How the root bacterial community of Ficus tikoua responds to nematode infection: enrichments of nitrogen-fixing and nematode-antagonistic bacteria in the parasitized organs.

Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are among the most damaging pathogens to host plants. Plants can modulate their associated bacteria to cope with nematode infections. The tritrophic plant-nematode-microbe interactions are highly taxa-dependent, resulting in the effectiveness of nematode agents being variable among different host plants. Ficus tikoua is a versatile plant with high application potential for fruits or medicines. In recent years, a few farmers have attempted to cultivate this species in Sichuan, China, where parasitic nematodes are present. We used 16S rRNA genes to explore the effects of nematode parasitism on root-associated bacteria in this species. Our results revealed that nematode infection had effects on both endophytic bacterial communities and rhizosphere communities in F. tikoua roots, but on different levels. The species richness increased in the rhizosphere bacterial communities of infected individuals, but the community composition remained similar as compared with that of healthy individuals. Nematode infection induces a deterministic assembly process in the endophytic bacterial communities of parasitized organs. Significant taxonomic and functional changes were observed in the endophytic communities of root knots. These changes were characterized by the enrichment of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, including Bradyrhizobium, Allorhizobium-Neorhizobium-Pararhizobium-Rhizobium, and nematode-antagonistic bacteria, such as Pseudonocardia, Pseudomonas, Steroidobacter, Rhizobacter, and Ferrovibrio. Our results would help the understanding of the tritrophic plant-nematode-bacterium interactions in host plants other than dominant crops and vegetables and would provide essential information for successful nematode management when F. tikoua were cultivated on large scales.

[Evolution of Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Atmospheric Precipitation and Its Significant Impacts on the Environment in Beijing].

Atmospheric precipitation samples were collected in 2018, 2019, and 2021 in Beijing to study the concentrations and changes of the main metal elements and water-soluble ions； the wet deposition fluxes of heavy metals, water-soluble ions, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, and sulfur in the atmospheric precipitation and their impacts on the ecological environment； and the scavenging mechanisms of the typical precipitation to atmospheric pollutants during the study period. The results showed that the precipitation in Beijing during the study period was mostly neutral or alkaline, and the frequency of acid rain occurrence was very low, only accounting for 3.06%. The total concentrations of major metal elements in 2018, 2019, and 2021 were （4 787.46 ±4 704.31）, （7 663.07 ±8 395.05）, and （2 629.13 ±2 369.51） µg·L-1, respectively. The total equivalent concentrations of ions in 2018, 2019, and 2021 were （851.68 ±649.16）, （973.98 ±850.94）, and （644.31 ±531.16） µeq·L-1, respectively. The interannual changes in major metal elements and ions followed the order of 2019 > 2018 > 2021. The seasonal average total concentrations of major metal elements in spring, summer, autumn, and winter were （9 624.25 ±7 327.92）, （4 088.67 ±5 710.14）, （3 357.68 ±3 995.64）, and （6 203.19 ±3 857.43） µg·L-1, respectively, and the seasonal average total equivalent concentrations of ions in spring, summer, autumn, and winter were （1 014.71 ±512.21）, （729.83 ±589.90）, （724.35 ±681.40）, and （1 014.03 ±359.67） µeq·L-1, respectively, all presenting the order of spring > winter > summer > autumn. NO3- and SO42- were the main acid-causing ions in precipitation, whereas NH4+ and Ca2+ were the main acid-neutralizing ions. The wet deposition fluxes of the heavy metal Cd were very low [（0.05 ±0.01） mg·ï¼ˆm2·a）-1], only accounting for （0.13 ±0.04）% of the total wet deposition fluxes of main metal elements； however, its soil safety years were 291 years, significantly lower than those of other heavy metals, displaying that its ecological risk was relatively the highest. The total wet precipitation flux of water-soluble ions NH4+, Ca2+, NO3-, and SO42- accounted for （85.72 ±2.18）% of the wet precipitation flux of total ions, suggesting that their comprehensive impact on the ecological environment might have been higher. DIN wet deposition flux was mainly characterized by NH4+-N, which had a positive impact on the ecological environment in summer. SO42--S wet deposition flux was higher in summer, so its positive impact on the ecological environment was also greater. The scavenging effects of atmospheric precipitations to pollutants from the air were impacted by various factors, and the synergism effects of these factors could directly influence the scavenging mechanisms of precipitation to pollutants.

