchang chicken resource groups, this study unveils the intricate genetic backgrounds and population structures of Wenchang chickens. Additionally, it identifies multiple candidate genes linked to environmental adaptation, feather color variations, and production traits. These insights not only provide genetic reference for the purification and breeding of Wenchang chickens but also broaden our understanding of the genetic basis of phenotypic diversity in chickens.

MPP2 interacts with SK2 to rescue the excitability of glutamatergic neurons in the BLA and facilitate the extinction of conditioned fear in mice.

AIMS: The basolateral amygdala (BLA) plays an integral role in anxiety disorders (such as post traumatic stress disorder) stem from dysregulated fear memory. The excitability of glutamatergic neurons in the BLA correlates with fear memory, and the afterhyperpolarization current (IAHP ) mediated by small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel subtype 2 (SK2) dominates the excitability of glutamatergicneurons. This study aimed to explore the effect of MPP2 interacts with SK2 in the excitability of glutamatergic neurons in the BLA and the extinction of conditioned fear in mice. METHODS: Fear memory was analyzed via freezing percentage. Western blotting and fluorescence quantitative PCR were used to determine the expression of protein and mRNA respectively. Electrophysiology was employed to measure the excitability of glutamatergic neurons and IAHP . RESULTS: Fear conditioning decreased the levels of synaptic SK2 channels in the BLA, which were restored following fear extinction. Notably, reduced expression of synaptic SK2 channels in the BLA during fear conditioning was caused by the increased activity of protein kinase A (PKA), while increased levels of synaptic SK2 channels in the BLA during fear extinction were mediated by interactions with membrane-palmitoylated protein 2 (MPP2). CONCLUSIONS: Our results revealed that MPP2 interacts with the SK2 channels and rescues the excitability of glutamatergic neurons by increasing the expression of synaptic SK2 channels in the BLA to promote the normalization of anxiety disorders and provide a new direction for the treatment.

Association between estimated pulse wave velocity and all-cause death in patients with heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Arteriosclerosis has been proven to be a risk factor for the development of heart failure and readmission. ePWV is a novel non-invasive and simple indicator of arterial stiffness, and this study aims to investigate its relationship with all-cause mortality rate in patients with heart failure. METHODS: This study is a cohort study that included 1272 patients with heart failure from NHANES data from 1999 to 2018. The ePWV was divided into three groups, and the cumulative mortality rate of heart failure patients was calculated using KM survival curves. The relationship between ePWV and all-cause mortality rate in heart failure patients was represented by a smoothed curve fitting. COX regression analysis was used to assess the association between ePWV and all-cause mortality rate in heart failure patients. RESULTS: The average age of the study population was 67.8 ± 12.6 years, with 862 males and 650 females. During the 12-month follow-up period, there were 790 cases of all-cause mortality. Cox regression analysis was used to validate the relationship between ePWV and all-cause mortality rate in patients with heart failure. Patients with higher levels of ePWV tended to have a higher all-cause mortality rate. After adjustment for multiple factors, an increase in ePWV was positively associated with all-cause mortality rate (HR = 1.17, 95% confidence interval (CI): (1.12, 1.22)). Compared to the lowest tertile, the multivariable-adjusted HR and 95% CI for the highest tertile of ePWV were 1.81 (95% CI: (1.45, 2.27)). Additionally, a smoothed curve fitting was used to observe the relationship between ePWV and mortality rate, where the curve demonstrated a positive correlation between ePWV and all-cause mortality rate. Furthermore, KM survival curves indicated that all-cause mortality rate increased with the increase in ePWV. Subgroup analysis suggested a correlation between ePWV and mortality rate. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that ePWV is positively associated with all-cause mortality in patients with heart failure.

Ti-Si composite glycol salts: depolymerization and repolymerization studies of PET.

