Metabolic and Antioxidant Responses of Different Control Methods to the Interaction of Sorghum sudangrass hybrids-Colletotrichum boninense.

Colletotrichum boninense is the main pathogenic fungus causing leaf spot disease in Sorghum sudangrass hybrids, which seriously impairs its quality and yield. In order to find an efficient and green means of control, this study used the agar disk diffusion method to screen for a fungicide with the strongest inhibitory effect on C. boninense from among several bacteria, fungi, and chemicals. Then, the changes in the plant's antioxidant system and metabolic levels after treatment were used to compare the three means of control. The lowest inhibitory concentration of Zalfexam was 10 mg/mL, at which point C. boninense did not grow, and the inhibition rates of Bacillus velezensis (X7) and Trichoderma harzianum were 33.87-51.85% and 77.86-80.56%, respectively. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and chitinase were up-regulated 2.43 and 1.24 folds in the Trichoderma harzianum group (M group) and SOD activity was up-regulated 2.2 folds in the Bacillus velezensis group (X7 group) compared to the control group (CK group). SOD, peroxidase (POD), and chitinase activities were elevated in the Zalfexam group (HX group). The differential metabolites in different treatment groups were mainly enriched in amino acid metabolism and production, flavonoid production, and lipid metabolism pathways. Compared with the diseased plants (ZB group), the M, X7, HX, and CK groups were co-enriched in the tryptophan metabolic pathway and glutamate-arginine metabolic pathway, and only the CK group showed a down-regulation of the metabolites in the two common pathways, while the metabolites of the common pathways were up-regulated in the M, X7, and HX groups. In addition, the salicylic acid-jasmonic acid pathway and ascorbic acid-glutathione, which were unique to the M group, played an important role in helping Sorghum sudangrass hybrids to acquire systemic resistance against stress. This study fills the gap in the control of Colletotrichum boninene, which causes leaf spot disease in Sorghum sudangrass hybrids. This paper represents the first reported case of biological control for leaf spot disease in Sorghum sudangrass hybrids and provides a reference for the control of leaf spot disease in Sorghum sudangrass hybrids as well as other crops infected with Colletotrichum boninense.

Study on the changing patterns of production performance of laying hens and their relationships with environmental factors in a large-scale henhouse.

The production performance of laying hens is influenced by various environmental factors within the henhouse. The intricate interactions among these factors make the impact process highly complicated. The exact relationships between production performance and environmental variables are still not well understood. In this study, we measured the production performance of laying hens and various environmental variables across different parts of the henhouse, evaluated the weight of each environmental variable, and constructed a laying rate prediction model. Results displayed that body weight, laying rate, egg weight and eggshell thickness of hens decrease gradually from WCA to FA (P < 0.05). Serum levels of FSH and LH, as well as antibody level of H5 Re-13, gradually decrease from WCA to FA (P < 0.05). Moreover, the values for temperature (T), temperature-humidity index (THI), air velocity (AV), carbon dioxide (CO2), and particulate matter (PM2.5) gradually increase from WCA to FA (P < 0.05). Conversely, the relative humidity (RH) value gradually decreases from FA to WCA (P < 0.05). Additionally, the weights of the environmental variables, determined using a combination of the grey relational analysis (GRA) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP), were as follows in descending order: RH, THI, T, light intensity (LI), AV, PM2.5, NH3, and CO2. When the number of decision trees in the laying rate prediction model was set to 2,500, the results displayed a high level of agreement between the model's predictions and the observed outcomes. The model's performance evaluation yielded an R2 value of 0.89995 for the test set, suggesting strong predictive effects. In conclusion, the current study revealed significant differences in both the production performance of laying hens and the environmental variables across different parts of the henhouse. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that different environmental factors have distinct impacts on laying rate, with humidity and temperature identified as the primary factors. Finally, a multi-variable prediction model was constructed, exhibiting high accuracy in predicting laying rate.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of durvalumab plus tremelimumab as first-line therapy in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: The HIMALAYA trial found that durvalumab plus tremelimumab significantly prolonged progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared with sorafenib. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the cost-effectiveness of durvalumab plus tremelimumab compared with sorafenib in the first-line HCC setting. Design: A Markov model-based cost-effectiveness analysis. Methods: We created a Markov model to compare healthcare costs and clinical outcomes of HCC patients treated with durvalumab plus tremelimumab in the first-line setting compared with sorafenib. We estimated transition probabilities from randomized trials. Lifetime direct healthcare costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were calculated for first-line durvalumab plus tremelimumab compared with sorafenib from a US payer's perspective. Results: In the base case, first-line durvalumab plus tremelimumab was associated with an improvement of 0.29 QALYs compared with sorafenib. While both treatment strategies were associated with considerable lifetime expenditures, first-line durvalumab plus tremelimumab was less expensive than sorafenib ($188,405 vs $218,584). The incremental net monetary benefit for durvalumab plus tremelimumab versus sorafenib was $72,762 (valuing QALYs at $150,000 each). The results of durvalumab plus tremelimumab were better in terms of costs and health outcomes in patients with HBV-related HCC and high alpha-fetoprotein levels. Conclusion: First-line durvalumab plus tremelimumab was estimated to be dominant for the treatment of unresectable HCC compared with sorafenib from a US payer's perspective.

