Ferroelastically protected reversible orthorhombic to monoclinic-like phase transition in ZrO2 nanocrystals.

Robust ferroelectricity in nanoscale fluorite oxide-based thin films enables promising applications in silicon-compatible non-volatile memories and logic devices. However, the polar orthorhombic (O) phase of fluorite oxides is a metastable phase that is prone to transforming into the ground-state non-polar monoclinic (M) phase, leading to macroscopic ferroelectric degradation. Here we investigate the reversibility of the O-M phase transition in ZrO2 nanocrystals via in situ visualization of the martensitic transformation at the atomic scale. We reveal that the reversible shear deformation pathway from the O phase to the monoclinic-like (M') state, a compressive-strained M phase, is protected by 90° ferroelectric-ferroelastic switching. Nevertheless, as the M' state gradually accumulates localized strain, a critical tensile strain can pin the ferroelastic domain, resulting in an irreversible M'-M strain relaxation and the loss of ferroelectricity. These findings demonstrate the key role of ferroelastic switching in the reversibility of phase transition and also provide a tensile-strain threshold for stabilizing the metastable ferroelectric phase in fluorite oxide thin films.

Phosphorylation of sugar transporter TST2 by protein kinase CPK27 enhances drought tolerance in tomato.

Drought is a major environmental stress threatening plant growth and productivity. Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CPKs) are plant-specific Ca2+ sensors with multifaceted roles in signaling drought responses. Nonetheless, the mechanisms underpinning how CPKs transmit downstream drought signaling remain unresolved. Through genetic investigations, our study unveiled that knocking out CPK27 reduced drought tolerance in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants and impaired abscisic acid (ABA)-orchestrated plant response to drought stress. Proteomics and phosphoproteomics revealed that CPK27-dependent drought-induced proteins were highly associated with the sugar metabolism pathway, which was further verified by reduced soluble sugar content in the cpk27 mutant under drought conditions. Using protein-protein interaction assays and phosphorylation assessments, we demonstrated that CPK27 directly interacted with and phosphorylated tonoplast sugar transporter 2 (TST2), promoting intercellular soluble sugar accumulation during drought stress. Furthermore, Ca2+ and ABA enhanced CPK27-mediated interaction and phosphorylation of TST2, thus revealing a role of TST2 in tomato plant drought tolerance. These findings extend the toolbox of potential interventions for enhancing plant drought stress tolerance and provide a target to improve drought tolerance by manipulating CPK27-mediated soluble sugar accumulation for rendering drought tolerance in a changing climate.

Dexamethasone attenuates neuropathic pain through spinal microglial expression of dynorphin A via the cAMP/PKA/p38 MAPK/CREB signaling pathway.

This study aimed to elucidate the opioid mechanisms underlying dexamethasone-induced pain antihypersensitive effects in neuropathic rats. Dexamethasone (subcutaneous and intrathecal) and membrane-impermeable Dex-BSA (intrathecal) administration dose-dependently inhibited mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in neuropathic rats. Dexamethasone and Dex-BSA treatments increased expression of dynorphin A in the spinal cords and primary cultured microglia. Dexamethasone specifically enhanced dynorphin A expression in microglia but not astrocytes or neurons. Intrathecal injection of the microglial metabolic inhibitor minocycline blocked dexamethasone-stimulated spinal dynorphin A expression; intrathecal minocycline, the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist Dex-21-mesylate, dynorphin A antiserum, and κ-opioid receptor antagonist GNTI completely blocked dexamethasone-induced mechanical antiallodynia and thermal antihyperalgesia. Additionally, dexamethasone elevated spinal intracellular cAMP levels, leading to enhanced phosphorylation of PKA, p38 MAPK and CREB. The specific adenylate cyclase inhibitor DDA, PKA inhibitor H89, p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 and CREB inhibitor KG-501 completely blocked dexamethasone-induced anti-neuropathic pain and increased microglial dynorphin A exprression. In conclusion, this study reveal that dexamethasone mitigateds neuropathic pain through upregulation of dynorphin A in spinal microglia, likely involving the membrane glucocorticoid receptor/cAMP/PKA/p38 MAPK/CREB signaling pathway.

