Determination of anthracnose (Colletotrichum fructicola) resistance mechanism using transcriptome analysis of resistant and susceptible pear (Pyrus pyrifolia).

BACKGROUND: Anthracnose, mainly caused by Colletotrichum fructicola, leads to severe losses in pear production. However, there is limited information available regarding the molecular response to anthracnose in pears. RESULTS: In this study, the anthracnose-resistant variety 'Seli' and susceptible pear cultivar 'Cuiguan' were subjected to transcriptome analysis following C. fructicola inoculation at 6 and 24 h using RNA sequencing. A total of 3186 differentially expressed genes were detected in 'Seli' and 'Cuiguan' using Illumina sequencing technology. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses indicated that the transcriptional response of pears to C. fructicola infection included responses to reactive oxygen species, phytohormone signaling, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and secondary metabolite biosynthetic processes. Moreover, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis were involved in the defense of 'Seli'. Furthermore, the gene coexpression network data showed that genes related to plant-pathogen interactions were associated with C. fructicola resistance in 'Seli' at the early stage. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that the activation of specific genes in MAPK, calcium signaling pathways and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis was highly related to C. fructicola resistance in 'Seli' and providing several potential candidate genes for breeding anthracnose-resistant pear varieties.

US-guided Percutaneous Radiofrequency Ablation for Secondary Hyperparathyroidism: Long-term Outcomes and Prognostic Factors.

Background Although favorable outcomes have been reported with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT), the long-term efficacy remains insufficiently investigated. Purpose To evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of US-guided percutaneous RFA in patients with SHPT undergoing dialysis and to identify possible predictors associated with treatment failure. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included consecutive patients with SHPT with at least one enlarged parathyroid gland accessible for RFA who were undergoing dialysis at seven tertiary centers from May 2013 to July 2022. The primary end point was the proportion of patients with parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels less than or equal to 585 pg/mL at the end of follow-up. Secondary end points were the proportion of patients with normal calcium and phosphorus levels, the technical success rate, procedure-related complications, and improvement in self-rated hyperparathyroidism-related symptoms (0-3 ranking scale). The Wilcoxon signed rank test and generalized estimating equation model were used to evaluate treatment outcomes. Univariable and multivariable regression analyses identified variables associated with treatment failure (recurrent or persistent hyperparathyroidism). Results This study included 165 patients (median age, 51 years [IQR, 44-60 years]; 92 female) and 582 glands. RFA effectively reduced PTH, calcium, and phosphorus levels, with targeted ranges achieved in 78.2% (129 of 165), 72.7% (120 of 165), and 60.0% (99 of 165) of patients, respectively, at the end of follow-up (mean, 51 months). For the RFA sessions, the technical success rate was 100% (214 of 214). Median symptom scores (ostealgia, arthralgia, pruritus) decreased (all P < .001). Regarding complications, only hypocalcemia (45.8%, 98 of 214) was common. Treatment failure occurred in 36 patients (recurrent [n = 5] or persistent [n = 31] hyperparathyroidism). The only potential independent predictor of treatment failure was having less than four treated glands (odds ratio, 17.18; 95% CI: 4.34, 67.95; P < .001). Conclusion US-guided percutaneous RFA was effective and safe in the long term as a nonsurgical alternative for patients with SHPT undergoing dialysis; the only potential independent predictor of treatment failure was a lower number (<4) of treated glands. © RSNA, 2024 Supplemental material is available for this article.

Risk, Predictive, and Preventive Factors for Noninfectious Ventriculitis and External Ventricular Drain Infection.