Clinical applications of circulating tumor DNA in hematological malignancies: From past to the future.

Liquid biopsy, particularly circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), has drawn a lot of attention as a non- or minimal-invasive detection approach for clinical applications in patients with cancer. Many hematological malignancies are well suited for serial and repeated ctDNA surveillance due to relatively high ctDNA concentrations and high loads of tumor-specific genetic and epigenetic abnormalities. Progress of detecting technology in recent years has improved sensitivity and specificity significantly, thus broadening and strengthening the potential utilities of ctDNA including early diagnosis, prognosis estimation, treatment response evaluation, minimal residual disease monitoring, targeted therapy selection, and immunotherapy surveillance. This manuscript reviews the detection methodologies, clinical application and future challenges of ctDNA in hematological malignancies, especially for lymphomas, myeloma and leukemias.

Preparation of ultra-light, highly compressible, and biodegradable chitosan porous materials for heavy metal adsorption, dye adsorption and oil-water separation.

Chitosan materials are much important in adsorption, separation and water treatment due to their hydrophilicity, biodegradability and easy functionalization. However, they were difficult to form structural materials, which limited its application in engineering. In this paper, a new type of chitosan porous materials was prepared with two-step strategy involving the freezing crosslinking of chitosan with glutaraldehyde to form cryogels, and their subsequent reduction with NaBH4 to transform CN bonds into CN bonds, resulting in remarkable improvement of mechanical property. That is, the strength remained almost unchanged after 80 % deformation. The abundant -NH2 and -OH on the surface of materials, as well as the unique pore structure from cryogels, gave relatively high adsorption capacity for metals and dyes (88.73 ± 4.25 mg·g-1 for Cu(II) and 3261.05 ± 36.10 mg·g-1 for Congo red). The surface hydrophilicity of materials made it possible for selective water permeation with over 95 % separation efficiency for oil-water mixtures. In addition, simple hydrophobic modification using bromotetradecane achieved selective oil permeation with over 96 % separation efficiency for oil-water mixtures. This study not only provides a new strategy to endow chitosan materials with excellent mechanical property, large adsorption capacity and good oil-water separation performance, but also offers environmentally friendly materials for sewage treatment applications.

Novel insight into the feed conversion ratio in laying hens and construction of its prediction model.

