Impaired Cognitive Empathy in Outpatients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: In recent years, a growing number of researchers showed significant interest in psychological and social interventions to manage chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain. Cognitive and emotional empathy is an attractive and valuable sociopsychological factor that may provide protection and resilience against chronic MSK pain. However, its effect on outpatients remains underexplored. Objective: To compare the empathy ability between chronic MSK pain outpatients and healthy controls and explore the relationship between cognitive/emotional empathy and chronic pain. Methods: Patients with chronic MSK pain (n = 22) and healthy controls (n = 26) completed the pain assessment and empathy ability task, utilizing a multidimensional empathy assessment tool with satisfactory reliability and validity (i.e., the Chinese version of the Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET-C)). Results: The data indicated that the chronic MSK pain outpatients had impaired cognitive empathy (i.e., lower squared cognitive empathy accuracy: Student's t = -2.119, P = 0.040, and longer task completion time: Student's t = 3.382, P = 0.002) compared to healthy controls, and cognitive empathy was negatively correlated with pain intensity (r = -0.614, P = 0.002). Further, the impaired cognitive empathy was present in identifying positive, but not negative emotions. Conclusion: These results indicate that chronic MSK pain is associated with impaired empathy ability. Our studies contribute to offering a potential direction for developing psychosocial interventions to treat chronic MSK pain.

Zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks and their roles in electrocatalysis.

Due to their exceptional chemical stability in water and high structural tunability, zirconium(IV)-based MOFs (Zr-MOFs) have been considered attractive materials in the broad fields of electrocatalysis. Numerous studies published since 2015 have attempted to utilise Zr-MOFs in electrocatalysis, with the porous framework serving as either the active electrocatalyst or the scaffold or surface coating to further enhance the performance of the actual electrocatalyst. Herein, the roles of Zr-MOFs in electrocatalytic processes are discussed, and some selected examples reporting the applications of Zr-MOFs in various electrocatalytic reactions, including several studies from our group, are overviewed. Challenges, limitations and opportunities in using Zr-MOFs in electrocatalysis in future studies are discussed.

De novo chromosome-level genome assembly of Chinese motherwort (Leonurus japonicus).

Chinese motherwort (Leonurus japonicus), a member of Lamiaceae family, is a commonly used medicinal herb for treating obstetrical and gynecological diseases, producing over 280 officinal natural products. Due to limited genomic resources, little progress has been made in deciphering the biosynthetic pathway of valuable natural products in L. japonicus. Here, we de novo assembled the L. japonicus genome using high-coverage ONT long reads and Hi-C reads. The chromosome-level genome assembly contained ten chromosomes representing 99.29% of 489.34 Mb genomic sequence with a contig and scaffold N50 of 7.27 Mb and 50.86 Mb, respectively. Genome validations revealed BUSCO and LAI score of 99.2% and 21.99, respectively, suggesting high quality of genome assembly. Using transcriptomic data from various tissues, 22,531 protein-coding genes were annotated. Phylogenomic analysis of 13 angiosperm plants suggested L. japonicus had 58 expanded gene families functionally enriched in specialized metabolism such as diterpenoid biosynthesis. The genome assembly, annotation, and sequencing data provide resources for the elucidation of biosynthetic pathways behind natural products of pharmaceutical applications in L. japonicus.

Intra-sample reversed pairs based on differentially ranked genes reveal biosignature for ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer, a major gynecological malignancy, often remains undetected until advanced stages, necessitating more effective early screening methods. Existing biomarker based on differential genes often suffers from variations in clinical practice. To overcome the limitations of absolute gene expression values including batch effects and biological heterogeneity, we introduced a pairwise biosignature leveraging intra-sample differentially ranked genes (DRGs) and machine learning for ovarian cancer detection across diverse cohorts. We analyzed ten cohorts comprising 872 samples with 796 ovarian cancer and 76 normal. Our method, DRGpair, involves three stages: intra-sample ranking differential analysis, reversed gene pair analysis, and iterative LASSO regression. We identified four DRG pairs, demonstrating superior diagnostic performance compared to current state-of-the-art biomarkers and differentially expressed genes in seven independent cohorts. This rank-based approach not only reduced computational complexity but also enhanced the specificity and effectiveness of biomarkers, revealing DRGs as promising candidates for ovarian cancer detection and offering a scalable model adaptable to varying cohort characteristics.