PHLDA1 is a P53 target gene involved in P53-mediated cell apoptosis.

Pleckstrin homeolike domain, family A, member 1 (PHLDA1) is a multifunctional protein that plays diverse roles in A variety of biological processes, including cell death, and hence its altered expression has been found in different types of cancer. Although studies have shown a regulatory relationship between p53 and PHLDA1, the molecular mechanism is still unclear. Especially, the role of PHLDA1 in the process of apoptosis is still controversial. In this study, we found that the expression of PHLDA1 in human cervical cancer cell lines was correlated with the up-expression of p53 after treatment with apoptosis-inducing factors. Subsequently, the binding site and the binding effect of p53 on the promoter region of PHLDA1 were verified by our bioinformatics data analysis and luciferase reporter assay. Indeed, we used CRISPR-Cas9 to knockout the p53 gene in HeLa cells and further confirmed that p53 can bind to the promoter region of PHLDA1 gene, and then directly regulate the expression of PHLDA1 by recruiting P300 and CBP to change the acetylation and methylation levels in the promoter region. Finally, a series of gain-of-function experiments further confirmed that p53 re-expression in HeLap53-/- cell can up-regulate the reduction of PHLDA1 caused by p53 knockout, and affect cell apoptosis and proliferation. Our study is the first to explore the regulatory mechanism of p53 on PHLDA1 by using the p53 gene knockout cell model, which further proves that PHLDA1 is a target-gene in p53-mediated apoptosis, and reveals the important role of PHLDA1 in cell fate determination.

Chlorinated Anthracenes Induced Pulmonary Immunotoxicity in 3D Coculture Spheroids Simulating the Lung Microenvironment.

Chlorinated anthracenes (Cl-Ants), persistent organic pollutants, are widely detected in the environment, posing potential lung toxicity risks due to frequent respiratory exposure. However, direct evidence and a comprehensive understanding of their toxicity mechanisms are lacking. Building on our prior findings of Cl-Ants' immunotoxic risks, this study developed a three-dimensional coculture spheroid model mimicking the lung's immune microenvironment. The objective is to explore the pulmonary immunotoxicity and comprehend its mechanisms, taking into account the heightened immune reactivity and frequent lung exposure of Cl-Ants. The results demonstrated that Cl-Ants exposure led to reduced spheroid size, increased macrophage migration outward, lowered cell viability, elevated 8-OHdG levels, disturbed anti-infection balance, and altered cytokine production. Specifically, the chlorine substituent number correlates with the extent of disruption of spheroid indicators caused by Cl-Ants, with stronger immunotoxic effects observed in dichlorinated Ant compared to those in monochlorinated Ant. Furthermore, we identified critical regulatory genes associated with cell viability (ALDOC and ALDOA), bacterial response (TLR5 and MAP2K6), and GM-CSF production (CEBPB). Overall, this study offers initial in vitro evidence of low-dose Cl-PAHs' pulmonary immunotoxicity, advancing the understanding of Cl-Ants' structure-related toxicity and improving external toxicity assessment methods for environmental pollutants, which holds significance for future monitoring and evaluation.

Single-layer PtSe2 adsorbed with non-metallic atoms: geometrical, mechanical, electronic and optical properties and strain effects.

Recently, single-layer PtSe2, possessing high carrier mobility and optical response, has been successfully fabricated. To further expand its application scope and find new physics, in this work, we functionalized it via the adsorption of non-metallic atoms X (X = H, B, C, N, O, and F) to form hybrid systems X-PtSe2, and their geometrical, mechanical, electronic, and optical properties as well as strain tuning effects were studied deeply. Calculations show that the energy stability of X-PtSe2 systems is significantly enhanced, and they also hold higher thermal and mechanical stability. Particularly, X-PtSe2 systems present excellent in-plane tenacity and out-of plane stiffness against deformations, which make them more applicable for designing nanodevices. Intrinsic PtSe2 is a semiconductor, while the X-PtSe2 system can be a band-gap narrowed semiconductor or metal, thus expanding the application scope for PtSe2, and the odd-even effect of electronic phase variation related to the atomic number is found. Besides, the wavelength range of optical adsorption is increased in X-PtSe2 systems, implying that its optical response region is wide, providing more options for developing optoelectronic devices. Moreover, it is shown that strain can flexibly tune the electronic property of X-PtSe2 systems, especially enhancing the optical absorption ability substantially, beneficial for their applications in solar devices.

