A Statovirus-like virus from respiratory tracts of patients, China.

The emerging evidence of human infections with emerging viruses suggests their potential public health importance. A novel taxon of viruses named Statoviruses (for stool-associated Tombus-like viruses) was recently identified in the gastrointestinal tracts of multiple mammals. Here we report the discovery of respiratory Statovirus-like viruses (provisionally named Restviruses) from the respiratory tracts of five patients experiencing acute respiratory disease with Human coronavirus OC43 infection through the retrospective analysis of meta-transcriptomic data. Restviruses shared 53.1%-98.8% identities of genomic sequences with each other and 39.9%-44.3% identities with Statoviruses. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that Restviruses together with a Stato-like virus from nasal-throat swabs of Vietnamese patients with acute respiratory disease, formed a well-supported clade distinct from the taxon of Statoviruses. However, the consistent genome characteristics of Restviruses and Statoviruses suggested that they might share similar evolutionary trajectories. These findings warrant further studies to elucidate the etiological and epidemiological significance of the emerging Restviruses.

Influence of Helicobacter pylori Infection and Eradication on Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth and Abdominal Symptoms.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) has attracted attention recently. AIMS: To analyze the influence of H. pylori infection and eradication on SIBO, IMO, and abdominal symptoms. METHODS: Patients with gastrointestinal symptoms were tested for 13C urea breath test and if positive, treated with bismuth-based quadruple therapy. Lactulose hydrogen methane breath test (HMBT) was performed and symptoms were assessed using gastrointestinal symptom rating scale (GSRS) before and 6 weeks after eradication. RESULTS: Of the 102 subjects, 53 were H. pylori positive. The prevalence of SIBO and IMO were higher in patients with H. pylori infection than in those without infection (49.1% vs 24.5%, P = 0.019 for SIBO; 24.5% vs 8.2%, P = 0.027 for IMO). GSRS scores were similar between H. pylori-infected and uninfected patients (2 (IQR: 1;3) vs 2 (IQR: 1;2), P = 0.211). Patients with SIBO or IMO presented higher GSRS scores than patients with both SIBO and IMO negative (2 (IQR: 2;3), 2 (IQR: 2;3) vs 2 (IQR: 1;2), P = 0.011, 0.001, respectively). For the 50 patients who successfully eradicated H. pylori, the response rates for SIBO and IMO were 66.7% and 76.9%, respectively. GSRS scores also significantly decreased (2 (IQR: 1;3) to 0 (IQR: 0;1), P < 0.001) after eradication. CONCLUSION: Helicobacter pylori infection was associated with higher prevalence of SIBO and IMO, both of which led to more pronounced abdominal symptoms. H. pylori eradication also achieved therapeutic effects on SIBO and IMO, accompanied by relief of abdominal symptoms.

Reactive oxygen species-scavenging nanomaterials for the prevention and treatment of age-related diseases.

With increasing proportion of the elderly in the population, age-related diseases (ARD) lead to a considerable healthcare burden to society. Prevention and treatment of ARD can decrease the negative impact of aging and the burden of disease. The aging rate is closely associated with the production of high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS-mediated oxidative stress in aging triggers aging-related changes through lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, and DNA oxidation. Antioxidants can control autoxidation by scavenging free radicals or inhibiting their formation, thereby reducing oxidative stress. Benefiting from significant advances in nanotechnology, a large number of nanomaterials with ROS-scavenging capabilities have been developed. ROS-scavenging nanomaterials can be divided into two categories: nanomaterials as carriers for delivering ROS-scavenging drugs, and nanomaterials themselves with ROS-scavenging activity. This study summarizes the current advances in ROS-scavenging nanomaterials for prevention and treatment of ARD, highlights the potential mechanisms of the nanomaterials used and discusses the challenges and prospects for their applications.

The relationship between social support and professional identity of health professional students from a two-way social support theory perspective: chain mediating effects of achievement motivation and meaning in life.

