Study on the role of Dihuang Yinzi in regulating the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway to promote mitochondrial biogenesis and improve Alzheimer's disease.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Dihuang Yinzi (DHYZ) is a classic prescription in traditional Chinese medicine. Its therapeutic effect on Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been widely validated. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of DHYZ in AD treatment remain unclear and require further research. AIM OF THE STUDY: Elucidating DHYZ's promotion of mitochondrial biogenesis through the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway improves neuronal loss, mitochondrial damage, and memory deficits in AD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Administering DHYZ by gavage to SAMP8 mice, after completing behavioral tests, the effects of DHYZ on hippocampal neuron loss and mitochondrial structural damage in AD model mice were assessed using Nissl staining and transmission electron microscopy. Western blot was used to detect the expression of mitochondrial biogenesis-related proteins PGC-1α, CREB, mitochondrial fusion protein MFN2, and mitochondrial fission proteins DRP1 and FIS1. At the same time, immunofluorescence (IF) was employed to measure the relative fluorescence intensity of mitochondrial fusion protein MFN1. After determining the optimal dose of DYHZ for treating AD, we conducted mechanistic studies. By intraperitoneally injecting SAMP8 mice with the AMPK inhibitor (Compound C) to inhibit AMPK protein expression and subsequently treating them with DHYZ, the impact of DHYZ on hippocampal neurons in AD model mice was evaluated using Nissl and hematoxylin-eosin staining. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of AMPK, p-AMPK, SIRT1, PGC-1α, NRF1, and TFAM. In contrast, IF was used to measure the relative fluorescence intensity of PGC-1α, NRF1, and TFAM proteins in the hippocampal CA1 region. RESULTS: DHYZ significantly improved AD model mice's cognitive impairment and memory deficits and mitigated hippocampal neuron loss and degeneration. Additionally, it ameliorated mitochondrial morphological structures. DHYZ upregulated the protein expression of mitochondrial biogenesis-related proteins PGC-1α, CREB, and mitochondrial fusion proteins MFN1 and MFN2 while inhibiting the expression of mitochondrial fission proteins DRP1 and FIS1. Further studies revealed that DHYZ could upregulate the expression of the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway proteins and their downstream proteins NRF1 and TFAM. CONCLUSION: DHYZ promotes mitochondrial biogenesis by activating the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling pathway, thereby improving memory deficits, neuronal loss, and mitochondrial dysfunction in AD.

The Association Between Direct Health Costs Related to Non-communicable Diseases and Physical Activity in Elderly People.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between direct health costs related to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the level of physical activity in Chinese elderly people. In this longitudinal study, 410 people over 64 years old were selected from health centers. The direct health costs caused by NCDs were recorded on a weekly basis for a period of six months. Also, physical activity was measured using FitBit Flex2™ and as the number of daily steps as well as calories burned during this six month. The multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify the predictors of direct health costs caused by NCDs as the dependent variable. Age, gender, marital status, education level, currently working, Fitbit steps and calories, and BMI were entered into the model as predictor variables to perform a stepwise regression analysis. Four variables of age, BMI, Fitbit steps and Fitbit calories were able to enter the regression model. The model explained 24.8% of the variability of direct health costs due to NCDs. The strongest predictor of health costs was Fitbit calories (B = - 2.113, t = - 4.807, p < 0.001), followed by BMI (B = 1.267, t = 3.482, p < 0.001), Fitbit steps (B = - 1.157, t = - 3.118, p < 0.001), and age (B = 1.115, t = 2.599, p < 0.001). It can be said that having regular physical activity can reduce health costs due to NCDs in Chinese older people.

[Prevalence of Allergen-Specific Immunoglobulin E in 57558 Patients in 2012-2022]. / 2012­2022å¹´57558ä¾‹æ‚£è€ è¿‡æ•åŽŸç‰¹å¼‚æ€§IgE阳性特征分析.

