Post-Translational Modification ß-Hydroxybutyrylation Regulates Ustilaginoidea virens Virulence.

Lysine ß-hydroxybutyrylation (Kbhb) is an evolutionarily conserved and widespread post-translational modification that is associated with active gene transcription and cellular proliferation. However, its role in phytopathogenic fungi remains unknown. Here, we characterized Kbhb in the rice false smut fungus Ustilaginoidea virens. We identified 2204 Kbhb sites in 852 proteins, which are involved in diverse biological processes. The mitogen-activated protein kinase UvSlt2 is a Kbhb protein, and a strain harboring a point mutation at K72, the Kbhb site of this protein, had decreased UvSlt2 activity and reduced fungal virulence. Molecular dynamic simulations revealed that K72bhb increases the hydrophobic solvent-accessible surface area of UvSlt2, thereby affecting its binding to its substrates. The mutation of K298bhb in the septin UvCdc10 resulted in reduced virulence and altered the subcellular localization of this protein. Moreover, we confirmed that the NAD+-dependent histone deacetylases UvSirt2 and UvSirt5 are the major enzymes that remove Kbhb in U. virens. Collectively, our findings identify regulatory elements of the Kbhb pathway and reveal important roles for Kbhb in regulating protein localization and enzymatic activity. These findings provide insight into the regulation of virulence in phytopathogenic fungi via post-translational modifications.

Integrated analysis of single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing data reveals prognostic characteristics of lysosome-dependent cell death-related genes in osteosarcoma.

BACKGROUND: Tumor cells exhibit a heightened susceptibility to lysosomal-dependent cell death (LCD) compared to normal cells. However, the role of LCD-related genes (LCD-RGs) in Osteosarcoma (OS) remains unelucidated. This study aimed to elucidate the role of LCD-RGs and their mechanisms in OS using several existing OS related datasets, including TCGA-OS, GSE16088, GSE14359, GSE21257 and GSE162454. RESULTS: Analysis identified a total of 8,629 DEGs1, 2,777 DEGs2 and 21 intersection genes. Importantly, two biomarkers (ATP6V0D1 and HDAC6) linked to OS prognosis were identified to establish the prognostic model. Significant differences in risk scores for OS survival were observed between high and low-risk cohorts. Additionally, scores of dendritic cells (DC), immature DCs and γδT cells differed significantly between the two risk cohorts. Cell annotations from GSE162454 encompassed eight types (myeloid cells, osteoblastic OS cells and plasma cells). ATP6V0D1 was found to be significantly over-expressed in myeloid cells and osteoclasts, while HDAC6 was under-expressed across all cell types. Moreover, single-cell trajectory mapping revealed that myeloid cells and osteoclasts differentiated first, underscoring their pivotal role in patients with OS. Furthermore, ATP6V0D1 expression progressively decreased with time. CONCLUSIONS: A new prognostic model for OS, associated with LCD-RGs, was developed and validated, offering a fresh perspective for exploring the association between LCD and OS.

circNOX4 activates an inflammatory fibroblast niche to promote tumor growth and metastasis in NSCLC via FAP/IL-6 axis.

BACKGROUND: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) orchestrate a supportive niche that fuels cancer metastatic development in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Due to the heterogeneity and plasticity of CAFs, manipulating the activated phenotype of fibroblasts is a promising strategy for cancer therapy. However, the underlying mechanisms of fibroblast activation and phenotype switching that drive metastasis remain elusive. METHODS: The clinical implications of fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-positive CAFs (FAP+CAFs) were evaluated based on tumor specimens from NSCLC patients and bioinformatic analysis of online databases. CAF-specific circular RNAs (circRNAs) were screened by circRNA microarrays of primary human CAFs and matched normal fibroblasts (NFs). Survival analyses were performed to assess the prognostic value of circNOX4 in NSCLC clinical samples. The biological effects of circNOX4 were investigated by gain- and loss-of-function experiments in vitro and in vivo. Fluorescence in situ hybridization, luciferase reporter assays, RNA immunoprecipitation, and miRNA rescue experiments were conducted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of fibroblast activation. Cytokine antibody array, transwell coculture system, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were performed to investigate the downstream effectors that promote cancer metastasis. RESULTS: FAP+CAFs were significantly enriched in metastatic cancer samples, and their higher abundance was correlated with the worse overall survival in NSCLC patients. A novel CAF-specific circRNA, circNOX4 (hsa_circ_0023988), evoked the phenotypic transition from NFs into CAFs and promoted the migration and invasion of NSCLC in vitro and in vivo. Clinically, circNOX4 correlated with the poor prognosis of advanced NSCLC patients. Mechanistically, circNOX4 upregulated FAP by sponging miR-329-5p, which led to fibroblast activation. Furthermore, the circNOX4/miR-329-5p/FAP axis activated an inflammatory fibroblast niche by preferentially inducing interleukin-6 (IL-6) and eventually promoting NSCLC progression. Disruption of the intercellular circNOX4/IL-6 axis significantly suppressed tumor growth and metastatic colonization in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals a role of the circRNA-induced fibroblast niche in tumor metastasis and highlights that targeting the circNOX4/FAP/IL-6 axis is a promising strategy for the intervention of NSCLC metastasis.