MaMYBR30, a Novel 1R-MYB, Plays Important Roles in Plant Development and Abiotic Stress Resistance.

The V-myb myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog (MYB) family participate in various bioprocesses including development and abiotic stress responses. In the present study, we first report a 1R SHAQKYF-class MYB, MaMYBR30, in mulberry. Subcellular localization and sequence analysis indicated MaMYBR30 is located in the nucleus and belongs to a CCA-like subgroup with a conserved SHAQKYF motif. Expression profile analysis showed that MaMYBR30 is expressed in leaves and can be induced by drought and salt stress. The down-regulation of MaMYBR30 using virus-induced gene silence (VIGS) in mulberry and the overexpression of MaMYBR30 in Arabidopsis were induced to explore the function of MaMYBR30. The functional characterization of MaMYBR30 in vivo indicated that MaMYBR30 can positively regulate the resistance of mulberry to drought while negatively regulating the resistance of mulberry to salt stress. In addition, MaMYBR30 also affects flower development and reproductive growth, especially after exposure to salt stress. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) primarily revealed the possible genes and signal pathways that are regulated by MaMYBR30. Our results also imply that complex molecular mechanisms mediated by MaMYBR30, including crosstalk of ion toxicity, phytohormone signal transduction, flowering development, and epigenetic modification, need to be further explored in the future.

Preparation, characterization, and application of gallic acid-mediated photodynamic chitosan-nanocellulose-based films.

In this study, an active film composed of gallic acid (GA), chitosan (CS), and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) was prepared using a solution casting method and synergistic photodynamic inactivation (PDI) technology. Characterization of the film showed that the CS-CNC-GA composite film had high transparency and UV-blocking ability. The addition of GA (0.2 %-1.0 %) significantly enhanced the mechanical properties, water resistance, and thermal stability of the film. The tensile strength increased up to 46.30 MPa, and the lowest water vapor permeability was 1.16 × e-12 g/(cm·s·Pa). The PDI-treated CS-CNC-GA1.0 composite film exhibited significantly enhanced antibacterial activity, with inhibition zone diameters of 31.83 mm against Staphylococcus aureus and 21.82 mm against Escherichia coli. The CS-CNC-GA composite film also showed good antioxidant activity. Additionally, the CS-CNC-GA1.0 composite film generated a large amount of singlet oxygen under UV-C light irradiation. It was found that using the CS-CNC-GA1.0 composite film for packaging and storage of oysters at 4 °C effectively delayed the increase in pH, total colony count, and lipid oxidation in oysters. In conclusion, the CS-CNC-GA composite film based on PDI technology has great potential for applications in the preservation of aquatic products.

Combination of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and an indirect fluorescence assay for a nationwide sero-survey of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pig herds in Taiwan.

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic pathogen that can infect farm animals, companion animals, and humans, sometimes causing public health issues. In Taiwan, the pig industry is a vital agricultural industry, with a self-sufficiency rate of 91 %, and pigs are also food-producing animal reservoirs of Toxoplasma gondii. Infected pigs are usually asymptomatic, and abortions and death may occur in severe cases. We combined an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and an indirect fluorescence assay (IFA) to investigate the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii among pig populations in Taiwan. A stratified sampling approach to determine the number of sample farms proportional to the number of pig farms in each county was employed, with 15 blood samples collected at each farm between July and September 2017. With the tested results, empirical Bayesian smoothing was utilized to assess the proportion of Toxoplasma-positive farms at the county level. Bayesian mixed-effects logistic regression models, incorporating farm and county as random effects, were employed to investigate associations between Toxoplasma test results and potential risk factors. A total of 930 serum samples from 62 pig farms were collected and tested. An overall herd prevalence of 27.4 % was shown with the seroprevalence in northern Taiwan being greater than that in southern Taiwan. The sampling month and companion dog density in 2017 were significantly associated with Toxoplasma infections in pigs. With every increase in the number of companion dogs per km² at the county level, the odds of Toxoplasma infection in pigs increased by 4.7 % (95 % CI: 1.7-8.9 %). This study demonstrated that combining ELISA for screening with IFA for confirmation is a cost-effective and time-saving method for conducting a large-scale sample investigation. This was also the first nationwide, cross-sectional study in Taiwanese pig herds to investigate Toxoplasma gondii infection.