Objective: The study aims to preliminarily investigate the prevalence characteristics of allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) in 57558 patients over the past decade by examining its distribution in the province and exploring its associations with age, sex, temperature, and relative humidity, providing insights for the prevention and diagnosis of allergic diseases in the Sichuan region. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on a cohort of 57558 patients who underwent allergen testing (by means of EUROIMMUN immunoblotting method) at West China Hospital, Sichuan University between August 2012 and February 2022. The clinical data of these patients were collected to establish a comprehensive database, while the temperature and humidity records of the corresponding timeframe were gathered for further analysis. The positive results from the allergen tests were categorized into four levels, including weakly positive (±), positive (+), moderately positive (++), and strongly positive (+++). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0, with Chi-square tests conducted to compare count data and Pearson's correlation tests done conducted to assess the relationships between different types of allergens and temperature/relative humidity. P<0.05 was applied to determine statistically significant differences. GraphPad Prism 9.0.0 was utilized to generate visual representations of the data. Results: The overall positivity rate of allergen-specific IgE among the 57558 samples was 30.69%. The top five allergens that elicited positive results were dust mite mix 1 (14.46%), crab (6.67%), soybean (4.72%), fish mix 1 (4.64%), and cockroach (4.34%). Notably, weakly positive (±) results were predominant for allergens such as eggs, peanuts, soybeans, cow's milk, beef, mutton, crab, shrimp, fish mix 1, cockroach, humulus japonicus, ambrosia artemisifolia, artemisia vulgaris, tree mix 2, house dust, and mold mix 1, collectively constituting over 40% of the positive outcomes. In contrast, cat hair and dog dander exhibited an equal distribution of approximately 25% for each positive levels, while mite mix 1 demonstrated the highest proportion of strongly positive results (+++), accounting for 37.66% of all positive results. Sex disparities in positivity rates were evident for various allergens, with significant differences observed for peanut, soybean, crab, shrimp, fish mix 1, cockroach, ambrosia artemisifolia, tree mix 2, cat hair, dog dander, and mite mix 1. Furthermore, the study identified age-related trends in allergen positivity rates, with a general decline observed across most allergens with increasing age. The positive rate of at least one food allergen was highest in the 0-10 age group (36.18%), and the positive rate of at least one inhalation allergen was highest in the 11-20 age group (45.35%). Noteworthy correlations were observed between allergen-specific IgE positivity and environmental factors, including a strong negative correlation between cow's milk allergy and relative humidity ( r=-0.640, P<0.05), a strong negative correlation of artemisia vulgaris sensitivity with temperature ( r Mean high temperature=-0.695, r Mean low temperature=-0.692, P<0.05), and a very strong positive correlation of mold mix 1 sensitivity with relative humidity ( r=0.704, P<0.05). Conclusion: Allergen-specific IgE positivity is associated with genetic factors, demonstrates significant sex- and age-related characteristics in the population, and is influenced by changes in local temperature and relative humidity.

Rational design and construction of direct Z-scheme ternary heterojunction photocatalyst AgBr/CoWO4/Ag for efficient environmental remediation.