Ustilaginoidea virens-secreted effector Uv1809 suppresses rice immunity by enhancing OsSRT2-mediated histone deacetylation.

Rice false smut caused by Ustilaginoidea virens is a devastating rice (Oryza sativa) disease worldwide. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying U. virens-rice interactions are largely unknown. In this study, we identified a secreted protein, Uv1809, as a key virulence factor. Heterologous expression of Uv1809 in rice enhanced susceptibility to rice false smut and bacterial blight. Host-induced gene silencing of Uv1809 in rice enhanced resistance to U. virens, suggesting that Uv1809 inhibits rice immunity and promotes infection by U. virens. Uv1809 suppresses rice immunity by targeting and enhancing rice histone deacetylase OsSRT2-mediated histone deacetylation, thereby reducing H4K5ac and H4K8ac levels and interfering with the transcriptional activation of defence genes. CRISPR-Cas9 edited ossrt2 mutants showed no adverse effects in terms of growth and yield but displayed broad-spectrum resistance to rice pathogens, revealing a potentially valuable genetic resource for breeding disease resistance. Our study provides insight into defence mechanisms against plant pathogens that inactivate plant immunity at the epigenetic level.

Sirt5-mediated lysine desuccinylation regulates oxidative stress adaptation in Magnaporthe oryzae during host intracellular infection.

Plant pathogenic fungi elaborate numerous detoxification strategies to suppress host reactive oxygen species (ROS), but their coordination is not well-understood. Here, we show that Sirt5-mediated protein desuccinylation in Magnaporthe oryzae is central to host ROS detoxification. SIRT5 encodes a desuccinylase important for virulence via adaptation to host oxidative stress. Quantitative proteomics analysis identified a large number of succinylated proteins targeted by Sirt5, most of which were mitochondrial proteins involved in oxidative phosphorylation, TCA cycle, and fatty acid oxidation. Deletion of SIRT5 resulted in hypersuccinylation of detoxification-related enzymes, and significant reduction in NADPH : NADP+ and GSH : GSSG ratios, disrupting redox balance and impeding invasive growth. Sirt5 desuccinylated thioredoxin Trx2 and glutathione peroxidase Hyr1 to activate their enzyme activity, likely by affecting proper folding. Altogether, this work demonstrates the importance of Sirt5-mediated desuccinylation in controlling fungal process required for detoxifying host ROS during M. oryzae infection.

Inhibitor of cardiolipin biosynthesis-related enzyme MoGep4 confers broad-spectrum anti-fungal activity.

Plant pathogens cause devastating diseases, leading to serious losses to agriculture. Mechanistic understanding of pathogenesis of plant pathogens lays the foundation for the development of fungicides for disease control. Mitophagy, a specific form of autophagy, is important for fungal virulence. The role of cardiolipin, mitochondrial signature phospholipid, in mitophagy and pathogenesis is largely unknown in plant pathogenic fungi. The functions of enzymes involved in cardiolipin biosynthesis and relevant inhibitors were assessed using a set of assays, including genetic deletion, plant infection, lipidomics, chemical-protein interaction, chemical inhibition, and field trials. Our results showed that the cardiolipin biosynthesis-related gene MoGEP4 of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae regulates growth, conidiation, cardiolipin biosynthesis, and virulence. Mechanistically, MoGep4 regulated mitophagy and Mps1-MAPK phosphorylation, which are required for virulence. Chemical alexidine dihydrochloride (AXD) inhibited the enzyme activity of MoGep4, cardiolipin biosynthesis and mitophagy. Importantly, AXD efficiently inhibited the growth of 10 plant pathogens and controlled rice blast and Fusarium head blight in the field. Our study demonstrated that MoGep4 regulates mitophagy, Mps1 phosphorylation and pathogenesis in M. oryzae. In addition, we found that the MoGep4 inhibitor, AXD, displays broad-spectrum antifungal activity and is a promising candidate for fungicide development.

