Efficacy of relational agents for loneliness across age groups: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Loneliness is a serious public health concern. Although previous interventions have had some success in mitigating loneliness, the field is in search of novel, more effective, and more scalable solutions. Here, we focus on "relational agents", a form of software agents that are increasingly powered by artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs). We report on a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the impact of relational agents on loneliness across age groups. METHODS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched 11 databases including Ovid MEDLINE and Embase from inception to Sep 16, 2022. We included randomised controlled trials and non-randomised studies of interventions published in English across all age groups. These loneliness interventions, typically attempt to improve social skills, social support, social interaction, and maladaptive cognitions. Peer-reviewed journal articles, books, book chapters, Master's and PhD theses, or conference papers were eligible for inclusion. Two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias via the RoB 2 and ROBINS-I tools. We calculated pooled estimates of Hedge's g in a random-effects meta-analysis and conducted sensitivity and sub-group analyses. We evaluated publication bias via funnel plots, Egger's test, and a trim-and-fill algorithm. FINDINGS: Our search identified 3,935 records of which 14 met eligibility criteria and were included in our meta-analysis. Included studies comprised 286 participants with individual study sample sizes ranging from 4 to 42 participants (x̄ = 20.43, s = 11.58, x̃ = 20). We used a Bonferroni correction with αBonferroni = 0.05 / 4 = 0.0125 and applied Knapp-Hartung adjustments. Relational agents reduced loneliness significantly at an adjusted αBonferroni (g = -0.552; 95% Knapp-Hartung CI, -0.877 to -0.226; P = 0.003), which corresponds to a moderate reduction in loneliness. CONCLUSION: Our results are currently the most comprehensive of their kind and provide promising evidence for the efficacy of relational agents. Relational agents are a promising technology that can alleviate loneliness in a scalable way and that can be a meaningful complement to other approaches. The advent of LLMs should boost their efficacy, and further research is needed to explore the optimal design and use of relational agents. Future research could also address shortcomings of current results, such as small sample sizes and high risk of bias. Particularly young audiences have been overlooked in past research.

Effect of total dissolved gas supersaturation on the passage behavior of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and ya-fish (Schizothorax prenanti) through an experimental vertical slot fishway.

Total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation caused by flood discharge water poses a threat to vital activities such as migration, foraging, and evasion in fish species upstream of the Yangtze River, which may impair the ability of fish to pass through fishways during the migration period, causing poor utilization of fishways. Previous studies have shown that TDG supersaturation reduces the critical and burst swimming abilities of fish, suggesting potential adverse effects on swimming performance. However, studies focusing on the impact of TDG on fish swimming behavior in experimental vertical-slot fishways remain scarce. Therefore, in this study, silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and ya-fish (Schizothorax prenanti) were used as the study species, and comparative passage experiments were carried out in an experimental vertical slot fishway to systematically analyze the effects of TDG supersaturation on their passage behavior. The passage success of the silver carp was 57%, 39%, 26%, and 27% at TDG levels of 100%, 110%, 120%, and 130%, respectively. Passage success of ya-fish was 73%, 37%, 31%, and 35% at TDG concentrations of 100%, 110%, 120%, and 130%, respectively. The passage time for both species increased significantly with increasing TDG levels. Furthermore, the passage routes of silver carp changed significantly compared to the control group, whereas the passage routes of ya-fish changed insignificantly. High levels of TDG supersaturation (≥120%) also contributed to a higher mortality rate of ya-fish passing through the vertical slot fishway. The research results provide valuable data on the influence of TDG supersaturation on fish movement behavior responses in experimental vertical slot fishways, offering a reference for the design of fishways and the formulation of reservoir operation schemes.

CD97 stabilises the immunological synapse between dendritic cells and T cells and is targeted for degradation by the Salmonella effector SteD.

