The alteration of mucosal bile acid profile is associated with nerve growth factor expression in mast cells and bowel symptoms in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome.

Mucosal bile acid (BA) profile is still unestablished in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D). The aim of this study was to explore colonic mucosal BAs and their associations with mucosal mast cell (MMC)-derived nerve growth factor (NGF) and bowel symptoms in IBS-D. Colonic mucosal biopsies from 36 IBS-D patients and 35 healthy controls (HCs) were obtained for targeted BA profiling. MMC count and the expression of NGF and tight junction proteins (TJPs) were examined. We found that colonic mucosal BA profile was altered in the IBS-D cohort. The proportion of primary BAs was significantly higher and that of secondary BAs was lower in IBS-D patients. According to the 90th percentile of total mucosal BA content of HCs, IBS-D patients were divided into BA-H (n = 7, 19.4%) and BA-L (n = 29, 80.6%) subgroups. BA-H patients showed significantly higher total mucosal BA content compared to BA-L subgroup and HCs. The mucosal content of 11 BA metabolites significantly increased in BA-H subgroup, e.g. cholic acid (CA) and taurocholic acid (TCA). Moreover, BA-H patients displayed significantly elevated MMC count and NGF expression, with decreased expression of TJPs (claudin-1, junctional adhesion molecule-A and zonula occludens-1). Correlation analyses revealed that mucosal TCA content positively correlated with MMC count, MMC-derived NGF levels, and abdominal pain while negatively correlated with TJP expression. In conclusion, IBS-D patients showed an altered BA profile in the colonic mucosa. Approximately 20% of them exhibit elevated mucosal BA content, which may be associated with MMC-derived NGF signaling and bowel symptoms.

Mikulicz's disease combined with IgG4-related hypophysitis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: IgG4-related diseases are very uncommon, and its diagnosis and treatment are complicated as it encompasses multiple disciplines. CASE PRESENTATION: A 77-year-old woman was admitted with a jaw mass and nausea and vomiting. Laboratory tests showed elevated serum IgG4, pituitary MRI suggested thickening of the pituitary stalk, and head and neck CT suggested orbital and mandibular masses. Patients with mandibular mass were diagnosed with Mikulicz's disease with IgG4-related hypophysitis. We found no other evidence of causing thickening of the pituitary stalk. She was given oral prednisolone 30 mg daily, and her nausea and vomiting improved significantly, and the mandibular and ocular masses decreased in size. CONCLUSION: Mikulicz's disease combined with IgG4-related hypophysitis is a rare case of IgG4-RD in elderly women. IgG4-RD is one of the causes of head and neck exocrine gland mass and pituitary stalk thickening in the elderly.

Both hormones and energy-rich compounds play a role in the mitigation of elevated pH on aluminum toxicity in Citrus sinensis leaves.

The contribution of plant hormones and energy-rich compounds and their metabolites (ECMs) in alleviating aluminum (Al) toxicity by elevated pH remains to be clarified. For the first time, a targeted metabolome was applied to identify Al-pH-interaction-responsive hormones and ECMs in Citrus sinensis leaves. More Al-toxicity-responsive hormones and ECMs were identified at pH 4.0 [4 (10) upregulated and 7 (17) downregulated hormones (ECMs)] than those at pH 3.0 [1 (9) upregulated and 4 (14) downregulated hormones (ECMs)], suggesting that the elevated pH improved the adaptation of hormones and ECMs to Al toxicity in leaves. The roles of hormones and ECMs in reducing leaf Al toxicity mediated by elevated pH might include the following aspects: (a) improved leaf growth by upregulating the levels of jasmonoyl-L-isoleucine (JA-ILE), 6-benzyladenosine (BAPR), N6-isopentenyladenosine (IPR), cis-zeatin-O-glucoside riboside (cZROG), and auxins (AUXs), preventing Al toxicity-induced reduction of gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis, and avoiding jasmonic acid (JA)-mediated defense; (b) enhanced biosynthesis and accumulation of tryptophan (TRP), as well as the resulting increase in biosynthesis of auxin, melatonin and secondary metabolites (SMs); (c) improved ability to maintain the homeostasis of ATP and other phosphorus (P)-containing ECMs; and (d) enhanced internal detoxification of Al due to increased organic acid (OA) and SM accumulation and elevated ability to detoxify reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to enhanced SM accumulation. To conclude, the current results corroborate the hypotheses that elevated pH reduces Al toxicity by upregulating the ability to maintain the homeostasis of ATP and other P-containing ECMs in leaves under Al toxicity and (b) hormones participate in the elevated pH-mediated alleviation of Al toxicity by positively regulating growth, the ability to detoxify ROS, and the internal detoxification of Al in leaves under Al toxicity. Our findings provide novel insights into the roles of hormones and ECMs in mitigating Al toxicity mediated by the elevated pH.