Dapagliflozin Ameliorates Ovulation Disorders via Attenuating Activated Microglia-Mediated Hypothalamic Inflammation in HFD-Fed Mice.

INTRODUCTION: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) have shown neuroprotective effects in obese mice. However, whether SGLT2i can ameliorate high-fat diet (HFD)-related ovulation disorders remains unknown. The aim of this research was to investigate whether dapagliflozin improves HFD-induced ovulatory dysfunction by attenuating microglia-mediated hypothalamic inflammation. METHODS: C57BL/6J female mice fed HFD were treated with dapagliflozin (1 mg/kg) for 22 weeks. Plasma insulin, leptin, luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2), and IL-1ß levels were also tested. Microglial morphology, cell numbers, and SGLT2 expression were evaluated using immunofluorescence. The expression of IL-1ß, NLRP3, kisspeptin, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), SGLT2, insulin, and leptin receptors in the hypothalamus was determined using immunohistochemical staining. We also examined the effects of dapagliflozin on glucose metabolism and the release of inflammatory factor in palmitic acid (PA)-treated HMC3 cells. RESULTS: As expected, dapagliflozin improved HFD-induced metabolic disturbances, peripheral versus central insulin and leptin resistance and also restored the regular estrous cycle. Furthermore, dapagliflozin blunted microglia activation, NLRP3 inflammasome priming, hypothalamic inflammation, and increased the expression of GnRH and kisspeptin at proestrus in the hypothalamus. Additionally, dapagliflozin markedly reduced IL-6 and NO release and fat accumulation, decreased lactic acid production and glucose consumption, and inhibited mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and hexokinase 2 (HK2) expression in PA-treated HMC3 cells. These effects suggest that dapagliflozin reduced the mTOR/HK2-mediated aerobic glycolysis. CONCLUSIONS: Dapagliflozin improved HFD-related ovulation disorders by regulating glucose metabolism through mTOR/HK2 signaling and attenuating microglia-mediated hypothalamic inflammation. These results validate the novel role for the neuroprotection of SGLT2i in HFD-induced obesity and ovulation disorders.

The clinical significance of intraoperative adverse events in laparoscopic radical hysterectomies for early-stage cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Surgical quality plays a vital role in the treatment of malignant tumors. We investigated the classification of intraoperative adverse events (iAE) (ClassIntra) in relation to the surgical quality control of laparoscopic radical hysterectomies. METHODS: A prospective cohort of 195 patients who had undergone laparoscopic radical hysterectomies for early stage cervical cancer between July 2019 and July 2021 was enrolled. Participants were classified into either an iAE or non-iAE groups in accordance with their intraoperative status. Surgical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and quality of life were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Overall, 48 (24.6%) patients experienced 71 iAE. The iAE group was associated with significantly longer operative times (mean: 270 vs. 245 min, P < 0.001), greater blood loss (mean: 215 vs. 120 mL, P < 0.001), and longer postoperative hospital stays (median: 16 vs. 11 days). Larger tumors and poor technical performance significantly increased the risk of iAE (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that iAE were the only independent risk factors for postoperative complications (hazard ratio, 15.100; 95% confidence interval: 4.735-48.158, P < 0.001). Moreover, patients who experienced iAE had significantly lower satisfaction scores and poorer quality of life (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: ClassIntra may serve as an effective adjunctive tool for surgical quality control in laparoscopic radical hysterectomies.

Numerical simulation of ultrawideband supercontinuum generation covering a 2-20 µm waveband in cascaded all-soft-glass fiber.

