A systematic review and meta-analysis of the benefits of a gluten-free diet and/or casein-free diet for children with autism spectrum disorder.

CONTEXT: It has been suggested that a gluten-free and casein-free (GFCF) diet may alleviate the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and facilitate neurodevelopment of children with ASD. Studies to date have been inconclusive. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate (through quantitative meta-analysis) the efficacy and safety of a GFCF diet for children with ASD. To our knowledge, this is the first time such an analysis has been carried out. DATA SOURCES: Eight electronic databases were searched, from the establishment of each database up to March 27, 2020: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases. DATA EXTRACTION: Two authors independently performed the data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment. DATA ANALYSIS: A quantitative meta-analysis was performed with standard procedures by using Stata SE 15 software. Within the total of 8 studies, with 297 participants, 5 studies reported significant reductions in stereotypical behaviors [standard mean difference (SMD) = -0.41, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.68 to -0.15], and 3 studies reported improvements in cognition (SMD = -0.46, 95% CI: -0.91 to -0.01) following GFCF dietary intervention . No statistically significant changes were observed in other symptomatic categories (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The current meta-analysis showed that a GFCF diet can reduce stereotypical behaviors and improve the cognition of children with ASD. Though most of the included studies were single-blind, the benefits of a GFCF diet that have been indicated are promising. Additional studies on a larger scale are warranted. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42020177619.

Gut Bacterial Communities of Lymantria xylina and Their Associations with Host Development and Diet.

The gut microbiota of insects has a wide range of effects on host nutrition, physiology, and behavior. The structure of gut microbiota may also be shaped by their environment, causing them to adjust to their hosts; thus, the objective of this study was to examine variations in the morphological traits and gut microbiota of Lymantria xylina in response to natural and artificial diets using high-throughput sequencing. Regarding morphology, the head widths for larvae fed on a sterilized artificial diet were smaller than for larvae fed on a non-sterilized host-plant diet in the early instars. The gut microbiota diversity of L. xylina fed on different diets varied significantly, but did not change during different development periods. This seemed to indicate that vertical inheritance occurred in L. xylina mutualistic symbionts. Acinetobacter and Enterococcus were dominant in/on eggs. In the first instar larvae, Acinetobacter accounted for 33.52% of the sterilized artificial diet treatment, while Enterococcus (67.88%) was the predominant bacteria for the non-sterilized host-plant diet treatment. Gut microbe structures were adapted to both diets through vertical inheritance and self-regulation. This study clarified the impacts of microbial symbiosis on L. xylina and might provide new possibilities for improving the control of these bacteria.

Insight Into the Multiple Branches Traits of a Mutant in Larix olgensis by Morphological, Cytological, and Transcriptional Analyses.

Larix olgensis is a tall deciduous tree species that has many applications in the wood fiber industry. Bud mutations are somatic mutations in plants and are considered an ideal material to identify and describe the molecular mechanism of plant mutation. However, the molecular regulatory mechanisms of bud mutations in L. olgensis remain unknown. In this study, dwarfed (or stunted), short-leaved, and multi-branched mutants of L. olgensis were found and utilized to identify crucial genes and regulatory networks controlling the multiple branch structure of L. olgensis. The physiological data showed that the branch number, bud number, fresh and dry weight, tracheid length, tracheid length-width ratio, inner tracheid diameter, and epidermal cell area of mutant plants were higher than that of wild-type plants. Hormone concentration measurements found that auxin, gibberellin, and abscisic acid in the mutant leaves were higher than that in wild-type plants. Moreover, the transcriptome sequencing of all samples using the Illumina Hiseq sequencing platform. Transcriptome analysis identified, respectively, 632, 157, and 199 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in buds, leaves, and stems between mutant plants and wild type. DEGs were found to be involved in cell division and differentiation, shoot apical meristem activity, plant hormone biosynthesis, and sugar metabolism. Furthermore, bZIP, WRKY, and AP2/ERF family transcription factors play a role in bud formation. This study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms of L. olgensis bud and branch formation and establishes a fundamental understanding of the breeding of new varieties in L. olgensis.

Synthesis of Interpenetrating Polymer Networks Based on Triisocyanate-Terminated and Modified Poly(urethane-imide) with Superior Mechanical Properties.

Interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) based on triisocyanate-terminated poly(urethane-imide)s (PUIs) were prepared by in situ interpenetrating reactions between modified polyurethane (PU) with different ratios of polyimide (PI). The effects of PU, which was made from hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene modified with triisocyanate, and the amounts of PI on the mechanical properties, thermal properties, and crystalline character of the IPNs were discussed. Triisocyanate-terminated PUI showed that the highest tensile strength was 38 times that of the diisocyanate-terminated materials. Supramolecular cross-linking from an additional hydrogen-bonding network of modified PU and the degree of interpenetration with a regular imide structure of PI were introduced, which accounted for the remarkable improvement in mechanical properties of IPNs. Preferable thermal stability and glass transition temperature for the hard segment of IPNs were rewarded with increasing PI content. X-ray diffraction revealed vigorous segmental mixing between the soft and hard segments of modified PUI. Scanning electron micrographs showed the "fibrous assembly" morphology and short-range-ordered structure of modified PUI.

A four-gene signature-derived risk score for glioblastoma: prospects for prognostic and response predictive analyses.

