Positioning Heterochromatin at the Nuclear Periphery Suppresses Histone Turnover to Promote Epigenetic Inheritance.

In eukaryotes, heterochromatin is generally located at the nuclear periphery. This study investigates the biological significance of perinuclear positioning for heterochromatin maintenance and gene silencing. We identify the nuclear rim protein Amo1NUPL2 as a factor required for the propagation of heterochromatin at endogenous and ectopic sites in the fission yeast genome. Amo1 associates with the Rix1PELP1-containing RNA processing complex RIXC and with the histone chaperone complex FACT. RIXC, which binds to heterochromatin protein Swi6HP1 across silenced chromosomal domains and to surrounding boundary elements, connects heterochromatin with Amo1 at the nuclear periphery. In turn, the Amo1-enriched subdomain is critical for Swi6 association with FACT that precludes histone turnover to promote gene silencing and preserve epigenetic stability of heterochromatin. In addition to uncovering conserved factors required for perinuclear positioning of heterochromatin, these analyses elucidate a mechanism by which a peripheral subdomain enforces stable gene repression and maintains heterochromatin in a heritable manner.

EMS-induced missense mutation in TaCHLI-7D affects leaf color and yield-related traits in wheat.

KEY MESSAGE: Mutations in TaCHLI impact chlorophyll levels and yield-related traits in wheat. Natural variations in TaCHLI-7A/B influence plant productivity, offering potential for molecular breeding. Chlorophyll is essential for plant growth and productivity. The CHLI subunit of the magnesium chelatase protein plays a key role inserting magnesium into protoporphyrin IX during chlorophyll biosynthesis. Here, we identify a novel wheat mutant chlorophyll (chl) that exhibits yellow-green leaves, reduced chlorophyll levels, and increased carotenoid content, leading to an overall decline in yield-related traits. Map-based cloning reveals that the chl phenotype is caused by a point mutation (Asp186Asn) in the TaCHLI-7D gene, which encodes subunit I of magnesium chelatase. Furthermore, the three TaCHLI mutants: chl-7b-1 (Pro82Ser), chl-7b-2 (Ala291Thr), and chl-7d-1 (Gly357Glu), also showed significant reductions in chlorophyll content and yield-related traits. However, TaCHLI-7D overexpression in rice significantly decreased thousand kernel weight, yield per plant, and germination. Additionally, natural variations in TaCHLI-7A/B are significantly associated with flag leaf, spike exsertion length, and yield per plant. Notably, the favorable haplotype, TaCHLI-7B-HapII, which displayed higher thousand kernel weight and yield per plant, is positively selected in wheat breeding. Our study provides insights on the regulatory molecular mechanisms underpinning leaf color and chlorophyll biosynthesis, and highlights TaCHLI functions, which provide useful molecular markers and genetic resources for wheat breeding.

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 is targeted by EBV-encoded miR-BART20-5p and regulates cell autophagy, proliferation, and migration in EBV-associated gastric cancer.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the first human oncogenic virus known to express microRNAs (miRNAs), which are closely associated with the development of various tumors, including nasopharyngeal and gastric cancers. Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase 1 (SCD1) is a key enzyme in fatty acid synthesis, highly expressed in numerous tumors, promoting tumor growth and metastasis, making it a potential therapeutic target. In this study, we found that SCD1 expression in EBV-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC) was significantly lower than in EBV-negative gastric cancer (EBVnGC) at both cellular and tissue levels. In addition, EBV-miR-BART20-5p targets the 3'-UTR of SCD1, downregulating its expression. Moreover, overexpression of SCD1 in EBVaGC cells promoted cell migration and proliferation while inhibiting autophagy. These results suggest that EBV-encoded miRNA-BART20-5p may contribute to EBVaGC progression by targeting SCD1.

A strategy involving the use of 3D self-supporting B·N co-doped carbon nanofiber composite solid polymer electrolytes to stabilize the interface between polymer electrolytes and lithium metal.