Application and development of zero-valent iron (ZVI)-based materials for environmental remediation: A scientometric and visualization analysis.

Zero-valent iron (ZVI)-based materials are among the most widely used engineered particles in the field of environmental remediation. To provide a comprehensive overview of the status and trend of the research on them, this study conducted a quantitative and visual analysis of 6296 relevant publications obtained from Web of Science between 1994 and 2022 using CiteSpace software. By using the bibliometric method, this work systematically analyzed the knowledge structure, research hotspots and trends of ZVI-based materials in this field. The results show that the research on ZVI-based materials in this field developed rapidly over the past 28 years. China is the greatest contributor with the most published articles and collaborations. Still, the USA has the most academic influence with the highest average citations per article. Chinese Academy of Sciences and Tongji University are the primary establishments that produced the greatest number of publications and had the highest h-index. Keyword cluster analysis indicates that the primary research topics are related to reductive dechlorination, sulfate radical, arsenic removal, graphene oxide, porous media, peroxymonosulfate, groundwater remediation, and permeable reactive barrier. Meanwhile, keyword burst analysis reveals that the primary research hotspots and frontiers of ZVI focus on its modification, the refractory and emerging contaminants treatment, persulfate activation, and electron transfer. However, no keywords or topics related to the environmental impact and toxicity of ZVI-based materials are available in the keyword clustering and burst analysis results, indicating this direction deserves more attention in future research. Through a comprehensive and in-depth bibliometric analysis, this paper provides new insight into the research hotspots and development trends of the research on ZVI-based materials in environmental remediation.

The associations of self-perception, movement competence, and clinical features of young school-aged children with glaucoma.

The purpose of the study was to determine the associations of self-perception, motor skills, and clinical features of young school-age children with glaucoma (CG). This is a cross-sectional observational study. Children from preschool to second grade, including CG (N = 19), children with amblyopia (CA, N = 28), and controls (N = 32), completed the Manual Dexterity and Aiming and Catching Scales of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2nd edition (MABC-2), including Manual Dexterity, Aiming and Catching, and Balance. CG, CA, and their parent completed the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children, respectively, assessing the child's cognitive competence, peer acceptance, physical competence, and maternal acceptance. The Kruskal-Wallis H test and Bonferroni post hoc test compared motor skills among groups. Spearman's correlation analysis evaluated the correlations between motor skills, self-perception, and clinical features. The CG reported lower peer acceptance than CA (P = 0.040), and the parents of CG reported lower cognitive competence than CG reported (P = 0.046). Compared with controls, CG had worse performance of Aiming and Catching, and Balance (P = 0.018 and P = 0.001), and CA had worse performance of Balance (P = 0.009). The motor skills were comparable between CG and CA. For CG, older age correlated with worse competence of Aiming and Catching (r = - 0.620, P = 0.005), better best-corrected visual acuity of better-seeing eye correlated with higher competence of Manual Dexterity and Balance (r = - 0.494, P = 0.032, and r = - 0.516, P = 0.024), and longer duration of glaucoma correlated with worse competence of Manual Dexterity (r = - 0.487, P = 0.034). CONCLUSION:  Glaucoma and amblyopia have significant negative impacts on children's daily motor skills. The acuity of a better-seeing eye is an important factor influencing motor movement. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, ChiCTR2100050415. WHAT IS KNOWN: • The state of mental health in early childhood influences the development of their future personality and physical development. The prognosis and management of glaucoma may seriously impair the mental health development of the affected children. However, the exploration of psychological aspects and motor movement of childhood glaucoma was limited. WHAT IS NEW: • Children with glaucoma have impaired motor skills and self-perception development, especially in terms of peer socialization.

