Phonological properties of logographic words modulate brain activation in bilinguals: a comparative study of Chinese characters and Japanese Kanji.

The brain networks for the first (L1) and second (L2) languages are dynamically formed in the bilingual brain. This study delves into the neural mechanisms associated with logographic-logographic bilingualism, where both languages employ visually complex and conceptually rich logographic scripts. Using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, we examined the brain activity of Chinese-Japanese bilinguals and Japanese-Chinese bilinguals as they engaged in rhyming tasks with Chinese characters and Japanese Kanji. Results showed that Japanese-Chinese bilinguals processed both languages using common brain areas, demonstrating an assimilation pattern, whereas Chinese-Japanese bilinguals recruited additional neural regions in the left lateral prefrontal cortex for processing Japanese Kanji, reflecting their accommodation to the higher phonological complexity of L2. In addition, Japanese speakers relied more on the phonological processing route, while Chinese speakers favored visual form analysis for both languages, indicating differing neural strategy preferences between the 2 bilingual groups. Moreover, multivariate pattern analysis demonstrated that, despite the considerable neural overlap, each bilingual group formed distinguishable neural representations for each language. These findings highlight the brain's capacity for neural adaptability and specificity when processing complex logographic languages, enriching our understanding of the neural underpinnings supporting bilingual language processing.

Green Extraction of Polyphenols from Elaeagnus angustifolia L. Using Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents and Evaluation of Bioactivity.

In the study, natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) were used as alternatives to traditional chemical solvents for the extraction of polyphenols from Elaeagnus angustifolia L. Nine NADESs were tested for the first time and compared with ethanol and water (traditional solvents) regarding the extraction of phenolic compounds from E. angustifolia L. These solvents were particularly effective at extracting polyphenols, whose low water solubility usually requires high amounts of organic solvents. The solvent based on choline chloride and malonic acid provided optimal results and was selected for further optimization. The effects of material-to-liquid ratio, ultrasound time, and ultrasound temperature on the extraction efficiency were studied through single-factor experiments. These parameters were optimized by Box-Behnken design using response surface methodology. The optimal conditions identified were 49.86 g/mL of material-to-liquid ratio, 31.10 min of ultrasound time, and 62.35 °C of ultrasound temperature, resulting in a high yield of 140.30 ± 0.19 mg/g. The results indicated that the NADES extraction technique provided a higher yield than the conventional extraction process. The antioxidant activity of the extract of polyphenols from E. angustifolia L. was determined, and UPLC-IMS-QTOF-MS was used to analyze the phenolic compounds in it. The results revealed that the scavenging ability of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil and 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) extracted by NADES was higher than that of polyphenols extracted by water and ethanol. Furthermore, a total of 24 phenolic compounds were identified in the extract. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in which a green and efficient NADES extraction method has been used to extract bioactive polyphenols from E. angustifolia L., which could provide potential value in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food additives.

Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Paeonol from Moutan Cortex: Purification and Component Identification of Extract.

Moutan Cortex (MC) is a traditional Chinese medicine that contains abundant medicinal components, such as paeonol, paeoniflorin, etc. Paeonol is the main active component of MC. In this study, paeonol was extracted from MC through an ultrasound-assisted extraction process, which is based on single-factor experiments and response surface methodology (RSM). Subsequently, eight macroporous resins of different properties were used to purify paeonol from MC. The main components of the purified extract were identified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS). The results indicate the optimal parameters are as follows: liquid-to-material ratio 21:1 mL/g, ethanol concentration 62%, ultrasonic time 31 min, ultrasonic temperature 36 °C, ultrasonic power 420 W. Under these extraction conditions, the actual yield of paeonol was 14.01 mg/g. Among the eight tested macroporous resins, HPD-300 macroporous resin was verified to possess the highest adsorption and desorption qualities. The content of paeonol increased from 6.93% (crude extract) to 41.40% (purified extract) after the HPD-300 macroporous resin treatment. A total of five major phenolic compounds and two principal monoterpene glycosides were characterized by comparison with reference compounds. These findings will make a contribution to the isolation and utilization of the active components from MC.

Inhibition of cGAS aggravated the host inflammatory response to Aspergillus fumigatus.

