The complete chloroplast genome of Camellia confuse Craib 1914, an economically valuable oil crop.

Camellia confuse Craib 1914 is an industrially valuable oil crop from southern China for which little genetic information is available. Here, we found that its complete chloroplast genome is a circular sequence (156,905 bp) with a large single-copy region (LSC) of 67,724 bp, a small single copy region (SSC) of 18,400 bp, and two inverted repeats (IRs). In total, 130 genes were identified, including 86 protein-coding genes, 36 transfer RNAs, and 8 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that C. confusa is close to C. meiocarpa. These results provide valuable information for accelerating research on the evolution of camellias.

Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction Induced by Different Surgical Methods and Its Risk Factors.

The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of different surgical methods on postoperative cognitive function in patients undergoing abdominal surgery, determine the risk factors of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) by logistic regression, and investigate these risk factors through different surgical methods. A total of 70 patients undergoing selective abdominal surgery were selected into this study. The age of these patients ranged within 32 to 85 years. The cognitive function of these patients was assessed by the mini-mental state examination at one day before the operation, and at the first and seventh day after the operation. The temperature of the tympanic membrane, PETCO2 values, visual analogue scale scores, educational level, and operation time were recorded. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze related factors of POCD. The incidence rate of perioperative hypothermia in groups O and L were 31.2 and 10.5 per cent, respectively; and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The difference in visual analogue scale scores at the first and seventh day after the operation between these two groups were statistically significant (P < 0.01). The incidence of POCD in group O was significantly higher than that in group L at the first and seventh day after the operation (P < 0.05). According to logistic regression results, it was found that age, perioperative hypothermia, and postoperative pain were risk factors of POCD. The difference in POCD for the patients undergoing abdominal surgery through different surgical methods was statistically significant, and this was closely correlated to perioperative hypothermia and postoperative pain.

Overexpression of long non-coding RNA UCA1 predicts a poor prognosis in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to have important regulatory roles in cancer biology, and the lncRNA UCA1 is upregulated in several cancers such as bladder cancer, breast cancer and colorectal cancer, however, the contributions of UCA1 to esophageal cancer remain largely unknown. METHODS: Expression levels of lncRNA UCA1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients and esophageal cancer cell lines were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and its association with overall survival of patients was analyzed by statistical analysis. Small interfering RNA was used to suppress UCA1 expression in esophageal cancer cell line. In vitro assays were conducted to further explore its underlying roles in tumor progression. RESULTS: The relative level of UCA1 was significantly higher in ESCC tissues compared to the adjacent non-tumor tissues, and remarkably higher expression of UCA1 was found in esophageal cancer cell lines compared with the immortalized esophageal epithelial cell line NE1. The ESCC patients with higher UCA1 expression had an advanced clinical stage and a poorer prognosis than those with lower expression. In vitro assays, our data indicated that downregulation of UCA1 decrease cell proliferation, migration, and invasion ability. CONCLUSIONS: lncRNA UCA1 might be considered as a novel molecule involved in ESCC progression, which provides a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.

Functional analyses of a flavonol synthase-like gene from Camellia nitidissima reveal its roles in flavonoid metabolism during floral pigmentation.

The flavonoids metabolic pathway plays central roles in floral coloration, in which anthocyanins and flavonols are derived from common precursors, dihydroflavonols. Flavonol synthase (FLS) catalyses dihydroflavonols into flavonols, which presents a key branch of anthocyanins biosynthesis. The yellow flower of Camellia nitidissima Chi. is a unique feature within the genus Camellia, which makes it a precious resource for breeding yellow camellia varieties. In this work, we characterized the secondary metabolites of pigments during floral development of C. nitidissima and revealed that accumulation of flavonols correlates with floral coloration. We first isolated CnFLS1 and showed that it is a FLS of C. nitidissima by gene family analysis. Second, expression analysis during floral development and different floral organs indicated that the expression level of CnFLS1 was regulated by developmental cues, which was in agreement with the accumulating pattern of flavonols. Furthermore, over-expression of CnFLS1 in Nicotiana tabacum altered floral colour into white or light yellow, and metabolic analysis showed significant increasing of flavonols and reducing of anthocyanins in transgenic plants. Our work suggested CnFLS1 plays critical roles in yellow colour pigmentation and is potentially a key point of genetic engineering toward colour modification in Camellia.