OBJECTIVE: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor regulated by numerous genes, with poor survival outcomes and unsatisfactory response to therapy. Therefore, a robust, multi-gene signature-derived model is required to predict the prognosis and treatment response in GBM. METHODS: Gene expression data of GBM from TCGA and GEO datasets were used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) through DESeq2 or LIMMA methods. The DEGs were then overlapped and used for survival analysis by univariate and multivariate COX regression. Based on the gene signature of multiple survival-associated DEGs, a risk score model was established, and its prognostic and predictive role was estimated through Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted to explore high-risk score-associated pathways. Western blot was used for protein detection. RESULTS: Four survival-associated DEGs of GBM were identified: OSMR, HOXC10, SCARA3, and SLC39A10. The four-gene signature-derived risk score was higher in GBM than in normal brain tissues. GBM patients with a high-risk score had poor survival outcomes. The high-risk group treated with temozolomide chemotherapy or radiotherapy survived for a shorter duration than the low-risk group. GSEA showed that the high-risk score was enriched with pathways such as vasculature development and cell adhesion. Western blot confirmed that the proteins of these four genes were differentially expressed in GBM cells. CONCLUSIONS: The four-gene signature-derived risk score functions well in predicting the prognosis and treatment response in GBM and will be useful for guiding therapeutic strategies for GBM patients.

Hybrids by tumor-associated macrophages × glioblastoma cells entail nuclear reprogramming and glioblastoma invasion.

Hybrid formation is a fundamental process in normal development and tissue homeostasis, while the presence and the biological role of hybrids between tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and glioblastoma (GBM) cells remain elusive. In this study, we observed that TAM-GBM cell hybrids existed in human GBM specimens as demonstrated by co-expression of glioma biomarkers (GFAP, IDH1R132H and PDGFRA) and macrophage biomarkers (CD68 and CD14). Furthermore, TAM-GBM cell hybrids could also be found in C57BL/6 mice orthotopically inoculated with mouse GBM cells labeled with RFP and after co-culture of bone marrow-derived macrophages from GFP-expressed mice with RFP-labeled GBM cells. The hybrids underwent nuclear reprogramming with unique gene expression profile as compared to parental cells. Moreover, glioma invasion-associated genes were enriched in the hybrids that possessed higher invasiveness, and more hybrids in the invasive margin of GBM were observed as compared to GBM core area. Our data demonstrate the presence of TAM-GBM cell hybrids that enhance GBM invasion. With a better understanding of TAM-GBM cell hybrids, new therapeutic strategies targeting GBM will be developed to treat GBM patients.

Resveratrol alleviates lysophosphatidylcholine-induced damage and inflammation in vascular endothelial cells.

The role of resveratrol (trans-3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene; RES) in lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC)­induced injury and inflammation in endothelial cells (regarded as an early event in arteriosclerosis) is unclear. The present study investigated whether RES reduces lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and secretion of inflammatory cytokines such asinterleukin­6 and tumor necrosis factor­α, via the Toll­like receptor (TLR)­4/myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88)/nuclear factor (NF)­κB signal transduction pathway in LPC­induced damage and inflammation in human umbilical vein endothelial­12 (HUVE­12) cells. Using an ELISA and western blotting, the present study investigated the effects of RES on LDH activity and cytokine secretion. The effects of TLR­4 short hairpin (sh)RNA and TLR­4 cDNA transfection on NF­κB activation during LPC­induced damage and inflammation was also investigated in HUVE­12 cells. The results demonstrated that RES significantly inhibited the effect of LPC on enzyme activity, pro­inflammatory cytokine secretion, and expression of TLR­4, MyD88 and NF­κBp65 expression. In addition, RES and TLR­4 shRNA transfection suppressed LPC­induced injury and inflammation by blocking the TLR­4/MyD88/NF­κB signaling pathway Conversely, transfection with TLR­4 cDNA enhanced LPC­induced injury and inflammation, which abrogated the protective effects of RES. These data suggested that RES significantly suppressed LPC­induced damage and inflammation, via suppression of the TLR­4/MyD88/NF­κB signaling pathway, which may provide a new mechanistic evidence for the treatment of arteriosclerosis by RES.

Comparative analysis of growth and photosynthetic characteristics of (Populus simonii × P. nigra) × (P. nigra × P. simonii) hybrid clones of different ploidides.

To evaluate differences among poplar clones of various ploidies, 12 hybrid poplar clones (P. simonii × P. nigra) × (P. nigra × P. simonii) with different ploidies were used to study phenotypic variation in growth traits and photosynthetic characteristics. Analysis of variance showed remarkable differences for each of the investigated traits among these clones (P < 0.01). Coefficients of phenotypic variation (PCV) ranged from 2.38% to 56.71%, and repeatability ranged from 0.656 to 0.987. The Pn (photosynthetic rate) photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) curves of the 12 clones were S-shaped, but the Pn-ambient CO2 (Ca) curves were shaped like an inverted "V". The stomatal conductance (Gs)-PPFD and transpiration rate (Tr)-PPFD curves had an upward tendency; however, with increasing PFFD, the intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci)-PPFD curves had a downward tendency in all of the clones. The Pn-PPFD and Pn-Ca curves followed the pattern of a quadratic equation. The average light saturation point and light compensation point of the triploid clones were the highest and lowest, respectively, among the three types of clones. For Pn-Ca curves, diploid clones had a higher average CO2 saturation point and average CO2 compensation point compared with triploid and tetraploid clones. Correlation analyses indicated that all investigated traits were strongly correlated with each other. In future studies, molecular methods should be used to analyze poplar clones of different ploidies to improve our understanding of the growth and development mechanisms of polyploidy.