Near-Infrared Light-Excited Quinolinium-Carbazole Small Molecule as Two-Photon Fluorescence Nucleic Acid Probe.

This article reports three new two-photon absorption (TPA) materials that are quinolinium-carbazole derivates. They are 3-(N-methyl-4-ethylquinolinium iodide)-9-ethylcarbazole (M4), 3-(N-methyl-4-ethylquinolinium iodide)-9-ethylcarbazole (H2), and 3-(N-methyl-4-ethylquinolinium iodide)-9-ethylcarbazole (H4). Their TPA cross-sections are 491, 515, and 512 GM, respectively. Under the excitation of near-infrared light, their fluorescence emission is about 650 nm. The compounds can stain nucleic acid DNA with the same level of nuclear localization as Hoechst 33342. Under continuous irradiation with a near-infrared laser, the three new compounds showed less fluorescence decay than DAPI, and the average fluorescence decay rates were 0.016%/s, 0.020%/s, and 0.023%/s. They are expected to become new two-photon fluorescent probes of nucleic acid DNA because of their excellent performance.

Evaluating blood supply changes in the osteonecrosis of the femoral head using gadobutrol-based steady-state MR angiography.

OBJECTIVES: Assess the feasibility of using gadobutrol-based steady-state (SS) MR angiography (MRA) to evaluate the blood supply changes of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants were recruited in this prospective study from December 2021 to May 2022 in a single center. The number of superior retinacular arteries (SRAs), inferior retinacular arteries (IRAs), anterior retinacular arteries (ARAs), and overall retinacular arteries (ORAs), as well as the affected rates of SRA and IRA, were determined and compared between healthy and ONFH hips and between hips across the Association Research Circulation Osseous (ARCO) staging I-IV. RESULTS: Twenty healthy and 64 ONFH hips were evaluated in 54 participants. There were significant differences between ARCO I-IV for the number of ORAs (mean of 3.5, 2.3, 1.7, and 0.8 for ARCO I-IV, respectively; p < .001), SRAs (median of 2.5, 1, 0.5, and 0 for ARCO I-IV, respectively; p < .001), and the affected rate of SRAs (20.00%, 65.22%, 77.78%, 92.31% for ARCO I-IV, respectively, p = 0.002). There were significant differences between ONFH and healthy hips for the number of ORAs (median of 5 vs. 2; p < .001), SRAs (median of 3 vs. 1; p < .001), IRAs (median of 1 vs. 1; p < .001), ARAs (median of 0 vs. 0; p = 0.04), and also the affected rate of SRAs (5.00% vs. 67.20%, p < .001) and IRAs (30% vs. 84.4%, p < .001). CONCLUSION: Gadobutrol-enhanced SS MRA is a feasible method for evaluation of hemodynamics in ONFH. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Gadobutrol-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography can evaluate blood supply changes of ONFH and therefore helps to aid in the diagnosis and guide treatment of ONFH. KEY POINTS: • Gadobutrol-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography showed changes in the retinacular artery related to the severity of femoral osteonecrosis. • Gadobutrol-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography revealed a reduced blood supply to the ischemic necrotic femoral head compared to the healthy counterparts.