Feed efficiency (FE) is an important economic factor in poultry production, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) is one of the most widely used measures of FE. Factors associated with FCR include genetics, the environment, and other factors. However, the mechanisms responsible for FCR in chickens are still less well appreciated. In this study, we examined the pattern changes of FCR, then delved into understanding the mechanisms behind these variations from both genetic and environmental perspectives. Most interestingly, the FCR at the front section of henhouse exhibited the lowest value. Further investigation revealed that laying rate in the high FCR (HFCR) group was lower than that in the low FCR (LFCR) group (P < 0.05). Cortisol, total antioxidant capacity (TAOC), and IgG levels in the LFCR group were significantly lower than those in the HFCR group (P < 0.05), while BUN level was significantly higher than that in the HFCR group (P < 0.05). We identified a total of 67 and 10 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with FCR in ovarian and small intestine tissues, respectively. Functional enrichment analysis of DEGs revealed that they might affect FCR by modulating genes associated with salivary secretion, ferroptosis, and mineral absorption. Moreover, values for relative humidity (RH), air velocity (AV), PM2.5, ammonia (NH3), and carbon dioxide (CO2) in the LFCR group were significantly lower than those in the HFCR group (P < 0.05). Conversely, value for light intensity (LI) in the LFCR group was significantly higher than that in the HFCR group (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between FCR and RH, AV, PM2.5, NH3, and CO2, and a negative correlation with LI. Finally, the FCR prediction model was successfully constructed based on multiple environmental variables using the random forest algorithm, providing a valuable tool for predicting FCR in chickens.

Endothelin-3 Suppresses Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Expression by Regulating the cAMP-PKA Pathway in Hen Granulosa Cells.

Previous research identified the expression of EDN3 in granulosa cells of preovulatory follicles in chickens. Notably, the expression level of EDN3 in Silky Fowl with low egg-laying performance was significantly higher than that in high-yield laying breed White Leghorn. Given the crucial role of granulosa cells in follicular development and maturation, it is very important to study the effect of EDN3 on the biological function of granular cells. In this study, an EDN3 overexpression plasmid was constructed and transfected into granular cells. The viability of these cells was detected using quantiative (qPCR), Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8), and 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assays. Gonadal hormone synthesis was detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques. Finally, transcriptome sequencing was employed to identify differentially expressed genes. Result showed thatoverexpression of EDN3 was observed to promote cell viability. In addition, it significantly inhibits the expressions of LHR and cAMP-PKA signaling pathways. Cell transcriptome sequencing data displayed that EDN3 can upregulate energy metabolism and immune-related signaling pathways, whereas follicle maturation and the GnRH signaling pathway were downregulated. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that EDN3 can enhance granulosa cell viability and inhibit the expression of LHCGR, a process likely mediated through the cAMP-PKA signaling pathway. However, further evidence is required to substantiate the regulatory relationship between EDN3 and the cAMP-PKA signaling pathway.

miR-106b-5p protects against drug-induced liver injury by targeting vimentin to stimulate liver regeneration.

Understanding the endogenous mechanism of adaptive response to drug-induced liver injury (arDILI) may discover innovative strategies to manage DILI. To gain mechanistic insight into arDILI, we investigated exosomal miRNAs in the adaptive response to toosendanin-induced liver injury (TILI) of mice. Exosomal miR-106b-5p was identified as a specific regulator of arDILI by comprehensive miRNA profiling. Outstandingly, miR-106b-5p agomir treatment alleviated TILI and other DILI by inhibiting apoptosis and promoting hepatocyte proliferation. Conversely, antagomir treatments had opposite effects, indicating that miR-106b-5p protects mice from liver injury. Injured hepatocytes released miR-106b-5p-enriched exosomes taken up by surrounding hepatocytes. Vim (encodes vimentin) was identified as an important target of miR-106b-5p by dual luciferase reporter and siRNA assays. Furthermore, single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis of toosendanin-injured mouse liver revealed a cluster of Vim + hepatocytes; nonetheless declined following miR-106b-5p cotreatment. More importantly, Vim knockout protected mice from acetaminophen poisoning and TILI. In the clinic, serum miR-106b-5p expression levels correlated with the severity of DILI. Indeed, liver biopsies of clinical cases exposed to different DILI causing drugs revealed marked vimentin expression among harmed hepatocytes, confirming clinical relevance. Together, we report mechanisms of arDILI whereby miR-106b-5p safeguards restorative tissue repair by targeting vimentin.