All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) have gained significant attention in the field of energy storage owing to their enhanced safety features based on the nonflammable solid-state electrolyte (SSE). To achieve high energy density, lithium metal is commonly considered the best choice as an anode material. However, the compatibility issues at the interface between polymer electrolytes and lithium metal pose significant challenges to their practical implementation. In this work, we present a new strategy to protect the typical polymer electrolyte polyethylene oxide (PEO) from significant decomposition and puncture caused by lithium dendrites, which is achieved through the combination of PEO and B·N co-doped carbon nanofibers (B·N-CNF) to modify the surface of the lithium anode. The stable cycling performance of the symmetric battery can last over 900 h at a high current density of 1 mA cm-2. The ASSBs (LiFePO4 is used as the cathode and Li metal is employed as the anode) exhibit a high capacity close to 120 mA h g-1 at 2C and cycle for over 300 cycles at 0.2C stably. This work provides inspiration for the rational design of a modification layer on the Li anode, enabling the development of high-performance ASSBs based on polymer electrolytes.

Primary spinal epidural abscess: magnetic resonance imaging characteristics and diagnosis.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVE: To investigate the MR characteristics of phlegmonous stage and abscess stage primary spinal epidural abscess. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical and imaging characteristics of 27 cases of pathologically confirmed primary spinal epidural abscess. Predisposing conditions of all patients were collected. All patients underwent conventional magnetic resonance imaging, while fifteen patients also underwent post-contrast magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: The initial symptoms included back pain in 25 patients, fever in 18, motor deficit in five, and sensory changes in 13. Underlying diseases included distant site of infection in seven, injection therapy in five, neoplasm in five, chronic inflammatory disease in five, diabetes mellitus in four, alcoholism in three, metabolic disorder in three, hepatopathy in three, and obesity in two. Abscess location was ventral epidural space in 15 patients (55.6%) and dorsal epidural space in 12 (44.4%). On T1-weighted image, the abscess was hypointense to the spinal cord in 23 patients (85%) and isointense in four (15%). All abscesses were hyperintense to the spinal cord on T2-weighted image. Among the 15 patients who underwent contrast-enhanced imaging, ring enhancement was present in 13 and homogeneous enhancement in two. Adjacent vertebrae body edema was present in four patients. The abscess was purely intraspinal in 25 patients (92.6%). Paraspinal extension was present in two (7.4%). CONCLUSION: Primary spinal epidural abscess patients have one or more predisposing conditions. Phlegmonous stage primary spinal epidural abscess appears isointense on T1WI and hyperintense on T2WI and enhancement is homogeneous. Abscess stage primary spinal epidural abscess hyperintense on T2WI and hypointense on T1WI and ring enhancement. Presence of vertebral body edema is an important sign to help diagnose primary spinal epidural abscess.

Perioperative dexmedetomidine-induced delirium in a patient with schizophrenia: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Dexmedetomidine is a selective α2 receptor agonist with sedative, analgesic, anxiolytic, and anti-sympathetic effects. Dexmedetomidine is widely used for various surgical procedures performed under general anaesthesia and sedation in the intensive care unit. Dexmedetomidine was known to relieve or improve the symptoms of delirium. Schizophrenia is a common psychiatric disease, and the number of surgical patients with schizophrenia is increasing gradually. Dexmedetomidine-induced delirium in patients with schizophrenia is a particular case. CASE PRESENTATION: This patient was a 75-year-old woman (height: 156 cm; weight: 60 kg) with a 5-year history of schizophrenia. Her schizophrenia was well controlled with medications. She was scheduled for open reduction and internal fixation for a patellar fracture. Spinal anaesthesia was administered for surgery, and dexmedetomidine was administered intravenously to maintain sedation. The patient became delirious half an hour after the surgery began. The intravenous infusion of dexmedetomidine was discontinued immediately, intravenous propofol was subsequently administered, and the patient stopped experiencing dysphoria and fell asleep. After surgery, the patient stopped using propofol and recovered smoothly. She was transferred back to the general ward and was discharged from the hospital without any abnormal conditions on the 9th day after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient with schizophrenia who developed delirium during the infusion of a normal dose of dexmedetomidine without an intravenous injection of any other sedative. The exact mechanism causing dexmedetomidine-induced delirium remains unclear, and this adverse reaction is rare and easy to ignore. Clinicians and pharmacists should be vigilant in identifying this condition.