The Functional Characterization of MaGS2 and Its Role as a Negative Regulator of Ciboria shiraiana.

Glutamine synthetase (GS) is a key enzyme involved in nitrogen metabolism. GS can be divided into cytosolic and plastidic subtypes and has been reported to respond to various biotic and abiotic stresses. However, little research has been reported on the function of GS in mulberry. In this study, the full length of MaGS2 was cloned, resulting in 1302 bp encoding 433 amino acid residues. MaGS2 carried the typical GS2 motifs and clustered with plastidic-subtype GSs in the phylogenetic analysis. MaGS2 localized in chloroplasts, demonstrating that MaGS2 is a plastidic GS. The expression profile showed that MaGS2 is highly expressed in sclerotiniose pathogen-infected fruit and sclerotiniose-resistant fruit, demonstrating that MaGS2 is associated with the response to sclerotiniose in mulberry. Furthermore, the overexpression of MaGS2 in tobacco decreased the resistance against Ciboria shiraiana, and the knockdown of MaGS2 in mulberry by VIGS increased the resistance against C. shiraiana, demonstrating the role of MaGS2 as a negative regulator of mulberry resistance to C. shiraiana infection.

The synergistic anti-nociceptive effects of nefopam and gabapentinoids in inflammatory, osteoarthritis, and neuropathic pain mouse models.

Pain is a common public health problem and remains as an unmet medical need. Currently available analgesics usually have limited efficacy or are accompanied by many adverse side effects. To achieve satisfactory pain relief by multimodal analgesia, new combinations of nefopam and gabapentinoids (pregabalin/gabapentin) were designed and assessed in inflammatory, osteoarthritis and neuropathic pain. Isobolographic analysis was performed to analyze the interactions between nefopam and gabapentinoids in carrageenan-induced inflammatory pain, mono-iodoacetate-induced osteoarthritis pain and paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathic pain in mice. The anti-inflammatory effect and motor performance of monotherapy or their combinations were evaluated in the carrageenan-induced inflammatory responses and rotarod test, respectively. Nefopam (1, 3, 5, 10, 30 mg/kg, p.o.), pregabalin (3, 6, 12, 24 mg/kg, p.o.) or gabapentin (25, 50, 75, 100 mg/kg, p.o.) dose-dependently reversed mechanical allodynia in three pain models. Isobolographic analysis indicated that the combinations of nefopam and gabapentinoids exerted synergistic anti-nociceptive effects in inflammatory, osteoarthritis, and neuropathic pain mouse models, as evidenced by the experimental ED50 (median effective dose) falling below the predicted additive line. Moreover, the combination of nefopam-pregabalin/gabapentin alleviated carrageenan-induced inflammation and edema, and also prevented gabapentinoids-related sedation or ataxia by lowering their effective doses. Collectively, the co-administration of nefopam and gabapentinoids showed synergistic analgesic effects and may result in improved therapeutic benefits for treating pain.

Natural products in atherosclerosis therapy by targeting PPARs: a review focusing on lipid metabolism and inflammation.

Inflammation and dyslipidemia are critical inducing factors of atherosclerosis. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-activated transcription factors and control the expression of multiple genes that are involved in lipid metabolism and inflammatory responses. However, synthesized PPAR agonists exhibit contrary therapeutic effects and various side effects in atherosclerosis therapy. Natural products are structural diversity and have a good safety. Recent studies find that natural herbs and compounds exhibit attractive therapeutic effects on atherosclerosis by alleviating hyperlipidemia and inflammation through modulation of PPARs. Importantly, the preparation of natural products generally causes significantly lower environmental pollution compared to that of synthesized chemical compounds. Therefore, it is interesting to discover novel PPAR modulator and develop alternative strategies for atherosclerosis therapy based on natural herbs and compounds. This article reviews recent findings, mainly from the year of 2020 to present, about the roles of natural herbs and compounds in regulation of PPARs and their therapeutic effects on atherosclerosis. This article provides alternative strategies and theoretical basis for atherosclerosis therapy using natural herbs and compounds by targeting PPARs, and offers valuable information for researchers that are interested in developing novel PPAR modulators.

