Domestication and selection footprints in Persian walnuts (Juglans regia).

Walnut (Juglans) species are economically important hardwood trees cultivated worldwide for both edible nuts and high-quality wood. Broad-scale assessments of species diversity, evolutionary history, and domestication are needed to improve walnut breeding. In this study, we sequenced 309 walnut accessions from around the world, including 55 Juglans relatives, 98 wild Persian walnuts (J. regia), 70 J. regia landraces, and 86 J. regia cultivars. The phylogenetic tree indicated that J. regia samples (section Dioscaryon) were monophyletic within Juglans. The core areas of genetic diversity of J. regia germplasm were southwestern China and southern Asia near the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Himalayas, and the uplift of the Himalayas was speculated to be the main factor leading to the current population dynamics of Persian walnut. The pattern of genomic variation in terms of nucleotide diversity, linkage disequilibrium, single nucleotide polymorphisms, and insertions/deletions revealed the domestication and selection footprints in Persian walnut. Selective sweep analysis, GWAS, and expression analysis further identified two transcription factors, JrbHLH and JrMYB6, that influence the thickness of the nut diaphragm as loci under selection during domestication. Our results elucidate the domestication and selection footprints in Persian walnuts and provide a valuable resource for the genomics-assisted breeding of this important crop.

Genome-wide association study and development of molecular markers for yield and quality traits in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.).

BACKGROUND: This study aims to decipher the genetic basis governing yield components and quality attributes of peanuts, a critical aspect for advancing molecular breeding techniques. Integrating genotype re-sequencing and phenotypic evaluations of seven yield components and two grain quality traits across four distinct environments allowed for the execution of a genome-wide association study (GWAS). RESULTS: The nine phenotypic traits were all continuous and followed a normal distribution. The broad heritability ranged from 88.09 to 98.08%, and the genotype-environment interaction effects were all significant. There was a highly significant negative correlation between protein content (PC) and oil content (OC). The 10× genome re-sequencing of 199 peanut accessions yielded a total of 631,988 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), with 374 significant SNP loci identified in association with the nine traits of interest. Notably, 66 of these pertinent SNPs were detected in multiple environments, and 48 of them were linked to multiple traits of interest. Five loci situated on chromosome 16 (Chr16) exhibited pleiotropic effects on yield traits, accounting for 17.64-32.61% of the observed phenotypic variation. Two loci on Chr08 were found to be strongly associated with protein and oil contents, accounting for 12.86% and 14.06% of their respective phenotypic variations, respectively. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) block analysis of these seven loci unraveled five nonsynonymous variants, leading to the identification of one yield-related candidate gene and two quality-related candidate genes. The correlation between phenotypic variation and SNP loci in these candidate genes was validated by Kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) marker analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, molecular markers were developed for genetic loci associated with yield and quality traits through a GWAS investigation of 199 peanut accessions across four distinct environments. These molecular tools can aid in the development of desirable peanut germplasm with an equilibrium of yield and quality through marker-assisted breeding.

Comparative proteomic and metabolomic analyses reveal stress responses of hemp to salinity.

KEY MESSAGE: Integrated omics analyses outline the cellular and metabolic events of hemp plants in response to salt stress and highlight several photosynthesis and energy metabolism related pathways as key regulatory points. Soil salinity affects many physiological processes of plants and leads to crop yield losses worldwide. For hemp, a crop that is valued for multiple aspects, such as its medical compounds, fibre, and seed, a comprehensive understanding of its salt stress responses is a prerequisite for resistance breeding and tailoring its agronomic performance to suit certain industrial applications. Here, we first observed the phenotype of salt-stressed hemp plants and found that under NaCl treatment, hemp plants displayed pronounced growth defects, as indicated by the significantly reduced average height, number of leaves, and chlorophyll content. Next, we conducted comparative proteomics and metabolomics to dissect the complex salt-stress response mechanisms. A total of 314 proteins and 649 metabolites were identified to be differentially behaving upon NaCl treatment. Functional classification and enrichment analysis unravelled that many differential proteins were proteases associated with photosynthesis. Through metabolic pathway enrichment, several energy-related pathways were found to be altered, such as the biosynthesis and degradation of branched-chain amino acids, and our network analysis showed that many ribosomal proteins were involved in these metabolic adaptations. Taken together, for hemp plants, influences on chloroplast function probably represent a major toxic effect of salinity, and modulating several energy-producing pathways possibly through translational regulation is presumably a key protective mechanism against the negative impacts. Our data and analyses provide insights into our understanding of hemp's stress biology and may lay a foundation for future functional genomics studies.