Backgroud: Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) is a clinically important fungal pathogen. Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is the main fungal infection with increased morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised populations, although treatments are available. An innate DNA sensor known as cyclic GMP-AMP Synthase (cGAS) has recently been discovered that senses invading pathogens and has a significant impact on innate immunity. It can activate the cGAS-STING signaling pathway to stimulate downstream signals. But it is still unclear what role it plays in IPA's pathogenesis.Methods: An investigation into the infection of A. fumigatus was conducted by inhibiting cGAS activity in vivo and in vitro using siRNA and RU.521(an inhibitor of cGAS).Results: We discovered that suppressing cGAS increased the host's susceptibility to A. fumigatus and harmed those with infections by enhancing pulmonary tissue damage and edema, as well as decreasing fungal clearance. Furthermore, our findings show that inhibiting or silencing cGAS can exacerbate the inflammatory response in IPA mouse models and human bronchi epithelial cells (HBECs) treated with A. fumigatus by upregulating the production of inflammatory genes with non-type 1 interferon.Conclusion: Based on our analysis, we conclude that activating cGAS might increase host resistance to A. fumigatus, protect against pulmonary illnesses brought on by A. fumigatus and that exploring the cGAS-STING signaling pathway is beneficial not only for the immunological investigation of IPA but also may be a potential therapeutic objective.

Estimation of the relationship between meteorological factors and measles using spatiotemporal Bayesian model in Shandong Province, China.

BACKGROUND: Measles-containing vaccine (MCV) has been effective in controlling the spread of measles. Some countries have declared measles elimination. But recently years, the number of cases worldwide has increased, posing a challenge to the global goal of measles eradication. This study estimated the relationship between meteorological factors and measles using spatiotemporal Bayesian model, aiming to provide scientific evidence for public health policy to eliminate measles. METHODS: Descriptive statistical analysis was performed on monthly data of measles and meteorological variables in 136 counties of Shandong Province from 2009 to 2017. Spatiotemporal Bayesian model was used to estimate the effects of meteorological factors on measles, and to evaluate measles risk areas at county level. Case population was divided into multiple subgroups according to gender, age and occupation. The effects of meteorological factors on measles in subgroups were compared. RESULTS: Specific meteorological conditions increased the risk of measles, including lower relative humidity, temperature, and atmospheric pressure; higher wind velocity, sunshine duration, and diurnal temperature variation. Taking lowest value (Q1) as reference, RR (95%CI) for higher temperatures (Q2-Q4) were 0.79 (0.69-0.91), 0.54 (0.44-0.65), and 0.48 (0.38-0.61), respectively; RR (95%CI) for higher relative humidity (Q2-Q4) were 0.76 (0.66-0.88), 0.56 (0.47-0.67), and 0.49 (0.38-0.63), respectively; RR (95%CI) for higher wind velocity (Q2-Q4) were 1.43 (1.25-1.64), 1.85 (1.57-2.18), 2.00 (1.59-2.52), respectively. 22 medium-to-high risk counties were identified, mainly in northwestern, southwestern and central Shandong Province. The trend was basically same in the effects of meteorological factors on measles in subgroups, but the magnitude of the effects was different. CONCLUSIONS: Meteorological factors have an important impact on measles. It is crucial to integrate these factors into public health policies for measles prevention and control in China.

Microfluidic platforms integrated with nano-sensors for point-of-care bioanalysis.

Microfluidic technology provides a portable, cost-effective, and versatile tool for point-of-care (POC) bioanalysis because of its associated advantages such as fast analysis, low volumes of reagent consumption, and high portability. Along with microfluidics, the application of nanomaterials in biosensing has attracted lots of attention due to their unique physical and chemical properties for enhanced signal modulation such as signal amplification and signal transduction for POC bioanalysis. Hence, an enormous number of microfluidic devices integrated with nano-sensors have been developed for POC bioanalysis targeting low-resource settings. Herein, we review recent advances in POC bioanalysis on nano-sensor-based microfluidic platforms. We first briefly summarized the different types of cost-effective microfluidic platforms, followed by a concise introduction to nanomaterial-based biosensors. Then, we highlighted the application of microfluidic platforms integrated with nano-sensors for POC bioanalysis. Finally, we discussed the current limitations and perspective trends of the nano-sensor-based microfluidic platforms for POC bioanalysis.