Influence of apical finish line location of tooth preparations on the scanning accuracy of intraoral scanners with various focal lengths and scanning technologies.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Limited studies have reported the influence of finish line location on the accuracy of intraoral scanners (IOSs). Focal length is a hardware characteristic of IOSs. Whether there is a relationship between scanning accuracy of tooth preparations with the finish located at different apical positions and focal length and IOS technology or system remains uncertain. PURPOSE: The purpose of the present in vitro study was to assess the influence of the apical finish line location of tooth preparations on the accuracy of 4 IOSs with various focal lengths and scanning technologies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A maxillary typodont with a crown preparation on the left first molar was digitized (T710). Afterwards, a removable die was created on the prepared first molar of the virtual cast and duplicated to create 4 dies with different apical finish line locations: 2- or 1-mm supragingival, 0-mm or equigingival, and -0.5-mm or intracrevicular. The cast and die designs were additively fabricated (Asiga Pro 4K with Keystone Model Ultra). Each die was independently scanned by using the same laboratory scanner (reference scans). Four groups were created: TRIOS 5, i700, iTero, and Primescan. Four subgroups were developed depending on the apical position of the finish line (n=15). In each subgroup, the cast was assembled by positioning the corresponding die into the cast. The cast was then scanned by using the corresponding IOS. The reference scans were used as a control to compute the root mean square (RMS) error discrepancies with each experimental scan on the preparation and margin of the preparation areas. Two-way ANOVA and pairwise comparisons were used to analyze trueness (α=.05). The Levene and pairwise comparisons using the Wilcoxon Rank sum test were used to analyze precision (α=.05). RESULTS: Trueness discrepancies in the preparation area were found among the groups (P=.010) and subgroups (P<.001), with a significant interaction between group×subgroup (P<.001). The -0.5 mm location obtained significantly worse trueness in the preparation area. The TRIOS 5 and i700 obtained the best trueness in the preparation area. Trueness discrepancies in the margin area were found among the groups (P=.002) and subgroups (P<.001), with a significant interaction between group×subgroup (P=.004). The -0.5 mm location obtained the worst trueness in the margin area. The i700 and Primescan obtained the best trueness in the margin area. Precision discrepancies were found in the preparation area (P<.001). The TRIOS 5 obtained the best precision in the preparation area (P=.001). Precision discrepancies in the margin area were obtained (P<.001). The 1-mm subgroup obtained the best precision (P=.001). CONCLUSIONS: The apical position of the finish line of the tooth preparation tested affected the trueness and precision of the IOSs tested.

The anthraquinone derivative KA-4s reduces energy metabolism and enhances the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin.

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from female gynecological cancers. Cisplatin (DDP) is a first-line drug for ovarian cancer treatment. Due to DDP resistance, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic drugs with improved antitumor activity. AMPK-mediated metabolic regulatory pathways are related to tumor drug resistance. Our study aimed to determine the relationship between reversing DDP resistance with the anthraquinone derivative KA-4s and regulating AMPK energy metabolism in ovarian cancer. The results showed that KA-4s inhibited the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells. The combination of KA-4s with DDP effectively promoted drug-resistant ovarian cancer cell apoptosis and inhibited cell migration and invasion. Moreover, KA-4s decreased the intracellular ATP level and increased the calcium ion level, leading to AMPK phosphorylation. Further studies suggested that the AMPK signaling pathway may be involved in the mechanism through which KA-4s reduce drug resistance. KA-4s inhibited mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis; downregulated the glucose metabolism-related proteins GLUT1 and GLUT4; the lipid metabolism-related proteins SREBP1 and SCD1; and the drug resistance-related proteins P-gp, MRP1, and LRP. The inhibitory effect of KA-4s on GLUT1 was confirmed by the application of the GLUT1 inhibitor BAY-876. KA-4s combined with DDP significantly increased the expression of p-AMPK and reduced the expression of P-gp. In a xenograft model of ovarian cancer, treatment with KA-4s combined with DDP reduced energy metabolism and drug resistance, inducing tumor apoptosis. Consequently, KA-4s might be evaluated as a new agent for enhancing the chemotherapeutic efficacy of treatment for ovarian cancer.