A rapid and highly sensitive immunosorbent assay to monitor helicases unwinding diverse nucleic acid structures.

Helicases are crucial enzymes in DNA and RNA metabolism and function by unwinding particular nucleic acid structures. However, most convenient and high-throughput helicase assays are limited to the typical duplex DNA. Herein, we developed an immunosorbent assay to monitor the Werner syndrome (WRN) helicase unwinding a wide range of DNA structures, such as a replication fork, a bubble, Holliday junction, G-quadruplex and hairpin. This assay could sensitively detect the unwinding of DNA structures with detection limits around 0.1 nM, and accurately monitor the substrate-specificity of WRN with a comparatively less time-consuming and high throughput process. Remarkably, we have established that this new assay was compatible in evaluating helicase inhibitors and revealed that the inhibitory effect was substrate-dependent, suggesting that diverse substrate structures other than duplex structures should be considered in discovering new inhibitors. Our study provided a foundational example for using this new assay as a powerful tool to study helicase functions and discover potent inhibitors.

A Pseudo-near isogenic F2 population strategy for rapid QTL cloning.

Near isogenic F2 (NIF2) population frequently developed by conventional backcross has dramatically contributed to QTL identification in plants. Developing such a NIF2 population is time-consuming. Thus, it is urgent to rapidly produce a NIF2 population for QTL cloning. Here, we proposed a rapid QTL cloning strategy by generating a Pseudo-near isogenic F2 population (Pseudo-NIF2), which segregates at the target QTL but is fixed at other QTLs for the target trait. Nineteen QTLs for GL, GW, and TGW were detected in the F2 population from the cross between Zhenshan 97 and Egy316. To verify the efficiency of Pseudo-NIF2 in QTL quick cloning, the novel moderate QTL qGL10.1 which explained 9.1% and 5.6% of grain length variation in F2 and F2:3 populations was taken as an example. An F2 plant (F2-120), which segregated at qGL10.1 but fixed at other 8 QTLs for grain length, was screened to generate a Pseudo-NIF2 population by selfing cross. In the Pseudo-NIF2 population, the segregation ratio of plants with long grains to short grains fits 3:1, indicating that one gene controlled the variation of grain length. Based on the Pseudo-NIF2 and its progeny, qGL10.1 was fine mapped to a 19.3-kb region, where a gene OsMADS56 was verified as the candidate by functional polymorphism between parental alleles. Pseudo-NIF2 strategy is a rapid way for QTL cloning, which saves 3 to 4 cropping seasons compared to the conventional way. Applying the method for cloning QTL with moderate or major effects is promising. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-023-01408-x.

Functional analysis of 3 genes in xenobiotic detoxification pathway of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus against matrine.

Bursaphelenchus xylophilus is the causative agent of pine wilt disease. It has caused devastating damage to ecosystems worldwide, owing to the characteristic of being widely spread and uncontrollable. However, the current methods of control are mainly based on pesticides, which can cause irreversible damage to the ecosystem. Therefore, the search for new drug targets and the development of environmentally friendly nematicides is especially valuable. In this study, three key genes of the xenobiotic detoxification pathways were cloned from B. xylophilus, which were subsequently subjected to bioinformatic analysis. The bioassay experiment was carried out to determine the concentration of matrine required for further tests. Subsequently, enzyme activity detection and three gene expression pattern analysis were performed on matrine treated nematodes. Finally, RNA interference was conducted to verify the functions carried out by the three genes in combating matrine. The results indicated that cytochrome P450 and glutathione S-transferase of B. xylophilus were activated by matrine, which induced high expression of BxCYP33C4, BxGST1, and BxGST3. After RNA interference of three genes of B. xylophilus, the sensitivity of B. xylophilus to matrine was increased and the survival rate of nematodes was reduced to various degrees in comparison to the control group. Overall, the results fully demonstrated that BxCYP33C4, BxGST1, and BxGST3 are valuable drug targets for B. xylophilus. Furthermore, the results suggested that matrine has value for development and exploitation in the prevention and treatment of B. xylophilus.