Ultrasensitive detection of acephate based on carbon quantum dot-mediated fluorescence inner filter effects.

Acephate is an organophosphorus pesticide (OP) that is widely used to control insects in agricultural fields such as in vegetables and fruits. Toxic OPs can enter human and animal bodies and eventually lead to chronic or acute poisoning. However, traditional enzyme inhibition and colorimetric methods for OPs detection usually require complicated detection procedures and prolonged time and have low detection sensitivity. High-sensitivity monitoring of trace levels of acephate residues is of great significance to food safety and human health. Here, we developed a simple method for ultrasensitive quantitative detection of acephate based on the carbon quantum dot (CQD)-mediated fluorescence inner filter effect (IFE). In this method, the fluorescence from CQDs at 460 nm is quenched by 2,3-diaminophenazine (DAP) and the resulting fluorescence from DAP at 558 nm is through an IFE mechanism between CQDs and DAP, producing ratiometric responses. The ratiometric signal I558/I460 was found to exhibit a linear relationship with the concentration of acephate. The detection limit of this method was 0.052 ppb, which is far lower than the standards for acephate from China and EU in food safety administration. The ratiometric fluorescence sensor was further validated by testing spiked samples of tap water and pear, indicating its great potential for sensitive detection of trace OPs in complex matrixes of real samples.

Profile and dynamics of infectious diseases: a population-based observational study using multi-source big data.

BACKGROUND: The current surveillance system only focuses on notifiable infectious diseases in China. The arrival of the big-data era provides us a chance to elaborate on the full spectrum of infectious diseases. METHODS: In this population-based observational study, we used multiple health-related data extracted from the Shandong Multi-Center Healthcare Big Data Platform from January 2013 to June 2017 to estimate the incidence density and describe the epidemiological characteristics and dynamics of various infectious diseases in a population of 3,987,573 individuals in Shandong province, China. RESULTS: In total, 106,289 cases of 130 infectious diseases were diagnosed among the population, with an incidence density (ID) of 694.86 per 100,000 person-years. Besides 73,801 cases of 35 notifiable infectious diseases, 32,488 cases of 95 non-notifiable infectious diseases were identified. The overall ID continuously increased from 364.81 per 100,000 person-years in 2013 to 1071.80 per 100,000 person-years in 2017 (χ2 test for trend, P < 0.0001). Urban areas had a significantly higher ID than rural areas, with a relative risk of 1.25 (95% CI 1.23-1.27). Adolescents aged 10-19 years had the highest ID of varicella, women aged 20-39 years had significantly higher IDs of syphilis and trichomoniasis, and people aged ≥ 60 years had significantly higher IDs of zoster and viral conjunctivitis (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Infectious diseases remain a substantial public health problem, and non-notifiable diseases should not be neglected. Multi-source-based big data are beneficial to better understand the profile and dynamics of infectious diseases.

[A meta-analysis of risk factors for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in China].

Objective: To explore the main risk factors of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in China and to provide evidence-based evidence for MDR-TB preventon and control. Methods: All relevant literatures were searched in thedatabases, such as Pubmed, Web of Science and CNKI, Wanfang, VIP and SinoMed from 2000 to 2021. Quality evaluation and data extraction were carried out, and then a meta-analysis was performed using Stata 16.0 software. Results: A total of 59 literatures (36 cross-sectional and 23 case-control) including 75 793 participants were included in this study, and meta-analysis results showed age (OR=1.27, 95%CI: 1.05-1.54), education level (OR=1.29, 95%CI: 1.02-1.65), positive sputum smear (OR=2.56, 95%CI: 1.09-6.04), pulmonary cavity (OR=1.99, 95%CI: 1.57-2.52), course of disease (OR=4.25, 95%CI: 1.95-9.30), history of tuberculosis treatment (OR=6.42,95%CI:5.40-7.63), treatment interruption (OR=2.81, 95%CI: 1.50-5.29), irregular medication (OR=5.02, 95%CI: 2.95-8.54), adverse drug reactions (OR=4.27, 95%CI: 2.22-8.19), combined chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR=2.21, 95%CI: 1.45-3.37), tuberculosis exposure history (OR=1.99, 95%CI: 1.36-2.91), smoking history (OR=1.35, 95%CI: 1.09-1.66) and floating population (OR=1.60, 95%CI: 1.04-2.44) were associated with the occurrence of MDR-TB. Conclusions: The high risk groups were farmer, low education level, pulmonary cavity, long course of disease, history of tuberculosis treatment, treatment interruption, irregular medication, adverse drug reaction, co-COPD, contact history of tuberculosis, smoking history, rural residence, and floating population. We should pay attention to high-risk groups, strengthen management and take effective measures such as early screening, knowledge education on tuberculosis, standardized and personalized treatment and whole-course supervision.