[Element relationship and extension path of clinical evidence knowledge map with Chinese patent medicine].

This study aims to construct the element relationship and extension path of clinical evidence knowledge map with Chinese patent medicine, providing basic technical support for the formation and transformation of the evidence chain of Chinese patent medicine and providing collection, induction, and summary schemes for massive and disorganized clinical data. Based on the elements of evidence-based PICOS, the conventional construction methods of knowledge graph were collected and summarized. Firstly, the data entities related to Chinese patent medicine were classified, and entity linking was performed(disambiguation). Secondly, the study associated and classified the attribute information of the data entity. Finally, the logical relationship between entities was constructed, and then the element relationship and extension path of the knowledge map conforming to the characteristics of clinical evidence of Chinese patent medicine were summarized. The construction of the clinical evidence knowledge map of Chinese patent medicine was mainly based on process design and logical structure, and the element relationship of the knowledge map was expressed according to the PICOS principle and evidence level. The extension path crossed three levels(model layer, data layer application, and new evidence application), and the study gradually explored the path from disease, core evaluation indicators, Chinese patent medicine, core prescriptions, syndrome and treatment rules, and medical case comparison(evolution law) to new drug research and development. In this study, the top-level design of the construction of the clinical evidence knowledge map of Chinese patent medicine has been clarified, but it still needs the joint efforts of interdisciplinary disciplines. With the continuous improvement of the map construction technology in line with the characteristics of TCM, the study can provide necessary basic technical support and reference for the development of the TCM discipline.

How does digital transformation affect the profitability of rural commercial banks?

Under the impact of the business sinking of large commercial banks and the cross-border competition of fintech companies, digital transformation has become a strategic priority for rural commercial banks. However, can digital transformation improve the profitability of rural commercial banks (PORCB)? This aspect has not been thoroughly examined in academic literature. This study utilizes unbalanced panel data from 54 Chinese rural commercial banks spanning from 2010 to 2021. The Peking University Commercial Bank Digital Transformation Index is employed to gauge the extent of digital transformation, while ordinary least squares estimation is used to examine its effect on the profitability of rural commercial banks and elucidate its underlying mechanisms. The findings show that: (1) Digital transformation can significantly improve the PORCB. (2) Digital transformation improves the PORCB by enhancing asset quality, operating efficiency and risk-taking. (3) The profitability-enhancing effect of digital transformation is more pronounced among rural commercial business banks with larger assets and lower equity concentration, as well as among state-owned rural commercial banks. This paper's findings represent a novel investigation into the correlation between digital transformation and the profitability of rural commercial banks. They offer a theoretical foundation and empirical evidence for future studies examining the economic implications of bank digital transformation, and offer valuable insights for enhancing the digitalisation of rural banks.

Antimicrobial resistance profile in Salmonella enterica serovar Choleraesuis isolates from diseased pigs in Taiwan.

This study investigated antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella enterica serovar Choleraesuis (S. Choleraesuis) isolates from diseased pigs in Taiwan (2015-2020). Among 272 isolates, florfenicol (96.7%), enrofloxacin (96.3%), doxycycline (91.2%), gentamicin (84.6%), and tiamulin (80.5%) exhibited high resistance. 99.3% of the isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic, and 97.8% of the isolates were multidrug resistant. This study illustrated that S. Choleraesuis isolates exhibited high resistance to antimicrobials currently used in the Taiwanese swine industry.

Implementation of point-of-care platforms for rapid detection of porcine circovirus type 2.