Silicon Waveguide-Integrated Platinum Telluride Midinfrared Photodetector with High Responsivity and High Speed.

The detection of mid-infrared light, covering a variety of molecular vibrational spectra, is critical for both civil and military purposes. Recent studies have highlighted the potential of two-dimensional topological semimetals for mid-infrared detection due to their advantages, including van der Waals (vdW) stacking and gapless electronic structures. Among them, mid-infrared photodetectors based on type-II Dirac semimetals have been less studied. In this paper, we present a silicon waveguide integrated type-II Dirac semimetal platinum telluride (PtTe2) mid-infrared photodetector, and further improve detection performance by using PtTe2-graphene heterostructure. For the fabricated silicon waveguide-integrated PtTe2 photodetector, with an external bias voltage of -10 mV and an input optical power of 86 nW, the measured responsivity is 2.7 A/W at 2004 nm and a 3 dB bandwidth of 0.6 MHz is realized. For the fabricated silicon waveguide-integrated PtTe2-graphene photodetector, as the external bias voltage and input optical power are 0.5 V and 0.13 µW, a responsivity of 5.5 A/W at 2004 nm and a 3 dB bandwidth of 35 MHz are obtained. An external quantum efficiency of 119% can be achieved at an input optical power of 0.376 µW.

Class II ferroptosis inducers are a novel therapeutic approach for t(4;14)-positive multiple myeloma.

ABSTRACT: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a clonal plasma cell malignancy that is characterized by genetic heterogeneity. The cytogenetic abnormality t(4;14) strongly predicts poor outcome in patients with MM, even in the era of novel drugs. Ferroptosis is a new approach to antitumor therapy, but the relationship between ferroptosis and MM cytogenetic abnormalities remains largely unclear. In this study, we show that t(4;14)-positive but not t(4;14)-negative MM cells are susceptible to class II ferroptosis inducers (FINs) in a preclinical setting, which is dependent on the significant upregulation of the MM SET domain-containing protein (MMSET). Mechanistically, MMSET upregulates acyl-coenzyme A synthetase long-chain family member 4 transcription by binding to its promoter region, leading to increased polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) levels and enhanced sensitivity of t(4;14)-positive MM cells to ferroptosis. Supplementation with PUFAs efficiently restores the susceptibility of t(4;14)-negative MM cells to ferroptosis. In addition, combining class II FIN treatment with bortezomib in t(4;14)-positive MM cells attenuates cellular glutathione and induces both apoptosis and ferroptosis levels by inhibiting the increase in solute carrier family 7 member 11, demonstrating synergistic antitumor activity in vitro and in a xenograft model. Taken together, our findings suggest that targeting ferroptosis with class II FINs is a novel and promising therapeutic approach to improve the outcome of t(4;14)-positive patients with MM.

Variations in seminal microbiota and their functional implications in chickens adapted to high-altitude environments.