The relationship between adolescent risk perception and emotions during the COVID-19: a short-term longitudinal study.

This study explores the relationship between adolescents' perceptions of epidemic risk and their emotions through three follow-up surveys during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic on February 11th (T1), 18th (T2), and 25th (T3), 2020. Three hundred and four adolescents in different academic stages (junior high middle school, senior high middle school, and university) participated in the online survey, and cross-lag analysis was used to examine the causal relationship between epidemic risk perceptions and positive and negative emotions. The results found that the individual's positive emotions were significantly higher than the negative emotions in T1, T2 and T3. Cross-lag analysis found that for positive emotions, T2 positive emotions could negatively predict T3 epidemic risk perceptions, and T2 epidemic risk perceptions could negatively predict the individual's T3 positive emotions. For negative emotions, risk perceptions at T1 could positively predict negative emotions at T2, and at the same time, negative emotions at T1 could also positively predict epidemic risk perceptions at T2. This indicates that during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a causal relationship between the perceptions of epidemic risk and the emotions of adolescents, and this relationship had high stability among groups of different genders and academic stages.

Integration and Quantitative Visualization of 3,3',5,5'-Tetramethylbenzidine-Probed Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay-like Signals in a Photothermal Bar-Chart Microfluidic Chip for Multiplexed Immunosensing.

The photothermal effect shows significant promise for various biomedical applications but is rarely exploited for microfluidic lab-on-a-chip bioassays. Herein, a photothermal bar-chart microfluidic immunosensing chip, with the integration of the conventional 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB)-probed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-like system, was developed based on exploiting the photothermal pumping technique for visual bar-chart microfluidic immunosensing. Both the sandwich ELISA-like system and the photothermal pumping protocol were integrated into a single photothermal bar-chart chip. On-chip immunocaptured iron oxide nanoparticles catalyzed the oxidation of the chromogenic substrate, TMB, to produce a sensitive photothermal and chromogenic dual-functional probe, oxidized TMB. As the result of heat generation and the subsequent production of elevating vapor pressure in the sealed microfluidic environment, the on-chip near-infrared laser-driven photothermal effect of the probe served as a dose-dependent pumping force to drive the multiplexed quantitative display of the immunosensing signals as visual dye bar charts. Prostate-specific antigen as a model analyte was tested at a limit of detection of 1.9 ng·mL-1, lower than the clinical diagnostic threshold of prostate cancer. This work presents a new perspective for microfluidic integration and multiplexed quantitative bar-chart visualization of the conventional TMB-probed ELISA signals possibly by means of an affordable handheld laser pointer in a lab-on-a-chip format.

Detector-Free Photothermal Bar-Chart Microfluidic Chips (PT-Chips) for Visual Quantitative Detection of Biomarkers.