We designed a cascaded all-soft-glass fiber structure and simulate midinfrared 2-20 µm ultrawideband supercontinuum (SC) generation numerically. The cascaded fiber structure consists of a 1.5 m I n F 3 fiber, a 0.2 m chalcogenide photonic crystal fiber, and a 0.2 m tellurium-based chalcogenide photonic crystal fiber. Using a 2 µm pulse pumping this cascaded structure, the generated SC covering the wavelengths longer than 20 µm has been demonstrated theoretically. The 30 dB bandwidth reaches 20.87 µm from 1.44 to 22.31 µm. The effect of different pulse widths on SC generation is considered. With the increase of peak power and the decrease of pulse width, the energy of SC in the 15-20 µm waveband increases gradually. The mechanism of SC broadening process has also been analyzed. The SC generation of more than 20 µm in this cascade structure is caused by the self-phase modulation, soliton effects, four-wave mixing, and redshifted dispersive wave. This method demonstrates the possibility of generating ultrawide bandwidth SCs up to a 20 µm waveband by a commercial 2 µm pump source and all-fiber structure.

Clinical Efficacy of Sodium Cantharidate Vitamin B6 Combined with Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in the Treatment of Local Advanced Cervical Cancer and its Influence on Tumor Markers.

Objective: To explore the clinical efficacy of sodium cantharidate vitamin B6 combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy in the treatment of local advanced cervical cancer and its influence on tumor markers. Methods: A total of 120 patients with locally advanced cervical cancer were enrolled at our hospital from January 2021 to December 2022, and these cases were randomly divided into two groups using a random number table method. The control group was treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy, while the study group was treated with sodium cantharidate vitamin B6 on the basis of the control group. The clinical efficacy, changes in self-immune function (CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ cells ratio), tumor marker levels [Squamous Cell Carcinoma Antigen (SCCA), Carbohydrate Antigen 125 (CA125), Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA)], quality of life (Nottingham Health Profile questionnaire), and incidence of adverse events were compared between the two groups. Results: After treatment, there was no significant difference in the overall efficacy and disease control rates between the two groups (P > .05). Before treatment, there was no difference in auto-immune function between the two groups (P > .05). However, after treatment, the study group showed a significant improvement in auto-immune function, and when compared to the control group, the levels of CD3+, CD4+ cells, and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ cells were higher in the study group (P < .05). Before treatment, there was no difference in tumor markers between the two groups (P > .05). While after treatment, tumor markers in both groups decreased significantly, and in comparison to the control group, the levels of SCCA, CA125, and CEA in the study group were lower (P < .05). Before treatment, there was no significant difference in the quality of life between the two groups (P > .05). However, after treatment, the quality of life in both groups improved, and the study group had a higher quality of life score than the control group (P < .05). There was no significant difference in thrombocytopenia between the two groups (P > .05). The total incidence of leukopenia, neutropenia, and radio-chemotherapy-related gastroenteritis in the study group was lower than that in the control group (P < .05). Conclusions: Sodium cantharidate vitamin B6 combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy in the treatment of local advanced cervical cancer can not only effectively enhance the autoimmune function, downregulate the level of tumor markers, and improve the quality of patient life, but also cause relatively few adverse reactions.

Epimedium Linn: A Comprehensive Review of Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Clinical Applications and Quality Control.

Epimedium genus is a traditional Chinese medicine, which has functions of tonifying kidney and yang, strengthening tendons and bones, dispelling wind and emoving dampness. It is mainly used for the treatment of impotence and spermatorrhea, osteoporosis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this review is to provide a systematic summary of the phytochemistry, pharmacology, and clinical applications of the Epimedium Linn. In this paper, the relevant literature on Epimedium Linn. was collected from 1987 to the present day, and more than 274 chemical constituents, including flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, lignans, phenanthrenes, and others, were isolated from this genus. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that Epimedium Linn. has osteoprotective, neuroprotective, cardiovascular protective, and immune enhancing pharmacological effects. In addition, Epimedium Linn. has been commonly used to treat osteoporosis, erectile dysfunction, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. In this paper, the distribution of resources, chemical compositions, pharmacological effects, clinical applications and quality control of Epimedium Linn. are progressed to provide a reference for further research and development of the resources of this genus.

First Report of Leaf Rot Caused by Apiospora paraphaeosperma on Lily in Wuhan, China.