BACKGROUND: Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infection is ubiquitous around the world. Diagnosis of the porcine circovirus-associated disease requires clinic-pathological elements together with the quantification of viral loads. Furthermore, given pig farms in regions lacking access to sufficient laboratory equipment, developing diagnostic devices with high accuracy, accessibility, and affordability is a necessity. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate two newly developed diagnostic tools that may satisfy these criteria. METHODS: We collected 250 specimens, including 170 PCV2-positive and 80 PCV2-negative samples. The standard diagnosis and cycle threshold (Ct) values were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Then, two point-of-care (POC) diagnostic platforms, convective polymerase chain reaction (cPCR, qualitative assay: positive or negative results are shown) and EZtargex (quantitative assay: Ct values are shown), were examined and analyzed. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of cPCR were 88.23% and 100%, respectively; the sensitivity and specificity of EZtargex were 87.65% and 100%, respectively. These assays also showed excellent concordance compared with the qPCR assay (κ = 0.828 for cPCR and κ = 0.820 for EZtargex). The statistical analysis showed a great diagnostic power of the EZtargex assay to discriminate between samples with different levels of positivity. CONCLUSIONS: The two point-of-care diagnostic platforms are accurate, rapid, convenient and require little training for PCV2 diagnosis. These POC platforms can discriminate viral loads to predict the clinical status of the animals. The current study provided evidence that these diagnostics were applicable with high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of PCV2 infection in the field.

Antimicrobial susceptibility and resistome of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in Taiwan: a next-generation sequencing analysis.

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection causes a high mortality rate in porcine animals. Antimicrobial resistance poses global threats to public health. The current study aimed to determine the antimicrobial susceptibilities and probe the resistome of A. pleuropneumoniae in Taiwan. Herein, 133 isolates were retrospectively collected; upon initial screening, 38 samples were subjected to next-generation sequencing (NGS). Over the period 2017-2022, the lowest frequencies of resistant isolates were found for ceftiofur, cephalexin, cephalothin, and enrofloxacin, while the highest frequencies of resistant isolates were found for oxytetracycline, streptomycin, doxycycline, ampicillin, amoxicillin, kanamycin, and florfenicol. Furthermore, most isolates (71.4%) showed multiple drug resistance. NGS-based resistome analysis revealed aminoglycoside- and tetracycline-related genes at the highest prevalence, followed by genes related to beta-lactam, sulfamethoxazole, florphenicol, and macrolide. A plasmid replicon (repUS47) and insertion sequences (IS10R and ISVAp11) were identified in resistant isolates. Notably, the multiple resistance roles of the insertion sequence IS10R were widely proposed in human medicine; however, this is the first time IS10R has been reported in veterinary medicine. Concordance analysis revealed a high consistency of phenotypic and genotypic susceptibility to florphenicol, tilmicosin, doxycycline, and oxytetracycline. The current study reports the antimicrobial characterization of A. pleuropneumoniae for the first time in Taiwan using NGS.

[Determination of four phenolic endocrine-disrupting chemicals in water by dispersive solid-phase extraction-ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry based on metal-organic skeleton porous carbon materials].