BACKGROUND: Studies has suggested that receiving social support improves the professional identity of health professional students. According to the two-way social support theory, social support includes receiving social support and giving social support. However, the effect of the two-way social support on health professional students' professional identity has not been clarified yet. METHODS: To explore the mechanism of how two-way social support affects health professional students' professional identity, an observational, cross-sectional study was conducted among a convenience and cluster sample of 1449 health professional students from two medical schools in western China. Measures included a short version of the two-way social support scale, a health professional students' professional identity questionnaire, an achievement motivation scale, and a meaning in life scale. Data were analyzed by use of SPSS26.0 software and PROCESSv4.0 plug-in. RESULTS: Receiving social support, giving social support, achievement motivation, meaning in life, and professional identity were positively correlated with each other. Receiving and giving social support not only directly predicted health professional students' professional identity, but also indirectly predicted health professional students' professional identity through the mediating roles of achievement motivation and meaning in life, and the chain mediating roles of achievement motivation and meaning in life, respectively. The effectiveness of predicting health professional students' professional identity varied among different types of two-way social support, which could be depicted as two-way social support > mainly giving social support > mainly receiving social support > low two-way social support. CONCLUSION: In the medical education, the awareness and ability of health professional students to receive and give social support should be strengthened. More attention should be drawn on the chain mediating effect of achievement motivation and meaning in life between two-way social support and professional identity. The current results shed new light on exploring effective ways of improving health professional students' professional identity, which suggested that more attention should be paid to the positive effects of mainly giving social support and two-way social support rather than only on the effects of receiving social support.

Exploring the Regulatory Dynamics of BrFLC-Associated lncRNA in Modulating the Flowering Response of Chinese Cabbage.

Vernalization plays a crucial role in the flowering and yield of Chinese cabbage, a process intricately influenced by long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Our research focused on lncFLC1, lncFLC2a, and lncFLC2b, which emerged as key players in this process. These lncRNAs exhibited an inverse expression pattern to the flowering repressor genes FLOWERING LOCUS C 1 (BrFLC1) and FLOWERING LOCUS C 2 (BrFLC2) during vernalization, suggesting a complex regulatory mechanism. Notably, their expression in the shoot apex and leaves was confirmed through in fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Furthermore, when these lncRNAs were overexpressed in Arabidopsis, a noticeable acceleration in flowering was observed, unveiling functional similarities to Arabidopsis's COLD ASSISTED INTRONIC NONCODING RNA (COOLAIR). This resemblance suggests a potentially conserved regulatory mechanism across species. This study not only enhances our understanding of lncRNAs in flowering regulation, but also opens up new possibilities for their application in agricultural practices.

Engineering Co-N-Cr Cross-Interfacial Electron Bridges to Break Activity-Stability Trade-Off for Superdurable Bifunctional Single Atom Oxygen Electrocatalysts.

Atomically dispersed metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) catalysts have exhibited encouraging oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity. Nevertheless, the insufficient long-term stability remains a widespread concern owing to the inevitable 2-electron byproducts, H2O2. Here, we construct Co-N-Cr cross-interfacial electron bridges (CIEBs) via the interfacial electronic coupling between Cr2O3 and Co-N-C, breaking the activity-stability trade-off. The partially occupied Cr 3d-orbitals of Co-N-Cr CIEBs induce the electron rearrangement of CoN4 sites, lowering the Co-OOH* antibonding orbital occupancy and accelerating the adsorption of intermediates. Consequently, the Co-N-Cr CIEBs suppress the two-electron ORR process and approach the apex of Sabatier volcano plot for four-electron pathway simultaneously. As a proof-of-concept, the Co-N-Cr CIEBs is synthesized by the molten salt template method, exhibiting dominant 4-electron selectively and extremely low H2O2 yield confirmed by Damjanovic kinetic analysis. The Co-N-Cr CIEBs demonstrates impressive bifunctional oxygen catalytic activity (▵E=0.70 V) and breakthrough durability including 100 % current retention after 10 h continuous operation and cycling performance over 1500 h for Zn-air battery. The hybrid interfacial configuration and the understanding of the electronic coupling mechanism reported here could shed new light on the design of superdurable M-N-C catalysts.

Efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy or combined with other small molecule-targeted agents in ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal female reproductive system tumour. Despite the great advances in surgery and systemic chemotherapy over the past two decades, almost all patients in stages III and IV relapse and develop resistance to chemotherapy after first-line treatment. Ovarian cancer has an extraordinarily complex immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment in which immune checkpoints negatively regulate T cells activation and weaken antitumour immune responses by delivering immunosuppressive signals. Therefore, inhibition of immune checkpoints can break down the state of immunosuppression. Indeed, Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionised the therapeutic landscape of many solid tumours. However, ICIs have yielded modest benefits in ovarian cancer. Therefore, a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanistic basis of the immune checkpoints is needed to improve the efficacy of ICIs in ovarian cancer. In this review, we systematically introduce the mechanisms and expression of immune checkpoints in ovarian cancer. Moreover, this review summarises recent updates regarding ICI monotherapy or combined with other small-molecule-targeted agents in ovarian cancer.

Proposed risk-scoring model for estimating the prognostic impact of 1q gain in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

1q gain (+1q) is the most common high-risk cytogenetic abnormality (HRCA) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). However, its prognostic value remains unclear in the era of novel agents. Here, we retrospectively analyzed the impact of +1q on the outcomes of 934 patients newly diagnosed with MM. +1q was identified in 53.1% of patients and verified as an independent variate for inferior overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio, 1.400; 95% confidence interval, 1.097-1.787; p = .007). Concurrence of other HRCAs (particularly t(14;16) and del(17p)) further exacerbated the outcomes of patients with +1q, suggesting prognostic heterogeneity. Thus, a risk-scoring algorithm based on four risk variates (t(14;16), hypercalcemia, ISS III, and high LDH) was developed to estimate the outcomes of patients with +1q. Of the patients, 376 evaluable patients with +1q were re-stratified into low (31.6%), intermediate (61.7%), and high risk (6.7%) groups, with significantly different progression-free survival and OS (p < .0001), in association with early relapse of the disease. The prognostic value of this model was validated in the CoMMpass cohort. While attaining undetectable MRD largely circumvented the adverse impact of +1q, it scarcely ameliorated the outcome of the patients with high risk, who likely represent a subset of patients with extremely poor survival. Hence, patients with +1q are a heterogeneous group of high-risk patients, therefore underlining the necessity for their re-stratification. The proposed simple risk-scoring model can estimate the outcomes of patients with +1q, which may help guide risk-adapted treatment for such patients.

Determining the optimal cut-off scores for the Chinese version of the Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer (MAX-PC).

PURPOSE: Anxiety is a common emotion experienced by patients with prostate cancer (PCa), and can be exacerbated by testing the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) index. The Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer (MAX-PC) was developed to assess the cancer-specific anxiety of these patients, but lack of appropriate thresholds for this scale limits its use. This study aimed to utilize ROC curve analysis to identify the best cut-off values for the Chinese version of the MAX-PC scale. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using the Chinese version of the MAX-PC scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD). ROC curve analysis, Youden index, Kappa consistency test and McNemar test were used for the optimal cutoff points for screening mild, moderate, and severe cancer-specific anxiety levels in patients with PCa, on the Chinese version of the MAX-PC scale. RESULTS: Two hundred eighty-seven patients with PCa completed the survey. The appropriate cut-off values for the MAX-PC scale for screening patients with PCa for cancer-specific anxiety were 20, 28, and 38 for mild, moderate, and severe anxiety, respectively with the highest Youden indices. The Kappa and McNemar's test showed the best level of consistency with values of 0.627, 0.580, and 0.606 for screening mild, moderate, and severe anxiety, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The scores 20, 28, and 38 are the best cut-off values for the Chinese version of the MAX-PC scale. This scale should be used for screening cancer-specific anxiety for patients with PCa to assess and evaluate their anxiety levels and provide targeted interventions.