Lily (Lilium spp.) is a valuable ornamental bulb flower plant in Liliaceae, and its bulbs have high edible and medicinal value. Compared with bulb propagation of other lilies, seed propagation and short growth period are the most significant characteristics of Lilium×formolongi. In 2023, leaf rot disease (LRD) was observed on approximately 70% of the Lilium×formolongi seedlings sown in an experimental greenhouse in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. Irregular brown water-soaked spots were discovered in the early stages of infected seedlings. Then, spots spread throughout the leaves and caused the leaves to brown, soften, and wilted. A pathogen associated with symptoms was isolated by incubating sterilized leaves on potato dextrose agar plates at 25 ℃ for 2-3 days. Then, a pure single colony was isolated through a single hyphal tip isolation method. The fungal colony was white with abundant aerial mycelium and produced a yellow pigment diffusible into the agar. Microscopically, isolated mycelia were reticulate and pale yellow, while conidia were dark brown, smooth, and spherical, 7.31 to 6.98 × 4.03 to 3.87µm (average 5.44×5.41µm; n=30); oval in lateral view, and had a light stripe in the middle. To identify the species of the fungus at the molecular level, ITS and EF-1α genes were amplified and sequenced using primers ITS1/ITS4 (M Gardes et al. 1993) and 758F/986R (Carbone and Kohn 1999). The BLAST results in GenBank showed that the ITS(OR523578) and EF-1α(PP066842) sequences of LRD shared 99.82% and 99.24% identity with the distinct Apiospora paraphaeosperma strains (GenBank accession MT040110, ON806628.1, respectively). Combined with the morphology of the colony and conidium, the fungus was identified as Ap. paraphaeosperma. In the pathogenicity test, six healthy leaves were inoculated with mycelium disc and then kept in an incubator (22 ℃, 90% humidity, 16h light /8h darkness). The inoculated leaves showed necrosis and wilt symptoms similar to those observed in the greenhouse, while the control leaves were asymptomatic. A re-isolation, morphology identification and DNA sequencing of the fungus confirmed its infection with Ap. paraphaeosperma in Lilium spp. At present, rot caused by Ap. paraphaeosperma has only been reported in Thailand and South Korea, both of which are found on bamboo stems (Hyde et al. 2016; Sun Lul Kwon et al. 2022). As far as we know, this is the first report of leaf rot of lily caused by Ap. paraphaeosperma in China. This report can help identify this disease and further develop effective control measures.

First Report of Anthracnose Caused by Colletotrichum plurivorum on Passion fruit in Guangxi, China.

Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims.) is popular for its rich taste and nutritional value. The planting area of passion fruit in Guangxi has reached 24,300 ha, with an annual output of 380,000 t (Qian 2023). In March 2023, leave spots on more than half of the plants (cv. Qinmi "NO.9"). Moreover, the incidence of disease on the leaves was approximately 20% in Shabu Town, Qinnan District, Qinzhou City, Guangxi, China (N20˚54'-22˚41', E107˚27'-109˚56'). Leaf diseases were orbicular or irregular in shape, white, whitish-grey, yellowish, or gray in color. When leaves were severely affected, larger blotches were formed with yellow halos. For pathogen isolation, three diseased leaf samples were collected from three gardens, respectively, and 5×5 mm tissues were cut from infected margins, surface-disinfected in 75% ethanol for 15 s, followed by 2% sodium hypochlorite for 1 min, rinsed three times with sterile water, and incubated on PDA at 25°C under 12/12 h light/darkness. After 5 days, ninety cultures were isolated, sixty isolates with similar morphology were retained, and three representative isolates BY-1, BY-2, and BY-4 were randomly selected for further study. On PDA, colonies of the three isolates displayed white or grayish-white. Conidia were single-celled, hyaline, and cylindrical, measuring 17.3±1.5 × 6.3±0.7 µm, 17.8±1.7 × 6.0±0.6 µm, and 16.3±1.4 × 6.4±0.6 µm (n=90) for BY-1, BY-2, and BY-4, respectively. Appressoria were single, brown or black, and irregular in shape, measuring 10.2±1.1×6.5±0.5 µm, 10.5±1.3×7.3±0.6, and 10.9±0.8×7.0±0.8 (n=90) for BY-1, BY-2, and BY-4, respectively. These morphological characteristics were similar to Colletotrichum spp. as previously described (Damm et al. 2019). The isolates were further identified by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS-ITS1/ITS4), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH-GDF/GDR), actin (ACT-512F/783R), partial sequences of the chitin synthase 1 (CHS-1-79F/354R), and beta-tubulin 2 (TUB2-T1/Bt2b) (Zhang et al. 2023). All sequences were deposited in GenBank (ITS: OR741759 to OR741761, GAPDH: OR767654 to OR767656, ACT: OR767657 to OR767659, CHS-1: OR767660 to OR767662, TUB2: OR767651 to OR767653). A phylogenetic tree was built with RAxML version 8.2.10 based on concatenated sequences of ITS-GAPDH-ACT-CHS-1-TUB2. The results revealed that the three isolates clustered with C. plurivorum. To confirm the pathogenicity of the three isolates, attached leaves of healthy 5-month-old passion fruit plants were injured in the middle region with sterile toothpicks and inoculated with 20 µL of spore suspension (106 conidia/mL), and the noninoculated control received 0.05% Tween-20 (6 leaves/plant, 3 plants/treatment). The inoculated plants were kept in a greenhouse at 25°C and covered with plastic bags to maintain high humidity. After 9 days, all inoculated leaves were symptomatic, whereas no symptoms were observed in the control. C. plurivorum was reisolated from infected leaves, confirming Koch's postulates. C. plurivorum has been reported to infect Abelmoschus esculentus (Batista et al. 2020) and Carya illinoinensis in China (Zhang et al. 2023). However, this is the first report of anthracnose caused by C. plurivorum on passion fruit in China. The results can provide a robust basis for scientific prevention and control of anthracnose.