Varieties of P fractions in biochar-amended reconstructed soils as impacted by freeze-thaw interference.

With low cost and stable chemical properties, biochar has great potential in environmental pollution control and improving soil quality. Reusing tailings slag to reconstruct soil ecosystems and applying amendments such as biochar to enhance soil quality are significant for restoring waste mine lands. Phosphorus (P) as the restrictive nutrition element for plant growth is easily affected by freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs). However, effective information about FTCs on P dynamics in biochar-amended reconstructed soil is scanty. To further understand the effect of FTCs on P in reclaimed mine soils, three reconstructed soils composed of equal brown soil and tailings slag with the respective application of no amendment, 5% biochar and 5% powder both derived from Gleditsia japonica shells (GS), were prepared to evaluate P fraction changes after FTCs. The results indicated that GS biochar increased soil pH, total organic matter (TOM), and moisture content (MC). GS biomass had a similar impact on TOM and MC but decreased soil pH. The two agricultural amendments increased active P and microbial biomass P (MBP) by 46.13%-101.63% and 162.8%-185.7%, which might be largely contributed by soil organic matter and moisture. FTC numbers (0, 3, 6, 10, 15) significantly decreased MBP contents and slightly converted non-labile P into labile fractions while FTC temperature (-20∼5 °C and -10∼5 °C) hardly influenced soil P behavior. In addition, GS conditioners simultaneously enhanced available P content and P fixation potential by soil under FTCs.

Continuous Erector Spinae Plane Block for Postoperative Analgesia in Elderly Patients After Thoracoscopic Lobectomy.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of ultrasound-guided continuous erector spinae plane block to continuous thoracic paravertebral block on postoperative analgesia in elderly patients who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Elderly patients (N = 50) who underwent nonemergent thoracoscopic lobectomy in the thoracic surgery department of our hospital from January 2019 to December 2020 were selected and randomly divided into continuous erector spinae block (ESPB; n = 25) group and continuous thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB; n = 25) group. The patients in the two groups were guided by ultrasound with ESPB or TPVB before anesthesia induction. The visual analog scale at rest and cough in 2 hours, 6 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours after surgery, the supplementary analgesic dosage of tramadol, time of tube placement, the stay time in postanesthesia care unit (PACU), the first ambulation time after surgery, the length of postoperative hospital stay and postoperative complications were recorded. FINDINGS: There were no significant differences between the two groups in visual analog scale score at rest and cough at each time point and supplementary analgesic dosage of tramadol within 48 hours after surgery (P > .05). The time of tube placement and the postoperative hospital stay in ESPB group was significantly shorter than that in TPVB group (P < .05). There were no differences in PACU residence time and first ambulation time between the two groups (P > .05). There were 4 patients in TPVB group and 2 patients in ESPB group who had nausea and vomiting (P > .05), 1 case of pneumothorax and 1 case of fever in the TPVB group. There were no incision infections or respiratory depression requiring clinical intervention in either group. CONCLUSIONS: Both ESPB and TPVB alleviated the patients postoperative pain effectively for elderly patients underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy. Compared with TPVB, patients with ESPB have a shorter tube placement time, fewer complications and faster postoperative recovery.

High-sensitivity self-powered photodetector based on an in-situ prepared CsPbBr3 microwire/InGaN heterojunction.