Phenolic endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are exogenous substances that interfere with the endocrine system and disrupt normal cell functions upon entering a living organism, leading to reproductive and developmental toxicity. Therefore, the development of a rapid and efficient analytical method for detecting phenolic EDCs in environmental waters is crucial. Owing to the low concentration of phenolic EDCs in environmental water, appropriate sample pretreatment methods are necessary to remove interferences caused by the sample matrix and enrich the target analytes before instrumental analysis. Dispersive solid-phase extraction (DSPE) has gained considerable attention as a simple and rapid sample pretreatment method for environmental-sample analysis. In this method, an adsorbent material is uniformly dispersed in a sample solution and the target analytes are extracted through processes such as vortexing. Compared with traditional solid-phase extraction (SPE), DSPE increases the contact area between the adsorbent and sample solution, reduces the required amounts of adsorbent and organic solvents, and improves the extraction efficiency. The adsorbent material plays a critical role in DSPE because it determines the extraction efficiency of the method. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous framework materials composed of metal clusters and multifunctional organic ligands. They possess many excellent properties such as tunable pore sizes, large surface areas, and good thermal and chemical stability, rendering them ideal adsorbent materials for sample pretreatment. MOF-derived porous carbon materials obtained through high-temperature carbonization not only increase the density of MOF materials for better separation but also retain the advantages of a large surface area, highly ordered porous structure, and high porosity. In this study, a porous carbon material derived from an MOF, named as University of Oslo-66-carbon (UiO-66-C), was synthesized using a solvothermal method and applied as an adsorbent to enrich four phenolic EDCs (bisphenol A, 4-tert-octylphenol, 4-nonylphenol, and nonylphenol) in water. A method combining DSPE with ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was established to analyze these phenolic EDCs in water. The UiO-66-C dosage, pH of water sample, adsorption time, eluent type and volume, elution time, and ion strength were optimized. Gradient elution was performed using methanol-water as the mobile phase. The target analytes were separated on an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 µm), and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was conducted in negative electrospray ionization mode. The method exhibited a linear correlation within the range of 0.5-100 µg/L for the four phenolic EDCs. The limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) of the four phenolic EDCs were 0.01-0.13 µg/L and 0.03-0.42 µg/L, respectively. The precision of the method was evaluated through intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSDs), with values ranging from 1.5% to 10.6% and from 6.1% to 13.2%, respectively. When applied to the detection of phenolic EDCs in tap and surface water, the spiked recoveries of the four phenolic EDCs were 77.1%-116.6%. Trace levels of 4-nonylphenol and nonylphenol were detected in surface water at levels of 1.38 and 0.26 µg/L, respectively. The proposed method exhibits good accuracy and precision; thus, it provides a new rapid, efficient, and sensitive approach for the detection of phenolic EDCs in environmental water.

Dipterocarpoidae genomics reveal their demography and adaptations to Asian rainforests.

Dipterocarpoideae species form the emergent layer of Asian rainforests. They are the indicator species for Asian rainforest distribution, but they are severely threatened. Here, to understand their adaptation and population decline, we assemble high-quality genomes of seven Dipterocarpoideae species including two autotetraploid species. We estimate the divergence time between Dipterocarpoideae and Malvaceae and within Dipterocarpoideae to be 108.2 (97.8‒118.2) and 88.4 (77.7‒102.9) million years ago, and we identify a whole genome duplication event preceding dipterocarp lineage diversification. We find several genes that showed a signature of selection, likely associated with the adaptation to Asian rainforests. By resequencing of two endangered species, we detect an expansion of effective population size after the last glacial period and a recent sharp decline coinciding with the history of local human activities. Our findings contribute to understanding the diversification and adaptation of dipterocarps and highlight anthropogenic disturbances as a major factor in their endangered status.

Electrochemical Visualization of Single-Molecule Thiol Substitution with Nanopore Measurement.

Reactions involving sulfhydryl groups play a critical role in maintaining the structure and function of proteins. However, traditional mechanistic studies have mainly focused on reaction rates and the efficiency in bulk solutions. Herein, we have designed a cysteine-mutated nanopore as a biological protein nanoreactor for electrochemical visualization of the thiol substitute reaction. Statistical analysis of characteristic current signals shows that the apparent reaction rate at the single-molecule level in this confined nanoreactor reached 1400 times higher than that observed in bulk solution. This substantial acceleration of thiol substitution reactions within the nanopore offers promising opportunities for advancing the design and optimization of micro/nanoreactors. Moreover, our results could shed light on the understanding of sulfhydryl reactions and the thiol-involved signal transduction mechanisms in biological systems.

Hormone, Targeted, and Combinational Therapies for Breast Cancers: From Humans to Dogs.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent cancer in women. In female dogs, canine mammary gland tumor (CMT) is also the leading neoplasm. Comparative oncology indicates similar tumor behaviors between human BCs (HBCs) and CMTs. Therefore, this review summarizes the current research in hormone and targeted therapies and describes the future prospects for HBCs and CMTs. For hormone receptor-expressing BCs, the first medical intervention is hormone therapy. Monoclonal antibodies against Her2 are proposed for the treatment of Her2+ BCs. However, the major obstacle in hormone therapy or monoclonal antibodies is drug resistance. Therefore, increasing alternatives have been developed to overcome these difficulties. We systemically reviewed publications that reported inhibitors targeting certain molecules in BC cells. The various treatment choices for humans decrease mortality in females with BC. However, the development of hormone or targeted therapies in veterinary medicine is still limited. Even though some clinical trials have been proposed, severe side effects and insufficient case numbers might restrict further explorations. This difficulty highlights the urgent need to develop updated hormone/targeted therapy or novel immunotherapies. Therefore, exploring new therapies to provide more precise use in dogs with CMTs will be the focus of future research. Furthermore, due to the similarities shared by humans and dogs, well-planned prospective clinical trials on the use of combinational or novel immunotherapies in dogs with CMTs to obtain solid results for both humans and dogs can be reasonably anticipated in the future.