Glutathione-depleting Liposome Adjuvant for Augmenting the Efficacy of a Glutathione Covalent Inhibitor Oridonin for Acute Myeloid Leukemia Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Discrepancies in the utilization of reactive oxygen species (ROS) between cancer cells and their normal counterparts constitute a pivotal juncture for the precise treatment of cancer, delineating a noteworthy trajectory in the field of targeted therapies. This phenomenon is particularly conspicuous in the domain of nano-drug precision treatment. Despite substantial strides in employing nanoparticles to disrupt ROS for cancer therapy, current strategies continue to grapple with challenges pertaining to efficacy and specificity. One of the primary hurdles lies in the elevated levels of intracellular glutathione (GSH). Presently, predominant methods to mitigate intracellular GSH involve inhibiting its synthesis or promoting GSH efflux. However, a conspicuous gap remains in the absence of a strategy capable of directly and efficiently clearing GSH. METHODS: We initially elucidated the chemical mechanism underpinning oridonin, a diminutive pharmacological agent demonstrated to perturb reactive oxygen species, through its covalent interaction with glutathione. Subsequently, we employed the incorporation of maleimide-liposomes, renowned for their capacity to disrupt the ROS delivery system, to ameliorate the drug's water solubility and pharmacokinetics, thereby enhancing its ROS-disruptive efficacy. In a pursuit to further refine the targeting for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), we harnessed the maleic imide and thiol reaction mechanism, facilitating the coupling of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) peptides to the liposomes' surface via maleic imide. This strategic approach offers a novel method for the precise removal of GSH, and its enhancement endeavors are directed towards fortifying the precision and efficacy of the drug's impact on AML targets. RESULTS: We demonstrated that this peptide-liposome-small molecule machinery targets AML and consequently induces cell apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo through three disparate mechanisms: (I) Oridonin, as a Michael acceptor molecule, inhibits GSH function through covalent bonding, triggering an initial imbalance of oxidative stress. (II) Maleimide further induces GSH exhaustion, aggravating redox imbalance as a complementary augment with oridonin. (III) Peptide targets TLR2, enhances the directivity and enrichment of oridonin within AML cells. CONCLUSION: The rationally designed nanocomplex provides a ROS drug enhancement and targeted delivery platform, representing a potential solution by disrupting redox balance for AML therapy.

Amyloid-ß mediates intestinal dysfunction and enteric neurons loss in Alzheimer's disease transgenic mouse.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is traditionally considered as a brain disorder featured by amyloid-ß (Aß) deposition. The current study on whether pathological changes of AD extend to the enteric nervous system (ENS) is still in its infancy. In this study, we found enteric Aß deposition, intestinal dysfunction, and colonic inflammation in the young APP/PS1 mice. Moreover, these mice exhibited cholinergic and nitrergic signaling pathways damages and enteric neuronal loss. Our data show that Aß42 treatment remarkably affected the gene expression of cultured myenteric neurons and the spontaneous contraction of intestinal smooth muscles. The intra-colon administration of Aß42 induced ENS dysfunction, brain gliosis, and ß-amyloidosis-like changes in the wild-type mice. Our results suggest that ENS mirrors the neuropathology observed in AD brains, and intestinal pathological changes may represent the prodromal events, which contribute to brain pathology in AD. In summary, our findings provide new opportunities for AD early diagnosis and prevention.

The value of ultrasound parameters in predicting the efficacy of transabdominal ultrasound-guided suction curettage alone in the treatment of cesarean scar pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of ultrasound parameters in assessing the efficacy of transabdominal ultrasound (TAUS)-guided suction curettage alone for cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP). METHODS: Secondary retrospective analysis of a prospective study consisted of 137 women diagnosed with CSP who were performed TAUS-guided suction curettage alone for the first time at Maternity and Child Health Care of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in China. Prior to surgery, an ultrasound examination was conducted. Based on the need for secondary intervention, the patients were categorized into failure group and success group, and the predictive factors for failure of TAUS-guided suction curettage alone were analyzed. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression showed that maximum diameter of the gestational sac>29 mm (odds ratio [OR] = 4.043, 95% CI: 1.100-14.862), residual myometrium thickness ≤1.8 mm (OR = 3.719, 95% CI: 1.148-12.048) and chorionic villi thickness at the scar >4.7 mm (OR = 15.327, 95% CI: 4.617-50.881) were independent predictors of failure in TAUS-guided suction curettage alone for CSP. Furthermore, the logistic regression model that was jointly constructed by these three predictors demonstrated an area under the curve, sensitivity, specificity, and Youden index of 0.913, 0.912, 0.864, and 0.776, respectively. CONCLUSION: The maximum diameter of the gestational sac, residual myometrium thickness, and chorionic villi thickness at the scar has certain predictive efficacy of TAUS-guided suction curettage alone for CSP. Nevertheless, it is more valuable to apply the model of this study, composed of the three ultrasound parameters, for this prediction purpose.