Molecular engineering of PETase for efficient PET biodegradation.

The widespread utilization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has caused a variety of environmental and health problems. Compared with traditional thermomechanical or chemical PET cycling, the biodegradation of PET may offer a more feasible solution. Though the PETase from Ideonalla sakaiensis (IsPETase) displays interesting PET degrading performance under mild conditions; the relatively low thermal stability of IsPETase limits its practical application. In this study, enzyme-catalysed PET degradation was investigated with the promising IsPETase mutant HotPETase (HP). On this basis, a carbohydrate-binding module from Bacillus anthracis (BaCBM) was fused to the C-terminus of HP to construct the PETase mutant (HLCB) for increased PET degradation. Furthermore, to effectively improve PET accessibility and PET-degrading activity, the truncated outer membrane hybrid protein (FadL) was used to expose PETase and BaCBM on the surface of E. coli (BL21with) to develop regenerable whole-cell biocatalysts (D-HLCB). Results showed that, among the tested small-molecular weight ester compounds (p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP), p-Nitrophenyl acetate (pNPA), 4-Nitrophenyl butyrate (pNPB)), PETase displayed the highest hydrolysing activity against pNPP. HP displayed the highest catalytic activity (1.94 µM(p-NP)/min) at 50 °C and increased longevity at 40 °C. The fused BaCBM could clearly improve the catalytic performance of PETase by increasing the optimal reaction temperature and improving the thermostability. When HLCB was used for PET degradation, the yield of monomeric products (255.7 µM) was ∼25.5 % greater than that obtained after 50 h of HP-catalysed PET degradation. Moreover, the highest yield of monomeric products from the D-HLCB-mediated system reached 1.03 mM. The whole-cell catalyst D-HLCB displayed good reusability and stability and could maintain more than 54.6 % of its initial activity for nine cycles. Finally, molecular docking simulations were utilized to investigate the binding mechanism and the reaction mechanism of HLCB, which may provide theoretical evidence to further increase the PET-degrading activities of PETases through rational design. The proposed strategy and developed variants show potential for achieving complete biodegradation of PET under mild conditions.

Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Floral Buds before and after Opening in Walnut (Juglans regia L.).

The walnut (Juglans regia L.) is a typical and an economically important tree species for nut production with heterodichogamy. The absence of female and male flowering periods seriously affects both the pollination and fruit setting rates of walnuts, thereby affecting the yield and quality. Therefore, studying the characteristics and processes of flower bud differentiation helps in gaining a deeper understanding of the regularity of the mechanism of heterodichogamy in walnuts. In this study, a total of 3540 proteins were detected in walnut and 885 unique differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified using the isobaric tags for the relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-labeling method. Among all DEPs, 12 common proteins were detected in all four of the obtained contrasts. GO and KEGG analyses of 12 common DEPs showed that their functions are distributed in the cytoplasm metabolic pathways, photosynthesis, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, and the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, which are involved in energy production and conversion, synthesis, and the breakdown of proteomes. In addition, a function analysis was performed, whereby the DEPs were classified as involved in photosynthesis, morphogenesis, metabolism, or the stress response. A total of eight proteins were identified as associated with the morphogenesis of stamen development, such as stamen-specific protein FIL1-like (XP_018830780.1), putative leucine-rich repeat receptor-like serine/threonine-protein kinase At2g24130 (XP_018822513.1), cytochrome P450 704B1-like isoform X2 (XP_018845266.1), ervatamin-B-like (XP_018824181.1), probable glucan endo-1,3-beta-glucosidase A6 (XP_018844051.1), pathogenesis-related protein 5-like (XP_018835774.1), GDSL esterase/lipase At5g22810-like (XP_018833146.1), and fatty acyl-CoA reductase 2 (XP_018848853.1). Our results predict several crucial proteins and deepen the understanding of the biochemical mechanism that regulates the formation of male and female flower buds in walnuts.

In silico analyses and experimental validation of the MHC class-I restricted epitopes of Ebolavirus GP.