Identification and Characterization of Colletotrichum Species Associated with Anthracnose Disease of Plum.

Plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.) is commercially cultivated worldwide for the high levels of nutrients in the fruit. In recent years, anthracnose has been severe in some plum planting areas in China, resulting in a large number of necrotic leaves, blight and pre-mature leaf fall. In this study, anthracnose samples of plum leaves were collected from Hezhou, Guilin and Lipu, Guangxi Province, and Meishan city, Abe Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture of Sichuan Province. Characteristics of mycelia on PDA, morphology of appressoria and conidia, and analysis of sequences of several marker regions (internal transcribed spacer [ITS] region, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase [GAPDH], chitin synthase [CHS-1], histone H3 [HIS3], actin [ACT], ß-tubulin [TUB2], and the intergenic region between apn2 and MAT1-2-1 [ApMat]). The resulting 101 Colletotrichum isolates obtained were identified as eight species: C. fructicola (50.5%), C. siamense (24.8%), C. karsti (8.9%), C. plurivorum (7.9%), C. aeschynomenes (3.9%), C. gloeosporioides (2%), C. celtidis (1%) and C. phyllanthi (1%). Representatives of all eight Colletotrichum species were found to cause disease on wounded leaves of plum seedlings in pathogenicity assays. As far as we are aware, this is the first report of anthracnose of plum caused by C. celtidis and C. phyllanthi in China.

Fruit Anthracnose on Cavendish bananas Caused by Colletotrichum fructicola in Guangxi, China.

Cavendish banana (Musa spp. AAA group) is one of the main fruit crops worldwide. It is widely planted in Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Fujian and Yunnan provinces in southern China. In November 2020, banana fruits with anthracnose symptoms were collected from Dayu Town (N 23.17°, E 109.80°), Guigang City, and Chengjun Town (N 22.60°, E 110.00°), Yulin City, Guangxi Province, China, where the disease was found on about 70% of the banana plants, and on individual fruit, up to 10% of the surface was covered with symptoms. The symptoms initially began with rust-colored spots on the surface of the immature fruit, which gradually became sunken and cracked as the disease progressed. Small tissues (5×5 mm) from the pericarp at the junction of disease and health were surface-disinfected in 75% ethanol for 10 s, 2% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) for 1 min, and washed three times in sterile water. Tissue pieces were placed on potato dextrose ager (PDA) and incubated at 25°C. Fifty-nine morphologically similar colonies were obtained after 5 days of incubation, with 100% isolation frequency. Of 59 isolates, GG1-3 isolated from Guigang City and YL4-2 isolated from Yulin City were selected as representative strains for intensive study. Mycelia were off-white for both isolates and conidia obtained from PDA were cylindrical, unicellular, hyaline and obtuse ends, with sizes of 11.5 ± 1.8×3.9 ± 0.8 µm (n=60) and 11.5 ± 1.6×4.1 ± 0.6 µm (n=60) for GG1-3 and YL4-2, respectively (Prihastuti et al. 2009). Genomic DNA was extracted from 7-day-old aerial mycelia using a DNAsecure Plant Kit (Tiangen Biotech, China). The internal transcribed spacer (ITS), the intergenic region of apn2 and MAT1-2-1 (ApMAT) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) were amplified and sequenced (White et al. 1990; Silva et al.2012; Templeton et al. 1992). Sequences were deposited in GenBank (ITS, OR596961 to OR596962; GAPDH, OR661771 to OR661772; APMAT, OR661773 to OR661774) and showed 100% identities with the corresponding type strains sequences of C. fructicola. Phylogenetic tree was constructed with software raxmlGUI v.2.0.0 based on sequences of multiple loci (ITS, GAPDH and ApMAT) and Maximum Likelihood method. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the two isolates and C. fructicola were clustered in the same clade, with 94% bootstrap support. According to morphology and phylogenetic analysis, the two isolates GG1-3 and YL4-2 were identified as C. fructicola. For pathogenicity tests, healthy fruits were surface sterilized with 75% ethanol followed by a wash with sterilized water. Five adjacent needle punctures in a 5-mm-diameter circle were made with a sterilized needle on healthy fruits, followed by inoculation with 20 µL of conidial suspension (106 spores/ml), and sterilized water was used as controls. All banana fruit were incubated in a humid chamber at 28°C. After 4 days, all inoculated fruits showed visible symptoms and had rust-colored spots on the margins, while control banana fruits remained symptomless. The fungus was isolated from the inoculated fruit and the isolates were found to match the morphological and molecular characteristics of the original isolates, confirming Koch's hypothesis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of fruit anthracnose on Cavendish bananas caused by C. fructicola in China. This study will provide valuable information for prevention and management of anthracnose on banana fruit.