Ocular aberration measurement with and without an aperture stop using a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor.

Pupil size is an important parameter since it governs the magnitude of ocular aberrations. The pupil size of a human eye has significant individual differences and varies with light level and accommodation. In order to accurately measure ocular aberrations under different pupil sizes using a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor (SHWFS), two types of relationship matrices R (1) and R (2) were proposed, which corresponded to wavefront reconstruction with and without an aperture stop, respectively. The numerical and experimental results indicated that matrix R (2) can significantly improve the accuracy of wavefront restoration when the incident beam size is inconsistent with the wavefront reconstruction aperture. Meanwhile, the impact of the aperture stop on the reconstruction accuracy will become smaller and smaller as the ratio ρ of the outer area to the detection aperture decreases. This study not only can be used for accurately measuring ocular aberrations under different pupil sizes, but also for other variable aperture aberrations measurement in other applications.

A novel soluble complement receptor 1 fragment with enhanced therapeutic potential.

Human complement receptor 1 (HuCR1) is a pivotal regulator of complement activity, acting on all three complement pathways as a membrane-bound receptor of C3b/C4b, C3/C5 convertase decay accelerator, and cofactor for factor I-mediated cleavage of C3b and C4b. In this study, we sought to identify a minimal soluble fragment of HuCR1, which retains the complement regulatory activity of the wildtype protein. To this end, we generated recombinant, soluble, and truncated versions of HuCR1 and compared their ability to inhibit complement activation in vitro using multiple assays. A soluble form of HuCR1, truncated at amino acid 1392 and designated CSL040, was found to be a more potent inhibitor than all other truncation variants tested. CSL040 retained its affinity to both C3b and C4b as well as its cleavage and decay acceleration activity and was found to be stable under a range of buffer conditions. Pharmacokinetic studies in mice demonstrated that the level of sialylation is a major determinant of CSL040 clearance in vivo. CSL040 also showed an improved pharmacokinetic profile compared with the full extracellular domain of HuCR1. The in vivo effects of CSL040 on acute complement-mediated kidney damage were tested in an attenuated passive antiglomerular basement membrane antibody-induced glomerulonephritis model. In this model, CSL040 at 20 and 60 mg/kg significantly attenuated kidney damage at 24 h, with significant reductions in cellular infiltrates and urine albumin, consistent with protection from kidney damage. CSL040 thus represents a potential therapeutic candidate for the treatment of complement-mediated disorders.

PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors Monotherapy for the Treatment of Endometrial Cancer: Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.

PURPOSE: The efficacy of programmed cell death protein 1(PD-1)/Programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors for endometrial cancer remain controversial, and guidelines are inconsistent on which are preferred therapies for advanced disease, or who develop metastases and recurrence. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the efficacy and safety of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in endometrial cancer on a more complete database by adding multiple randomized trials. METHODS: A systematic and comprehensive search was carried out in PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors monotherapy. RESULTS: The ORR of PD-1/PDL-1 inhibitors was 29%, and subgroup analysis showed that the pooled ORR of the proficient mismatch repair (pMMR) group was 4% and which was 45% of the deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) group. The DCR of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors was 48%, through subgroup analysis, we found that the DCR of the pMMR group was 21% and which was 58% of the dMMR group. The proportion of patients occurring overall adverse events was 65% and grade three or higher adverse events was 14%. The proficient mismatch repair (pMMR) group and the deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) group showed different results. CONCLUSION: PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors had shown little success in the pMMR population and better efficacy in the dMMR population.

Patient participation in treatment decision-making of prostate cancer: a qualitative study.