Public trust in general practitioners and its association with primary care contracts: a cross-sectional study of community residents in China.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the level of public trust in general practitioners (GPs) and its association with primary care contract services (PCCS) in China. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Between September and December 2021, 4158 residents across eastern, central, and western China completed a structured self-administered questionnaire. Trust was assessed using the Chinese version of Wake Forest Physician Trust Scale. Multivariable linear regression models were established to identify predictors of trust. The effect size of PCCS on trust was estimated by the average treatment effect for the treated (ATT) through propensity score matching. RESULTS: The study participants had a mean Wake Forest Physician Trust Scale score of 36.82 (standard deviation = 5.45). Enrollment with PCCS (ß = 0.14, P < 0.01), Han ethnicity (ß = 0.03, P < 0.05), lower educational attainment (ß = -0.06, P < 0.01), higher individual monthly income (ß = 0.03, P < 0.05), better self-rated health (ß = 0.04, P < 0.05), chronic conditions (ß = 0.07, P < 0.01), and higher familiarity with primary care services (ß = 0.12, P < 0.01) and PCCS (ß = 0.21, P < 0.01) were associated with higher trust in GPs. The ATT of PCCS exceeded 1 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PCCS are associated with higher levels of trust in GPs. PCCS may become an effective tool to attract public trust in GPs, although the relationship between the two may be bi-directional.

The substitution effect of financial and non-financial incentives at different income levels in physician recruitment: evidence from medical students in China.

BACKGROUND: Understanding how medical students respond to financial and non-financial incentives is crucial for recruiting health workers and attracting health talents in medical education. However, both incentives are integrated in working practice, and existing theoretical studies have suggested that various income levels may influence the substitution effect of both incentives, while the empirical evidence is lacking. Furthermore, little attention has been paid to the intrinsic motivation. This study aimed to explore the substitution effect of extrinsic incentives at different income levels, also taking intrinsic altruism into account. METHODS: We used the behavioral data from Zhang et al.'s experiments, which involved discrete choice experiments (DCEs) to assess the job preferences of medical students from six teaching hospitals in Beijing, China. The incentive factors included monthly income, work location, work environment, training and career development opportunities, work load, and professional recognition. Additionally, a lab-like experiment in the medical decision-making context was conducted to quantify altruism based on utility function. Furthermore, we separated the choice sets based on the actual income and distinguished the medical students on altruism. The willingness to pay (WTP) was used to estimate the substitution effect of incentives through conditional logit model. RESULTS: There was a significant substitution effect between non-financial and financial incentives. As income increased, non-financial incentives such as an excellent work environment, and sufficient career development became relatively more important. The impact of the increase in income on the substitution effect was more pronounced among individuals with higher altruism. Concerning the non-financial incentive work environment, in contrast to the growth of 546 CNY (84 USD) observed in the low-altruism group, the high-altruism group experienced a growth of 1040 CNY (160 USD) in the substitution effect. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in the income level exerted an influence on the substitution effect of non-financial incentives and financial incentives, especially in high-altruism medical students. Policymakers should attach importance to a favorable environment and promising career prospects on the basis of ensuring a higher income level. Medical school administrations should focus on promoting altruistic values in medical education, enhancing talent incentives and teaching strategies to encourage medical students to devote themselves to the medical professions.

Detection and analysis of lung microbiota in mice with lung cancer lacking the NLRP3 gene.