The Salmonella enterica effector SteD depletes mature MHC class II (mMHCII) molecules from the surface of infected antigen-presenting cells through ubiquitination of the cytoplasmic tail of the mMHCII ß chain. This requires the Nedd4 family HECT E3 ubiquitin ligase Wwp2 and a tumor-suppressing transmembrane protein adaptor Tmem127. Here, through a proteomic screen of dendritic cells, we found that SteD targets the plasma membrane protein CD97 for degradation by a similar mechanism. SteD enhanced ubiquitination of CD97 on K555 and mutation of this residue eliminated the effect of SteD on CD97 surface levels. We showed that CD97 localises to and stabilises the immunological synapse between dendritic cells and T cells. Removal of CD97 by SteD inhibited dendritic cell-T cell interactions and reduced T cell activation, independently of its effect on MHCII. Therefore, SteD suppresses T cell immunity by two distinct processes.

Genome-wide identification and characterization of circRNAs in wheat tiller.

KEY MESSAGE: This study found that the intergenic circRNAs of wheat were more abundant than those of other plants. More importantly, a circRNA-mediated network associated with tillering was constructed for the first time. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of endogenous non-coding RNAs with covalently closed circular structures, which play an important role in transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation. Tiller is an important agronomic trait that determines plant morphological architecture and affects spike number in wheat. However, no studies on the characteristics and functions of circRNAs involved in the regulation of wheat tiller. Here, we performed a genome-wide identification of circRNAs using ribosomal-depleted RNA-seq from wheat tiller of two pairs near-isogenic lines. A total of 686 circRNAs were identified and distributed on 21 chromosomes of wheat, of which 537 were novel circRNAs. Unlike other plants, the majority of these circRNAs (61.8%) were derived from intergenic regions. One circRNA-mediated network associated with tillering was constructed through weighted gene co-expression network analysis, including 323 circRNAs, 117 miRNAs, and 968 mRNAs. GO and pathway enrichment analysis of mRNAs suggested that these circRNAs are involved in cell cycle, ncRNA export from nucleus, developmental process, plant hormone signal transduction, MAPK signaling pathway, RNA degradation. Of these circRNAs, ten circRNAs are associated with known tillering/branching genes in rice or Arabidopsis thaliana, including OsCesA7, EBR1, DTE1, CRD1, LPA1, PAY1, LRK1, OsNR2, OsCCA1, OsBZR1. In summary, we present the first study of the identification and characterization of circRNAs in wheat tiller, and the results suggest these circRNAs associated with tillering could play an important role in wheat tiller formation and development.

Genome-wide association analysis of Fusarium crown rot resistance in Chinese wheat landraces.

KEY MESSAGE: A novel locus for Fusarium crown rot (FCR) resistance was identified on chromosome 1B at 641.36-645.13 Mb using GWAS and could averagely increase 39.66% of FCR resistance in a biparental population. Fusarium crown rot can cause considerable yield losses. Developing and growing resistance cultivars is one of the most effective approaches for controlling this disease. In this study, 361 Chinese wheat landraces were evaluated for FCR resistance, and 27 with the disease index lower than 30.00 showed potential in wheat breeding programs. Using a genome-wide association study approach, putative quantitative trait loci (QTL) for FCR resistance was identified. A total of 21 putative loci on chromosomes 1A, 1B, 2B, 2D, 3B, 3D, 4B, 5A, 5B, 7A, and 7B were significantly associated with FCR resistance. Among these, a major locus Qfcr.sicau.1B-4 was consistently identified among all the trials on chromosome 1B with the physical regions from 641.36 to 645.13 Mb. A polymorphism kompetitive allele-specific polymerase (KASP) marker was developed and used to validate its effect in an F2:3 population consisting of 136 lines. The results showed the presence of this resistance allele could explain up to 39.66% of phenotypic variance compared to its counterparts. In addition, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that two candidate genes of Qfcr.sicau.1B-4 were differently expressed after inoculation. Our study provided useful information for improving FCR resistance in wheat.