Assessing the causal association between dietary vitamin intake and lymphoma risk: a Mendelian randomisation study.

Observational studies of diet-related vitamins and lymphoma risk results were inconsistent. Our study aimed to estimate the causality between dietary vitamin intake and lymphoma through a Mendelian randomisation (MR) study. We enrolled dietary-related retinol, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 as exposures of interest, with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) as the outcome. The causal effects were estimated using inverse variance weighting (IVW), MR-Egger regression analysis and weighted median, supplemented by sensitivity analyses. The results revealed that genetically predicted dietary vitamin B12 intake was associated with a reduced HL risk (OR = 0.22, 95% CI 0.05-0.91, p = 0.036). The Q test did not reveal heterogeneity, the MR-Egger test showed no significant intercepts, and the leave-one-out (LOO) analysis did not discover any SNP that affect the results. No causal relationship about dietary vitamin intake on the NHL risk was observed.

A retrospective study on the relationship between serum electrolyte disorder and delayed cerebral infarction after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE: Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI)-induced cerebral infarction is a major cause of adverse neurological outcomes following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between postoperative serum electrolyte levels and DCI in patients with aSAH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the data of patients with aSAH between 2015 and 2022. The patients were classified into two groups according to whether they experienced DCI. Electrolyte levels were categorized into three groups based on the normal ranges for electrolytes. Logistic regression models were used to study the relationship between electrolyte levels and DCI. Another logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between the different severity levels of statistically significant indicators and DCI. A restrictive cubic spline model was adopted to assess the potential linear relationship between electrolytes and DCI. Subsequently, sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the impact of collinearity among ions. Finally, subgroup analysis was performed. RESULTS: This study included 1,099 patients. Patients with hyperchloremia were more prone to DCI than those with normal chloride levels. Subsequently, excluding the population with hypochloremia, both mild and severe hyperchloremia were found to be associated with an increased risk of DCI compared with normal chloride levels. Within the framework of a restrictive cubic spline, our findings revealed an increased incidence of DCI (P for nonlinear = 0.735) as chloride levels increased. Sensitivity analysis revealed that patients with severe hyperchloremia were more susceptible to DCI. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that patients with aSAH and postoperative hyperchloremia are more prone to developing DCI.

A comprehensive analysis of patients with cerebral arteriovenous malformation with headache: assessment of risk factors and treatment effectiveness.