Immune responses and inorganic ion transport regulations of Epinephelus coioides in response to L321_RS13075 gene of Pseudomonas plecoglossicida.

Pseudomonas plecoglossicida is a well-known pathogen of viscera granulomas disease in fish, which has led to severe economic losses. In our previous study, L321_RS13075 was predicted to be a key virulence gene of P. plecoglossicida during the host-pathogen interaction with Epinephelus coioides. To investigate the role of L321_RS13075 in the regulation of virulence in P. plecoglossicida, a L321_RS13075 knock-down strain was constructed. And a significant reduction in the ability of colonization, intracellular survival, motility, biofilm formation, and adhesion was detected in the L321_RS13075 knock-down strain. Compared with the wild-type strain, the silence of L321_RS13075 in P. plecoglossicida resulted in a significant change in the transcriptome of infected Epinephelus coioides (E. coioides). Results of COG and GO analysis on E. coioides showed that genes related to immune responses and inorganic ion transport were significantly affected by L321_RS13075 of P. plecoglossicida. Meanwhile, the interactions of the genes related to immune responses and inorganic ion transport were predicted, and the important hub genes were identified. Taken together, the results indicated that L321_RS13075 was a virulent gene of P. plecoglossicida, which significantly affected the immune responses and inorganic ion transport in E. coioides.

CLINICAL APPLICATION OF RT-PCR IN TUBERCULOSIS DNA DETECTION COMBINED WITH TB-IGRA IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF SPUTUM SMEAR-NEGATIVE PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS.

The aim was to investigate detection of pulmonary alveolar lavage fluid tuberculosis DNA by real-time fluorescent polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) combined with clinical application of the sputum smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosis with TB interferon-γ release assay (TB-IGRA). From October 2014 to October 2015, 632 outpatients and inpatients treated in our hospital were randomly selected, of which 459 patients as the research group managed with RT-PCR detection combined with TB-IGRA and 173 patients as the control group undergoing electronic bronchoscopy alveolar lavage fluid detection, with detection results statistically evaluated. The positive rate in the research group was 96.51%, i.e. significantly higher than that in the control group (66.47%), yielding a statistically significant difference (χ2=109.68, p=0.00). The true positive rate was 97.7% in the research group and 67.92% in the control group; the true positive rate was significantly higher in the research group patients as compared with the control group, yielding a statistically significant difference (χ2=112.04, p=0.00). The sensitivity and specificity, as well as Youden index were significantly higher in the research group as compared with the control group. In conclusion, TB DNA detection by RT-PCR combined with TB-IGRA is a very good method of diagnosing tuberculosis, and it can be implemented in clinical diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Combinations of Ghd7, Ghd8, and Hd1 determine strong heterosis of commercial rice hybrids in diverse ecological regions.

Heterosis of grain yield is closely associated with heading date in crops. Gene combinations of the major heading date genes Ghd7, Ghd8, and Hd1 play important roles in enhancing grain yield and adaptation to ecological regions in rice. However, the predominant three-gene combinations for a specific ecological region remain unclear in both three-line and two-line hybrids. In this study, we sequenced these three genes of 50 cytoplasmic male sterile/maintainer lines, 31 photo-thermo-sensitive genic male sterile lines, and 109 restorer lines. Sequence analysis showed that hybrids carrying strong functional alleles of Ghd7 and Hd1 and non-functional Ghd8 are predominant in three-line hybrids and are recommended for rice production in the subtropics around 30°N/S. Hybrids carrying strong functional Ghd7 and Ghd8 and non-functional Hd1 are predominant in two-line hybrids and are recommended for low latitude areas around 23.5°N/S rich in photothermal resources. Hybrids carrying strong functional Ghd7 and Ghd8 and functional Hd1 were not identified in commercial hybrids in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, but they have high yield potential in tropical regions because they have the strongest photoperiod sensitivity. Based on these findings, two genic sterile lines, Xiangling 628S and C815S, whose hybrids often head very late, were diagnosed with these three genes, and Hd1 was targeted to be knocked out in Xiangling 628S and replaced with hd1 in C815S. The hybrids developed from both modified sterile lines in turn had appropriate heading dates and significantly improved grain yield. This study provides new insights for breeding design to develop hybrids for various regions.