The indiscriminate discharge of micropollutants (e.g., dyes, antibiotics, industrial additives, etc.) represents a significant risk to human health, and the removal of these substances from water bodies has become a prominent area of research within the field of environmental remediation. A simple hydrothermal-precipitation-photoreduction method was employed to synthesize novel Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts of AgBr/CoWO4/Ag. The catalysts demonstrated remarkable degradation capabilities with regard to a range of micropollutants present in wastewater. Of the catalysts tested, 5AgBr/CoWO4/Ag exhibited the highest degradation rates, reaching 98.58% for Rhodamine B, 86.82% for tetracycline hydrochloride, and 95.60% for 2-mercaptobenzothiazole within 60 min. In particular, the reaction kinetic rate of 5AgBr/CoWO4/Ag towards Rhodamine B degradation (k2 = 0.26278 L mg-1·min-1) is 9 times that of AgBr (k2 = 0.02953 L mg-1·min-1) and 113 times that of CoWO4 (k2 = 0.00233 L mg-1·min-1), which serves to highlight the exceptional photocatalytic activity of the material. The experimental data and subsequent analysis indicated that the enhanced photocatalytic performance can be attributed to two factors: firstly, the electron mediation by Ag nanoparticles leading to improved charge separation efficiency, and secondly, the formation of Z-scheme heterojunctions between AgBr and CoWO4. The cyclic tests provided confirmation of the excellent stability and recyclability of the AgBr/CoWO4/Ag photocatalysts. It is anticipated that this study will facilitate the development of novel methods for the degradation of refractory micropollutants and provide insights into environmental remediation, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of society.

More is different: progressive ß-thiolation induced-porphyrin aggregation switches singlet oxygen photosensitization.

Incorporating sulfur atoms into photosensitizers (PSs) has been well-established to populate triplet states and increase singlet oxygen (1O2) production when exposed to light. In this work, we found that progressive thiolation of porphyrin ß-periphery does promote intersystem crossing (ISC) between triplets and singlets, as seen in the excited state dynamics in dichloromethane or PS nanoparticles in water. However, in the latter case, more sulfur substitution deactivates 1O2 photosensitization, in contrast to the expected trend observed in dichloromethane. This observation was further supported by photocytotoxicity studies, where 1O2 photosensitization was switched off in living cells and multicellular spheroids despite being switched on in in vivo mice models. To understand the inconsistency, we performed molecular dynamics simulation and time-dependent density functional theory calculations to investigate possible aggregation and related excited states. We found that the extent of thiolation could regulate molecular packing inside nanoparticles, which gradually lowers the energy levels of triplet states even lower than that of 1O2 and, in turn, alters their energy dissipation pathways. Therefore, this study provides new insights into the design of metal-free PSs and sheds light on the excited state dynamics in aqueous media beyond the molecular level.

Magnetic manipulation of the reactivity of singlet oxygen: from test tubes to living cells.

Although magnetism undoubtedly influences life on Earth, the science behind biological magnetic sensing is largely a mystery, and it has proved challenging, especially in the life sciences, to harness the interactions of magnetic fields (MFs) with matter to achieve specific ends. Using the well-established radical pair (RP) mechanism, we here demonstrate a bottom-up strategy for the exploitation of MF effects in living cells by translating knowledge from studies of RP reactions performed in vitro. We found an unprecedented MF dependence of the reactivity of singlet oxygen (1O2) towards electron-rich substrates (S) such as anthracene, lipids and iodide, in which [S ˙+ O2 ˙-] RPs are formed as a basis for MFs influencing molecular redox events in biological systems. The close similarity of the observed MF effects on the biologically relevant process of lipid peroxidation in solution, in membrane mimics and in living cells, shows that MFs can reliably be used to manipulate 1O2-induced cytotoxicity and cell-apoptosis-related protein expression. These findings led to a 'proof-of-concept' study on MF-assisted photodynamic therapy in vivo, highlighting the potential of MFs as a non-invasive tool for controlling cellular events.

CM082 suppresses hypoxia-induced retinal neovascularization in larval zebrafish.

Retinal neovascularization is a common feature of several ocular neovascular diseases, which are the leading cause of blindness in the world. Current treatments are administered through invasive intravitreal injections, leading to poor patient compliance, serious ocular complications and heavy economic burdens. Thus, an alternative less or non-invasive therapeutic strategy is in demand. Here, a non-invasive oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor, CM082, was evaluated in a retinal neovascularization model induced by hypoxia in zebrafish larvae. We found that CM082 effectively suppressed retinal neovascularization, rescued cell loss in the retinal ganglion cell layer, and rescued the visual function deficiency. Our results elucidated that CM082 mediated its therapeutic efficacy primarily through the inhibition of Vegfr2 phosphorylation. The findings demonstrated that CM082 possessed strong antiangiogenic effects and may serve as a potential treatment for angiogenesis in ocular neovascular diseases.