BACKGROUND: External ventricular drain (EVD) is used for monitoring intracranial pressure or diverting cerebrospinal fluid. However, confirmation of an infection is not immediate and requires obtaining culture results, often leading to the excessive use of antibiotics. This study aimed to compare noninfectious ventriculitis and EVD infection in terms of the risk factors, predictors, prognosis, and effectiveness of care bundle interventions. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted at a medical center with 1,006 beds in northern Taiwan between January 2018 and July 2022. Standard EVD insertion protocols and care bundles have been implemented since 2018, along with the initiation of chlorhexidine. RESULTS: In total, 742 EVD cases were identified. Noninfectious ventriculitis typically presents with fever approximately 8 days following EVD placement, whereas EVD infection typically manifests as fever after 20 days. Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage was strongly associated with the development of noninfectious ventriculitis (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5-4.4). Alcoholism (adjusted OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.1-12.3) and arteriovenous malformation (adjusted OR 13.1, 95% CI 2.9-58.2) significantly increased the risk of EVD infection. The EVD infection rate significantly decreased from 3.6% (14 of 446) to 1.0% (3 of 219) (p = 0.03) after the implementation of chlorhexidine gluconate bathing. CONCLUSIONS: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage or fever with neuroinflammation within 2 weeks of EVD placement is indicative of a higher likelihood of noninfectious ventriculitis. Conversely, patients with arteriovenous malformation, alcoholism, or fever with neuroinflammation occurring after more than 3 weeks of EVD placement are more likely to necessitate antibiotic treatment for EVD infection. Chlorhexidine gluconate bathing decreases EVD infection.

Application of Robotic Stereotactic Assistance (ROSA) for spontaneous intracerebral hematoma aspiration and thrombolytic catheter placement.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) accounts for up to 20% of all strokes and results in 40% mortality at 30 days. Although conservative medical management is still the standard treatment for ICH patients with small hematoma, patients with residual hematoma ≤15 mL after surgery are associated with better functional outcomes and survival rates. This study reported our clinical experience with using Robotic Stereotactic Assistance (ROSA) as a safe and effective approach for stereotactic ICH aspiration and intra-clot catheter placement. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted of patients with spontaneous ICH who underwent ROSA-guided ICH aspiration surgery. ROSA-guided ICH surgical techniques, an aspiration and intra-clot catheter placement protocol, and a specific operative workflow (pre-operative protocol, intraoperative procedure and postoperative management) were employed to aspirate ICH using the ROSA One Brain, and appropriate follow-up care was provided. RESULTS: From September 14, 2021 to May 4, 2022, a total of 7 patients were included in the study. Based on our workflow design, ROSA-guided stereotactic ICH aspiration effectively aspirated more than 50% of hematoma volume (or more than 30 mL for massive hematomas), thereby reducing the residual hematoma to less than 15 mL. The mean operative time of entire surgical procedure was 1.3 ± 0.3 h, with very little perioperative blood loss and no perioperative complications. No patients required catheter replacement and all patients' functional status improved. CONCLUSIONS: Within our clinical practice ROSA-guided ICH aspiration, using our established protocol and workflow, was safe and effective for reducing hematoma volume, with positive functional outcomes.

Nondestructive Detection of Corky Disease in Symptomless 'Akizuki' Pears via Raman Spectroscopy.

'Akizuki' pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) corky disease is a physiological disease that strongly affects the fruit quality of 'Akizuki' pear and its economic value. In this study, Raman spectroscopy was employed to develop an early diagnosis model by integrating support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), and convolutional neural network (CNN) modeling techniques. The effects of various pretreatment methods and combinations of methods on modeling results were studied. The relative optimal index formula was utilized to identify the SG and SG+WT as the most effective preprocessing methods. Following the optimal preprocessing method, the performance of the majority of the models was markedly enhanced through the process of model reconditioning, among which XGBoost achieved 80% accuracy under SG+WT pretreatment, and F1 and kappa both performed best. The results show that RF, GBDT, and XGBoost are more sensitive to the pretreatment method, whereas SVM and CNN are more dependent on internal parameter tuning. The results of this study indicate that the early detection of Raman spectroscopy represents a novel approach for the nondestructive identification of asymptomatic 'Akizuki' pear corky disease, which is of paramount importance for the realization of large-scale detection across orchards.

"I felt so small": A qualitative study of migrant nursing assistants' experiences in Norway.