PURPOSE: Despite increasing development in decision-making strategies for patients with prostate cancer, little is known about patients' individual experience and perception throughout the decision-making process. The objective of this study was to explore patients' experiences and perceptions towards treatment decision-making. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative interview study with 30 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer. We transcribed interviews verbatim and inductively identified codes. Thematic analysis was used to develop and refine a codebook that aided in the identification of themes. RESULTS: Three key themes and nine subthemes emerged, which were as follows: I. less involved in treatment decision-making, (i) passive decisional control, (ii) lack of medical knowledge, and (iii) domination by family members; II. the right to be informed of the disease condition and to choose treatment options, (i) sociocultural influences, (ii) patients believe that they should know the true facts of the disease, and (iii) patient autonomy during treatment; and III. future consideration and advance care planning, (i) fewer future concerns, (ii) advance care planning is poorly understood, and (iii) acceptance of advance care planning. CONCLUSION: The study results show that patients with prostate cancer have a diversity of needs to cultivate their ability to make treatment decisions, and healthcare professionals should empower patients, as well as provide decision aids or decision support for patients.

Improvement of Sphaeropsis Shoot Blight Disease Resistance by Applying the Ectomycorrhizal Fungus Hymenochaete sp. Rl and Mycorrhizal Helper Bacterium Bacillus pumilus HR10 to Pinus thunbergii.

Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMFs) form symbioses with plant roots to promote nutrient uptake by plants but it is controversial as to whether they induce disease resistance in plants. Here, we inoculated pine seedlings with Sphaeropsis sapinea, which was presymbiotic with the EMF Hymenochaete sp. Rl, and the mycorrhizal helper bacterium (MHB) Bacillus pumilus HR10, which promotes the formation of Pinus thunbergia-Hymenochaete sp. Rl mycorrhizae. The results showed that inoculation with Hymenochaete sp. Rl, B. pumilus HR10, and the consortium significantly reduced pine shoot blight disease caused by S. sapinea. After inoculation with pathogenic fungi, callose deposition was significantly increased in needles of pine seedlings inoculated with Hymenochaete sp. Rl, B. pumilus HR10, and the consortium, together with an increase in enzymatic and nonenzymatic systemic antioxidant activity as well as early priming for upregulated expression of PR3 and PR5 genes. Our findings suggest that ectomycorrhizal colonization enhances the resistance of pine seedlings to Sphaeropsis shoot blight by triggering a systemic defense response and that interactions between EMFs and MHBs are essential for mycorrhizal-induced disease resistance.

METTL16 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression through downregulating RAB11B-AS1 in an m6A-dependent manner.

BACKGROUND: The molecular mechanisms driving hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain largely unclear. As one of the major epitranscriptomic modifications, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) plays key roles in HCC. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression, roles, and mechanisms of action of the RNA methyltransferase methyltransferase-like protein 16 (METTL16) in HCC. METHODS: The expression of METTL16 and RAB11B-AS1 was determined by RT-qPCR. The regulation of RAB11B-AS1 by METTL16 was investigated by RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), methylated RIP (MeRIP), and RNA stability assays. In vitro and in vivo gain- and loss-of-function assays were performed to investigate the roles of METTL16 and RAB11B-AS1. RESULTS: METTL16 was upregulated in HCC, and its increased expression was correlated with poor prognosis of HCC patients. METTL16 promoted HCC cellular proliferation, migration, and invasion, repressed HCC cellular apoptosis, and promoted HCC tumoral growth in vivo. METTL16 directly bound long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) RAB11B-AS1, induced m6A modification of RAB11B-AS1, and decreased the stability of RAB11B-AS1 transcript, leading to the downregulation of RAB11B-AS1. Conversely to METTL16, RAB11B-AS1 is downregulated in HCC, and its decreased expression was correlated with poor prognosis of patients with HCC. Furthermore, the expression of RAB11B-AS1 was negatively correlated with METTL16 in HCC tissues. RAB11B-AS1 repressed HCC cellular proliferation, migration, and invasion, promoted HCC cellular apoptosis, and inhibited HCC tumoral growth in vivo. Functional rescue assays revealed that overexpression of RAB11B-AS1 reversed the oncogenic roles of METTL16 in HCC. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified the METTL16/RAB11B-AS1 regulatory axis in HCC, which represented novel targets for HCC prognosis and treatment.