BACKGROUND: Due to the high mortality and disability rate of intracranial hemorrhage, headache is not the main focus of research on cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM), so research on headaches in AVM is still scarce, and the clinical understanding is shallow. This study aims to delineate the risk factors associated with headaches in AVM and to compare the effectiveness of various intervention treatments versus conservative treatment in alleviating headache symptoms. METHODS: This study conducted a retrospective analysis of AVMs who were treated in our institution from August 2011 to December 2021. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the risk factors for headaches in AVMs with unruptured, non-epileptic. Additionally, the effectiveness of different intervention treatments compared to conservative management in alleviating headaches was evaluated through propensity score matching (PSM). RESULTS: A total of 946 patients were included in the analysis of risk factors for headaches. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that female (OR 1.532, 95% CI 1.173-2.001, p = 0.002), supply artery dilatation (OR 1.423, 95% CI 1.082-1.872, p = 0.012), and occipital lobe (OR 1.785, 95% CI 1.307-2.439, p < 0.001) as independent risk factors for the occurrence of headaches. There were 443 AVMs with headache symptoms. After propensity score matching, the microsurgery group (OR 7.27, 95% CI 2.82-18.7 p < 0.001), stereotactic radiosurgery group(OR 9.46, 95% CI 2.26-39.6, p = 0.002), and multimodality treatment group (OR 8.34 95% CI 2.87-24.3, p < 0.001) demonstrate significant headache relief compared to the conservative group. However, there was no significant difference between the embolization group (OR 2.24 95% CI 0.88-5.69, p = 0.091) and the conservative group. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified potential risk factors for headaches in AVMs and found that microsurgery, stereotactic radiosurgery, and multimodal therapy had significant benefits in headache relief compared to conservative treatment. These findings provide important guidance for clinicians when developing treatment options that can help improve overall treatment outcomes and quality of life for patients.

Comparison of the effectiveness of different corneal curvature measurement methods for IOL implantation in traumatic aphakic eyes with corneal injury.

BACKGROUND/AIM: To assess the refractive outcomes of secondary intraocular lenses (IOL) in patients with traumatic aphakic eyes with corneal penetrating injury and compare different corneal curvature measurement methods. METHODS: Patients with unilateral penetrating eye injuries underwent corneal wound repair and cataract extraction, followed by secondary IOL implantation. Corneal curvature measurements were taken on the contralateral healthy eye (Group A), from the affected eye before removing corneal sutures (Group B), or after suture removal (Group C). The refractive outcomes were compared among the three groups. RESULTS: The study included 261 eyes. The Mean Absolute Error (MAE) in Group C (0.99 ± 0.85 D) was significantly smaller than that in Group A (1.87 ± 1.71 D) and Group B (1.37 ± 1.20 D) (both P < 0.001). Moreover, the percentage of eyes with IOL prediction errors within ± 0.50 D in Group C (40%) was higher than that in group A (21.7%) (OR = 2.364, 95%CI: 1.272-4.392, P = 0.006) and group B (28.0%) (OR = 1.714, 95%CI: 0.948-3.099, P = 0.073), and the percentage of eyes with IOL prediction errors within ± 1.0 D in Group C (90.9%) was higher than that in group A (67.9%) (OR = 4.758, 95%CI: 2.131-10.626, P < 0.001) and group B (75.0%) (OR = 3.370, 95%CI: 1.483-7.660, P = 0.003) as well. CONCLUSIONS: In traumatic aphakic eyes with corneal sutures, IOL power calculation based on the corneal curvature of the injured eye after removing the corneal sutures yields the best refractive outcomes.

Bovine Milk Derived Exosomes Affect Gut Microbiota of DSS-Induced Colitis Mice.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of bovine milk derived exosomes (MDEs) on the gut microbiota of Dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis mice. Total of 42 specific pathogen free (SPF) male BALB/c mice (3 weeks old) were randomly assigned to three groups including control group, DSS group (DSS) and bovine milk derived exosome group (Exo), with 7 replicates/cages per treatment and two mice in one cage. 16S rRNA gene sequencing of cecal digesta samples was conducted. DSS significantly decreased the average daily feed intake of mice in DSS and Exo groups (P = 0.03). Shannon index of the DSS group was significantly lower than the control group (P < 0.05) whereas no difference between the control group and Exo group was observed. Administration of MDEs tended to increase the relative abundance of Campylobaterota. Compared to the control group, the relative abundance of Roseburia was significantly decreased in the DSS group (P < 0.05) whereas no difference between the Exo group and control group was observed. MDEs also tended to increase the relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae_UCG_006. In conclusion, oral administration of 10 µL MDEs (1 mg/mL) positively affected gut microbiota of DSS-induced colitis mice. The results of this study provided valuable reference for MDEs application in the prevention and treatment of colitis.