Pregnancy feasibility in women with mild pulmonary arterial hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the pregnancy feasibility of women with mild pulmonary hypertension according to pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: This systematic review and meta-analysis compared the differences in maternal and fetal outcomes between mild and moderate-to-severe pulmonary hypertension. Relevant English and Chinese literature were searched in the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (COCHRANE), CNKI, WanFang Data, and VIP databases between January 1st, 1990 and April 18th, 2023, and the references of the included articles and relevant systematic reviews were reviewed to determine whether studies were missed. The inclusion criteria were randomized controlled and observational studies (including case-control studies and cohort studies) examining maternal and fetal pregnancy outcomes with pulmonary hypertension. Conference abstracts, case reports, case series reports, non-comparative studies, and review articles were excluded. RESULTS: This meta-analysis included 32 studies. In this study, maternal and fetal outcomes were better in the mild pulmonary hypertension group than in the moderate-to-severe group. Regarding maternal mortality, the mild group was much lower than the moderate to severe group. We found a significant decrease in maternal mortality in the mild group after 2010. However, no significant difference in maternal mortality before and after 2010 was observed in the moderate to severe group. Cardiac complications, ICU admission, neonatal preterm birth, small for gestational age infants, low birth weight infants, neonatal asphyxia, and neonatal mortality were significantly lower in the mild pulmonary hypertension group than in the moderate to severe pulmonary hypertension group. The cesarean section rates of the two groups were similar. However, the vaginal delivery rate in the mild pulmonary hypertension group was significantly higher than that in the moderate to severe pulmonary hypertension group. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis confirmed that pregnancies with mild pulmonary hypertension had significantly better maternal and fetal outcomes than those with moderate to severe pulmonary hypertension. For patients with mild pulmonary hypertension and good cardiac function, continued pregnancy or even delivery should be considered under multidisciplinary monitoring. However, maternal and fetal complications with moderate to severe pulmonary hypertension significantly increase. Hence, it is essential to evaluate pregnancy risk and terminate it in time.

Robbsia betulipollinis sp. nov., Isolated from Pollen of Birch (Betula pendula).

One gram-negative strain designated Bb-Pol-6 T was isolated from birch (Betula pendula) pollen at Giessen area, Germany. The analysis of 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenies indicated the next-relative genera were Robbsia, Chitinasiproducens, Pararobbsia and Paraburkholderia (96-95.6%). Further comparative genome analysis and phylogenetic tree-based methods revealed its phylogenetic position under the genus Robbsia. The genome of strain Bb-Pol-6 T was 5.04 Mbp with 4401 predicted coding sequences and a G + C content of 65.31 mol%. Average amino acid identity, average nucleotide identity, digital DNA-DNA hybridization and percentage of conserved proteins values to Robbsia andropogonis DSM 9511 T were 68.0, 72.5, 22.7 and 65.85%, respectively. Strain Bb-Pol-6 T was rod-shaped, non-motile, facultative anaerobic and grew optimally at 28 °C and pH 6-7. Ubiquinone 8 was the major respiratory quinone and the major cellular fatty acids were C16:0, C19:0 cyclo ω7c, C17:0 cyclo ω7c and C17:1 ω6c. The dominant polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and an unidentified aminophospholipid. Based on the genomic physiological and phenotypic characteristics, strain Bb-Pol-6 T was considered a novel species under the genus Robbsia, for which the name Robbsia betulipollinis sp. nov. was proposed. The type strain is Bb-Pol-6 T (= LMG 32774 T = DSM 114812 T).

Identification and Genome-Wide Association Analysis for Fusarium Crown Rot Resistance in Wheat.