A new species of the genus Yoldiella (Bivalvia, Protobranchia, Yoldiidae) from Haima Cold Seep, South China Sea, China.

In present study, a previously unidentified but frequently encountered species of deep-sea protobranch, Yoldiellahaimaensis sp. nov., is described new to science from the Haima Cold Seep on the northwestern slope of the South China Sea. A morphological analysis confirmed that this species belongs to a previously undescribed species of the genus Yoldiella A.E. Verrill & K.J. Bush, 1897. It differs morphologically from other known species within the genus in its shell shape, degree of inflation, beaks, and number of hinge teeth. Furthermore, we sequenced three gene segments of Y.haimaensis sp. nov., comprising a nuclear ribosomal gene (18S rRNA), a nuclear protein-coding gene (histone H3), and a mitochondrial gene (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, COI). Our phylogenetic analysis performed on the superfamily Nuculanoidea and family Yoldiidae indicates that the genus Yoldiella is non-monophyletic, and the widely recognized families within the superfamily Nuculanoidea are also not monophyletic. Our results provide molecular insights into the Protobranchia and highlight the necessity for further samples and data to revise the classification of families and genera within the superfamily using an integrative approach that combines morphological analysis and molecular data.

Quantifying the mutual effects of water trading and systematic water saving in a water-scarce watershed of China.

In this study, a conjunctive water management model based on interval stochastic bi-level programming method (CM-ISBP) is proposed for planning water trading program as well as quantifying mutual effects of water trading and systematic water saving. CM-ISBP incorporates water resources assessment with soil and water assessment tool (SWAT), systematic water-saving simulation combined with water trading, and interval stochastic bi-level programming (ISBP) within a general framework. Systematic water saving involves irrigation water-saving technologies (sprinkler irrigation, micro-irrigation, low-pressure pipe irrigation), enterprise water-saving potential and water-saving subsidy. The CM-ISBP is applied to a real case of a water-scarce watershed (i.e. Dagu River watershed, China). Mutual effects of water trading and water-saving activities are simulated with model establishment and quantified through mechanism analysis. The fate of saved water under the systematic water saving is also revealed. The coexistence of the two systems would increase system benefits by [11.89, 12.19]%, and increase the water use efficiency by [40.04, 40.46]%. Thus mechanism that couples water trading and water saving is optimal and recommended according to system performance.

The effect of the Sport Education Model in physical education on student learning attitude: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Evidence indicates that the Sport Education Model (SEM) has demonstrated effectiveness in enhancing students' athletic capabilities and fostering their enthusiasm for sports. Nevertheless, there remains a dearth of comprehensive reviews examining the impact of the SEM on students' attitudes toward physical education learning. PURPOSE: The purpose of this review is to elucidate the influence of the SEM on students' attitudes toward physical education learning. METHODS: Employing the preferred reporting items of the Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement guidelines, a systematic search of PubMed, SCOPUS, EBSCOhost (SPORTDiscus and CINAHL Plus), and Web of Science databases was conducted in mid-January 2023. A set of keywords associated with the SEM, attitudes toward physical education learning, and students were employed to identify relevant studies. Out of 477 studies, only 13 articles fulfilled all the eligibility criteria and were consequently incorporated into this systematic review. The validated checklist of Downs and Black (1998) was employed for the assessment, and the included studies achieved quality scores ranging from 11 to 13. The ROBINS-I tool was utilized to evaluate the risk of bias in the literature, whereby only one paper exhibited a moderate risk of bias, while the remainder were deemed to have a high risk. RESULTS: The findings unveiled significant disparities in cognitive aspects (n = 8) and affective components (n = 12) between the SEM intervention and the Traditional Teaching (TT) comparison. Existing evidence suggests that the majority of scholars concur that the SEM yields significantly superior effects in terms of students' affective and cognitive aspects compared to the TT. CONCLUSIONS: Nonetheless, several issues persist, including a lack of data regarding junior high school students and gender differences, insufficient frequency of weekly interventions, inadequate control of inter-group atmosphere disparities resulting from the same teaching setting, lack of reasonable testing, model fidelity check and consideration for regulating variables, of course, learning content, and unsuitable tools for measuring learning attitudes. In contrast, the SEM proves more effective than the TT in enhancing students' attitudes toward physical learning. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: ( https://inplasy.com/ ) (INPLASY2022100040).