Seminal fluid, once believed to be sterile, is now recognized as constituting a complex and dynamic environment inhabited by a diverse community of micro-organisms. However, research on the seminal microbiota in chickens is limited, and microbiota variations among different chicken breeds remain largely unexplored. In this study, we collected semen samples from Beijing You Chicken (BYC) and Tibetan Chicken (TC) and explored the characteristics of the microbiota using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Additionally, we collected cloacal samples from the TC to control for environmental contamination. The results revealed that the microbial communities in the semen were significantly different from those in the cloaca. Firmicutes and Actinobacteriota were the predominant phyla in BYC and TC semen, respectively, with Lactobacillus and Phyllobacterium being the dominant genera in each group. Additionally, the seminal microbiota of BYC exhibited greater richness and evenness than that of TC. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) indicated significant intergroup differences between the seminal microbiotas of BYC and TC. Subsequently, by combining linear discriminant analysis effect size and random forest analyses, we identified Lactobacillus as the predominant microorganism in BYC semen, whereas Phyllobacterium dominated in TC semen. Furthermore, co-occurrence network analysis revealed a more intricate network in the BYC group than in the TC group. Additionally, unique microbial functional characteristics were observed in each breed, with TC exhibiting metabolic features potentially associated with their ability to adapt to high-altitude environments. The results of this study emphasized the unique microbiota present in chicken semen, which may be influenced by genetics and evolutionary history. Significant variations were observed between low-altitude and high-altitude breeds, highlighting the breed-specific implications of the seminal microbiota for reproduction and high-altitude adaptation.

Bacterial and fungal communities regulated directly and indirectly by tobacco-rape rotation promote tobacco production.

Tobacco continuous cropping is prevalent in intensive tobacco agriculture but often leads to microbial community imbalance, soil nutrient deficiency, and decreased crop productivity. While the tobacco-rape rotation has demonstrated significant benefits in increasing tobacco yield. Microorganisms play a crucial role in soil nutrient cycling and crop productivity. However, the internal mechanism of tobacco-rape rotation affecting tobacco yield through microbe-soil interaction is still unclear. In this study, two treatments, tobacco continuous cropping (TC) and tobacco-rape rotation (TR) were used to investigate how planting systems affect soil microbial diversity and community structure, and whether these changes subsequently affect crop yields. The results showed that compared with TC, TR significantly increased the Shannon index, Chao1 index, ACE index of bacteria and fungi, indicating increased microbial α-diversity. On the one hand, TR may directly affect the bacterial and fungal community structure due to the specificity of root morphology and root exudates in rape. Compared with TC, TR significantly increased the proportion of beneficial bacterial and fungal taxa while significantly reduced soil-borne pathogens. Additionally, TR enhanced the scale and complexity of microbial co-occurrence networks, promoting potential synergies between bacterial OTUs. On the other hand, TR indirectly changed microbial community composition by improving soil chemical properties and changing microbial life history strategies. Compared with TC, TR significantly increased the relative abundance of copiotrophs while reduced oligotrophs. Notably, TR significantly increased tobacco yield by 39.6% compared with TC. The relationships among yield, microbial community and soil chemical properties indicated that planting systems had the greatest total effect on tobacco yield, and the microbial community, particularly bacteria, had the greatest direct effect on tobacco yield. Our findings highlighted the potential of tobacco-rape rotation to increase yield by both directly and indirectly optimizing microbial community structure.

Intraoral scanner-based virtual facebow transferring: A chairside dental technique.

Accurately mounting dental casts on an articulator is an essential step in prosthetic treatments. In digital dentistry, virtual articulator mounting procedures rely on virtual facebow records. However, virtual facebow records usually require devices like face scanners or jaw motion tracking systems that are not commonly available in most dental practices. The present technique report describes a straightforward intraoral scanner-based virtual facebow transfer approach. In this technique, a reference facebow joint support was first scanned and aligned with a virtual articulator. Then, a patient's facebow joint support and bite fork assembly were scanned chairside with an intraoral scanner and aligned with the virtual articulator by matching common features with the reference facebow joint support. After aligning the patient's intraoral scans with the patient's bite fork scan that was already superimposed on the virtual articulator, a virtual mounting process was achieved. Once the corresponding reference facebow joint supports have been generated, this technique can be easily implemented with most facebow systems and be seamlessly integrated into daily clinical practice as only an intraoral scanner and a conventional facebow were required.