Immobilization of europium and terbium ions with tunable ratios on a dispersible two-dimensional metal-organic framework for ratiometric photoluminescence detection of D2O.

A two-dimensional zirconium-based metal-organic framework (2D Zr-MOF), ZrBTB (BTB = 1,3,5-tri(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene), is used as a platform to simultaneously immobilize terbium ions and europium ions with tunable ratios on its hexa-zirconium nodes by a post-synthetic modification. The crystallinity, morphology, porosity and photoluminescence (PL) properties of the obtained 2D Zr-MOFs with various europium-to-terbium ratios are investigated. With the energy transfer from the excited BTB linker to the installed terbium ions and the energy transfer from terbium ions to europium ions, a low loading of immobilized europium ions and a high loading of surrounding terbium ions in the 2D Zr-MOF result in the optimal PL emission intensities of europium; this phenomenon is not observable for the physical mixture of both terbium-installed ZrBTB and europium-installed ZrBTB. The role of installed terbium ions as efficient mediators for the energy transfer from the excited BTB linker to the installed europium ion is confirmed by quantifying PL quantum yields. As a demonstration, these materials with modulable PL characteristics are applied for the ratiometric detection of D2O in water, with the use of the stable emission from the BTB linker as the reference. With the strong emission of immobilized europium ions and the good dispersity in aqueous solutions, the optimal bimetal-installed ZrBTB, Eu-Tb-ZrBTB(1 : 10), can achieve the sensing performance outperforming those of the terbium-installed ZrBTB, europium-installed ZrBTB and the physical mixture of both.

Two-dimensional metal-organic framework for post-synthetic immobilization of graphene quantum dots for photoluminescent sensing.

Immobilization of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) on a solid support is crucial to prevent GQDs from aggregation in the form of solid powder and facilitate the separation and recycling of GQDs after use. Herein, spatially dispersed GQDs are post-synthetically coordinated within a two-dimensional (2D) and water-stable zirconium-based metal-organic framework (MOF). Unlike pristine GQDs, the obtained GQDs immobilized on 2D MOF sheets show photoluminescence in both suspension and dry powder. Chemical and photoluminescent stabilities of MOF-immobilized GQDs in water are investigated, and the use of immobilized GQDs in the photoluminescent detection of copper ions is demonstrated. Findings here shed the light on the use of 2D MOFs as a platform to further immobilize GQDs with various sizes and distinct chemical functionalities for a range of applications.

Two telomere-to-telomere gapless genomes reveal insights into Capsicum evolution and capsaicinoid biosynthesis.

Chili pepper (Capsicum) is known for its unique fruit pungency due to the presence of capsaicinoids. The evolutionary history of capsaicinoid biosynthesis and the mechanism of their tissue specificity remain obscure due to the lack of high-quality Capsicum genomes. Here, we report two telomere-to-telomere (T2T) gap-free genomes of C. annuum and its wild nonpungent relative C. rhomboideum to investigate the evolution of fruit pungency in chili peppers. We precisely delineate Capsicum centromeres, which lack high-copy tandem repeats but are extensively invaded by CRM retrotransposons. Through phylogenomic analyses, we estimate the evolutionary timing of capsaicinoid biosynthesis. We reveal disrupted coding and regulatory regions of key biosynthesis genes in nonpungent species. We also find conserved placenta-specific accessible chromatin regions, which likely allow for tissue-specific biosynthetic gene coregulation and capsaicinoid accumulation. These T2T genomic resources will accelerate chili pepper genetic improvement and help to understand Capsicum genome evolution.