Ebolavirus (EBOV) causes an extremely high mortality and prevalence disease called Ebola virus disease (EVD). There is only one glycoprotein (GP) on the virus particle surface, which mediates entry into the host cell. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class-I restricted cluster of differentiation 8 (CD8+) T cell responses are important antiviral immune responses. Therefore, it is of great importance to understand EBOV GP-specific MHC class-I restricted epitopes within immunogenicity. In this study, computational approaches were employed to predict the dominant MHC class-I molecule epitopes of EBOV GP for mouse H2 and major alleles of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class-I supertypes. Our results yielded 42 dominant epitopes in H2 haplotypes and 301 dominant epitopes in HLA class-I haplotypes. After validation by enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) assay, in-depth analyses to ascertain their nature of conservation, immunogenicity, and docking with the corresponding MHC class-I molecules were undertaken. Our study predicted MHC class-I restricted epitopes that may aid the advancement of anti-EBOV immune responses. An integrated strategy of epitope prediction, validation and comparative analyses was postulated, which is promising for epitope-based immunotherapy development and application to viral epidemics.

Characterization and expression analysis of basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors responsive to chilling injury in peach fruit.

BACKGROUND: Peach (Prunus persica L.) is prone to chilling injury as exhibited by inhibition of the ethylene production, failure in softening, and the manifestation of internal browning. The basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors play an essential role in regulatory networks that control many processes associated with physiological, abiotic and biotic stress responses in fruits. Formerly, the underlying molecular and regulatory mechanism of (bZIP) transcription factors responsive to chilling injury in peach fruit is still elusive. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the current experiment, the solute peach 'Zhongyou Peach No. 13' was used as the test material and cold storage at low temperature (4 °C). It was found that long-term low-temperature storage induced the production of ethylene, the hardness of the pulp decreased, and the low temperature also induced ABA accumulation. The changes of ABA and ethylene in peach fruits during low-temperature storage were clarified. Since the bZIP transcription factor is involved in the regulation of downstream pathways of ABA signals, 47 peach bZIP transcription factor family genes were identified through bioinformatics analysis. Further based on RT-qPCR analysis, 18 PpbZIP genes were discovered to be expressed in refrigerated peach fruits. Among them, the expression of PpbZIP23 and PpbZIP25 was significantly reduced during the refrigeration process, the promoter analysis of these genes found that this region contains the MYC/MYB/ABRES binding element, but not the DRES/CBFS element, indicating that the expression may be regulated by the ABA-dependent cold induction pathway, thereby responding to chilling injury in peach fruit. CONCLUSIONS: Over investigation will provide new insights for further postharvest protocols related to molecular changes during cold storage and will prove a better cope for chilling injury.

Two loss-of-function alleles of the glutathione S-transferase (GST) gene cause anthocyanin deficiency in flower and fruit skin of peach (Prunus persica).

Flower and fruit colors are important agronomic traits. To date, there is no forward genetic evidence that the glutathione S-transferase (GST) gene is responsible for the white flower color in peach (Prunus persica). In this study, genetic analysis indicated that the white-flower trait is monogenetic, is recessive to the non-white allele, and shows pleiotropic effects with non-white-flowered types. The genetic locus underpinning this trait was mapped onto chromosome 3 between 0.421951 and 3.227115 Mb by using bulked segregant analysis in conjunction with whole-genome sequencing, and was further mapped between 0 and 1.178149 Mb by using the backcross 1 (BC1 ) population. Finally, the locus was fine-mapped within 535.974- and 552.027-kb intervals by using 151 F2 individuals and 75 individuals from a BC1 self-pollinated (BC1 S1 ) population, respectively. Pp3G013600, encoding a GST that is known to transport anthocyanin, was identified within the mapping interval. The analysis of genome sequence data showed Pp3G013600 in white flowers has a 2-bp insertion or a 5-bp deletion in the third exon. These variants likely render the GST non-functional because of early stop codons that reduce the protein length from 215 amino acids to 167 and 175 amino acids, respectively. Genetic markers based on these variants validated a complete correlation between the GST loss-of-function alleles and white flower in 128 peach accessions. This correlation was further confirmed by silencing of Pp3G013600 using virus-induced gene silencing technology, which reduced anthocyanin accumulation in peach fruit. The new knowledge from this study is useful for designing peach breeding programs to generate cultivars with white flower and fruit skin.

Fine mapping of the gene controlling the weeping trait of Prunus persica and its uses for MAS in progenies.