ELOVL5 and VLDLR synergistically affect n-3 PUFA deposition in eggs of different chicken breeds.

There was no significant difference in the composition and content of fatty acids in eggs among different breeds initially, but following the supplementation of flaxseed oil, Dwarf Layer were observed to deposit more n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in eggs. Currently, there is limited research on the mechanisms underlying the differences in egg composition among different breeds. Therefore, in this study, 150 twenty-four-wk-old hens of each breed, including the Dwarf Layer and White Leghorn, were fed either a basal diet or a diet supplemented with 2.5% flaxseed oil. After 28 d, eggs and liver samples were collected to determine fatty acid composition, and serum, liver, intestine, and follicles were collected for subsequent biochemical, intestinal morphology, and lipid metabolism-related genes expression analysis. Duodenal contents were collected for microbial analysis. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the content and deposition efficiency of total n-3 PUFA in the liver of the 2 breeds, but the content and deposition efficiency of total n-3 PUFA in the egg of Dwarf Layer were significantly higher than those of White Leghorn after feeding flaxseed oil. Flaxseed oil and breeds did not have significant effects on cholesterol (CHO), free fatty acids (NEFA), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and estrogen (E2) levels. After feeding with flaxseed oil, the villus height and the villus-to-crypt ratio in both breeds were increased and duodenal crypt depth was decreased. The villus-to-crypt ratio (4.78 vs. 3.60) in the duodenum of Dwarf Layer was significantly higher than that in White Leghorn after feeding with flaxseed oil. Flaxseed oil can impact the gut microbiota in the duodenum and reduce the microbiota associated with fatty acid breakdown, such as Romboutsia, Subdolibranulum, Lachnochlostridium, and Clostridium. This may mean that less ALA can be decomposed and more ALA can be absorbed into the body. Additionally, after feeding flaxseed oil, the mRNA levels of elongation enzymes 5 (ELOVL5), fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1), and fatty acid transporter 1 (FATP1) in the liver of Dwarf Layer were significantly higher than those in White Leghorn, while the mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR), carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 (CPT1), Acyl CoA oxidase 1 (ACOX1), and Acyl-CoA synthetase (ACSL) were significantly lower than those in White Leghorn. The mRNA level of FABP1 in the duodenum of Dwarf Layer was significantly higher than that of White Leghorn, while the mRNA level of FATP1 was significantly lower than that of White Leghorn. The protein levels of ELOVL5 in the liver of Dwarf Layer and very low-density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR) in the follicles were significantly higher than those of White Leghorn. In summary, after feeding flaxseed oil, the higher ratio of villus height to crypt depth in Dwarf Layer allows more α-linolenic acid (ALA) to be absorbed into the body. The higher mRNA expression of FADS1, ELOVL5, and FATP1, as well as the higher protein expression of ELOVL5 in the liver of Dwarf Layer enhance the conversion of ALA into DHA. The higher protein expression of VLDLR in follicles of Dwarf Layer allows more n-3 PUFA to deposit in the follicles. These combined factors contribute to the Dwarf Layer's ability to deposit higher levels of n-3 PUFA in eggs, as well as improving the deposition efficiency of n-3 PUFA.