A Platinum-Aluminum Bimetallic Salen Complex for Pro-senescence Cancer Therapy.

Cell senescence is defined as irreversible cell cycle arrest, which can be triggered by telomere shortening or by various types of genotoxic stress. Induction of senescence is emerging as a new strategy for the treatment of cancer, especially when sequentially combined with a second senolytic drug capable of killing the resulting senescent cells, however severely suffering from the undesired off-target side effects from the senolytic drugs. Here, we prepare a bimetalic platinum-aluminum salen complex (Alumiplatin) for cancer therapy-a combination of pro-senesence chemotherapy with in situ senotherapy to avoid the side effects. The aluminum salen moiety, as a G-quadruplex stabilizer, enhances the salen's ability to induce cancer cell senescence and this phenotype is in turn sensitive to the cytotoxic activity of the monofunctional platinum moiety. It exhibits an excellent capability for inducing senescence, a potent cytotoxic activity against cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo, and an improved safety profile compared to cisplatin. Therefore, Alumiplatin may be a good candidate to be further developed into safe and effective anticancer agents. This novel combination of cell senescence inducers with genotoxic drugs revolutionizes the therapy options of designing multi-targeting anticancer agents to improve the efficacy of anticancer therapies.

Target proteins-regulated DNA nanomachine-electroactive substance complexes enable separation-free electrochemical detection of clinical exosome.

Simple and reliable profiling of tumor-derived exosomes (TDEs) holds significant promise for the early detection of cancer. Nonetheless, this remains challenging owing to the substantial heterogeneity and low concentration of TDEs. Herein, we devised an accurate and highly sensitive electrochemical sensing strategy for TDEs via simultaneously targeting exosomal mucin 1 (MUC1) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1). This approach employs high-affinity aptamers as specific recognition elements, utilizes rolling circle amplification and DNA nanospheres as effective bridges and signal amplifiers, and leverages methylene blue (MB) and doxorubicin (DOX) as robust signal reporters. The crux of this separation- and label-free method is the specific response of MB and DOX to G-quadruplex structures and DNA nanospheres, respectively. Quantifying TDEs using this strategy enabled precise discrimination of lung cancer patients (n = 25) from healthy donors (n = 12), showing 100% specificity (12/12), 92% sensitivity (23/25), and an overall accuracy of 94.6% (35/37), with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.97. Furthermore, the assay results strongly correlated with findings from computerized tomography and pathological analyses. Our approach could facilitate the early diagnosis of lung cancer through TDEs-based liquid biopsy.

Unveiling the Impact of Metacognition on Academic Achievement in Physical Education and Activity Settings: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Qualitative Insights.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to unveil the impact of metacognition on academic achievement in physical education and activity settings by conducting a comprehensive systematic literature review with a meta-analysis of qualitative findings. Patients and Methods: Systematic searches identified English-language, peer-reviewed journal articles reporting the results of qualitative or mixed-methods studies of the emerging themes of metacognition on academic achievement in sports. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, and SPORTDiscus were searched from inception to June 2023. Results: Data from 20 studies were included in the review. Thematic meta-analysis identified descriptive themes: 1) Metacognitive performance during the learning process in different sports disciplines; 2) Domains of metacognitive skills related to academic performance; 3) Self-regulation strategies related to academic performance; 4) Influencing factors of metacognition; 5) Metacognitive interventions on motor learning and academic performance. Generate an analytical theme based on five descriptive themes. Conclusion: In-depth descriptions of the emerging themes related to metacognition and academic performance during motor learning were provided by different students and athletes. The conclusions reported in the study align with the theoretical models of metacognition. The research findings will provide strategies for physical education teachers, coaches, and trainers to enhance both physical and academic performance.