BACKGROUND: Fruit tree yield and fruit quality are affected by the tree's growth type, and branching angle is an important agronomic trait of fruit trees, which largely determines the crown structure. The weeping type of peach tree shows good ventilation and light transmission; therefore, it is commonly cultivated. However, there is no molecular marker closely linked with peach weeping traits for target gene screening and assisted breeding. RESULTS: First, we confirmed that the peach weeping trait is a recessive trait controlled by a single gene by constructing segregating populations. Based on BSA-seq, we mapped the gene controlling this trait within 159 kb of physical distance on chromosome 3. We found a 35 bp deletion in the candidate area in standard type, which was not lacking in weeping type. For histological assessments, different types of branches were sliced and examined, showing fiber bundles in the secondary xylem of ordinary branches but not in weeping branches. CONCLUSIONS: This study established a molecular marker that is firmly linked to weeping trait. This marker can be used for the selection of parents in the breeding process and the early screening of hybrid offspring to shorten the breeding cycle. Moreover, we preliminary explored histological differences between growth types. These results lay the groundwork for a better understanding of the weeping growth habit of peach trees.

NLR1 is a strong candidate for the Rm3 dominant green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) resistance trait in peach.

The green peach aphid (GPA), Myzus persicae, is a polyphagous, sap-sucking aphid and a vector of many plant viruses. In peach, Prunus persica, three individual dominant GPA resistance loci have been genetically defined (Rm1-3), but knowledge of the underlying genes is limited. In this study, we focused on the Rm3 locus. Bulk segregant analysis (BSA) mapping in segregating progeny populations delimited Rm3 to an interval spanning 160 kb containing 21 genes on chromosome 1. RNA-seq data provided no evidence of candidate genes, but chromosomal structural variations were predicted around a nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat (NLR) gene (ppa000596m) within the Rm3 fine-mapping interval. Following bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library construction for a GPA-resistant peach cultivar and the sequencing of three target BAC clones, a chromosomal structural variation encompassing two novel TIR-NLR-class disease resistance (R) protein-coding genes was identified, and the expressed NLR gene (NLR1) was identified as a candidate for M. persicae resistance. Consistent with its proposed role in controlling GPA resistance, NLR1 was only expressed in the leaves of resistant peach phenotypes. A molecular marker that was designed based on the NLR1 sequence co-segregated with the GPA-resistant phenotype in four segregating populations, 162 peach cultivars, and 14 wild relatives, demonstrating the dominant inheritance of the Rm3 locus. Our findings can be exploited to facilitate future breeding for GPA-resistance in peach.

Identifying optimal candidates for tumor resection among borderline and locally advanced pancreatic cancer: A population-based predictive model.

BACKGROUND: Whether patients with borderline resectable and locally advanced pancreatic cancer (BR/LAPC) benefit from resection of the primary cancer is controversial. We developed a nomogram to screen who would benefit from surgery for the primary tumor. METHODS: We identified patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and then divided them into surgical and non-surgical groups. A 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) was used to mitigate the bias. We hypothesized that patients who underwent surgery would benefit from surgery by having a longer median overall survival (OS) than patients who did not undergo surgery. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the variables affecting surgical outcomes, and a nomogram was created based on the multivariate logistic results. Finally, we verified the discrimination and calibration of the nomogram with receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve and calibration plots. RESULTS: A total of 518 pairs of surgical and non-surgical pancreatic cancer patients were matched after PSM. Survival curves showed longer OS in the surgical group than in the non-surgical group, median survival times were 14 months versus 8 months. In the surgical group, 340 (65.63%) patients have a longer survival time than 8 months (beneficial group). Multifactorial logit regression results showed that including age, tumor size, degree of differentiation, and chemotherapy were significant influences on the benefit of surgery for primary tumors and were used as predictors to construct a nomogram. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) reached 0.747 and 0.706 in the training and validation sets. CONCLUSION: We developed a practical predictive model to support clinical decision-making that can be used to help clinicians determine if there is a benefit to surgical resection of the primary tumor in patients with BR/LAPC.

Trimodal prehabilitation for older surgical patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the postoperative effectiveness of trimodal prehabilitation in older surgical patients. METHODS: We searched Medline, PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov for observational cohort studies and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of older surgical patients who underwent trimodal prehabilitation. We performed a meta-analysis to estimate the pooled risk ratio (RR) for dichotomous data and weighted mean difference (MD) for continuous data. Primary outcomes were postoperative mortality and complications, and the secondary outcomes were the 6-min walk test (6MWT) at 4 and 8 weeks after surgery, readmission, and length of hospital stay (LOS). This systematic review and meta-analysis was registered with PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42020201347). RESULTS: We included 10 studies (four RCTs and six cohort studies) comprising 1553 older surgical patients (trimodal prehabilitation group, n = 581; control group, n = 972). There were no significant differences in postoperative mortality (RR 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52-3.35) and postoperative complications (RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.76-1.09). Prehabilitation did not reduce readmission (RR 0.92; 95% CI 0.61-1.38) and LOS (MD 0.10; 95% CI - 0.34-0.53). In a sub-analysis, trimodal prehabilitation did not significantly improve postoperative mortality, postoperative complications, readmission rates, or LOS when compared with standard care. However, trimodal prehabilitation significantly improved the 6MWT at 4 weeks after surgery (MD 37.49; 95% CI 5.81-69.18). CONCLUSIONS: Our systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that trimodal prehabilitation did not reduce postoperative mortality and complications significantly but improved postoperative functional status in older surgical patients. Therefore, more high-quality trials are required.