To explore whether the lung microbiota have changed in the process of NLRP3 inflammasome promoting cancer, we constructed a murine lung cancer model using tracheal instillation of benzo(a)pyrene and an equal volume of tricaprylin, and characterized lung microbiota in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from 24 SPF wild-type and NLRP3 gene knockout (NLRP3-/-) C57BL/6 mice. 16SrDNA sequencing was used to analyze the changes in the microbiota. The wild-type and the NLRP3-/- lung cancer group had statistically significant differences in tumor formation rate, tumor number, and tumor size. At the phylum and the genus level, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Sphingomonas were the highest in each group respectively. Simpson (P = 0.002) and Shannon (P = 0.008) indexes showed that the diversity of microbiota in the lung cancer group was lower than that in the control group under the NLRP3-/- background. According to the ANOSIM and MRPP analysis, there was a difference between the NLRP3-/- lung cancer group and the NLRP3-/- control group (P < 0.05). The knockout of the NLRP3 gene caused changes in the lung microbiota of mice. There may be a regulatory relationship between the NLRP3 inflammasome and the lung microbiota, which affects the occurrence and development of lung cancer.

Synthesis of Tetrahydro-ß-carbolines by a Manganese-Catalysed Oxidative Pictet-Spengler Reaction.

Herein, an efficient and green procedure for the synthesis of tetrahydro-ß-carbolines via dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols with tryptamines is reported. The reaction was carried out under mild conditions in the presence of a catalytic amount of the iPr PNP-Mn catalyst and a weak base (Na2 CO3 ). This method tolerated a variety of benzylic and aliphatic alcohol substrates with different functional groups and afforded diverse products in good to excellent isolated yields using tryptamines. Using this strategy, we successfully synthesised pharmaceutical molecules harman, harmaline, and harmine in a concise manner.

A Novel Mouse Model for Polysynaptic Retrograde Tracing and Rabies Pathological Research.

Retrograde tracing is an important method for dissecting neuronal connections and mapping neural circuits. Over the past decades, several virus-based retrograde tracers have been developed and have contributed to display multiple neural circuits in the brain. However, most of the previously widely used viral tools have focused on mono-transsynaptic neural tracing within the central nervous system, with very limited options for achieving polysynaptic tracing between the central and peripheral nervous systems. In this study, we generated a novel mouse line, GT mice, in which both glycoprotein (G) and ASLV-A receptor (TVA) were expressed throughout the body. Using this mouse model, in combination with the well-developed rabies virus tools (RABV-EnvA-ΔG) for monosynaptic retrograde tracing, polysynaptic retrograde tracing can be achieved. This allows functional forward mapping and long-term tracing. Furthermore, since the G-deleted rabies virus can travel upstream against the nervous system as the original strain, this mouse model can also be used for rabies pathological studies. Schematic illustrations about the application principles of GT mice in polysynaptic retrograde tracing and rabies pathological research.

Characteristics of patients with SARS-COV-2 PCR re-positivity after recovering from COVID-19.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the clinical characteristics of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) PCR re-positivity after recovering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Patients (n = 1391) from Guangzhou, China, who had recovered from COVID-19 were recruited between 7 September 2021 and 11 March 2022. Data on epidemiology, symptoms, laboratory test results and treatment were analysed. In this study, 42.7% of recovered patients had re-positive result. Most re-positive patients were asymptomatic, did not have severe comorbidities, and were not contagious. The re-positivity rate was 39%, 46%, 11% and 25% in patients who had received inactivated, mRNA, adenovirus vector and recombinant subunit vaccines, respectively. Seven independent risk factors for testing re-positive were identified, and a predictive model was constructed using these variables. The predictors of re-positivity were COVID-19 vaccination status, previous SARs-CoV-12 infection prior to the most recent episode, renal function, SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM antibody levels and white blood cell count. The predictive model could benefit the control of the spread of COVID-19.

Comparative analyses of dynamic transcriptome profiles highlight key response genes and dominant isoforms for muscle development and growth in chicken.