Low-dimensional CsPbBr3 perovskite materials have gained widespread attention, derived from their remarkable properties and potential for numerous optoelectronic applications. Herein, the sample of CsPbBr3 microwires were prepared horizontally onto n-type InGaN film substrate using an in-plane solution growth method. The resulting CsPbBr3 microwire/InGaN heterojunction allows for the achievement of a highly sensitive and broadband photodetector. Particularly for the implementation in a self-supplying manner, the best-performing photodetector can achieve a superior On/Off ratio of 4.6×105, the largest responsivity ∼ 800.0 mA/W, a maximum detectivity surpassing 4.6× 1012 Jones, and a high external quantum efficiency approaching 86.5% upon 405 nm light illumination. A rapid response time (∼ 4.48 ms/7.68 ms) was also achieved. The as-designed CsPbBr3 microwire/InGaN heterojunction device without any encapsulation exhibits superior comprehensive stability. Besides, the device featuring as a single pixel imaging unit can readily detect simple images under broadband light illumination with a high spatial resolution, acknowledging its outstanding imaging capability. The robust photodetection properties could be derived from the intense absorption of CsPbBr3 MWs and high-efficiency charge carriers transporting toward the in-situ formed CsPbBr3/InGaN heterointerface. The results may offer an available strategy for the in-situ construction of best-performing low-dimensional perovskite heterojunction optoelectronic devices.

Characterization of translocon proteins in the type III secretion system of Lawsonia intracellularis.

Lawsonia intracellularis, the etiologic agent of proliferative enteropathy (PE), is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium possessing a type III secretion system (T3SS), which enables the pathogen to translocate effector proteins into targeted host cells to modulate their functions. T3SS is a syringe-like apparatus consisting of a base, an extracellular needle, a tip, and a translocon. The translocon proteins assembled by two hydrophobic membrane proteins can form pores in the host-cell membrane, and therefore play an essential role in the function of T3SS. To date, little is known about the T3SS and translocon proteins of L. intracellularis. In this study, we first analyzed the conservation of the T3S apparatus between L. intracellularis and Yersinia, and characterized the putative T3S hydrophobic major translocon protein LI1158 and minor translocon protein LI1159 in the L. intracellularis genome. Then, by using Yersinia pseudotuberculosis as a surrogate system, we found that the full-length LI1158 and LI1159 proteins, but not the putative class II chaperone LI1157, were secreted in a - Ca2+ and T3SS-dependent manner and the secretion signal was located at the N terminus (aa 1-40). Furthermore, yeast-two hybrid experiments revealed that LI1158 and LI1159 could self-interact, and LI1159 could interact with LI1157. However, unlike CPn0809 and YopB, which are the major hydrophobic translocon proteins of the T3SS of C. pneumoniae and Yersinia, respectively, full-length LI1158 was non-toxic to both yeast and Escherichia coli cells, but full-length LI1159 showed certain toxicity to E. coli cells. Taken together, despite some differences from the findings in other bacteria, our results demonstrate that LI1158 and LI1159 may be the translocon proteins of L. intracellularis T3SS, and probably play important roles in the translocation of effector proteins at the early pathogen infection stage.

Molecular mechanism of engineered Zymomonas mobilis to furfural and acetic acid stress.

Acetic acid and furfural (AF) are two major inhibitors of microorganisms during lignocellulosic ethanol production. In our previous study, we successfully engineered Zymomonas mobilis 532 (ZM532) strain by genome shuffling, but the molecular mechanisms of tolerance to inhibitors were still unknown. Therefore, this study investigated the responses of ZM532 and its wild-type Z. mobilis (ZM4) to AF using multi-omics approaches (transcriptomics, genomics, and label free quantitative proteomics). Based on RNA-Seq data, two differentially expressed genes, ZMO_RS02740 (up-regulated) and ZMO_RS06525 (down-regulated) were knocked out and over-expressed through CRISPR-Cas technology to investigate their roles in AF tolerance. Overall, we identified 1865 and 14 novel DEGs in ZM532 and wild-type ZM4. In contrast, 1532 proteins were identified in ZM532 and wild-type ZM4. Among these, we found 96 important genes in ZM532 involving acid resistance mechanisms and survival rates against stressors. Furthermore, our knockout results demonstrated that growth activity and glucose consumption of mutant strains ZM532∆ZMO_RS02740 and ZM4∆ZMO_RS02740 decreased with increased fermentation time from 42 to 55 h and ethanol production up to 58% in ZM532 than that in ZM532∆ZMO_RS02740. Hence, these findings suggest ZMO_RS02740 as a protective strategy for ZM ethanol production under stressful conditions.