Functional characterization of MaEXPA11 and its roles in response to biotic and abiotic stresses in mulberry.

Mulberry is a traditional economic tree with various values in sericulture, ecology, food industry and medicine. Expansins (EXPs) are known as cell wall expansion related proteins and have been characterized to involve in plant development and responses to diverse stresses. In present study, twenty EXP and expansin-like (EXL) genes were identified in mulberry. RNA-seq results indicated that three EXP and EXL genes showed up-regulated expression level under sclerotiniose pathogen infection in three independent RNA-seq datasets. The most significant upregulated EXPA11 was selected as key EXP involving in response to sclerotiniose pathogen infection in mulberry. Furthermore, a comprehensive functional analysis was performed to reveal subcellular location, tissue expression profile of MaEXPA11 in mulberry. Down-regulation of MaEXPA11 using virus induced gene silence (VIGS) was performed to explore the function of MaEXPA11 in Morus alba. Results showed that MaEXPA11 can positively regulate mulberry resistance to Ciboria shiraiana infection and negatively regulate mulberry resistance to cold or drought stress.

TSPAN1 inhibits metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma via suppressing NF-kB signaling.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) originates in the epithelial cells of the nasopharynx and is a common malignant tumor in southern China and Southeast Asia. Metastasis of NPC remains the main cause of death for NPC patients even though the tumor is sensitive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Here, we found that the transmembrane protein tetraspanin1 (TSPAN1) potently inhibited the in vitro migration and invasion, as well as, the in vivo metastasis of NPC cells via interacting with the IKBB protein. In addition, TSPAN1 was essential in preventing the overactivation of the NF-kB pathway in TSPAN1 overexpressing NPC cells. Furthermore, reduced TSPAN1 expression was associated with NPC metastasis and the poor prognosis of NPC patients. These results uncovered the suppressive role of TSPAN1 against NF-kB signaling in NPC cells for preventing NPC metastasis. Its therapeutic value warrants further investigation.

Distinctive plastome evolution in carnivorous angiosperms.

BACKGROUND: Independent origins of carnivory in multiple angiosperm families are fabulous examples of convergent evolution using a diverse array of life forms and habitats. Previous studies have indicated that carnivorous plants have distinct evolutionary trajectories of plastid genome (plastome) compared to their non-carnivorous relatives, yet the extent and general characteristics remain elusive. RESULTS: We compared plastomes from 9 out of 13 carnivorous families and their non-carnivorous relatives to assess carnivory-associated evolutionary patterns. We identified inversions in all sampled Droseraceae species and four species of Utricularia, Pinguicula, Darlingtonia and Triphyophyllum. A few carnivores showed distinct shifts in inverted repeat boundaries and the overall repeat contents. Many ndh genes, along with some other genes, were independently lost in several carnivorous lineages. We detected significant substitution rate variations in most sampled carnivorous lineages. A significant overall substitution rate acceleration characterizes the two largest carnivorous lineages of Droseraceae and Lentibulariaceae. We also observe moderate substitution rates acceleration in many genes of Cephalotus follicularis, Roridula gorgonias, and Drosophyllum lusitanicum. However, only a few genes exhibit significant relaxed selection. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the carnivory of plants have different effects on plastome evolution across carnivorous lineages. The complex mechanism under carnivorous habitats may have resulted in distinctive plastome evolution with conserved plastome in the Brocchinia hechtioides to strongly reconfigured plastomes structures in Droseraceae. Organic carbon obtained from prey and the efficiency of utilizing prey-derived nutrients might constitute possible explanation.