BACKGROUND: In the wake of an increasingly ageing population, Norway has a growing need for healthcare workers, especially in nursing homes. This study explored the employment experiences of migrant nursing assistants working in elderly care in Norway. METHODS: A qualitative interview-based study was carried out between March and August 2020. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were performed with 13 purposively selected immigrant nursing assistants working in a nursing home within Western Norway. Data were thematically analysed. RESULTS: Migrant nursing assistants working in Norwegian elderly care faced mixed experiences. On the one hand, study participants experienced several barriers in their workplace, resulting from insufficient command of the Norwegian language, heavy workload and mistreatment and discrimination by both patients and colleagues. On the other hand, participants cited the financial compensation from work, the meaningfulness derived from helping others and the flexible day-off requests as workplace facilitators. Participants also made continuous efforts to learn the Norwegian language and to build good relations with their co-workers. CONCLUSION: There is a need to enhance migrant nursing assistants' positive experiences in the Norwegian eldercare sector by making targeted workplace reforms and fostering a supportive and inclusive environment.

Identification of nsLTP family in Chinese white pear (Pyrus bretschneideri) reveals its potential roles in russet skin formation.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Identification of PbLTP genes in pear and functional characterization of PbLTP4 in the transport of suberin monomers of russet skin formation. Non-specific lipid-transfer protein (nsLTP) is an abundant and diverse alkaline small molecule protein in the plant kingdom with complex and diverse biophysiological functions, such as transfer of phospholipids, reproductive development, pathogen defence and abiotic stress response. Up to now, only a tiny fraction of nsLTPs have been functionally identified, and the distribution of nsLTPs in pear (Pyrus bretschneideri) (PbLTPs) has not been fully characterized. In this study, the genome-wide analysis of the nsLTP gene family in the pear genome identified 67 PbLTP proteins, which could be divided into six types (1, 2, C, D, E, and G). Similar intron/exon structural patterns were observed in the same type, strongly supporting their close evolutionary relationship. In addition, PbLTP4 was highly expressed in russet pear skin compared with green skin, which was located in the plasma membrane. Coexpression network analysis showed that PbLTP4 closely related to suberin biosynthetic genes. The biological function of PbLTP4 in promoting suberification has been demonstrated by overexpression in Arabidopsis. Identification of suberin monomers showed that PbLTP4 promotes suberification by regulating 9,12-octadecadienoic acid and hexadecanoic acid transport. These results provide helpful insights into the characteristics of PbLTP genes and their biological function in the transport of suberin monomers of russet skin formation.

First Report of Nothophoma quercina Causing Brown Spot Disease on 'Huanghua' Pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) in China.