In this study, a Ti-Si-ethylene glycol salt (Ti/Si-EG) was synthesized and used as a catalyst for the depolymerization of PET-ethylene glycol to produce bis(hydroxyethyl)terephthalate (BHET), and the optimum conditions for the depolymerization were determined by response surface analysis: w(EG) : w(PET) was 4 : 1, the catalyst mass dosage was 0.56% (in terms of the mass of PET), the depolymerization temperature was 203 °C, the depolymerization time was 3.8 h, and the highest yield of the product (BHET) was 90.10%. Furthermore, the depolymerization product BHET was used as the raw material and Ti/Si-EG was used as the catalyst for the polycondensation reaction to synthesize PET, and the amount of the catalyst added was 0.015% by mass (in terms of BHET). The performance of the synthesized PET was tested to be the same as that of PET synthesized by the PTA method under the same conditions, thus achieving the resourceful treatment and high-value recycling of waste PET. The introduction of Si in the catalyst reduced the catalytic activity of Ti and avoided the problem of yellowing of polyester products, and the use of the glycol salt as a catalyst in the depolymerization and polycondensation reaction process did not introduce impurity groups.

Possible Eliashberg-Type Superconductivity Enhancement Effects in a Two-Band Superconductor MgB_{2} Driven by Narrow-Band THz Pulses.

We study THz-driven condensate dynamics in epitaxial thin films of MgB_{2}, a prototype two-band superconductor (SC) with weak interband coupling. The temperature and excitation density dependent dynamics follow the behavior predicted by the phenomenological bottleneck model for the single-gap SC, implying adiabatic coupling between the two condensates on the ps timescale. The amplitude of the THz-driven suppression of condensate density reveals an unexpected decrease in pair-breaking efficiency with increasing temperature-unlike in the case of optical excitation. The reduced pair-breaking efficiency of narrow-band THz pulses, displaying minimum near ≈0.7 T_{c}, is attributed to THz-driven, long-lived, nonthermal quasiparticle distribution, resulting in Eliashberg-type enhancement of superconductivity, competing with pair breaking.

Dual passivation effects of ionic liquids enable efficient and stable perovskite solar cells.

In recent years, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have been attracting more and more attention. Although perovskite materials have high defect tolerance, defects remain the main factor that seriously affects the efficiency and stability of PSCs. Herein, the ionic liquid of 1-butyl, 3-methylimidazolium acetate ([BMIM][ACO]) was introduced into the SnO2/perovskite interface for the first time. Thanks to the dipoles formed by ILs spontaneously, the work function of SnO2 was reduced and the transport ability of carriers was improved as well. Moreover, the Lewis acidity and lone pair electrons of [BMIM][ACO] contribute to the passivation of I- defects, Pb2+ defects, or Pb-I anti site defects. In addition, the presence of dipoles will repel the approach of photogenerated holes and the reverse transport of electrons, reducing the recombination of defect sites through field-effect passivation. The solar cell with efficiency of 19.43% was obtained under such a dual passivation effect, and the best device maintained 75.21% of the initial efficiency after 80 h of continuous illumination.

Dual Recycling of Depolymerization Catalyst and Biodegradable Polyester that Markedly Outperforms Polyolefins.

Chemically recyclable, circular polymers continue to attract increasing attention, but rendering both catalysts for depolymerization and high-performance polymers recyclable is a more sustainable yet challenging goal. Here we introduce a dual catalyst/polymer recycling system in that recyclable inorganic phosphomolybdic acid catalyzes selective depolymerization of high-ceiling-temperature biodegradable poly(δ-valerolactone) in bulk phase, which, upon reaching suitable molecular weight, exhibits outstanding mechanical performance with a high tensile strength of ≈66.6 MPa, fracture strain of ≈904 %, and toughness of ≈308 MJ m-3 , and thus markedly outperforms commodity polyolefins, recovering its monomer in pure state and quantitative yield at only 100 °C. In sharp contrast, the uncatalyzed depolymerization not only requires a high temperature of >310 °C but is also low yielding and non-selective. Importantly, the recovered monomer can be repolymerized as is to reproduce the same polymer, thereby closing the circular loop, and the recycled catalyst can be reused repeatedly for depolymerization runs without loss of its catalytic activity and efficiency.