Recent advances in deformation-assisted microfluidic cell sorting technologies.

Cell sorting is an essential prerequisite for cell research and has great value in life science and clinical studies. Among the many microfluidic cell sorting technologies, label-free methods based on the size of different cell types have been widely studied. However, the heterogeneity in size for cells of the same type and the inevitable size overlap between different types of cells would result in performance degradation in size-based sorting. To tackle such challenges, deformation-assisted technologies are receiving more attention recently. Cell deformability is an inherent biophysical marker of cells that reflects the changes in their internal structures and physiological states. It provides additional dimensional information for cell sorting besides size. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the recent advances in deformation-assisted microfluidic cell sorting technologies. According to how the deformability is characterized and the form in which the force acts, the technologies can be divided into two categories: (1) the indirect category including transit-time-based and image-based methods, and (2) the direct category including microstructure-based and hydrodynamics-based methods. Finally, the separation performance and the application scenarios of each method, the existing challenges and future outlook are discussed. Deformation-assisted microfluidic cell sorting technologies are expected to realize greater potential in the label-free analysis of cells.

ESCRTs Cooperate with a Selective Autophagy Receptor to Mediate Vacuolar Targeting of Soluble Cargos.

Autophagy transports cytosolic materials into lysosomes/vacuoles either in bulk or selectively. Selective autophagy requires cargo receptor proteins, which usually link cargos to the macroautophagy machinery composed of core autophagy-related (Atg) proteins. Here, we show that fission yeast Nbr1, a homolog of mammalian autophagy receptor NBR1, interacts with and facilitates the transport of two cytosolic hydrolases into vacuoles, in a way reminiscent of the budding yeast cytoplasm-to-vacuole targeting (Cvt) pathway, a prototype of selective autophagy. We term this pathway Nbr1-mediated vacuolar targeting (NVT). Surprisingly, unlike the Cvt pathway, the NVT pathway does not require core Atg proteins. Instead, it depends on the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRTs). NVT components colocalize with ESCRTs at multivesicular bodies (MVBs) and rely on ubiquitination for their transport. Our findings demonstrate the ability of ESCRTs to mediate highly selective autophagy of soluble cargos, and suggest an unexpected mechanistic versatility of autophagy receptors.

A novel artificial intelligence model for fetal facial profile marker measurement during the first trimester.

BACKGROUND: To study the validity of an artificial intelligence (AI) model for measuring fetal facial profile markers, and to evaluate the clinical value of the AI model for identifying fetal abnormalities during the first trimester. METHODS: This retrospective study used two-dimensional mid-sagittal fetal profile images taken during singleton pregnancies at 11-13+ 6 weeks of gestation. We measured the facial profile markers, including inferior facial angle (IFA), maxilla-nasion-mandible (MNM) angle, facial-maxillary angle (FMA), frontal space (FS) distance, and profile line (PL) distance using AI and manual measurements. Semantic segmentation and landmark localization were used to develop an AI model to measure the selected markers and evaluate the diagnostic value for fetal abnormalities. The consistency between AI and manual measurements was compared using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). The diagnostic value of facial markers measured using the AI model during fetal abnormality screening was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: A total of 2372 normal fetuses and 37 with abnormalities were observed, including 18 with trisomy 21, 7 with trisomy 18, and 12 with CLP. Among them, 1872 normal fetuses were used for AI model training and validation, and the remaining 500 normal fetuses and all fetuses with abnormalities were used for clinical testing. The ICCs (95%CI) of the IFA, MNM angle, FMA, FS distance, and PL distance between the AI and manual measurement for the 500 normal fetuses were 0.812 (0.780-0.840), 0.760 (0.720-0.795), 0.766 (0.727-0.800), 0.807 (0.775-0.836), and 0.798 (0.764-0.828), respectively. IFA clinically significantly identified trisomy 21 and trisomy 18, with areas under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.686 (95%CI, 0.585-0.788) and 0.729 (95%CI, 0.621-0.837), respectively. FMA effectively predicted trisomy 18, with an AUC of 0.904 (95%CI, 0.842-0.966). MNM angle and FS distance exhibited good predictive value in CLP, with AUCs of 0.738 (95%CI, 0.573-0.902) and 0.677 (95%CI, 0.494-0.859), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The consistency of fetal facial profile marker measurements between the AI and manual measurement was good during the first trimester. The AI model is a convenient and effective tool for the early screen for fetal trisomy 21, trisomy 18, and CLP, which can be generalized to first-trimester scanning (FTS).