Pear (Pyrus L.) is an important fruit tree in China, which has the largest cultivation area and yield in the world (Jia et al. 2021). In June 2022, brown spot symptoms were observed on 'Huanghua' pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai, cv. Huanghua) leaves in the germplasm garden of Anhui Agricultural University (High Tech Agricultural Garden), Anhui, Hefei, China. The disease incidence was approximately 40% according to the percentage of diseased leaves among 300 leaves (50 leaves each were obtained from 6 plants). Initially, small, brown, round to oval lesions appeared on the leaves, the spots were gray in the central, and surrounded by brown to black margins. These spots rapidly enlarged, eventually causing abnormal leaf defoliation. To isolate the brown spot pathogen, symptomatic leaves were harvested, washed with sterile water, surface-sterilized with 75% ethanol for 20 s, and washed 3-4 times with sterile water. Leaf fragments were placed onto PDA medium and incubated at 25°C for 7 days to obtain isolates. The colonies exhibited white to pale gray aerial mycelium and reached a diameter of 62 mm after 7 days of incubation. Conidiogenous cells were characterized as phialides, and exhibited a doliform to ampulliform shape. Conidia displayed various shapes and sizes, ranging from subglobose to oval or obtuse, with thin walls, aseptate hyphae, and a smooth surface. They measured 4.2-7.9 × 3.1-5.5 µm in diameter. These morphologies were similar to Nothophoma quercina as reported previously (Bai et al. 2016; Kazerooni et al. 2021). For molecular analysis, the internal transcribed spacers (ITS), beta-tubulin (TUB2), and actin (ACT) regions were amplified using the primers ITS1/ITS4, Bt2a/Bt2b, and ACT-512F/ACT-783R respectively. The sequences of ITS, TUB2, and ACT were deposited in GenBank (accession numbers: OP554217, OP595395, and OP595396, respectively). A nucleotide blast search revealed high homology with N. quercina sequences: MH635156 (ITS: 541/541, 100%), MW672036.1 (TUB2: 343/346, 99%), FJ426914.1 (ACT: 242/262, 92%). A phylogenetic tree was constructed with ITS, TUB2 and ACT sequences based on neighbor-joining method using MEGA-X software, which showed the highest similarity with N. quercina. To confirm the pathogenicity, the leaves of three healthy plants were sprayed with spore suspension (106 conidia/mL), whereas control leaves were prayed with sterile water. The inoculated plants were covered with plastic bags and cultured in a growth chamber (90% relative humidity) at 25°C. Typical disease symptoms appeared on the inoculated leaves after 7-10 days, whereas no symptoms were observed on the control leaves. The same pathogen was re-isolated from the diseased leaves, according with Koch's postulates. Therefore, based on morphological and phylogenetic tree analyses, we confirmed that the causal organism for brown spot disease was N. quercina fungus (Chen et al. 2015; Jiao et al. 2017). To our knowledge, this is the first report of brown spot disease caused by N. quercina on 'Huanghua' pear leaves in China.

NADPH Oxidase Subunit CYBB Confers Chemotherapy and Ferroptosis Resistance in Mesenchymal Glioblastoma via Nrf2/SOD2 Modulation.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly heterogeneous disease with a mesenchymal subtype tending to exhibit more aggressive and multitherapy-resistant features. Glioblastoma stem-cells derived from mesenchymal cells are reliant on iron supply, accumulated with high reactive oxygen species (ROS), and susceptible to ferroptosis. Temozolomide (TMZ) treatment is the mainstay drug for GBM despite the rapid development of resistance in mesenchymal GBM. The main interconnection between mesenchymal features, TMZ resistance, and ferroptosis are poorly understood. Herein, we demonstrated that a subunit of NADPH oxidase, CYBB, orchestrated mesenchymal shift and promoted TMZ resistance by modulating the anti-ferroptosis circuitry Nrf2/SOD2 axis. Public transcriptomic data re-analysis found that CYBB and SOD2 were highly upregulated in the mesenchymal subtype of GBM. Accordingly, our GBM cohort confirmed a high expression of CYBB in the GBM tumor and was associated with mesenchymal features and poor clinical outcome. An in vitro study demonstrated that TMZ-resistant GBM cells displayed mesenchymal and stemness features while remaining resilient to erastin-mediated ferroptosis by activating the CYBB/Nrf2/SOD2 axis. The CYBB maintained a high ROS state to sustain the mesenchymal phenotype, TMZ resistance, and reduced erastin sensitivity. Mechanistically, CYBB interacted with Nrf2 and consequently regulated SOD2 transcription. Compensatory antioxidant SOD2 essentially protected against the deleterious effect of high ROS while attenuating ferroptosis in TMZ-resistant cells. An animal study highlighted the protective role of SOD2 to mitigate erastin-triggered ferroptosis and tolerate oxidative stress burden in mice harboring TMZ-resistant GBM cell xenografts. Therefore, CYBB captured ferroptosis resilience in mesenchymal GBM. The downstream compensatory activity of CYBB via the Nrf2/SOD2 axis is exploitable through erastin-induced ferroptosis to overcome TMZ resistance.