Fusarium crown rot (FCR) is a fungal disease and severely decreases wheat production worldwide. Tibetan semiwild wheat, Yunnan hulled wheat, Xinjiang rice wheat, and Sichuan white wheat are four subspecies landraces endemic to western China and have rich genetic diversity in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Here, a natural population, including 209 wheat accessions of four subspecies, was evaluated for FCR resistance. he genome-wide association study was performed using the wheat 55K single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The results showed that the disease index (DI) ranged from 16.88 to 85.00, while six accessions showed moderate to high resistance (DI ≤ 30). Genome-wide association analysis identified 10 stable loci for FCR resistance on chromosomes 1B, 2A (5), 5A, 7A, 7B, and 7D. Four major loci-Qfcr.sicau.2A-1, Qfcr.sicau.2A-3, Qfcr.sicau.5A, and Qfcr.sicau.7D-explained 6.01 to 14.48, 9.76 to 13.11, 8.19 to 10.29, and 5.76 to 12.21% phenotypic variation, respectively. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) pyramiding analysis of these four major loci revealed that accessions with four resistance haplotypes could significantly decrease FCR severity by 9.35 to 31.61% compared with those without or with one to three resistance haplotypes. One kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) marker each was successfully developed for Qfcr.sicau.2A-1 and Qfcr.sicau.7D. The KASP marker of Qfcr.sicau.2A-1 was used to genotype in an F6 recombinant inbred line population. The result showed that the lines carrying the resistance allele reduced FCR severity by 17.78%, demonstrating the importance of Qfcr.sicau.2A-1 in resistance breeding programs. Our findings provide valuable QTL and breeder-friendly PCR-based markers for applications in FCR resistance breeding programs. Our study also proved that gene pyramiding of major loci could enhance FCR resistance.

Interaction of total dissolved gas supersaturation and suspended sediment on swimming performance of bighead carp (Hypopthalmichthys nobilis).

When dams discharge floodwaters, the river downstream often becomes supersaturated in total dissolved gases (TDG) and contains high volumes of suspended sediments (SS). Supersaturated TDG and high SS concentrations in water may affect fish physiologically in ways that manifest in swimming performance. Despite increasing awareness of the separate effects of TDG supersaturation and SS, knowledge about their synergistic effects remains unknown. To explore the interactive effects of TDG and SS on the swimming performance of bighead carp, the juveniles were exposed to 100, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135, and 140% of TDG-supersaturated water with SS concentrations of 0, 50, 100, and 150 mg/L, respectively, and the critical swimming ability speed (Ucrit ) and burst swimming ability speed (Uburst ) were measured. The results indicated that the swimming ability (Ucrit and Uburst ) decreased when TDG levels and SS concentrations increased. TDG and SS did not interact significantly to decrease both Ucrit and Uburst . In contrast, exposure to TDG alone significantly decreased both Ucrit and Uburst , whereas exposure to SS alone decreased only Uburst . In addition, our results suggested that there was a negative linear relationship between TDG and fatigue time. Swimming ability can decline significantly due to high TDG levels (>130%). Therefore, high TDG levels (>130%) should be restricted during reservoir operation to prevent the stress caused by TDG.

Genomic Scan for Runs of Homozygosity and Selective Signature Analysis to Identify Candidate Genes in Large White Pigs.

Large White pigs are extensively utilized in China for their remarkable characteristics of rapid growth and the high proportion of lean meat. The economic traits of pigs, comprising reproductive and meat quality traits, play a vital role in swine production. In this study, 2295 individuals, representing three different genetic backgrounds Large White pig populations were used: 500 from the Canadian line, 295 from the Danish line, and 1500 from the American line. The GeneSeek 50K GGP porcine HD array was employed to genotype the three pig populations. Firstly, genomic selective signature regions were identified using the pairwise fixation index (FST) and locus-specific branch length (LSBL). By applying a top 1% threshold for both parameters, a total of 888 candidate selective windows were identified, harbouring 1571 genes. Secondly, the investigation of regions of homozygosity (ROH) was performed utilizing the PLINK software. In total, 25 genomic regions exhibiting a high frequency of ROHs were detected, leading to the identification of 1216 genes. Finally, the identified potential functional genes from candidate genomic regions were annotated, and several important candidate genes associated with reproductive traits (ADCYAP1, U2, U6, CETN1, Thoc1, Usp14, GREB1L, FGF12) and meat quality traits (MiR-133, PLEKHO1, LPIN2, SHANK2, FLVCR1, MYL4, SFRP1, miR-486, MYH3, STYX) were identified. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the genetic basis of economic traits in Large White pigs and may have potential use in future pig breeding programs.