The volumetric bar-chart microfluidic chips (V-Chips) driven by chemical reaction-generated gas provide a promising platform for point-of-care (POC) visual biomarker quantitation. However, multiple limitations are encountered in conventional V-Chips, such as costly and complex chip fabrication, complicated chip assembly, and imprecise controllability of gas production. Herein, we introduced nanomaterial-mediated photothermal effects to V-Chips, and for the first time developed a new type of V-Chip, photothermal bar-chart microfluidic chip (PT-Chip), for visual quantitative detection of biochemicals without any bulky and costly analytical instruments. Immunosensing signals were converted to visual readout signals via photothermal effects, the on-chip bar-chart movements, enabling quantitative biomarker detection on a low-cost polymer hybrid PT-Chip with on-chip scale rulers. Four different human serum samples containing a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a model analyte were detected simultaneously using the PT-Chip, with a limit of detection of 2.1 ng/mL, meeting clinical diagnostic requirements. Although no conventional signal detectors were used, it achieved comparable detection sensitivity to absorbance measurements with a microplate reader. The PT-Chip was further validated by testing human whole blood without the color interference problem, demonstrating the good analytical performance of our method even in complex matrices and thus the potential to fill the gap in current clinical diagnostics that is incapable of testing whole blood. This new PT-Chip driven by nanomaterial-mediated photothermal effects opens a new horizon of microfluidic platforms for instrument-free diagnostics at the point-of-care.

Impacts of replanting American ginseng on fungal assembly and abundance in response to disease outbreaks.

Soil physicochemical properties and fungal communities are pivotal factors for continuous cropping of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium L.). However, the response of soil physicochemical properties and fungal communities to replant disease of American ginseng has not yet been studied. High-throughput sequencing and soil physicochemical analyses were undertaken to investigate the difference of soil fungal communities and environmental driver factors in new and old ginseng fields; the extent of replant disease in old ginseng fields closely related to changes in soil properties and fungal communities was also determined. Results indicated that fungal communities in an old ginseng field were more sensitive to the soil environment than those in a new ginseng field, and fungal communities were mainly driven by soil organic matter (SOM), soil available phosphorus (AP), and available potassium (AK). Notably, healthy ginseng plants in new and old ginseng fields may influence fungal communities by actively recruiting potential disease suppressive fungal agents such as Amphinema, Cladophialophora, Cadophora, Mortierella, and Wilcoxina. When these key groups and members were depleted, suppressive agents in the soil possibly declined, increasing the abundance of pathogens. Soil used to grow American ginseng in the old ginseng field contained a variety of fungal pathogens, including Alternaria, Armillaria, Aphanoascus, Aspergillus, Setophoma, and Rhexocercosporidium. Additionally, micro-ecological factors affecting disease outbreaks in the old ginseng field included a strengthening in competition relationships, a weakening in cooperation relationships, and a change of trophic strategies among fungal communities.

Multicolorimetric ELISA biosensors on a paper/polymer hybrid analytical device for visual point-of-care detection of infection diseases.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is widely used for the detection of disease biomarkers. However, it utilizes time-consuming procedures and expensive instruments, making it infeasible for point-of-care (POC) analysis especially in resource-limited settings. In this work, a multicolorimetric ELISA biosensor integrated on a paper/polymer hybrid microfluidic device was developed for rapid visual detection of disease biomarkers at point of care, without using costly equipment. This multicolormetric ELISA platform was built on multiple distinct color variants resulted from the catalytic oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and the etching of gold nanorods (AuNRs). The vivid color changes could be easily distinguished by the naked eye, and their red mean values allowed quantitative biomarker detection, without using any sophisticated instruments. When this multicolorimetric ELISA was integrated on a paper/polymer hybrid analytical device, it not only provided integrated processing and high portability but also enabled fast assays in about 50 min due to the unique advantages of paper/polymer hybrid devices. The limit of detection of 9.1 ng/µL of the hepatitis C virus core antigen, a biomarker for hepatitis C, was achieved using this multicolorimetric ELISA platform. This multicolor ELISA analytical device provides a new versatile, user-friendly, affordable, and portable immunosensing platform with high potential for on-site detections of various viruses, proteins, and biomarkers for low-resource settings such as at home, public venues, rural areas, and developing nations.

A novel mutation of WFS1 gene leading to increase ER stress and cell apoptosis is associated an autosomal dominant form of Wolfram syndrome type 1.