New online dynamic nomograms to predict recurrence-free and overall survival after resection of endometrial cancer: a single-institution retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: The significant global burden of endometrial cancer (EC) and the challenges associated with predicting EC recurrence indicate the need for a dynamic prediction model. This study aimed to propose nomograms based on clinicopathological variables to predict recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) after surgical resection for EC. METHODS: This single-institution retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent surgical resection for EC. Web-based nomograms were developed to predict RFS and OS following resection for EC, and their discriminative and calibration abilities were assessed. RESULTS: This study included 289 patients (median age, 56 years). At a median follow-up of 51.1 (range, 4.1-128.3) months, 13.5% (39/289) of patients showed relapse or died, and 10.7% (31/289) had non-endometrioid tumors (median size: 2.8 cm). Positive peritoneal cytology result (hazard ratio [HR], 35.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-1095.64; P = 0.0428), age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (AACCI) (HR, 52.08; 95% CI, 12.35-219.61; P < 0.001), and FIGO (Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) stage IV (HR, 138.33; 95% CI, 17.38-1101.05; P < 0.001) were predictors of RFS. Similarly, depth of myometrial invasion ≥ 1/2 (HR, 1; 95% CI, 0.46-2.19; P = 0.995), AACCI (HR, 93.63; 95% CI, 14.87-589.44; P < 0.001), and FIGO stage IV (HR, 608.26; 95% CI, 73.41-5039.66; P < 0.001) were predictors of OS. The nomograms showed good predictive capability, positive discriminative ability, and calibration (RFS: 0.895 and OS: 0.891). CONCLUSION: The nomograms performed well in internal validation when patients were stratified into prognostic groups, offering a personalized approach for risk stratification and treatment decision-making.

Comparative efficacy of sweated and non-sweated Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. extracts on acute myocardial ischemia via regulating the PPARα/RXRα/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. (S. miltiorrhiza) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The processing of S. miltiorrhiza requires the raw herbs to sweat first and then dry. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-acute myocardial ischemia (AMI) of S. miltiorrhiza extracts (including tanshinones and phenolic acids) before and after sweating, and to further explore whether the "sweating" primary processing affected the efficacy of S. miltiorrhiza. The AMI animal model was established by subcutaneous injection of isoprenaline hydrochloride (ISO). After treatment, the cardiac function of rats was evaluated by electrocardiogram (ECG), biochemical, and histochemical analysis. Moreover, the regulation of S. miltiorrhiza extracts on the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα)/retinoid X receptor α (RXRα)/nuclear transcription factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway of rats was assessed by the Western blotting. The results showed that sweated and non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza extracts including tanshinones and phenolic acids significantly reduced ST-segment elevation in ECG and the myocardial infarction area in varying degrees. Meanwhile, sweated and non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza reversed the activities of aspartate transaminase (AST), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), as well as the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in AMI rats. Concurrently, the results of Western blotting revealed that S. miltiorrhiza extracts regulated the PPARα/RXRα/NF-κB signaling pathway to exert an anti-inflammatory effect. Most importantly, sweated S. miltiorrhiza tanshinones extracts are more effective than the non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza, and the anti-inflammatory efficacy of tanshinones extract was also better than that of phenolic acid extract. Although phenolic acid extracts before and after sweating were effective in anti-AMI, there was no significant difference between them. In conclusion, both tanshinones and phenolic acids extracts of sweated and non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza promote anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory against AMI via regulating the PPARα/RXRα/NF-κB signaling pathway. Further, the comparations between sweated and non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza extracts indicate that sweated S. miltiorrhiza tanshinones extracts have better therapeutic effects on AMI.

Microbiome-mediated alleviation of tobacco replant problem via autotoxin degradation after long-term continuous cropping.

Continuous cropping often results in severe "replant problem," across various crops due to the autotoxins accumulation, soil acidification, pathogens proliferation, and microbial dysfunction. We unveiled a groundbreaking phenomenon that long-term continuous cropping (LTCC) can alleviate the tobacco replant problem. This mitigation occurs through the enrichment of autotoxin-degrading microbes, and the transformative impact is evident with even a modest application (10%) of LTCC soil to short-term continuous cropping (STCC) soil. Our investigation has pinpointed specific autotoxin-degrading bacteria, particularly the Pseudomonas and Burkholderia species, which exhibit the capacity to alleviate the tobacco replant problem in STCC soil. Their autotoxin-degrading mechanism using axenic culture and soil samples was also conducted via comprehensive analyses of microbiome and transcriptome approach. This research sheds light on the potential of LTCC as a strategic approach for sustainable agriculture, addressing replant problems and promoting the health of cropping systems. UV, ultraviolet; OD, optical density.