PPVED: A machine learning tool for predicting the effect of single amino acid substitution on protein function in plants.

Single amino acid substitution (SAAS) produces the most common variant of protein function change under physiological conditions. As the number of SAAS events in plants has increased exponentially, an effective prediction tool is required to help identify and distinguish functional SAASs from the whole genome as either potentially causal traits or as variants. Here, we constructed a plant SAAS database that stores 12 865 SAASs in 6172 proteins and developed a tool called Plant Protein Variation Effect Detector (PPVED) that predicts the effect of SAASs on protein function in plants. PPVED achieved an 87% predictive accuracy when applied to plant SAASs, an accuracy that was much higher than those from six human database software: SIFT, PROVEAN, PANTHER-PSEP, PhD-SNP, PolyPhen-2, and MutPred2. The predictive effect of six SAASs from three proteins in Arabidopsis and maize was validated with wet lab experiments, of which five substitution sites were accurately predicted. PPVED could facilitate the identification and characterization of genetic variants that explain observed phenotype variations in plants, contributing to solutions for challenges in functional genomics and systems biology. PPVED can be accessed under a CC-BY (4.0) license via http://www.ppved.org.cn.

Fine mapping of the tiller inhibition gene TIN4 contributing to ideal plant architecture in common wheat.

KEY MESSAGE: A tiller inhibition gene, TIN4, was mapped to an approximately 311 kb genomic interval on chromosome arm 2DL of wheat. The tiller is one of the key components of plant morphological architecture and a central agronomic trait affecting spike number in wheat. Low tiller number has been proposed as a major component of crop ideotypes for high yield potential. In this study, we characterized the development of tillering in near-isogenic lines (NIL7A and NIL7B), indicating that the TIN4 gene inhibited the growth of tillering buds and negatively regulated tiller number. Low-tillering was controlled by a single gene (TIN4) located on chromosome 2DL by genetic analysis and bulked segregant RNA-seq analysis. A total of 17 new polymorphic markers were developed in this study, and 61 recombinants were identified in the secondary F2 population containing 4,266 individuals. TIN4 was finally mapped on a 0.35 cM interval, co-segregated with molecular marker M380, within a 311 kb genomic interval of the wheat cultivar Chinese Spring reference genome sequence that contained twelve predicted genes. Yield experiments showed that the yield of low-tillering lines was higher than that of high-tillering lines at a higher density. Overall, this study provides a foundation for the construction of a low-tillering ideotype for improving wheat yield and further cloning TIN4 by map-based cloning approach.

Cellulomonas triticagri sp. nov., isolated from the rhizosphere soil of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

A Gram-positive, motile, rod-shaped and lignin-degrading novel actinomycete, designated strain NEAU-YY56T, was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) collected from Zhumadian, Henan Province, Central China and characterized using a polyphasic approach. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain NEAU-YY56T belonged to the genus Cellulomonas and exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of 98.7, 98.2 and 98.1% to Cellulomonas pakistanensis JCM 18755T, Cellulomonas denverensis JCM 14733T and Cellulomonas hominis JCM 12133T, respectively. The whole-cell sugars were glucose, rhamnose and ribose. The peptidoglycan of strain NEAU-YY56T contained ornithine and glutamic acid. The phospholipid profile was found to contain diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol mannoside and two unknown glycolipids. The major menaquinone was MK-9(H4). The major fatty acids (> 5.0%) were identified as anteiso-C15:0, C16:0, C14:0 and anteiso-C17:0. Meanwhile, DNA G+C content was 74.7%. The morphological and chemotaxonomic properties of strain NEAU-YY56T were also confirmed the affiliation of the isolate to the genus Cellulomonas. However, physiological and biochemical characteristics indicated that strain NEAU-YY56T can be clearly differentiated from its closest relatives. In addition, the ANI values and dDDH levels between strain NEAU-YY56T and related Cellulomonas species were lower than the accepted threshold value. Therefore, it is concluded that strain NEAU-YY56T represents a novel species of the genus Cellulomonas, for which the name Cellulomonas triticagri sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NEAU-YY56T (= DSM 106717T = JCM 32550T).