The nucleolar protein NIFK accelerates the progression of colorectal cancer via activating MYC pathway.

This study aimed to explore the function of nucleolar protein interacting with the FHA domain of MKI67 (NIFK) on colorectal cancer (CRC) and its associated molecular mechanisms. NIFK was upregulated in CRC tissues and cells. NIFK silencing resulted in reduced cell growth and metastasis, as well as in promoted apoptosis in CRC cells. Moreover, NIFK silencing was also confirmed to inhibit lipid accumulation and decrease fatty acid synthesis via downregulating lipogenic enzymes in CRC cells. Gene set enrichment analysis and western blot co-verified that NIFK silencing inhibited MYC proto-oncogene, bHLH transcription factor (MYC) pathway in CRC cells. In addition, we also revealed that NIFK silencing function on cell growth, apoptosis, metastasis, and fatty acid metabolism in CRC might be cancelled after c-MYC overexpression. Silencing NIFK could inhibit cell growth and metastasis, and promoted apoptosis, as well as regulated fatty acid metabolism by inhibiting MYC pathway in CRC.

UR-Net: An Integrated ResUNet and Attention Based Image Enhancement and Classification Network for Stain-Free White Blood Cells.

The differential count of white blood cells (WBCs) can effectively provide disease information for patients. Existing stained microscopic WBC classification usually requires complex sample-preparation steps, and is easily affected by external conditions such as illumination. In contrast, the inconspicuous nuclei of stain-free WBCs also bring great challenges to WBC classification. As such, image enhancement, as one of the preprocessing methods of image classification, is essential in improving the image qualities of stain-free WBCs. However, traditional or existing convolutional neural network (CNN)-based image enhancement techniques are typically designed as standalone modules aimed at improving the perceptual quality of humans, without considering their impact on advanced computer vision tasks of classification. Therefore, this work proposes a novel model, UR-Net, which consists of an image enhancement network framed by ResUNet with an attention mechanism and a ResNet classification network. The enhancement model is integrated into the classification model for joint training to improve the classification performance for stain-free WBCs. The experimental results demonstrate that compared to the models without image enhancement and previous enhancement and classification models, our proposed model achieved a best classification performance of 83.34% on our stain-free WBC dataset.

Numerical Study of Particle Separation through Integrated Multi-Stage Surface Acoustic Waves and Modulated Driving Signals.

The manipulation of biomedical particles, such as separating circulating tumor cells from blood, based on standing surface acoustic wave (SSAW) has been widely used due to its advantages of label-free approaches and good biocompatibility. However, most of the existing SSAW-based separation technologies are dedicated to isolate bioparticles in only two different sizes. It is still challenging to fractionate various particles in more than two different sizes with high efficiency and accuracy. In this work, to tackle the problems of low efficiency for multiple cell particle separation, integrated multi-stage SSAW devices with different wavelengths driven by modulated signals were designed and studied. A three-dimensional microfluidic device model was proposed and analyzed using the finite element method (FEM). In addition, the effect of the slanted angle, acoustic pressure, and the resonant frequency of the SAW device on the particle separation were systemically studied. From the theoretical results, the separation efficiency of three different size particles based on the multi-stage SSAW devices reached 99%, which was significantly improved compared with conventional single-stage SSAW devices.