Advances in the Synthesis of Chemically Recyclable Polymers.

The development of modern society is closely related to polymer materials. However, the accumulation of polymer materials and their evolution in the environment causes not only serious environmental problems, but also waste of resources. Although physical processing can be used to reuse polymers, the properties of the resulting polymers are significantly degraded. Chemically recyclable polymers, a type of polymer that degrades into monomers, can be an effective solution to the degradation of polymer properties caused by physical recycling of polymers. The ideal chemical recycling of polymers, i. e., quantitative conversion of the polymer to monomers at low energy consumption and repolymerization of the formed monomers into polymers with comparable properties to the original, is an attractive research goal. In recent years, significant progress has been made in the design of recyclable polymers, enabling the regulation of the "polymerization-depolymerization" equilibrium and closed-loop recycling under mild conditions. This review will focus on the following aspects of closed-loop recycling of poly(sulfur) esters, polycarbonates, polyacetals, polyolefins, and poly(disulfide) polymer, illustrate the challenges in this area, and provide an outlook on future directions.

A circular polyester platform based on simple gem-disubstituted valerolactones.

Geminal disubstitution of cyclic monomers is an effective strategy to enhance the chemical recyclability of their polymers, but it is utilized for that purpose alone and often at the expense of performance properties. Here we present synergistic use of gem-α,α-disubstitution of available at-scale, bio-based δ-valerolactones to yield gem-dialkyl-substituted valerolactones ([Formula: see text]), which generate polymers that solve not only the poor chemical recyclability but also the low melting temperature and mechanical performance of the parent poly(δ-valerolactone); the gem-disubstituted polyesters ([Formula: see text]) therefore not only exhibit complete chemical recyclability but also thermal, mechanical and transport properties that rival or exceed those of polyethylene. Through a fundamental structure-property study that reveals intriguing impacts of the alkyl chain length on materials performance of [Formula: see text], this work establishes a simple circular, high-performance polyester platform based on [Formula: see text] and highlights the importance of synergistic utilization of gem-disubstitution for enhancing both chemical recyclability and materials performance of sustainable polyesters.

Mexicanolide limonoids from the seeds of Khaya ivorensis with antimicrobial activity.

The methanol extract of the seeds of Khaya ivorensis afforded two new mexicanolide limonoids, ivorensines A and B (1 and 2), together with one known compound, ruageanin D (3). The structures of the isolated compounds were established based on 1 D and 2 D (1H-1H COSY, HMQC, and HMBC) NMR spectroscopy, in addition to high resolution mass spectrometry. The isolated limonoids were tested in vitro for antimicrobial potentials against 5 pathogenic microorganisms. As a result, compounds 1-3 exhibited antimicrobial activity against the tested Gram negative bacteria at the minimum inhibitory concentration values less than 50 µg/ml.

SIRT7 silencing by miR-152-3p confers cell apoptosis and renal functional impairment induced by renal ischaemia/reperfusion injury.