ScPNP-A, a plant natriuretic peptide from Stellera chamaejasme, confers multiple stress tolerances in Arabidopsis.

As a class of peptide hormone, plant natriuretic peptides (PNPs) play an important role in maintaining water and salt balance in plants, as well as in the physiological processes of biotic stress and pathogen resistance. However, in plants, except for some PNPs, such as the Arabidopsis thaliana PNP-A (AtPNP-A), of which the function has not yet been thoroughly revealed, few PNPs in other plants have been reported. In this study, a PNP-A (ScPNP-A) has been identified and characterized in Stellera chamaejasme for the first time. ScPNP-A is a double-psi beta-barrel (DPBB) fold containing protein and is localized in the extracellular (secreted) space. In S. chamaejasme, the expression of ScPNP-A was significantly up-regulated by salt, drought and cold stress. Changes at the physiological and biochemical levels and the expression of resistance-related genes indicated that overexpression of ScPNP-A can significantly improve salt, drought and freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis. ScPNP-A could stimulate the opening, not the closing of stomata, and its expression was not enhanced by external application of ABA. Furthermore, overexpression of ScPNP-A resulted in the elevated expression of genes in the ABA biosynthesis and reception pathway. These suggested that there may be some cross-talk between ScPNP-A and the ABA-dependent signaling pathways to regulate water related stress, however further experimentation is required to understand this relationship. In addition, overexpression of ScPNP-A can enhance the resistance to pathogens by enhancing SAR in Arabidopsis. These results indicate that ScPNP-A could function as a positive regulator in plant response to biotic stress and abiotic stress.

OoNAC72, a NAC-Type Oxytropis ochrocephala Transcription Factor, Conferring Enhanced Drought and Salt Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis.

The NAC proteins form one of the largest families of plant-specific transcription factors (TFs) and play essential roles in developmental processes and stress responses. In this study, we characterized a NAC domain transcription factor, OoNAC72, from a legume Oxytropis ochrocephala. OoNAC72 was proved to be localized in the nuclei in tobacco lower epidermal cells and had transcriptional activation activity in yeast, confirming its transcription activity. OoNAC72 expression could be induced by drought, salinity and exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) in O. ochrocephala seedlings. Furthermore, over-expression of OoNAC72 driven by CaMV35S promoter in Arabidopsis resulted in ABA hypersensitivity and enhanced tolerance to drought and salt stresses during seed germination and post-germinative growth periods. In addition, over-expression of OoNAC72 enhanced the expression of stress-responsive genes such as RD29A, RD29B, RD26, LEA14, ANACOR19, ZAT10, PP2CA, and NCED3. These results highlight the important regulatory role of OoNAC72 in multiple abiotic stress tolerance, and may provide an underlying reason for the spread of O. ochrocephala.

[The application of three dimensional analysis system in measuring rotation angles of thumb carpometacarpal joints].

OBJECTIVE: To measure the axial rotation angles of the carpometacarpal joints during the digital opposition of thumb-index finger, thumb-medial finger, thumb-ring finger, thumb-little finger and the thumb's maximal opposition, then the application of these parameters were studied. METHODS: Twenty neutrality-occupation volunteers (female 10, male 10) with no history of hand injuries or related diseases were involved in the study. First, all the markers' 3-D coordinates were obstained using the 3D motion analysis system (EVaRT4.1) during the digital opposition movements of thumb. Then, the axial rotation angles were calculated. RESULTS: The average rotation angles of carpometacarpal joints during all kinds of digital oppositions were 29.1 degrees +/- 9.4 degrees (male), 24.8 degrees +/- 10.2 degrees (female), while the maximal rotation angles are: 35.3 degrees (male), 28.8 degrees (female). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of video-based 3-D analysis system and mathematics make it possible to measure the axial rotation angles of thumb in vivo, as a result, the rotation angles of thumb carpometacarpal joints are measured precisely for the first time. These results can provide a few parameters for treatment and rehabilitation of carpometacarpal arthrositis.