Genomic data revealed inbreeding despite a geographically connected stable effective population size since the Holocene in the protected Formosan Long-Arm Scarab beetle, Cheirotonus formosanus.

Biodiversity conservation is a top priority in the face of global environmental change, and the practical restoration of biodiversity has emerged as a key objective. Nevertheless, the question of how to effectively contribute to biodiversity restoration and identify suitable systems for such efforts continues to present major challenges. By using genome-wide SNP data, our study revealed that populations from different mountain ranges of the Formosan Long-Arm Scarab beetle, a flagship species that receives strict protection, exhibited a single genetic cluster with no subdivision. Additionally, our result implied an association between the demographic history and historical fluctuations in climate and environmental conditions. Furthermore, we showed that, despite a stable and moderately sized effective population over recent history, all the individuals we studied exhibited signs of genetic inbreeding. We argued that the current practice of protecting the species as one evolutionarily significant unit remains the best conservation plan and that recent habitat change may have led to the pattern of significant inbreeding. We closed by emphasizing the importance of conservation genetic studies in guiding policy decisions and highlighting the potential of genomic data for identifying ideal empirical systems for genetic rescue, or assisted gene flow studies.

Addressing the taxonomic confusion of Mesocoelium Odhner, 1910 (Trematoda: Plagiorchioidea: Mesocoeliidae) in Japanese urodelan and anuran amphibians.

Trematodes of the genus Mesocoelium Odhner, 1910 (Digenea: Plagiorchioidea: Mesocoeliidae) are globally distributed and parasitize amphibians, reptiles, or occasionally fishes. This genus is one of the most confusing taxa in trematodes because of its poor morphological features. In this study, we examined species of Mesocoelium collected from Japanese amphibians and found that they can be morphologically assigned to two species of Mesocoelium. Mesocoelium brevicaecum Ochi in Goto and Ozaki, 1929 parasitizes various both urodelan and anuran amphibians and occurred widely in Japan, while M. japonicum Goto and Ozaki, 1930 parasitizes a few hynobiid species in a limited part of Japan. We proposed ceca length as a valid key characteristic for species identification in this genus. M. elongatum Goto and Ozaki, 1929, M. lanceatum Goto and Ozaki, 1929, M. minutum Park, 1939, M. ovatum Goto and Ozaki, 1930, and M. pearsei Goto and Ozaki, 1930 are junior synonyms of M. brevicaecum, while M. japonicum can be distinguishable from them by morphologically and molecularly. Our molecular study supported the validity of both species and showed intraspecific divergence associated with geographic distance. Molecular identification suggests that the land snail Euhadra quaesita can serve as the first intermediate host for M. japonicum in Japan. This study also indicates the extremely low specificity of this genus for vertebrate hosts. Finally, we conclude that at least three species of Mesocoelium (M. brevicaecum, M. japonicum, and Mesocoelium sp. 1) are distributed in Japan. Further studies in other regions are undoubtedly required for a better understanding of the taxonomy and ecology of the genus Mesocoelium.

Multidimensional data analysis revealed thyroiditis-associated TCF19 SNP rs2073724 as a highly ranked protective variant in thyroid cancer.

BACKGROUND: Thyroid cancer represents the most prevalent malignant endocrine tumour, with rising incidence worldwide and high mortality rates among patients exhibiting dedifferentiation and metastasis. Effective biomarkers and therapeutic interventions are warranted in aggressive thyroid malignancies. The transcription factor 19 (TCF19) gene has been implicated in conferring a malignant phenotype in cancers. However, its contribution to thyroid neoplasms remains unclear. RESULTS: In this study, we performed genome-wide and phenome-wide association studies to identify a potential causal relationship between TCF19 and thyroid cancer. Our analyses revealed significant associations between TCF19 and various autoimmune diseases and human cancers, including cervical cancer and autoimmune thyroiditis, with a particularly robust signal for the deleterious missense variation rs2073724 that is associated with thyroid function, hypothyroidism, and autoimmunity. Furthermore, functional assays and transcriptional profiling in thyroid cancer cells demonstrated that TCF19 regulates important biological processes, especially inflammatory and immune responses. We demonstrated that TCF19 could promote the progression of thyroid cancer in vitro and in vivo and the C>T variant of rs2073724 disrupted TCF19 protein binding to target gene promoters and their expression, thus reversing the effect of TCF19 protein. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these findings implicate TCF19 as a promising therapeutic target in aggressive thyroid malignancies and designate rs2073724 as a causal biomarker warranting further investigation in thyroid cancer.

Clinical effect of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with mechanical ventilation: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with mechanical ventilation in an intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: Relevant studies were identified in the PubMed, Web of Science, National Library of Medicine, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang databases. A meta-analysis was performed after screening based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, data extraction and literature quality evaluation. RESULTS: In total, 19 studies involving 2181 participants were included. The results of the meta-analysis revealed that compared with patients with conventional rehabilitation measures, patients with pulmonary rehabilitation measures had a higher offline success rate (relative risk (RR) = 1.16; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09, 1.24; p < 0.00001) and higher arterial oxygen partial pressure levels (mean difference (MD) = 8.96; 95%CI: 5.98, 11.94; p < 0.0001) and these measures significantly shortened the duration of mechanical ventilation (standardised MD (SMD) = -1.08; 95%CI: -1.58, -0.59; p < 0.0001) and ICU stay (SMD = -1.41; 95%CI: -1.94, -0.88; p < 0.0001). Aspiration significantly reduced the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (RR = 0.35; 95%CI: 0.24, 0.51; p < 0.00001) and deep vein thrombosis (RR = 0.32; 95%CI: 0.13, 0.76; p = 0.01) in ICU patients with mechanical ventilation. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary rehabilitation measures can improve the success rate of weaning from mechanical ventilation in ICU patients, shorten the time of mechanical ventilation and ICU hospitalisation and reduce the incidence of related adverse reactions, but the impact on mortality requires further study.

Zn-BTC MOF as Self-Template to Hierarchical ZnS/NiS2 Heterostructure with Improved Electrochemical Performance for Hybrid Supercapacitor.

Zn-BTC (H3BTC refers to 1, 3, 5-benzoic acid) MOF was used as a self-template and a zinc source to prepare ZnS/NiS2 with a layered heterogeneous structure as a promising electrode material using cation exchange and solid-phase vulcanization processes. The synergistic effect of the two metal sulfides enhances the application of ZnS/NiS2. And the high specific surface area and abundant active sites further promote the mass/charge transfer and redox reaction kinetics. In the three-electrode system, the specific capacitance was as high as 1547 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g, along with satisfactory rate capability (1214 F/g at 6 A/g) and cycling performance. Coupled with activated carbon (AC), the prepared hybrid device (ZnS/NiS2 as the positive electrode and AC as the negative electrode) (ZnS/NiS2/AC) can be operated under a potential window of 1.6 V and provides a high energy density of 26.3 Wh/kg at a power density of 794 W/kg. Notably, the assembled ZnS/NiS2//AC showed little capacity degradation after 5000 charge/discharge cycles.