PURPOSE: Acute kidney injury (AKI) induced by renal ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) during renal transplantation has been reported to be linked to the regulation of SIRT2, one of the members of SIRTUINS family. Current work is attempted to explore the influence and mechanism of SIRT7 in renal cell apoptosis controlled by miR-152-3p during renal I/R injury. METHODS: Three databases were used to select the miRNAs regulating the expression of SIRT7. Overexpression and inhibition of miR-152-3p and Luciferase assay were employed to certify the modulation of miR-152-3p to SIRT7 in cells. RT-qPCR assay was used to measure the mRNA levels. Western blot assay was employed to determine the expression of proteins. TUNEL assay and Flow Cytometry were conducted to analyze cell apoptosis. RESULTS: SIRT7 expression decreased in tissues of AKI patients and rats underwent renal I/R, which was associated with enhanced impairment of renal function. SIRT7 downregulation was attributed to the direct inhibition by miR-152-3p due to binding and inhibiting its seed sequence in 3'-UTR of SIRT7 mRNA. Consequently, the upregulation of miR-152-3p led to an inhibition of SIRT7 expression, an increase in expression of extrinsic apoptosis molecules containing FOXO3a, Bim, and caspase3, and apoptotic renal cells; while miR-152-3p inhibition abolished these phenotypes. CONCLUSION: SIRT7 downregulation by miR-152-3p is a leading cause of renal cell apoptosis and functional impairment induced by renal I/R. Inhibition of miR-152-3p to restore SIRT7 expression can be a promising strategy against renal I/R injury.

Chromosome-level genome assembly of the Muscovy duck provides insight into fatty liver susceptibility.

The Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is an economically important poultry species, which is susceptible to fatty liver. Thus, the Muscovy duck may serve as an excellent candidate animal model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. However, the mechanisms underlying fatty liver development in this species are poorly understood. In this study, we report a chromosome-level genome assembly of the Muscovy duck, with a contig N50 of 11.8 Mb and scaffold N50 of 83.16 Mb. The susceptibility of Muscovy duck to fatty liver was mainly attributed to weak lipid catabolism capabilities (fatty acid ß-oxidation and lipolysis). Furthermore, conserved noncoding elements (CNEs) showing accelerated evolution contributed to fatty liver formation by down-regulating the expression of genes involved in hepatic lipid catabolism. We propose that the susceptibility of Muscovy duck to fatty liver is an evolutionary by-product. In conclusion, this study revealed the potential mechanisms underlying the susceptibility of Muscovy duck to fatty liver.

Stable α-FAPbI3 via porous PbI2 for efficient perovskite solar cells.

Black-phase formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3), with a narrow bandgap and high thermal stability, has emerged as an in-demand material for highly efficient perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In a two-step sequential deposition, the PbI2 film plays an important role in the formation of a perovskite film with desirable qualities. This paper explores using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), a strong Lewis base, and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as a mixed precursor solvent (DMF/NMP) of PbI2 and reports on preparing PbI2 films with a porous morphology by thermal treatment. Porous PbI2 films ensure the diffusion and sufficient reaction of the formamidinium iodide solution to form a smooth perovskite film. In addition, a dynamic spin coating method is also introduced to improve the uniformity of the perovskite film. Both methods yield a pure α-phase FAPbI3 film immediately in the unannealed state, which is necessary for the perovskite film to maintain phase stability. Finally, PSCs with a power conversion efficiency of 21.20% (0.13 cm2) are fabricated and optimized. The unencapsulated PSCs retain 90% of the initial efficiency for 1000 hours in dry air and exhibit a good thermal stability when heated to 85 °C.