Electronic and optical properties of hydrogen-terminated biphenylene nanoribbons: a first-principles study.

The electronic structures and optical properties of novel 2D biphenylene and hydrogen-terminated nanoribbons of different widths which are cut from a layer of biphenylene were explored via first-principles calculations. The findings of phonon computations demonstrate that such a biphenylene is dynamically stable and shows metallic properties. The crystal orbital Hamilton population analysis indicates that the tetra-ring local structure results in anisotropic mechanical properties. For 1D nanoribbons, their band gaps shrink, and a direct-indirect transition occurs in the band gap as the width increases, transforming the nanoribbon to endow them with metallic characteristics at a certain width. This is attributed to the weak coupling between the tetra-ring atoms, shrinking the direct band gap at the Y point in the Brillouin zone. Finally, the contribution of interband transitions to the dielectric function in 6-, 9-, and 12-armchair biphenylene nanoribbons (ABNRs) was identified. The lowest peak in the imaginary part of the dielectric function ε2 spectrum was mainly a contribution of a Γ-Γ transition. As the width of ABNR increases, the transitions in the x direction become stronger while the transition strength in the y direction is not significantly altered. This investigation extends the understanding of the electronic and optical properties of 2D biphenylene and 1D nanoribbons, which will benefit the practical applications of these materials in optoelectronics and electronics.

LeanNet: An Efficient Convolutional Neural Network for Digital Number Recognition in Industrial Products.

The remarkable success of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in computer vision tasks is shown in large-scale datasets and high-performance computing platforms. However, it is infeasible to deploy large CNNs on resource constrained platforms, such as embedded devices, on account of the huge overhead. To recognize the label numbers of industrial black material product and deploy deep CNNs in real-world applications, this research uses an efficient method to simultaneously (a) reduce the network model size and (b) lower the amount of calculation without compromising accuracy. More specifically, the method is implemented by pruning channels and corresponding filters that are identified as having a trivial effect on the output accuracy. In this paper, we prune VGG-16 to obtain a compact network called LeanNet, which gives a 25× reduction in model size and a 4.5× reduction in float point operations (FLOPs), while the accuracy on our dataset is close to the original accuracy by retraining the network. Besides, we also find that LeanNet could achieve better performance on reductions in model size and computation compared to some lightweight networks like MobileNet and SqueezeNet, which are widely used in engineering applications. This research has good application value in the field of industrial production.

Fertilizer overuse in Chinese smallholders due to lack of fixed inputs.

Fertilizer overuse by smallholder farmers is widespread in China, leading to significant financial losses and threatening the environment. Understanding what mechanism behind this is critical for agricultural and environmental sustainability. By using a fixed effect panel model of over 20,000 rural households in China from 1995 to 2016, we found that the low ratio of fixed inputs such as machinery and knowledge to total inputs is the key factor leading to over-fertilization in smallholder farms. Low fixed input can result in or interact with nutrient-unbalanced fertilization, low agricultural income ratio and more cash crops that further aggravate fertilizer overuse. Smallholders lack fixed inputs, then compensate by over-applying fertilizer to attempt to achieve their yield goals. Thus, improving fixed input via increasing the average farm size to 3.8 ha or advanced service rental could save not only 45% fertilizers but also increase 16% agricultural net profit, benefiting agricultural and environmental sustainability.

A minor QTL, SG3, encoding an R2R3-MYB protein, negatively controls grain length in rice.