BACKGROUND: Modern breeding strategies have resulted in significant differences in muscle mass between indigenous chicken and specialized broiler. However, the molecular regulatory mechanisms that underlie these differences remain elusive. The aim of this study was to identify key genes and regulatory mechanisms underlying differences in breast muscle development between indigenous chicken and specialized broiler. RESULTS: Two time-series RNA-sequencing profiles of breast muscles were generated from commercial Arbor Acres (AA) broiler (fast-growing) and Chinese indigenous Lushi blue-shelled-egg (LS) chicken (slow-growing) at embryonic days 10, 14, and 18, and post-hatching day 1 and weeks 1, 3, and 5. Principal component analysis of the transcriptome profiles showed that the top four principal components accounted for more than 80% of the total variance in each breed. The developmental axes between the AA and LS chicken overlapped at the embryonic stages but gradually separated at the adult stages. Integrative investigation of differentially-expressed transcripts contained in the top four principal components identified 44 genes that formed a molecular network associated with differences in breast muscle mass between the two breeds. In addition, alternative splicing analysis revealed that genes with multiple isoforms always had one dominant transcript that exhibited a significantly higher expression level than the others. Among the 44 genes, the TNFRSF6B gene, a mediator of signal transduction pathways and cell proliferation, harbored two alternative splicing isoforms, TNFRSF6B-X1 and TNFRSF6B-X2. TNFRSF6B-X1 was the dominant isoform in both breeds before the age of one week. A switching event of the dominant isoform occurred at one week of age, resulting in TNFRSF6B-X2 being the dominant isoform in AA broiler, whereas TNFRSF6B-X1 remained the dominant isoform in LS chicken. Gain-of-function assays demonstrated that both isoforms promoted the proliferation of chicken primary myoblasts, but only TNFRSF6B-X2 augmented the differentiation and intracellular protein content of chicken primary myoblasts. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, we identified several key genes and dominant isoforms that may be responsible for differences in muscle mass between slow-growing indigenous chicken and fast-growing commercial broiler. These findings provide new insights into the regulatory mechanisms underlying breast muscle development in chicken.

Digital holographic measurement of electron temperature and density of laser-produced plasmas with an ultrashort laser pulse.

Holography, which can provide the information of phase as well as amplitude of a laser probe, could be a powerful method to diagnose the electron density and temperature of a plasma simultaneously. In this paper, digital holography with an ultrashort laser pulse is applied to diagnose laser-produced aluminum plasmas. Detailed analyses show that the reconstruction of the wave amplitude could be profoundly affected by the difference between the phase and group velocity of the ultrashort laser pulse in the plasma, which makes it a challenge to accurately reconstruct the amplitude in the case when ultrashort laser pulses are utilized for high-temporal resolution of holography.

Physician altruism under the change from pure payment system to mixed payment schemes: experimental evidence.

BACKGROUND: Mixed payment schemes have become one of the effective measures to balance medical costs and quality of medical services. However, altruism as an intrinsic motivation may influence the effect of switching from a pure payment system to mixed payment schemes. This study aimed to quantify physicians' altruism and analyze the effect of changes of payment system on physicians' altruism and thus proposed references for the reform of payment system. METHODS: We simulated an exogenous payment system in a controlled laboratory with five experimental groups and 150 medical student subjects. Physicians' altruism was measured by estimating altruistic parameter and marginal rate of substitution. The non-parametric test and the least square regression analysis were used to analyze the differences of altruistic parameters between pure payment systems and mixed payment schemes. Finally, we analyzed the effect of changes in payment system accompanied by changes in trade-off range on physicians' altruism. RESULTS: We find that the mean value of individual altruistic parameter is 0.78 and the marginal rate of substitution is 1.078. Their estimates at the individual level were significantly positively correlated (Spearman's ρ = 0.715, p < 0.01). The shift from pure payment system to mixed payment scheme reduced the altruistic parameter. However, the altruistic parameter increased with the increase of the trade-off range. Physicians who were more altruistic generated higher patients' health benefit. For each unit increase in altruistic parameter, the increase in patients' health benefit was lower in mixed payment scheme than in the pure payment system. CONCLUSION: The estimates of altruistic parameters are reliable. Physicians attach a higher weight to patients' benefit than to their own profit. Mixed payment schemes improve physicians' behavior and relate to lower altruistic parameters; physicians only need to sacrifice less personal profits to generate the same or even higher altruistic parameter as under the pure payment system. The design of mixed payment schemes that make the interests of physicians and patients close to each other by reducing the trade-off range can provide implication for the reform of payment system in which the physicians' interest and the patients' benefit are consistent.