[Influence of posttraumatic blood pressure variability on post-traumatic stress disorder].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between blood pressure variability (BPV) and incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in trauma patients. METHODS: Patients admitted to the department of emergency medicine of the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University for acute trauma from January 2018 to December 2021 were enrolled. The clinical data and blood pressure at admission (T1), 10 minutes before anesthesia (T2), 60 minutes after surgery (T3), and 24 hours after surgery (T4) were collected. Coefficient of variation of blood pressure variation [CV-BP, including coefficient of variation of systolic blood pressure (CV-SBP), coefficient of variation of diastolic blood pressure (CV-DBP), coefficient of variation of mean arterial pressure (CV-MAP)] and its quartile were calculated. Patients were divided into Q1 group (CV-MAP ≤ 7.27), Q2 group (7.27 < CV-MAP ≤ 9.50), Q3 group (9.50 < CV-MAP ≤ 14.05) and Q4 group (CV-MAP > 14.05) according to CV-MAP quartile. The PTSD symptoms of the patients were evaluated using the PTSD scale (PCL-5) one month later, and the patients were divided into the PTSD group and the non-PTSD group according to whether PCL-5 score higher than 38. Then the differences of the above indicators were compared and analyzed. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between each index and PCL-5 score; the risk factors of PTSD were analyzed by univariate binary Logistic regression. Variables with P < 0.05 were included in the multivariate binary Logistic regression model. The receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was drawn to analyze the predictive value of CV-MAP on the incidence of PTSD. RESULTS: A total of 112 patients were enrolled, including 24 in PTSD group and 88 in non-PTSD group. Compared with non-PTSD group, the proportion of women, T1 shock index, proportion of intraoperative and postoperative blood transfusion in PTSD group was higher. Besides, PTSD group also had longer PT, more intraoperative and postoperative blood transfusion, and lower postoperative hemoglobin (Hb) level (all P < 0.05). The T1 SBP, DBP, MAP and T4 MAP of patients in PTSD group were significantly lower than those in non-PTSD group [T1 SBP (mmHg, 1 mmHg ≈ 0.133 kPa): 105.0 (86.3, 121.3) vs. 122.0 (112.0, 132.8), T1 DBP (mmHg): 62.5 (50.0, 77.3) vs. 76.0 (68.5, 82.8), T1 MAP (mmHg): 77.8 (60.4, 91.3) vs. 93.3 (82.5, 99.0), T4 MAP (mmHg): 83.8±9.1 vs. 88.7±10.4, all P < 0.05], CV-SBP, CV-DBP and CV-MAP were higher than those in the non-PTSD group [CV-SBP: 12.80 (10.12, 19.16) vs. 9.30 (6.07, 12.95), CV-DBP: 16.62±6.47 vs. 12.40±5.61, CV-MAP: 14.10 (9.25, 18.85) vs. 8.90 (6.93, 13.29), all P < 0.05]. Spearman correlation analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between CV-MAP and PCL-5 scores in patients with acute trauma (r = 0.429, P < 0.001); multivariate binary Logistic regression analysis showed that only CV-MAP [odds ratio (OR) = 1.128, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 1.015-1.254, P = 0.025] and CV-DBP (OR = 1.114, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 1.016-1.221, P = 0.022) was the risk factor for PTSD in acute trauma patients. Compared with Q1 group, Q4 group was significantly more likely to develop PTSD (OR = 18.6, 95%CI was 1.9-179.1, P = 0.012). CV-SBP, CV-DBP and CV-MAP had certain predictive value on PTSD diagnosis in patients with acute trauma according to ROC curve analysis results [area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.713, 0.682 and 0.726, respectively], among which CV-MAP has the highest predictive value. When the cut-off value of CV-MAP was 12.158, the sensitivity was 75.0% and the specificity was 69.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Higher BPV after trauma is a risk factor for PTSD. Maintaining stable blood pressure in trauma patients is of great significance for prevention and treatment of PTSD.

The spike gating flow: A hierarchical structure-based spiking neural network for online gesture recognition.

Action recognition is an exciting research avenue for artificial intelligence since it may be a game changer in emerging industrial fields such as robotic visions and automobiles. However, current deep learning (DL) faces major challenges for such applications because of the huge computational cost and inefficient learning. Hence, we developed a novel brain-inspired spiking neural network (SNN) based system titled spiking gating flow (SGF) for online action learning. The developed system consists of multiple SGF units which are assembled in a hierarchical manner. A single SGF unit contains three layers: a feature extraction layer, an event-driven layer, and a histogram-based training layer. To demonstrate the capability of the developed system, we employed a standard dynamic vision sensor (DVS) gesture classification as a benchmark. The results indicated that we can achieve 87.5% of accuracy which is comparable with DL, but at a smaller training/inference data number ratio of 1.5:1. Only a single training epoch is required during the learning process. Meanwhile, to the best of our knowledge, this is the highest accuracy among the non-backpropagation based SNNs. Finally, we conclude the few-shot learning (FSL) paradigm of the developed network: 1) a hierarchical structure-based network design involves prior human knowledge; 2) SNNs for content-based global dynamic feature detection.