Probucol attenuates high glucose-induced Müller cell damage through enhancing the Nrf2/p62 signaling pathway.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the protective effect of probucol on Müller cells exposed to high glucose conditions and examined potential mechanisms of action. METHODS: Primary human retinal Müller cells were incubated with high glucose (HG, 35 mM) in the present or absence of different concentrations of probucol for 24 h. Cell viability was determined using the CCK-8 method. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was measured using JC-1 staining and cell cycle by flow cytometry. The expression of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit, and p62 was quantified using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot. RESULTS: We found that HG inhibited cell proliferation, arrested cell cycle, and increased MMP in human Müller cells. Probucol activated the Nrf2/p62 pathway and upregulated the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl2, and attenuated HG-mediated damage in Müller cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that probucol may protect Müller cells from HG-induced damage through enhancing the Nrf2/p62 signaling pathway.

Metabolic Differences between Unilateral and Bilateral Renal Stones and Their Association with Markers of Kidney Injury.

PURPOSE: Urinary stone disease (USD) has been associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease in Western populations. However, the metabolic disorders associated with unilateral and bilateral renal stones and the association of these types of stones with CKD and kidney tubular injury markers, such as urine N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) and alpha-1-microglobulin (α1-MG), have not been fully examined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study of 10,281 participants in rural China in 2014. All the subjects underwent renal ultrasound to detect USD; stone formers were divided into groups with unilateral or bilateral renal stones by ultrasound examinations. CKD was defined as a decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, <60 mL/minute/1.73 m2) and/or albuminuria (albumin-to-creatinine ratio ≥30 mg/gm). Increased urine NAG and α1-MG levels were defined as their values above the 75th percentile of the sample distribution. RESULTS: Among all the participants, 4.9% (507) had unilateral renal stones, and 0.7% (75) had bilateral renal stones. The proportion of CKD in the nonstone, unilateral and bilateral renal stone formers was 11.0%, 19.2% and 29.7%, respectively (p for trend <0.001). Individuals with bilateral renal stones had the highest proportion of metabolic components, such as elevated blood pressure and serum glucose. In multivariate analyses after adjustment for multiple confounders, bilateral renal stones were significantly associated with an increased risk of decreased eGFR (OR 3.38; 95% CI 1.05-10.90), albuminuria (OR 3.01; 95% CI 1.76-5.13), CKD (OR 3.18; 95% CI 1.88-5.36), increased urine NAG-to-creatinine ratio (OR 1.95; 95% CI 1.21-3.16) and α1-MG-to-creatinine ratio levels (OR 2.54; 95% CI 1.56-4.12) compared with the lack of stones. CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral renal stones were associated with a higher risk of CKD and higher levels of kidney tubular injury markers. Clinicians should pay attention to metabolic disorders in bilateral renal stone formers.

Metagenomic analysis of rhizosphere microbiome provides insights into occurrence of iron deficiency chlorosis in field of Asian pears.

BACKGROUND: Fe-deficiency chlorosis (FDC) of Asian pear plants is widespread, but little is known about the association between the microbial communities in the rhizosphere soil and leaf chlorosis. The leaf mineral concentration, leaf subcellular structure, soil physiochemical properties, and bacterial species community and distribution had been analysed to gain insights into the FDC in Asian pear plant. RESULTS: The total Fe in leaves with Fe-deficiency was positively correlated with total K, Mg, S, Cu, Zn, Mo and Cl contents, but no differences of available Fe (AFe) were detected between the rhizosphere soil of chlorotic and normal plants. Degraded ribosomes and degraded thylakloid stacks in chloroplast were observed in chlorotic leaves. The annotated microbiome indicated that there were 5 kingdoms, 52 phyla, 94 classes, 206 orders, 404 families, 1,161 genera, and 3,043 species in the rhizosphere soil of chlorotic plants; it was one phylum less and one order, 11 families, 59 genera, and 313 species more than in that of normal plant. Bacterial community and distribution patterns in the rhizosphere soil of chlorotic plants were distinct from those of normal plants and the relative abundance and microbiome diversity were more stable in the rhizosphere soils of normal than in chlorotic plants. Three (Nitrospira defluvii, Gemmatirosa kalamazoonesis, and Sulfuricella denitrificans) of the top five species (N. defluvii, G. kalamazoonesis, S. denitrificans, Candidatus Nitrosoarchaeum koreensis, and Candidatus Koribacter versatilis). were the identical and aerobic in both rhizosphere soils, but their relative abundance decreased by 48, 37, and 22%, respectively, and two of them (G. aurantiaca and Ca. S. usitatus) were substituted by an ammonia-oxidizing soil archaeon, Ca. N. koreensis and a nitrite and nitrate reduction related species, Ca. K. versatilis in that of chlorotic plants, which indicated the adverse soil aeration in the rhizosphere soil of chlorotic plants. A water-impermeable tables was found to reduce the soil aeration, inhibit root growth, and cause some absorption root death from infection by Fusarium solani. CONCLUSIONS: It was waterlogging or/and poor drainage of the soil may inhibit Fe uptake not the amounts of AFe in the rhizosphere soil of chlorotic plants that caused FDC in this study.