Shape memory of a polymer grating surface fabricated by two-beam interference lithography.

Switchable and reversible optical elements have potential applications in self-adaptive optics. Shape-memory polymer devices with adaptive properties could be easily switched under environment or field stimuli. Here, the laser beam interference technique was used to realize the periodic grating structures of the shape-memory polymer, and memory and recovery of the grating structures were performed. A one-dimensional grating structure was fabricated from dual-beam interference lithography of a nanosecond laser and underwent pressure in a condition of 195°C. The vertical height of the grating was reduced, and the diffraction light was weakened. When the sample was cooled down to room temperature, the morphology of the grating could be kept. After raising the ambient temperature of the sample to 120°C, the morphology of the grating was recovered to the original state, which realized the shape-memory function.

Mapping and Validation of BrGOLDEN: A Dominant Gene Regulating Carotenoid Accumulation in Brassica rapa.

In plants, the accumulation of carotenoids can maintain the balance of the photosystem and improve crop nutritional quality. Therefore, the molecular mechanisms underlying carotenoid synthesis and accumulation should be further explored. In this study, carotenoid accumulation differed significantly among parental Brassica rapa. Genetic analysis was carried out using the golden inner leaf '1900264' line and the light-yellow inner leaf '1900262' line, showing that the golden inner leaf phenotype was controlled by a single dominant gene. Using bulked-segregant analysis sequencing, BraA09g007080.3C encoding the ORANGE protein was selected as a candidate gene. Sequence alignment revealed that a 4.67 kb long terminal repeat insertion in the third exon of the BrGOLDEN resulted in three alternatively spliced transcripts. The spatiotemporal expression results indicated that BrGOLDEN might regulate the expression levels of carotenoid-synthesis-related genes. After transforming BrGOLDEN into Arabidopsis thaliana, the seed-derived callus showed that BrGOLDENIns and BrGOLDENDel lines presented a yellow color and the BrGOLDENLdel line presented a transparent phenotype. In addition, using the yeast two-hybrid assay, BrGOLDENIns, BrGOLDENLdel, and Brgoldenwt exhibited strong interactions with BrPSY1, but BrGOLDENDel did not interact with BrPSY1 in the split-ubiquitin membrane system. In the secondary and 3D structure analysis, BrGOLDENDel was shown to have lost the PNFPSFIPFLPPL sequences at the 125 amino acid position, which resulted in the α-helices of BrGOLDENDel being disrupted, restricting the formation of the 3D structure and affecting the functions of the protein. These findings may provide new insights into the regulation of carotenoid synthesis in B. rapa.

Chamomile: A Review of Its Traditional Uses, Chemical Constituents, Pharmacological Activities and Quality Control Studies.

Matricaria chamomilla L. (MC) and Chamaemelum nobile (L.) All. (CN) are two varieties of Chamomile. These herbs have been used for thousands of years in Greece, Rome and ancient Egypt. Chamomile has been used for the treatment of stomach problems, cramps, dermatitis, and minor infections. The purpose of this study was to introduce the botanical characteristics and geographical distribution, traditional uses, chemical constituents, pharmacological activities, toxicity studies and quality control studies, and lay a theoretical foundation for the rational development and utilization of chamomile. This review powered that chemical constituents include flavonoids, coumarins, volatile oils, terpenes, organic acids, polysaccharides, and others. These compounds possess anticancer, anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, antioxidant, hypolipidaemic, hypoglycaemic, antihypertensive, antidepressant, neuroprotective activities, among others. Chamomile is a widely used herb in traditional medicine. It brings great economic value due to its numerous pharmacological effects and traditional uses. However, more toxicity tests should be carried out to confirm its safety. There is need for further research to provide concrete scientific evidence and validate its medicinal properties.