BACKGROUND: Wolfram syndrome (WS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy and deafness. Mutations in Wolfram syndrome 1 (WFS1) gene may cause dysregulated endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress and cell apoptosis, contributing to WS symptoms. The aim of this study was to identify the molecular etiology of a case of WS and to explore the functional consequence of the mutant WFS1 gene in vitro. METHODS: A 27 years-old Chinese man was diagnosed as wolfram syndrome type 1 based on clinical data and laboratory data. DNA sequencing of WFS1 gene and mitochondrial m.3337G > A, m.3243A > G mutations were performed in the patient and his 4 family members. Functional analysis was performed to assessed the in vitro effect of the newly identified mutant. ER stress were evaluated by ER stress response element (ERSE)-luciferase assay. Cell apoptosis were performed by CCK-8, TUNEL staining and flow cytometric analysis. RESULTS: A novel heterozygous 10-base deletion (c. 2067_2076 del10, p.W690fsX706) was identified in the patient. In vitro studies showed that mutant p.W690fsX706 increased ERSE reporter activity in the presence or absence of thapsigargin instead of wild type WFS1. Knockdown of WFS1 activated the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway and increased the cell apoptosis, which could not be restored by transfection with WFS1 mutant (p.W690fsX706) comparable to the wild type WFS1. CONCLUSIONS: A novel heterozygous mutation of WFS1 detected in the patient resulted in loss-of-function of wolframin, thereby inducing dysregulated ER stress signaling and cell apoptosis. These findings increase the spectrum of WFS1 gene mutations and broaden our insights into the roles of mutant WFS1 in the pathogenesis of WS.

Epidemiological characteristics and spatiotemporal analysis of hand-foot-mouth diseases from 2010 to 2019 in Zibo city, Shandong, China.

BACKGROUND: Hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) is a global public health issues, especially in China. It has threat the health of children under 5 years old. The early recognition of high-risk districts and understanding of epidemic characteristics can facilitate health sectors to prevent the occurrence of HFMD effectively. METHODS: Descriptive analysis was used to summarize epidemic characteristics, and the spatial autocorrelation analysis and space-time scan analysis were utilized to explore distribution pattern of HFMD and identify hot spots with statistical significance. The result was presented in ArcMap. RESULTS: A total of 52,095 HFMD cases were collected in Zibo city from 1 Jan 2010 to 31 Dec 2019. The annual average incidence was 129.72/100,000. The distribution of HFMD was a unimodal trend, with peak from April to September. The most susceptible age group was children under 5 years old (92.46%), and the male-to-female ratio is 1.60: 1. The main clusters were identified in Zhangdian District from 12 April 2010 to 18 September 2012. Spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that the global spatial correlation in Zibo were no statistical significance, except in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018. Cold spots were gathered in Boshan county and Linzi district, while hot spots only in Zhangdian District in 2018, but other years were no significance. CONCLUSION: Hot spots mainly concentrated in the central and surrounding city of Zibo city. We suggest that imminent public health planning and resource allocation should be focused within those areas.

Current understanding of pattern-triggered immunity and hormone-mediated defense in rice (Oryza sativa) in response to Magnaporthe oryzae infection.

Plant pathogens represent a huge threat to world food security, affecting both crop production and quality. Although significant progress has been made in improving plant immunity by expressing key, defense-related genes and proteins from different species in transgenic crops, a challenge remains for molecular breeders and biotechnologists to successfully engineer elite, transgenic crop varieties with improved resistance against critical plant pathogens. Upon pathogen attack, including infection of rice (Oryza sativa) by Magnaporthe oryzae, host plants initiate a complex defense response at molecular, biochemical and physiological levels. Plants perceive the presence of pathogens by detecting microbe-associated molecular patterns via pattern recognition receptors, and initiate a first line of innate immunity, the so-called pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). This results in a series of downstream defense responses, including the production of hormones, which collectively function to fend off pathogen attacks. A variety of studies have demonstrated that many genes are involved in the defense response of rice to M. oryzae. In this review, the current understanding of mechanisms that improve rice defense response to M. oryzae will be discussed, with special focus on PTI and the phytohormones ethylene, jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, and abscisic acid; as well as on the mediation of defense signaling mechanisms by PTI and these hormones. Potential target genes that may serve as promising candidates for improving rice immunity against M. oryzae will also be discussed.

Age-dependent Gender Differences in COVID-19 in Mainland China: Comparative Study.