Overexpression of Ultrabithorax Changes the Development of Silk Gland and the Expression of Fibroin Genes in Bombyx mori.

Ultrabithorax (Ubx) is a member of the Hox gene group involved in cell fate decisions, cell proliferation and organ identity. Its function has been extensively researched in Drosophila melanogaster but little is known about it in Lepidoptera. To uncover the function of Ubx in the development of lepidopterans, we constructed the Ubx overexpression (UbxOE) strain based on the Nistari strain of Bombyx mori. The UbxOE strain showed a small body size, transparent intersegmental membrane and abnormal posterior silk gland (PSG). In the current study, we focused on the effect of Ubx overexpression on the posterior silk gland. As the major protein product of PSG, the mRNA expression of fibroin heavy chain (Fib-H) and fibroin light chain (Fib-L) was upregulated three times in UbxOE, but the protein expression of Fib-H and Fib-L was not significantly different. We speculated that the overexpression of Ubx downregulated the expression of Myc and further caused abnormal synthesis of the spliceosome and ribosome. Abnormalities of the spliceosome and ribosome affected the synthesis of protein in the PSG and changed its morphology.

Study on the Effect of Different Viscosity Reducers on Viscosity Reduction and Emulsification with Daqing Crude Oil.

The urgent problem to be solved in heavy oil exploitation is to reduce viscosity and improve fluidity. Emulsification and viscosity reduction technology has been paid more and more attention and its developments applied. This paper studied the viscosity reduction performance of three types of viscosity reducers and obtained good results. The viscosity reduction rate, interfacial tension, and emulsification performance of three types of viscosity reducers including anionic sulfonate, non-ionic (polyether and amine oxide), and amphoteric betaine were compared with Daqing crude oil. The results showed that the viscosity reduction rate of petroleum sulfonate and betaine was 75-85%. The viscosity reduction rate increased as viscosity reducer concentration increased. An increase in the oil-water ratio and polymer decreased viscosity reduction. When the concentration of erucamide oxide was 0.2%, the ultra-low interfacial tension was 4.41 × 10-3 mN/m. When the oil-water ratio was 1:1, the maximum water separation rates of five viscosity reducers were different. With an increase in the oil-water ratio, the emulsion changed from o/w emulsion to w/o emulsion, and the stability was better. Erucamide oxide and erucic betaine had good viscosity reduction and emulsification effects on Daqing crude oil. This work can enrich knowledge of the viscosity reduction of heavy oil systems with low relative viscosity and enrich the application of viscosity reducer varieties.

[Discussion on the status quo and solutions to the prevention and control of birth defects among primary obstetricians and gynecologists in the era of molecular genetic testing].

Birth defects are an important factor for the quality of newborn population. With the development of molecular genetic technology, an increasing number of genetic disorders leading to birth defects can now be detected. The lack of the knowledge for the basics and clinical applications of molecular genetic techniques have emerged as a shortcoming for primary care physicians who have formed the first tier prevention for birth defects. Currently, government has paid more attention to the above problems and formulated more training programs for primary obstetricians and gynecologists, e.g., "Prenatal Screening and Prenatal Diagnosis Post Training Program", "National Birth Defects Training Program", "National Primary Obstetrician Training Program". To some extent, such programs have met the urgent need for birth defect prevention in primary hospitals. But at the same time, some problems have also emerged. For instance, the knowledge for birth defects among primary obstetricians and gynecologists is poor, and there is lack of young personnel. This article has aimed to discuss the strategies to systematically improve the ability for preventing birth defects among primary care physicians by analyzing the obstacles and challenges for primary obstetricians and gynecologists in the era of molecular genetic testing.