Alterations in the intestinal microbiome and mental health status of workers in an underground tunnel environment.

BACKGROUND: Working in an underground tunnel environment is unavoidable in professions such as miners and tunnel workers, and there is a concern about the health of these workers. Few studies have addressed alterations in the intestinal microbiome of workers within that environment. RESULTS: Fecal samples were collected from the workers before they entered the tunnel (baseline status, BS) and after they left the tunnel (exposed status, ES), respectively (a time period of 3 weeks between them). We analyzed 16S rRNA sequencing to show the changes in microbial composition and self-evaluation of mental health questionnaire was also performed. The results showed that Shannon and Simpson indices decreased significantly from BS to ES. A higher abundance was found in the phylum Actinobacteria, classes Actinobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria, orders Bifidobacteriales, Coriobacteriales, and Desulfovibrionales, families Bifidobacteriaceae, Peptostreptococcaceae, Coriobacteriaceae, Clostridiaceae_1, Desulfovibrionaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, and Microbacteriaceae, and genera Bifidobacterium, Romboutsia, Clostridium sensu stricto, and Leucobacter in ES, while BS showed greater levels of genera Faecalibacterium and Roseburia. The self-evaluation showed that at least one-half of the tunnel workers experienced one or more symptoms of mental distress (inattention, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, headache or dizziness, irritability) after working in the underground tunnel environment. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, the underground tunnel environment led to alterations in the intestinal microbiome, which might be relevant to symptoms of mental distress in underground-tunnel workers.

Prognostic nomogram for hepatocellular carcinoma with radiofrequency ablation: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an effective treatment option for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to analyze the prognostic factors of HCC patients treated with RFA and to develop nomograms for outcome prediction. METHODS: A total of 3142 HCC patients treated with RFA were recruited, and their data were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Univariate and multifactor Cox analyses were performed to identify independent prognostic factors. These factors were integrated into a nomogram to predict 3- and 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS). Consistency indices and calibration plots were used to assess the accuracy of the nomograms in both the internal and external cohorts. RESULTS: The median follow-up periods for HCC patients treated with RFA were 27 and 29 months for OS and CSS, respectively. Marital status, age, race, histological grade of differentiation, tumor size, T stage, and serum alpha-fetoprotein levels at the time of diagnosis were identified as prognostic factors for OS and CSS. Additionally, M stage was identified as risk factors for OS. These risk factors are included in the nomogram. The calibration plots of the OS and CSS nomograms showed excellent consistency between actual survival and nomogram predictions. The bootstrap-corrected concordance indices of the OS and CSS nomograms were 0.637 (95% CI, 0.628-0.646) and 0.670 (95% 0.661-0.679), respectively. Importantly, our nomogram performed better discriminatory compared with 8th edition tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage system for predicting OS and CSS. CONCLUSIONS: We identified prognostic factors for HCC patients treated with RFA and provided an accurate and personalized survival prediction scheme.

Transcriptomic and Metabolic Analyses Reveal the Mechanism of Ethylene Production in Stony Hard Peach Fruit during Cold Storage.