BACKGROUND: The ongoing pandemic of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is challenging the global public health system. Sex differences in infectious diseases are a common but neglected problem. METHODS: We used the national surveillance database of COVID-19 in mainland China to compare gender differences in attack rate (AR), proportion of severe and critical cases (PSCC), and case fatality rate (CFR) in relation to age, affected province, and onset-to-diagnosis interval. RESULTS: The overall AR was significantly higher in females than in males (63.9 vs 60.5 per 1 million persons; P ˂ .001). In contrast, PSCC and CFR were significantly lower among females (16.9% and 4.0%) than among males (19.5% and 7.2%), with odds ratios of 0.87 and 0.57, respectively (both P ˂ .001). The female-to-male differences were age dependent, and were significant among people aged 50-69 years for AR and in patients aged 30 years or older for both PSCC and CFR (all P ≤ .001). The AR, PSCC, and CFR varied greatly from province to province. However, female-to-male differences in AR, PSCC, and CFR were significant in the epicenter, Hubei province, where 82.2% confirmed cases and 97.4% deaths occurred. After adjusting for age, affected province, and onset-to-diagnosis interval, the female-to-male difference in AR, PSCC, and CFR remained significant in multivariate logistic regression analyses. CONCLUSIONS: We elucidate an age-dependent gender dimorphism for COVID-19, in which females have higher susceptibility but lower severity and fatality. Further epidemiological and biological investigations are required to better understand the sex-specific differences for effective interventions.

Low-Cost Quantitative Photothermal Genetic Detection of Pathogens on a Paper Hybrid Device Using a Thermometer.

Tuberculosis (TB), one of the deadliest infectious diseases, is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and remains a public health problem nowadays. Conventional MTB DNA detection methods require sophisticated infrastructure and well-trained personnel, which leads to increasing complexity and high cost for diagnostics and limits their wide accessibility in low-resource settings. To address these issues, we have developed a low-cost photothermal biosensing method for the quantitative genetic detection of pathogens such as MTB DNA on a paper hybrid device using a thermometer. First, DNA capture probes were simply immobilized on paper through a one-step surface modification process. After DNA sandwich hybridization, oligonucleotide-functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were introduced on paper and then catalyzed the oxidation reaction of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). The produced oxidized TMB, acting as a strong photothermal agent, was used for the photothermal biosensing of MTB DNA under 808 nm laser irradiation. Under optimal conditions, the on-chip quantitative detection of the target DNA was readily achieved using an inexpensive thermometer as a signal recorder. This method does not require any expensive analytical instrumentation but can achieve higher sensitivity and there are no color interference issues, compared to conventional colorimetric methods. The method was further validated by detecting genomic DNA with high specificity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first photothermal biosensing strategy for quantitative nucleic acid analysis on microfluidics using a thermometer, which brings fresh inspirations on the development of simple, low-cost, and miniaturized photothermal diagnostic platforms for quantitative detection of a variety of diseases at the point of care.

One-Step Surface Modification to Graft DNA Codes on Paper: The Method, Mechanism, and Its Application.

Glass slides have been widely used for DNA immobilization in DNA microarray and numerous bioassays for decades, whereas they are faced with limitations of low probe density, time-consuming modification steps, and expensive instruments. In this work, a simple one-step surface modification method using 3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane (APTMS) has been developed and applied to graft DNA codes on paper. Higher DNA immobilization efficiency was obtained in comparison with that in a conventional method using glass slides. Fluorescence detection, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared spectra (FT-IR), and pH influence studies were employed to characterize the surface modification and subsequent DNA immobilization, which further reveals a mechanism in which this method lies in ionic interactions between the positively charged APTMS-modified paper surface and negatively charged DNA probes. Furthermore, an APTMS-modified paper-based device has been developed to demonstrate application in low-cost detection of a foodborne pathogen, Giardia lamblia, with high sensitivity (the detection limit of 22 nM) and high specificity. Compared with conventional methods using redundant cross-linking reactions, our method is simpler, faster, versatile, and lower-cost, enabling broad applications of paper-based bioassays especially for point-of-care detection in resource-poor settings.