Fluorination of porphyrin ß-periphery boosts nickel(II)-catalyzed hydrogen evolution reaction.

Tunichlorin, the naturally occurring chlorophyll cofactor containing Ni(II) ion, sets up a golden standard for designing the electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) via ß-peripheral modification. Besides the fine-tuning of the porphyrin ß-periphery such as adjusting the aromatics (the saturated level of tetrapyrrole) or installing hydroxyl group (hydrogen bond network) to enhance the catalytic HER efficiency, here we report that ß-fluorination of porphyrin is also an important approach to increase the reactivity of Ni(II) center. Benefiting the previously reported derivatization of ß-fluorinated porpholactones, we constructed a ß-fluorinated tunichlorin mimic (6). Compared with the non-fluorinated analogs (1, 3, and 5), we found that 2, 4, and 6 exhibit significant electrocatalytic HER reactivity acceleration (in terms of turnover frequencies, TOF, s-1) of ca. 37, 170, 133-fold, respectively. Mechanism studies suggested that ß-fluorination negatively shifts the metal complexes' reduction potentials and accelerates the electron transfer process, both contributing to the boosting of HER reaction. Notably, 6 showed an 890-fold increase of TOFs than 1, demonstrating the combining advantages of the of fluorination, hydrogenation, and hydroxylation at porphyrin ß-periphery.

Unraveling the intricacies of glioblastoma progression and recurrence: insights into the role of NFYB and oxidative phosphorylation at the single-cell level.

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM), with its high recurrence and mortality rates, makes it the deadliest neurological malignancy. Oxidative phosphorylation is a highly active cellular pathway in GBM, and NFYB is a tumor-associated transcription factor. Both are related to mitochondrial function, but studies on their relationship with GBM at the single-cell level are still scarce. Methods: We re-analyzed the single-cell profiles of GBM from patients with different subtypes by single-cell transcriptomic analysis and further subdivided the large population of Glioma cells into different subpopulations, explored the interrelationships and active pathways among cell stages and clinical subtypes of the populations, and investigated the relationship between the transcription factor NFYB of the key subpopulations and GBM, searching for the prognostic genes of GBM related to NFYB, and verified by experiments. Results: Glioma cells and their C5 subpopulation had the highest percentage of G2M staging and rGBM, which we hypothesized might be related to the higher dividing and proliferating ability of both Glioma and C5 subpopulations. Oxidative phosphorylation pathway activity is elevated in both the Glioma and C5 subgroup, and NFYB is a key transcription factor for the C5 subgroup, suggesting its possible involvement in GBM proliferation and recurrence, and its close association with mitochondrial function. We also identified 13 prognostic genes associated with NFYB, of which MEM60 may cause GBM patients to have a poor prognosis by promoting GBM proliferation and drug resistance. Knockdown of the NFYB was found to contribute to the inhibition of proliferation, invasion, and migration of GBM cells. Conclusion: These findings help to elucidate the key mechanisms of mitochondrial function in GBM progression and recurrence, and to establish a new prognostic model and therapeutic target based on NFYB.

Advancements in the study of synaptic plasticity and mitochondrial autophagy relationship.