KEY MESSAGE: SG3, an R2R3 MYB protein coding gene that tightly linked to a major QTLGS3, negatively regulates grain length while dependent on the status ofGS3in rice. It is often very difficult to isolate a minor QTL that is closely linked to a major QTL in rice. In this study, we focused on the isolation of a minor grain length QTL, small grain 3 (SG3), which is closely linked to the major QTL grain size 3 (GS3). The genetic effect of SG3 on grain length was dependent on GS3 status. Its genetic effect was larger in the presence of nonfunctional sg3 than functional SG3. A large number of near-isogenic F2 plants in which GS3 was fixed with nonfunctional alleles were developed to clone SG3. A gene encoding an R2R3 MYB domain transcriptional regulator was identified as the candidate gene for SG3. SG3 overexpression and knockdown plants showed shortened and elongated grains, respectively, which demonstrated that SG3 acts as a negative regulator of grain length. SG3 was preferentially expressed in panicles after flowering, and SG3 acted as a transcription activator. Comparative sequencing analysis identified a 12-bp insertion in the third exon of NYZ that led to a frameshift and resulted in a premature stop codon. The insertion/deletion was associated with grain length in the presence of functional GS3 in the indica subspecies. SG3 and GS3 were frequently in coupling phase in indica rice, making them good targets for the breeding of cultivars with short or long grains. The isolation of the SG3 MYB gene provides new gene resource and contributes to the regulatory network of grain length in rice.

Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in an Al superconducting nanofilm grown on GaAs by molecular beam epitaxy.

We have performed extensive transport experiments on a 4 nm thick aluminum (Al) superconducting film grown on a GaAs substrate by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Nonlinear current-voltage (I-V) measurements on such a MBE-grown superconducting nanofilm show that V âˆ¼ I 3, which is evidence for the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition, both in the low-voltage (T BKT ≈ 1.97 K) and high-voltage regions (T BKT ≈ 2.17 K). In order to further study the two regions where the I-V curves are BKT-like, our experimental data are fitted to the temperature-induced vortices/antivortices unbinding model as well as the dynamical scaling theory. It is found that the transition temperature obtained in the high-voltage region is the correct T BKT as confirmed by fitting the data to the aforementioned models. Our experimental results unequivocally show that I-V measurements alone may not allow one to determine T BKT for superconducting transition. Therefore, one should try to fit one's results to the temperature-induced vortices/antivortices unbinding model and the dynamical scaling theory to accurately determine T BKT in a two-dimensional superconductor.

Identification and rescue of a novel TUBB8 mutation that causes the first mitotic division defects and infertility.

PURPOSE: Tubulin beta eight class VIII (TUBB8) is essential for oogenesis, fertilization, and pre-implantation embryo development in human. Although TUBB8 mutations were recently discovered in meiosis-arrested oocytes of infertile females, there is no effective therapy for this gene mutation caused infertility. Our study aims to further reveal the infertility-causing gene mutations in the patient's family and to explore whether the infertility could be rescued by optimizing the conditions of embryo culture and finally achieve the purpose of making the patient pregnant. METHODS: Whole-exome sequence analysis and Sanger sequencing were performed on patients' family members to screen and identify candidate mutant genes. Construction of plasmids, in vitro transcription, microinjection of disease-causing gene cRNA, and immunofluorescence staining were used to recapitulate the infertility phenotype observed in patients and to understand the pathogenic principles. Simultaneously, overexpression of mutant and wild-type cRNA of the candidate gene in mouse oocytes at either germinal vesicle (GV) or metaphase II (MII) stage was performed in the rescue experiment. RESULTS: We first identified a novel heritable TUBB8 mutation (c.1041C>A: p.N347K) in the coding region which specifically affects the first mitosis and causes the developmental arrest of early embryos in a three-generation family. We further demonstrated that TUBB8 mutation could lead to abnormal spindle assemble. And moreover, additional expression of wild-type TUBB8 cRNA in the mouse oocytes in which the mutant TUBB8 were expressed can successfully rescue the developmental defects of resulting embryo and produce full-term offspring. CONCLUSIONS: Our study not only defines a novel mutation of TUBB8 causing the early cleavage arrest of embryos, but also provides an important basis for treating such female infertility in the future.