Stony hard (SH) peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) fruit does not release ethylene and has very firm and crisp flesh at ripening, both on- and off-tree. Long-term cold storage can induce ethylene production and a serious risk of chilling injury in SH peach fruit; however, the regulatory mechanism underlying ethylene production in stony hard peach is relatively unclear. In this study, we analyzed the phytohormone levels, fruit firmness, transcriptome, and lipidome changes in SH peach 'Zhongtao 9' (CP9) during cold storage (4 °C). The expression level of the ethylene biosynthesis gene PpACS1 and the content of ethylene in SH peach fruit were found to be upregulated during cold storage. A peak in ABA release was observed before the release of ethylene and the genes involved in ABA biosynthesis and degradation, such as zeaxanthin epoxidase (ZEP) and 8'-hydroxylase (CYP707A) genes, were specifically induced in response to low temperatures. Fruit firmness decreased fairly slowly during the first 20 d of refrigeration, followed by a sharp decline. Furthermore, the expression level of genes encoding cell wall metabolic enzymes, such as polygalacturonase, pectin methylesterase, expansin, galactosidase, and ß-galactosidase, were upregulated only upon refrigeration, as correlated with the decrease in fruit firmness. Lipids belonging to 23 sub-classes underwent differential rearrangement during cold storage, especially ceramide (Cer), monoglycosylceramide (CerG1), phosphatidic acid (PA), and diacyglyceride (DG), which may eventually lead to ethylene production. Exogenous PC treatment provoked a higher rate of ethylene production. We suspected that the abnormal metabolism of ABA and cell membrane lipids promotes the production of ethylene under low temperature conditions, causing the fruit to soften. In addition, ERF transcription factors also play an important role in regulating lipid, hormone, and cell wall metabolism during long-term cold storage. Overall, the results of this study give us a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanism of ethylene biosynthesis during the postharvest storage of SH peach fruit under low-temperature conditions.

Analysis of the effect of postpartum rehabilitation nursing on the management of postpartum depression.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of postpartum rehabilitation nursing on the management of postpartum depression. METHODS: A total of 100 primiparas were randomly selected in this study. They were divided into postpartum nursing intervention group (50 cases) and control group (50 cases). The data from prenatal and postpartum women were collected through questionnaires. The Edinburgh postpartum depression scale, social support scale, general self-efficacy scale, and mother's role adaptation questionnaire were distributed to 100 pregnant women. By collecting the results of these questionnaires, the differences between the nursing intervention group and the control group were compared. RESULTS: The results showed that the proportion of postpartum depression in 50 primiparas after postpartum rehabilitation nursing was significantly lower than that of the control group. The physiological and psychological changes of primipara after childbirth would be significant, and would be subject to tremendous pressure from all aspects. CONCLUSIONS: This change and pressure were the main causes of postpartum depression in primipara. Postpartum rehabilitation nursing can effectively alleviate primipara's postpartum depression.

Diode-side-pumped joule-level square-rod Nd:glass amplifier with 1†Hz repetition rate and ultrahigh gain.

An effective diode-side-pumped joule-level square-rod Nd:glass multipass amplifier with 1 Hz repetition rate is developed. A Pockels cell is used to extend the amplification-pass to twelve-pass. The linear depolarization compensation method and adaptive optics based wavefront aberration correction method are used to minimize the thermal effects. Combined with the relay-imaging technology and beam-shaping method, good beam quality is obtained. Under the small-signal gain of 3.23 and the input energy of 50 µJ, the output energy of 1 J and the net gain of 2×104 are realized. The effective energy-extraction efficiency in the whole aperture of Nd:glass rod is 12%. The total wavefront aberration is 1.1 µm (peak valley). The Strehl Ratio is 0.62, and 90% of far-field energy is concentrated in 3 times the diffraction limit. The near-field modulation index of twelve-pass amplification at 1 J is 1.4.

Association of RAGE rs1800625 Polymorphism and Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis of 18 Case-Control Studies.

BACKGROUND Accumulating evidence suggests that the rs1800625 polymorphism in RAGE promoter region might be associated with cancer risk; however, data from different studies show conflicting results. Here, a meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the associations between RAGE rs1800625 polymorphism and cancer risk. MATERIAL AND METHODS We searched Embase (Excerpt Medica Database), PubMed, and CNKI (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure) databases until March 15, 2019 to identify potential studies for the meta-analysis. RESULTS Eighteen eligible studies were included in the current meta-analysis, representing 6246 cases and 6819 controls. Pooled analysis showed positive correlation between the RAGE rs1800625 polymorphism and susceptibility of cancer in recessive genetic model [CC versus TC+TT: odds ratio (OR)=1.397, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.031-1.894, P=0.031]. Subgroup analysis revealed this association in the Asian, but not Caucasian population, and this correlation was not detected in either breast or lung cancer. Sensitivity analysis indicated unstable results, which should be interpreted with caution. No publication bias was observed. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the RAGE rs1800625 polymorphism was associated with increased overall cancer risk in Asians in recessive genetic model. However, large-scale and well-designed studies in different populations and diverse cancer types are needed for a precise conclusion.