Robot-guided versus freehand fluoroscopy-guided minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion: a single-institution, observational, case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: The use of robotics in spinal surgery has gained popularity because of its promising accuracy and safety. ROSA is a commonly used surgical robot system for spinal surgery. The aim of this study was to compare outcomes between robot-guided and freehand fluoroscopy-guided instrumentation in minimally invasive surgery (MIS)-transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). METHODS: This retrospective consecutive series reviewed 224 patients who underwent MIS-TLIF from March 2019 to April 2020 at a single institution. All patients were diagnosed with degenerative pathologies. Of those, 75 patients underwent robot-guided MIS-TLIF, and 149 patients underwent freehand fluoroscopy-guided MIS-TLIF. The incidences of pedicle breach, intraoperative outcomes, postoperative outcomes, and short-term pain control were compared. RESULTS: The patients who underwent robot-guided surgery had a lower incidence of pedicle breach (0.27% vs 1.75%, p = 0.04) and less operative blood loss (313.7 ± 214.1 mL vs 431.6 ± 529.8 mL, p = 0.019). Nonsignificant differences were observed in operative duration (280.7 ± 98.1 minutes vs 251.4 ± 112.0 minutes, p = 0.056), hospital stay (6.6 ± 3.4 days vs 7.3 ± 4.4 days, p = 0.19), complications (intraoperative, 1.3% vs 1.3%, p = 0.45; postoperative surgery-related, 4.0% vs 4.0%, p = 0.99), and short-term pain control (postoperative day 1, 2.1 ± 1.2 vs 1.8 ± 1.2, p = 0.144; postoperative day 30, 1.2 ± 0.5 vs 1.3 ± 0.7, p = 0.610). A shorter operative duration for 4-level spinal surgery was found in the robot-guided surgery group (388.7 ± 107.3 minutes vs 544.0 ± 128.5 minutes, p = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective review revealed that patients who underwent robot-guided MIS-TLIF experienced less operative blood loss. They also benefited from a shorter operative duration with higher-level (> 3 levels) spinal surgery. The postoperative outcomes were similar for both robot-guided and freehand fluoroscopy-guided procedures.

The body weight heritability and the effect of non-genetic factors on the body measurement traits in Qinchuan cattle.

This study aimed to understand the influence of the non-genetic factors that include breeding year, season, and sex of growth and development traits of Qinchuan cattle and to estimate the heritability of body weight at different growth stages. The Qinchuan cattle measurement records were by the Experiment farm of the National Beef Cattle Improvement Center (Yangling, China) from 2000 to 2017. SPSS and R software were used to analyze the influence of non-genetic factors on body size traits that include body weight (BW), withers height (WH), hip height (HH), body length (BL), chest circumference (CC), abdominal girth (AG), and calf girth (CG), at birth, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of age. Meanwhile, the single-trait animal model of DMU software was used to estimate the variance component and the heritability of body weight. The results of GLM analysis showed as follows: sex, birth year, and birth season had effects on the body size traits of Qinchuan cattle at different growth stages. Respectively, the heritability of body weight at birth, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of age were 0.43, 0.32, 0.37, 0.32, and 0.38.