[Quality evaluation methods and quality transfer law of Mori Cortex, fried Mori Cortex and its standard decoction].

This study aims to establish a method for the component content determination and fingerprint evaluation of Mori Cortex, fried Mori Cortex and its standard decoction, and to reveal the quality transfer law among the three based on transfer rate, extraction rate, and fingerprint similarity.Fifteen representative batches of Mori Cortex decoction pieces were collected to prepare fried Mori Cortex and its standard decoction.UPLC-PDA was employed to establish the content determination method and fingerprint.The established UPLC method and fingerprint could be applied to the detection of Mori Cortex, fried Mori Cortex and its standard decoction.The UPLC fingerprints of the 15 batches of Mori Cortex and fried Mori Cortex had good similarity(>0.9) and the same common peaks.However, only one characteristic peak(mulberroside A) could be observed in the fingerprint of fried Mori Cortex standard decoction, which indicated that the corresponding components of other common peaks in the fingerprint of Mori Cortex had low content in the water extract.The extraction rates of mulberroside A from Mori Cortex, fried Mori Cortex and its standard decoction were 1.49%-2.00%, 1.62%-2.27% and 0.75%-1.29%, respectively.Mulberroside A showed the transfer rate of 103.7%-116.3% from Mori Cortex to fried Mori Cortex and 45.7%-56.9% from fried Mori Cortex to its standard decoction.The extraction rates of the 15 batches of fried Mori Cortex standard decoctions were 14.7%-19.5%.All the above indicators were within±30% of the mean value.This study established a method for the determination of mulberroside A content and fingerprint of Mori Cortex, fried Mori Cortex and its standard decoction, and clarified the quality transfer law among the three.It established the method for quality evaluation of Mori Cortex and fried Mori Cortex and can provide reference for the whole-process quality control in the preparation of the agents containing fried Mori Cortex.

Gene co-expression network analysis reveals key pathways and hub genes in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L.) during vernalization.

BACKGROUND: Vernalization is a type of low temperature stress used to promote rapid bolting and flowering in plants. Although rapid bolting and flowering promote the reproduction of Chinese cabbages (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis), this process causes their commercial value to decline. Clarifying the mechanisms of vernalization is essential for its further application. We performed RNA sequencing of gradient-vernalization in order to explore the reasons for the different bolting process of two Chinese cabbage accessions during vernalization. RESULTS: There was considerable variation in gene expression between different-bolting Chinese cabbage accessions during vernalization. Comparative transcriptome analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) were performed for different-bolting Chinese cabbage during different vernalization periods. The biological function analysis and hub gene annotation of highly relevant modules revealed that shoot system morphogenesis and polysaccharide and sugar metabolism caused early-bolting 'XBJ' to bolt and flower faster; chitin, ABA and ethylene-activated signaling pathways were enriched in late-bolting 'JWW'; and leaf senescence and carbohydrate metabolism enrichment were found in the two Chinese cabbage-related modules, indicating that these pathways may be related to bolting and flowering. The high connectivity of hub genes regulated vernalization, including MTHFR2, CPRD49, AAP8, endoglucanase 10, BXLs, GATLs, and WRKYs. Additionally, five genes related to flower development, BBX32 (binds to the FT promoter), SUS1 (increases FT expression), TSF (the closest homologue of FT), PAO and NAC029 (plays a role in leaf senescence), were expressed in the two Chinese cabbage accessions. CONCLUSION: The present work provides a comprehensive overview of vernalization-related gene networks in two different-bolting Chinese cabbages during vernalization. In addition, the candidate pathways and hub genes related to vernalization identified here will serve as a reference for breeders in the regulation of Chinese cabbage production.