Hydrostatic pressure stimulates the osteogenesis and angiogenesis of MSCs/HUVECs co-culture on porous PLGA scaffolds.

In native bone tissue regeneration, blood vessels, providing oxygen and nutrition for tissues, can promote the regeneration of bone and accelerate the repair of a defected area. In this study, Poly(D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) inverse opal scaffolds with high pore interconnectivity were fabricated and further modified with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The rat bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were co-cultured onto the scaffolds to enhance vascularization for bone tissue regeneration. Cell attachment, viability, proliferation, and morphology were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, live and dead staining and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Hydrostatic pressure with 0-279 KPa and 1 Hz one hour per day for 7 days was applied to tissue engineered bone constructs to investigate whether the loading stimulation can promote osteogenesis and angiogenesis mutually evaluated in parallel by multiple in vitro assays and in an in vivo chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model. The results indicated that the immobilization of VEGF can improve biocompatibility of PLGA scaffolds and promote cell attachment and proliferation. The cell-scaffold constructs showed higher CD31 expression because of the angiogenic differentiation of rMSCs in hydrostatic loading culture condition in vitro. The in vivo CAM model experiment demonstrated that hydrostatic loading stimulated angiogenic differentiation of rMSCs can accelerate tubulogenesis. Furthermore, the new capillaries formed in cell-scaffold constructs were conducive to calcium deposition in vivo.

Resveratrol pretreatment mitigates LPS-induced acute lung injury by regulating conventional dendritic cells' maturation and function.

Acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a severe syndrome lacking efficient therapy and resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Although resveratrol (RES), a natural phytoalexin, has been reported to protect the ALI by suppressing the inflammatory response, the detailed mechanism of how RES affected the immune system is poorly studied. Pulmonary conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) are critically involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory lung diseases including ALI. In this study, we aimed to investigate the protective role of RES via pulmonary cDCs in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI mice. Murine ALI model was established by intratracheally challenging with 5 mg/kg LPS. We found that RES pretreatment could mitigate LPS-induced ALI. Additionally, proinflammatory-skewed cytokines decreased whereas anti-inflammatory-related cytokines increased in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid by RES pretreatment. Mechanistically, RES regulated pulmonary cDCs' maturation and function, exhibiting lower level of CD80, CD86, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II expression, and IL-10 secretion in ALI mice. Furthermore, RES modulated the balance between proinflammation and anti-inflammation of cDCs. Moreover, in vitro RES pretreatment regulated the maturation and function of bone marrow derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). Finally, the adoptive transfer of RES-pretreated BMDCs enhanced recovery of ALI. Thus, these data might further extend our understanding of a protective role of RES in regulating pulmonary cDCs against ALI.

Development of miRNA-Based Approaches to Explore the Interruption of Mosquito-Borne Disease Transmission.

MicroRNA (miRNA or miR)-based approaches to interrupt the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases have been explored since 2005. A review of these studies and areas in which to proceed is needed. In this review, significant progress is reviewed at the level of individual miRNAs, and miRNA diversification and relevant confounders are described in detail. Current miRNA studies in mosquitoes include four steps, namely, identifying miRNAs, validating miRNA-pathogen interactions, exploring action mechanisms, and performing preapplication investigations. Notably, regarding the Plasmodium parasite, mosquito miRNAs generally bind to mosquito immunity- or development-related mRNAs, indirectly regulating Plasmodium infection; However, regarding arboviruses, mosquito miRNAs can bind to the viral genome, directly modifying viral replication. Thus, during explorations of miRNA-based approaches, researchers need select an ideal miRNA for investigation based on the mosquito species, tissue, and mosquito-borne pathogen of interest. Additionally, strategies for miRNA-based approaches differ for arboviruses and protozoan parasites.