Synapses serve as the points of communication between neurons, consisting primarily of three components: the presynaptic membrane, synaptic cleft, and postsynaptic membrane. They transmit signals through the release and reception of neurotransmitters. Synaptic plasticity, the ability of synapses to undergo structural and functional changes, is influenced by proteins such as growth-associated proteins, synaptic vesicle proteins, postsynaptic density proteins, and neurotrophic growth factors. Furthermore, maintaining synaptic plasticity consumes more than half of the brain's energy, with a significant portion of this energy originating from ATP generated through mitochondrial energy metabolism. Consequently, the quantity, distribution, transport, and function of mitochondria impact the stability of brain energy metabolism, thereby participating in the regulation of fundamental processes in synaptic plasticity, including neuronal differentiation, neurite outgrowth, synapse formation, and neurotransmitter release. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the proteins associated with presynaptic plasticity, postsynaptic plasticity, and common factors between the two, as well as the relationship between mitochondrial energy metabolism and synaptic plasticity.

Water rights trading planning and its application in water resources management: A water-ecology-food nexus perspective.

Nexus approach provides an effective perspective for implementing synergetic management of water resources. In this study, an interval two-stage chance-constrained water rights trading planning model under water-ecology-food nexus perspective (ITCWR-WEF) is proposed to analyze the interaction between water trading and water-ecology-food (WEF) nexus, which fills in the water resources management gaps from a novel nexus perspective. ITCWR-WEF incorporates hydrological simulation with soil and water assessment tool (SWAT), water rights configuration with interval two-stage chance-constrained programming (ITCP), and multi-criterion analysis with Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The developed ITCWR-WEF is applied to a real case of Daguhe watershed, which has characteristics of water scarcity, food producing areas and fragile ecosystem. Initial water rights allocation is addressed before the trading. Mechanisms analysis is designed to reveal mutual effect of water rights trading and WEF nexus. Optimal water management scenario is identified through multi-criterion analysis. Results reveal that the mechanism of water rights trading with WEF nexus under low constraint-violation risk level of water availability and environment capacity is recommended to promote the rational water resources allocation to balance the economic goals, water environment and water supply security, as well as ecological and food water demand guarantees.

A chromosome-level genome assembly of a deep-sea symbiotic Aplacophora mollusc Chaetoderma sp.

The worm-shaped, shell-less Caudofoveata is one of the least known groups of molluscs. As early-branching molluscs, the lack of high-quality genomes hinders our understanding of their evolution and ecology. Here, we report a high-quality chromosome-scale genome of Chaetoderma sp. combining PacBio, Illumina, and high-resolution chromosome conformation capture sequencing. The final assembly has a size of 2.45 Gb, with a scaffold N50 length of 141.46 Mb, and is anchored to 17 chromosomes. Gene annotations showed a high level of accuracy and completeness, with 23,675 predicted protein-coding genes and 94.44% of the metazoan conserved genes by BUSCO assessment. We further present 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of the gut microbiota in Chaetoderma sp., which was dominated by the chemoautotrophic bacteria (phylum Gammaproteobacteria). This chromosome-level genome assembly presents the first genome for the Caudofoveata, which constitutes an important resource for studies ranging from molluscan evolution, symposium, to deep-sea adaptation.

The role of dendritic cells in cancer immunity and therapeutic strategies.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are asserted as the most potent antigen-presenting cells (APCs) that orchestrate both innate and adaptive immunity, being extremely effective in the induction of robust anti-cancer T cell responses. Hence, the modulation of DCs function represents an attractive target for improving cancer immunotherapy efficacy. A better understanding of the immunobiology of DCs, the interaction among DCs, immune effector cells and tumor cells in tumor microenvironment (TME) and the latest advances in biomedical engineering technology would be required for the design of optimal DC-based immunotherapy. In this review, we focus on elaborating the immunobiology of DCs in healthy and cancer environments, the recent advances in the development of enhancing endogenous DCs immunocompetence via immunomodulators as well as DC-based vaccines. The rapidly developing field of applying nanotechnology to improve DC-based immunotherapy is also highlighted.