Comparison of open, laparoscopic, and robotic left colectomy for radical treatment of colon cancer: a retrospective analysis in a consecutive series of 211 patients.

BACKGROUND: Robotic surgery has been widely used in the radical treatment of colonic cancer. However, it is unclear what advantages the robotic approach offers over other approaches in left colectomy. This study aims to explore the advantage of robotic surgery in left colectomy by comparing open, laparoscopic, and robotic surgery. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of patients with radical left colectomy for colon cancer who were admitted to the Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, from November 2012 to November 2017. Two hundred eleven patients included were divided into the open surgery group (OS, n=49), laparoscopic surgery group (LS, n=92), and robotic surgery group (RS, n=70) according to surgical techniques. The clinicopathologic data were collected for clinical outcome assessment. Finally, the clinical value of RS in radical left colectomy was further evaluated by propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. RESULTS: Three groups were similar in demographics and clinical characteristics. Compared with OS, LS and RS groups had better intraoperative and perioperative clinical outcomes. Moreover, the RS group exhibited the minimum operative times, length of stay (LOS), and evaluated blood loss. LS and RS also exhibited less perioperative and postoperative long-term complications. Three groups showed similar postoperative pathological outcomes. The overall survival and disease-free survival were also similar among the three groups (all P > 0.05). Cox regression analysis showed surgical approach was not a prognostic factor for overall survival (P = 0.671) and disease-free survival (P = 0.776). PSM analysis of RS and LS by clinical characteristics showed RS showed shorter operation time (P < 0.001) and LOS for patients without complications (P = 0.005). However, no significant differences were found in perioperative and long-term postoperative complications, pathological outcomes, overall survival, and disease-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: Among three techniques for radical left colectomy, LS and RS had significant advantages over OS in short-term clinical outcomes, and no significant differences were found in overall, disease-free survival, local recurrence, and distant metastasis incidence. Moreover, RS shows better perioperative clinical outcomes but without compromising survival compared with LS.

Ligand-Controlled NiH-Catalyzed Regiodivergent Chain-Walking Hydroalkylation of Alkenes.

A NiH-catalyzed migratory hydroalkylation of alkenyl amines with predictable and switchable regioselectivity is reported. By utilizing a ligand-controlled, directing group-assisted strategy, various alkyl units are site-selectively installed at inert sp3 C-H sites far away from the original C=C bonds. A range of structurally diverse α- and ß-branched protected amines are conveniently synthesized via stabilization of 5- and 6-membered nickelacycles respectively. This method exhibits broad scope and high functional group tolerance, and can be applied to late-stage modification of medicinally relevant molecules.

Genetic characteristics and ploidy trigger the high inducibility of double haploid (DH) inducer in Brassica napus.

