Computed tomography-based intermuscular adipose tissue analysis and its predicting role in post-kidney transplantation diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: While body mass index (BMI) is the most widely used indicator as a measure of obesity factors in post-transplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM), body composition is a more accurate measure of obesity. This study aims to investigate the effects of Computed tomography (CT)--based morphemic factors on PTDM and establish a prediction model for PTDM after kidney transplantation. METHODS: The pre-transplant data and glycemic levels of kidney transplant recipients (June 2021 to July 2023) were retrospectively and prospectively collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to analyze the relationship between morphemic factors and PTDM at one month, six months, and one year after hospital discharge. Subsequently, a one-year risk prediction model based on morphemic factors was developed. RESULTS: The study consisted of 131 participants in the one-month group, where Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (p = 0.02) was identified as the risk factor for PTDM. In the six-month group, 129 participants were included, and the intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) area (p = 0.02) was identified as the risk factor for PTDM. The one-year group had 128 participants, and the risk factors for PTDM were identified as body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.02), HbA1c (p = 0.01), and IMAT area (p = 0.007). HbA1c (%) and IMAT area were included in the risk prediction Model for PTDM in the one-year group with AUC = 0.716 (95 % CI 0.591-0.841, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to BMI and other morphemic factors, this study demonstrated that the IMAT area was the most potential predictor of PTDM. CLINICAL TRIAL NOTATION: Chictr.org (ChiCTR2300078639).

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) and Their Potential Effects on Female Reproductive Diseases.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a class of anthropogenic organic compounds widely present in the natural and human living environments. These emerging persistent pollutants can enter the human body through multiple channels, posing risks to human health. In particular, exposure to PFASs in women may cause a series of reproductive health hazards and infertility. Based on a review of the existing literature, this study preliminarily summarizes the effects of PFAS exposure on the occurrence and development of female reproductive endocrine diseases, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), and diminished ovarian reserve (DOR). Furthermore, we outline the relevant mechanisms through which PFASs interfere with the physiological function of the female ovary and finally highlight the role played by nutrients in reducing the reproductive health hazards caused by PFASs. It is worth noting that the physiological mechanisms of PFASs in the above diseases are still unclear. Therefore, it is necessary to further study the molecular mechanisms of PFASs in female reproductive diseases and the role of nutrients in this process.

Why plasma-activated water treatment reduced the malonaldehyde content in muscle foods.

An interesting phenomenon that plasma-activated water (PAW) treatment reduced the malonaldehyde (MDA) content in muscle foods was observed in both previous reports and the present study. However, the mechanism remains unclear. To clarify the theoretical basis of this phenomenon, the main reactive components in PAW were determined, and the changes in the fatty acid profile in tuna muscle after PAW treatment were analyzed. The results showed that the MDA content reduction upon PAW treatment was not due to the inhibition of lipid oxidation. To mimic the possible reaction of the components in PAW with MDA, individual hydrogen peroxide, nitrite, and nitrate or their mixture solution were added into MDA standard and tuna muscle. The results showed that the reaction of nitrite in PAW with MDA occurred during its measurement processes caused its reduction. The results in this work fully explained why PAW treatment reduced the MDA content in muscle foods.

A FLASH pipeline for arrayed CRISPR library construction and the gene function discovery of rice receptor-like kinases.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)-mediated gene editing is revolutionizing plant research and crop breeding. Here, we present an effective and streamlined pipeline for arrayed CRISPR library construction and demonstrate it is suitable for small- to large-scale genome editing in plants. This pipeline introduces artificial PCR fragment-length markers for distinguishing guide RNAs (gRNAs) (FLASH), and a group of 12 constructs harboring different FLASH tags are co-transformed into plants each time. The identities of gRNAs in Agrobacterium mixtures and transgenic plants can therefore be read out by detecting the FLASH tags, a process that requires only conventional PCR and gel electrophoresis rather than sequencing. We generated an arrayed CRISPR library targeting all 1,072 members of the receptor-like kinase (RLK) family in rice. One-shot transformation generated a mutant population that covers gRNAs targeting 955 RLKs, and 74.3% (710/955) of the target genes had three or more independent T0 lines. Our results indicate that the FLASH tags act as bona fide surrogates for the gRNAs and are tightly (92.1%) associated with frameshift mutations in the target genes. In addition, the FLASH pipeline allows for rapid identification of unintended editing events without corresponding T-DNA integrations and generates high-order mutants of closely related RLK genes. Furthermore, we showed that the RLK mutant library enables rapid discovery of defense-related RLK genes. This study introduces an effective pipeline for arrayed CRISPR library construction and provides genome-wide rice RLK mutant resources for functional genomics.