Gestational weight gain and risk of autism spectrum disorders in offspring: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

It has been revealed that gestational weight gain (GWG) influences the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the offspring, but the findings are inconsistent. The current study aimed to evaluate the relationship between GWG and risk of ASD in offspring. Four electronic databases were searched up to August 28 2018 to identify observational studies reporting the association between GWG and risk of ASD in the offspring. Nine studies which met the inclusion criteria were included in the systematic review. Finally, five studies with a total of 3793 children with ASD were included in the meta-analysis. The-results indicated that excessive GWG might increase the risk of ASD in offspring (p = .0008, OR = 1.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09-1.38). More high quality cohort studies are needed to confirm this result. This research has the potential to inspire new research on ASD and promote efforts to design appropriate interventions against excessive GWG.Impact statementWhat is already known on this subject? It has been revealed that gestational weight gain (GWG) influences the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the offspring, but the findings are inconsistent.What the results of this study add? This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis on the association between GWG and ASDs in offspring. This study suggested that excessive GWG was associated with higher risk of ASD in offspring.What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? More high quality cohort studies are needed to confirm this result. This research has the potential to inspire new research on ASD and promote efforts to design appropriate interventions against excessive GWG.

Sodium butyrate ameliorates Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in RAW264.7 macrophages and C57BL/6 mice.

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (CP) infection in livestock has become highly difficult to control. To decrease the incidence of CP infection, the supplementation of feed with non-antibiotic antibacterial substances is a potential approach. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of sodium butyrate (NaB), a potential alternative to antibiotics, on CP infection in RAW264.7 macrophages and C57BL/6 mice. Our data showed that NaB (2 mM) significantly ameliorated CPinfection in RAW264.7 macrophages and decreased the bacterial load in the spleens of infected mice. By real-time PCR, we found that NaB induced significant decreases in zinc-dependent superoxide dismutase (sodC) and tip protein C (spaC) expression in CP from infected-RAW264.7 cells and in phospholipase D (pld) and spaC expression in CP from the spleens of infected mice. NaB treatment significantly up-regulated cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide (cramp) expression in spleens of mice infected with CP. Furthermore, NaB alleviated histopathological changes in spleens of CP-infected mice. In conclusion, NaB ameliorated CP infection in RAW264.7 macrophages and C57BL/6 mice, and these effects may be related to the modulation of sodC, spaC, pld, and cramp expression.

Field-free spin-orbit-torque switching of perpendicular magnetization aided by uniaxial shape anisotropy.

It has been demonstrated that the switching of perpendicular magnetization can be achieved with spin-orbit torque (SOT) at an ultrafast speed and low energy consumption. However, to make the switching deterministic, an undesirable magnetic field or unconventional device geometry is required to break the structure inverse symmetry. Here we propose a novel scheme for SOT-induced field-free deterministic switching of perpendicular magnetization. The proposed scheme can be implemented in a simple magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ)/heavy-metal system, without the need of complicated device structure. The perpendicular-anisotropy MTJ is patterned into elliptical shape and misaligned with the axis of the heavy metal, so that the uniaxial shape anisotropy aids the magnetization switching. Furthermore, unlike the conventional switching scheme where the switched final magnetization state is dependent on the direction of the applied current, in our scheme the bipolar switching is implemented by choosing different current paths, which offers a new freedom for developing novel spintronics memories or logic devices. Through the macrospin simulation, we show that a wide operation window of the applied current pulse can be obtained in the proposed scheme. The precise control of pulse amplitude or pulse duration is not required. The influences of key parameters such as damping constant and field-like torque strength are discussed as well.