Effect of soy-based meal replacement on weight loss: A systematic review and meta-analyses protocol.

Background: Obesity is a complex and multifactorial disease that is strongly associated with multiple comorbidities and mortality. Weight reduction in overweight and obese patients was highly desired to minimize future complications. Meal replacement is emerging as one of the effective tools to promote weight loss. Isoflavones and soy protein present in soybean are able to promote weight loss and alleviate obesity. Aim: Our systematic review aims to investigate the weight loss effect of soy-based meal replacement among the overweight and obese population. Methods: We will conduct a systematic review of RCTs that evaluated the effect of a soy-based meal replacement on weight loss in overweight and obese patients. The primary outcome of this review is weight loss. Besides that, we will assess BMI, body fat, waist circumference and hip circumference as the secondary outcome. We will search PubMed and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in the Cochrane Library. Two reviewers will independently screen titles and abstracts, review full texts, extract information and assess the risk of bias of individual studies. We will conduct meta-analyses using a random-effect model if sufficient data are available. If meta-analysis is not performed, we will present a systematic qualitative synthesis. Summary: This systematic review will identify the weight loss effect of soy-based meal replacement among the overweight and obese adult population. We expect the result may strengthen the evidence on the role of soy-based meal replacement in optimal body weight management.

The Use of Distinctive Monoclonal Antibodies in FMD VLP- and P1-Based Blocking ELISA for the Seromonitoring of Vaccinated Swine.

The serum neutralization (SN) test has been regarded as the "gold standard" for seroconversion following foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) vaccination, although a high-level biosafety laboratory is necessary. ELISA is one alternative, and its format is constantly being improved. For instance, standard polyclonal antisera have been replaced by monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) for catching and detecting antibodies, and inactive viruses have been replaced by virus-like particles (VLPs). To the best of current knowledge, however, no researchers have evaluated the performances of different MAbs as tracers. In previous studies, we successfully identified site 1 and site 2 MAbs Q10E and P11A. In this study, following the established screening platform, the VLPs of putative escape mutants from sites 1 to 5 were expressed and used to demonstrate that S11B is a site 3 MAb. Additionally, the vulnerability of VLPs prompted us to assess another diagnostic antigen: unprocessed polyprotein P1. Therefore, we established and evaluated the performance of blocking ELISA (bELISA) systems based on VLPs and P1, pairing them with Q10E, P11A, S11B, and the non-neutralizing TSG MAb as tracers. The results indicated that the VLP paired with S11B demonstrated the highest correlation with the SN titers (R2 = 0.8071, n = 63). Excluding weakly positive serum samples (SN = 16-32, n = 14), the sensitivity and specificity were 95.65% and 96.15% (kappa = 0.92), respectively. Additionally, the P1 pairing with Q10E also demonstrated a high correlation (R2 = 0.768). We also discovered that these four antibodies had steric effects on one another to varying degrees, despite recognizing distinct antigenic sites. This finding indicated that MAbs as tracers could not accurately detect specific antibodies, possibly because MAbs are bulky compared to a protomeric unit. However, our results still provide convincing support for the application of two pairs of bELISA systems: VLP:S11B-HRP and P1:Q10E-HRP.

Identification of bZIP transcription factors and their responses to brown spot in pear.