BACKGROUND: Our recently reported doubled haploid (DH) induction lines e.g., Y3380 and Y3560 are allo-octoploid (AAAACCCC, 2n = 8× ≈ 76), which can induce the maternal parent to produce DH individuals. Whether this induction process is related to the production of aneuploid gametes form male parent and genetic characteristics of the male parent has not been reported yet. RESULTS: Somatic chromosome counts of DH inducer parents, female wax-less parent (W1A) and their F1 hybrid individuals revealed the reliability of flow cytometry analysis. Y3560 has normal chromosome behavior in metaphase I and anaphase I, but chromosome division was not synchronized in the tetrad period. Individual phenotypic identification and flow cytometric fluorescence measurement of F1 individual and parents revealed that DH individuals can be distinguished on the basis of waxiness trait. The results of phenotypic identification and flow cytometry can identify the homozygotes or heterozygotes of F1 generation individuals. The data of SNP genotyping coupled with phenotypic waxiness trait revealed that the genetic distance between W1A and F1 homozygotes were smaller as compared to their heterozygotes. It was found that compared with allo-octoploids, aneuploidy from allo-octoploid segregation did not significantly increase the DH induction rate, but reduced male infiltration rate and heterozygous site rate of induced F1 generation. The ploidy, SNP genotyping and flow cytometry results cumulatively shows that DH induction is attributed to the key genes regulation from the parents of Y3560 and Y3380, which significantly increase the induction efficiency as compared to ploidy. CONCLUSION: Based on our findings, we hypothesize that genetic characteristics and aneuploidy play an important role in the induction of DH individuals in Brassca napus, and the induction process has been explored. It provides an important insight for us to locate and clone the genes that regulate the inducibility in the later stage.

Maternal karyogene and cytoplasmic genotype affect the induction efficiency of doubled haploid inducer in Brassica napus.

BACKGROUND: Artificial synthesis of octoploid rapeseed double haploid (DH) induction lines Y3380 and Y3560 was made possible by interspecific hybridization and genome doubling techniques. Production of pure lines by DH induction provides a new way to achieve homozygosity earlier in B.napus. Previously, the mechanism of induction, and whether the induction has obvious maternal genotypic differences or not, are not known so far. RESULTS: In this study, different karyogene and cytoplasmic genotype of B.napus were pollinated with the previously reported DH inducers e.g. Y3380 and Y3560. Our study presents a fine comparison of different cytoplasmic genotypes hybridization to unravel the mechanism of DH induction. Ploidy identification, fertility and SSR marker analysis of induced F1 generation, revealed that ploidy and phenotype of the induced F1 plants were consistent with that type of maternal, rather than paternal parent. The SNP chip analysis revealed that induction efficiency of DH inducers were affected by the karyogene when the maternal cytoplasmic genotypes were the same. However, DH induction efficiency was also affected by cytoplasmic genotype when the karyogenes were same, and the offspring of the ogura cytoplasm showed high frequency inducer gene hybridization or low-frequency infiltration. CONCLUSION: The induction effect is influenced by the interaction between maternal karyogene and cytoplasmic genotype, and the results from the partial hybridization of progeny chromosomes indicate that the induction process may be attributed to the selective elimination of paternal chromosome. This study provides a basis for exploring the mechanism of DH inducer in B.napus, and provides new insights for utilization of inducers in molecular breeding.

No beneficial effect on survival but a decrease in postoperative complications in patients with rectal cancer undergoing robotic surgery: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Robotic surgery has been taken as a new modality to surpass the technical limitations of conventional surgery. Here we aim to compare the oncologic outcomes of patients with rectal cancer receiving robotic vs. laparoscopic surgery. METHODS: Data from patients diagnosed with rectal cancer between March 2011 and December 2018 were obtained for outcome assessment at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University. All patients were separated into two groups: a robot group (patients receiving robotic surgery, n = 314) and a laparoscopy group (patients receiving laparoscopic surgery, n = 220). The primary endpoint was survival outcomes. The secondary endpoints were the general conditions of the operation, postoperative complications and pathological characteristics. RESULTS: The 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) at years 1, 3 and 5 were 96.6%, 88.7%, and 87.7% vs. 96.7%, 88.1%, and 78.4%, and 98.6%, 80.2-, and 73.5% vs. 96.2-, 87.2-, and 81.1% in the robot and laparoscopy groups, respectively (P > 0.05). In the multivariable-adjusted analysis, robotic surgery was not an independent prognostic factor for OS and DFS (P = 0.925 and 0.451, respectively). With respect to the general conditions of the operation, patients in the robot group had significantly shorter operation times (163.5 ± 40.9 vs. 190.5 ± 51.9 min), shorter times to 1st gas passing [2(1) vs. 3(1)d] and shorter hospital stay days [7(2) vs. 8(3)d] compared to those in the laparoscopy group (P < 0.01, respectively). After the operation, the incidence of short- and long-term complications in the robot group was significantly lower than that in the laparoscopy group (15.9% vs. 32.3%; P < 0.001), especially for urinary retention (1.9% vs. 7.3%; 0.6% vs. 4.1%, P < 0.05, respectively). With regard to pathological characteristics, TNM stages II and III were more frequently observed in the robot group than in the laparoscopy group (94.3% vs. 83.2%, P < 0.001). No significant difference were observed in lymph nodes retrieved, lymphovascular invasion and circumferential resection margin involvement between the two groups (P > 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This monocentre retrospective comparative cohort study revealed short-term advantages of robot-assisted rectal cancer resection but similar survival compared to conventional laparoscopy.