Association of T2285C polymorphism in PARP1 gene coding region with its expression, activity and NSCLC risk along with prognosis.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1), a DNA repair gene, is the crucial player in the maintenance of genome integrity. T2285C polymorphism in coding region of PARP1 has been reported to be associated with susceptibility to tumours. We explored the relationship and mechanism of T2285C polymorphism of PARP1 to its expression and activity along with risk and prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). mRNA expression was measured using quantitative RT-PCR assay or collected from TCGA dataset. Protein expression was examined with immunoblotting assay. Genotypes were determined by PCR-RFLP and sequencing approaches. PARP1 activity was determined with enzyme activity assay. Regulation of SIRT7 to PARP1 was determined by overexpression and small interference experiment. Association of PARP1 T2285C polymorphism with NSCLC risk was evaluated via multiple logistic regression analysis. Comparison of treatment response and progression-free survival (PFS) of NSCLC patients among different genotypes or regimens was made by chi-square test. Results indicated that mRNA and protein expression of PARP1 dramatically increased in NSCLC tissues in comparison with paired para-carcinoma tissues (P < 0.05). TC/CC mutant genotypes were associated with markedly enhanced PARP1 mRNA level compared with TT genotype (P = 0.011). No significant difference was discovered in PARP1 protein expression among TT, TC or CC genotypes (P > 0.05). Subjects with variant allele C had higher risk of NSCLC in comparison with allele T carriers [odds ratio = 1.560; P = 0.000]. NSCLC patients carrying mutational TC or CC genotypes were correlated with unfavourable response to platinum-based chemotherapy (TT vs. TC vs. CC, P = 0.010), and shorter PFS compared with TT genotype (TT vs. TC vs. CC, P = 0.009). T2285C mutation of PARP1 resulted in the enhancement of its mRNA, but the decrease of enzyme activity in tumour cell. Overexpression of SIRT7 attenuated PARP1 expression and activity. These findings suggest the variant allele C of T2285C polymorphism of PARP1 linked to an increase of NSCLC risk, and unfavourable efficacy and prognosis of NSCLC patients with platinum-based chemotherapy, which might be associated with enhancement of its mRNA expression and the diminishment of activity. Identification of PARP1 T2285C polymorphism and mRNA expression may be the promising way for the individualised treatment of NSCLC.

[Cd Accumulation Characteristics in Different Populations of Hylotelephium spectabile Under Salt Stress].

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the growth response and Cd accumulation characteristics among different populations of Hylotelephium spectabile in Cd-contaminated cinnamon soil (2.22 mg·kg-1) with the addition of different concentrations of NaCl. Results showed that the biomasses and Cd concentrations of H. spectabile showed significant differences among different populations under Cd alone or Cd-salt combined stress. Moreover, salt stress aggravated the growth inhibition of H. spectabile and the Cd concentrations in different H. spectabile populations showed a declining trend, which may be related to the salt-derived pH increase leading to a decrease in Cd bioavailability. In addition, the growth and Cd absorption responses of H. spectabile under salt stress were significantly different in the different populations. The shoot biomasses of the LN population were significantly higher than in other populations under different treatment, and showed no significant decrease with the addition of 1% NaCl when compared with the control treatment and the tolerance index remained 0.91. At the same time, the shoot Cd concentration of the LN population was significantly higher than in other populations under different treatments. The result may be attributed to the Cd accumulation and detoxification mechanisms in LN are prior than other populations that may also have important physiological mechanisms for tolerance of salt stress. In summary, although Cd uptake in H. spectabile decreased with salt stress, there were significant differences among different populations. LN populations accumulated 84.4 µg·plant-1 Cd in shoots with 2% NaCl addition, which was 48.4%-89.3% higher than in other populations. Therefore, H. spectabile, especially LN populations, is a good candidate for phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated saline soil.