Basic leucine zipper (bZIP) is a conserved transcription factor (TF) widely present in eukaryotes, and it plays an important role in regulating plant growth and stress responses. To better understand the white pear bZIP gene family, comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of the pear genome was performed. A total of 84 PbbZIP genes were identified, which were divided into 13 subfamilies by phylogenetic analysis. The 84 PbbZIP genes were all located in the nucleus, and 77 of those genes were unevenly distributed across the 17 chromosomes of white pear. The other 7 PbbZIP genes were located on the scaffold. Subsequent expression profile analysis showed that PbbZIP genes in exocarp were significantly upregulated or downregulated in 'Huangguan' pear with brown spot (BS) compared with healthy pear and in response to hormonal treatment with gibberellin A3 (GA3). These results provide helpful insights into the characteristics of PbbZIP genes and their responses to BS in 'Huangguan' pear.

Transcriptome and metabolomic analysis to reveal the browning spot formation of 'Huangguan' pear.

BACKGROUND: Browning spot (BS) disorders seriously affect the appearance quality of 'Huangguan' pear and cause economic losses. Many studies on BS have mainly focused on physiological and biochemical aspects, and the molecular mechanism remains unclear. RESULTS: In the present study, the structural characteristics of 'Huangguan' pear with BS were observed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the water loss and brown spots were evaluated, and transcriptomic and metabolomics analyses were conducted to reveal the molecular mechanism underlying 'Huangguan' pear skin browning disorder. The results showed that the occurrence of BS was accompanied by a decrease in the wax layer and an increase in lignified cells. Genes related to wax biosynthesis were downregulated in BS, resulting in a decrease in the wax layer in BS. Genes related to lignin were upregulated at the transcriptional level, resulting in upregulation of metabolites related to phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Expression of calcium-related genes were upregulated in BS. Cold-induced genes may represent the key genes that induce the formation of BS. In addition, the results demonstrated that exogenous NaH2PO4·2H2O and ABA treatment could inhibit the incidence of BS during harvest and storage time by increasing wax-related genes and calcium-related genes expression and increasing plant resistance, whereas the transcriptomics results indicated that GA3 may accelerate the incidence and index of BS. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate a molecular mechanism that could explain BS formation and elucidate the effects of different treatments on the incidence and molecular regulation of BS.

Machine Learning-Inspired Hybrid Precoding for mmWave MU-MIMO Systems with Domestic Switch Network.

Hybrid precoding is an attractive technique in MU-MIMO systems with significantly reduced hardware costs. However, it still requires a complex analog network to connect the RF chains and antennas. In this paper, we develop a novel hybrid precoding structure for the downlink transmission with a compact RF structure. Specifically, the proposed structure relies on domestic connections instead of global connections to link RF chains and antennas. Fixed-degree phase shifters provide candidate signals, and simple on-off switches are used to route the signal to antennas, thus RF adders are no longer required. Baseband zero forcing and block diagonalization are used to cancel interference for single-antenna and multiple-antenna users, respectively. We formulate how to design the RF precoder by optimizing the probability distribution through cross-entropy minimization which originated in machine learning. To optimize the energy efficiency, we use the fractional programming technique and exploit the Dinkelbach method-based framework to optimize the number of active antennas. Simulation results show that proposed algorithms can yield significant advantages under different configurations.

Biodegradation and decolourization of methyl red by Aspergillus versicolor LH1.

Azo dyes constitute a significant environmental burden due to its toxicity, carcinogenicity, and hard biodegradation. The report here is focused on the decolorization and degradation treatment of azo dye methyl red (MR). Decolorization of MR using Aspergillus versicolor LH1 isolated from activated sludge was investigated. The maximum decolorization rate of 92.3% was obtained under the optimized conditions of sucrose as carbon source, 5d incubation age, pH 6.0, 140 mg/L initial concentration of MR and 2.5 g/L initial concentration of NaNO3. Biodegradation products of MR were investigated using HPLC-MS, FTIR, and GC-MS assays. It was revealed the three bonds of -C-N = in MR aromatic nucleus were disrupted, and benzoic acid was detected. Micronucleus test with Glycine max L. and Vicia faba L. demonstrated that MCN‰ (micronucleus permillage) of MR metabolites was less than MR solution. These findings provided evidence that A. versicolor LH1 is a candidate for MR degradation in industrial wastewater treatment.