Effect of total dissolved gas supersaturation on the survival of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix).

Flood discharge results in total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation downstream of a dam during the flood period. Fish suffer death from gas bubble disease (GBD) caused by TDG supersaturation. Nonetheless, current studies mainly attach importance to the survival of benthic fish affected by TDG supersaturation in the Yangtze River in China. Few studies have attempted to investigate the survival of pelagic fish influenced by TDG supersaturated water and compare the tolerance characteristics to TDG supersaturation between benthic and pelagic fish. To identify the survival of fish species that inhabit the various water layers affected by TDG supersaturation, silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) (pelagic fish) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio) (benthic fish) were chosen to conduct an acute exposure experiment of four different TDG supersaturation levels (125%, 130%, 135% and 140%). The findings illustrated that the two fish species both exhibited evident aberrant behaviours of maladjustment in TDG supersaturated water. Obvious GBD symptoms were also found in the test fish. The survival probability of silver carp and common carp decreased with increasing levels of TDG supersaturation. The median survival time (ST50 ) values of the silver carp exposed to four levels of TDG supersaturated water (125%, 130%, 135% and 140%) were 26.84, 7.96, 5.56 and 3.62 h, respectively, whereas the ST50 values of common carp were 53.50, 26.00, 16.50 and 11.70 h, respectively. When compared with common carp, silver carp had a weaker tolerance to TDG-supersaturated water and were vulnerable to GBD. It shows that levels above 125% are not safe for common carp survival. In terms of the tolerance threshold value, silver carp merits further investigation because it showed lower tolerance to TDG than did common carp.

Identification of lncRNAs involved in wheat tillering development in two pairs of near-isogenic lines.

Emerging evidence demonstrates that lncRNAs participate in various developmental processes in plants via post-transcription regulation. However, few lncRNAs have been identified as regulators of tiller development in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In this study, high-throughput ribosomal depleted RNA sequencing was performed on the tillering nodes of two pairs of near-isogenic lines that differed only in the tillering trait. We identified 5399 lncRNA transcripts using bioinformational analyses. KEGG pathway analysis revealed 74 common differentially expressed lncRNAs substantially enriched in photosynthesis-related, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, phosphatidylinositol signaling, brassinosteroid biosynthesis, zeatin biosynthesis, and carotenoid biosynthesis pathways. Detailed functional annotations of target genes were used to identify 27 tillering-associated lncRNAs. Among these, 10 were in photosynthesis-related pathways; 15 were in secondary metabolite pathways; and 8 were in plant hormone pathways, with 6 enriched in two kinds of pathways. These findings contribute to identifying tillering-associated lncRNAs in wheat and enable further investigation into the functions and roles of key candidate lncRNAs, and more experimental evidence was also needed if breeders wanted to utilize these candidate lncRNAs in wheat crop yield improvement in the future.