The water lily genome and the early evolution of flowering plants.

Water lilies belong to the angiosperm order Nymphaeales. Amborellales, Nymphaeales and Austrobaileyales together form the so-called ANA-grade of angiosperms, which are extant representatives of lineages that diverged the earliest from the lineage leading to the extant mesangiosperms1-3. Here we report the 409-megabase genome sequence of the blue-petal water lily (Nymphaea colorata). Our phylogenomic analyses support Amborellales and Nymphaeales as successive sister lineages to all other extant angiosperms. The N. colorata genome and 19 other water lily transcriptomes reveal a Nymphaealean whole-genome duplication event, which is shared by Nymphaeaceae and possibly Cabombaceae. Among the genes retained from this whole-genome duplication are homologues of genes that regulate flowering transition and flower development. The broad expression of homologues of floral ABCE genes in N. colorata might support a similarly broadly active ancestral ABCE model of floral organ determination in early angiosperms. Water lilies have evolved attractive floral scents and colours, which are features shared with mesangiosperms, and we identified their putative biosynthetic genes in N. colorata. The chemical compounds and biosynthetic genes behind floral scents suggest that they have evolved in parallel to those in mesangiosperms. Because of its unique phylogenetic position, the N. colorata genome sheds light on the early evolution of angiosperms.

Single-cell sequencing of head and neck carcinoma: Transcriptional landscape and prognostic model based on malignant epithelial cell features.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common malignancy worldwide, and the development of novel therapeutic strategies for HNSCC requires a profound understanding of tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME). Additionally, HNSCC has a poor prognosis, necessitating the use of genetic markers for predicting clinical outcomes in HNSCC. In this study, we performed single-cell sequencing analysis on tumor tissues from seven HNSCC patients, along with one adjacent normal tissue. Firstly, the analysis of epithelial cell clusters revealed two clusters of malignant epithelial cells, characterized by unique gene expression patterns and dysregulated signaling pathways compared to normal epithelial cells. Secondly, the examination of the TME unveiled extensive crosstalk between fibroblasts and malignant epithelial cells, potentially mediated through ligand-receptor interactions such as COL1A1-SDC1, COL1A1-CD44, and COL1A2-SDC1. Furthermore, transcriptional heterogeneity was observed in immune cells present in the TME, including macrophages and dendritic cells. Finally, leveraging the gene expression profiles of malignant epithelial cells, we developed a prognostic model comprising six genes, which we validated using two independent datasets. These findings shed light on the heterogeneity within HNSCC tumors and the intricate interplay between malignant cells and the TME. Importantly, the developed prognostic model demonstrates high efficacy in predicting the survival outcomes of HNSCC patients.

Radiomics analysis from magnetic resonance imaging in predicting the grade of nonfunctioning pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: a multicenter study.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the potential of radiomics features to predict the histologic grade of nonfunctioning pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (NF-PNET) patients using non-contrast sequence based on MRI. METHODS: Two hundred twenty-eight patients with NF-PNETs undergoing MRI at 5 centers were retrospectively analyzed. Data from center 1 (n = 115) constituted the training cohort, and data from centers 2-5 (n = 113) constituted the testing cohort. Radiomics features were extracted from T2-weighted images and the apparent diffusion coefficient. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator was applied to select the most important features and to develop radiomics signatures. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was performed to assess models. RESULTS: Tumor boundary, enhancement homogeneity, and vascular invasion were used to construct the radiological model to stratify NF-PNET patients into grade 1 and 2/3 groups, which yielded AUC of 0.884 and 0.684 in the training and testing groups. A radiomics model including 4 features was constructed, with an AUC of 0.941 and 0.871 in the training and testing cohorts. The fusion model combining the radiomics signature and radiological characteristics showed good performance in the training set (AUC = 0.956) and in the testing set (AUC = 0.864), respectively. CONCLUSION: The developed model that integrates radiomics features with radiological characteristics could be used as a non-invasive, dependable, and accurate tool for the preoperative prediction of grade in NF-PNETs. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Our study revealed that the fusion model based on a non-contrast MR sequence can be used to predict the histologic grade before operation. The radiomics model may be a new and effective biological marker in NF-PNETs. KEY POINTS: The diagnostic performance of the radiomics model and fusion model was better than that of the model based on clinical information and radiological features in predicting grade 1 and 2/3 of nonfunctioning pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NF-PNETs). Good performance of the model in the four external testing cohorts indicated that the radiomics model and fusion model for predicting the grades of NF-PNETs were robust and reliable, indicating the two models could be used in the clinical setting and facilitate the surgeons' decision on risk stratification. The radiomics features were selected from non-contrast T2-weighted images (T2WI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) sequence, which means that the administration of contrast agent was not needed in grading the NF-PNETs.

Three stilbenes from pigeon pea with promising anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation activity.

Cajaninstilbene acid (CSA), longistylin A (LLA), and longistylin C (LLC) are three characteristic stilbenes isolated from pigeon pea. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of these stilbenes against Staphylococcus aureus and even methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and test the possibility of inhibiting biofilm formation. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of these stilbenes were evaluated. And the results showed that LLA was most effective against tested strains with MIC and MBC values of 1.56 µg/mL followed by LLC with MIC and MBC values of 3.12 µg/mL and 6.25 µg/mL as well as CSA with MIC and MBC values of 6.25 µg/mL and 6.25-12.5 µg/mL. Through growth curve and cytotoxicity analysis, the concentrations of these stilbenes were determined to be set at their respective 1/4 MIC in the follow-up research. In an anti-biofilm formation assay, these stilbenes were found to be effectively inhibited bacterial proliferation, biofilm formation, and key gene expressions related to the adhesion and virulence of MRSA. It is the first time that the anti-S. aureus and MRSA activities of the three stilbenes have been systematically reported. Conclusively, these findings provide insight into the anti-MRSA mechanism of stilbenes from pigeon pea, indicating these compounds may be used as antimicrobial agents or additives for food with health functions, and contribute to the development as well as application of pigeon pea in food science.

Efficient detection of Streptococcus pyogenes based on recombinase polymerase amplification and lateral flow strip.

PURPOSE: This article aims to establish a rapid visual method for the detection of Streptococcus pyogenes (GAS) based on recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) and lateral flow strip (LFS). METHODS: Utilizing speB of GAS as a template, RPA primers were designed, and basic RPA reactions were performed. To reduce the formation of primer dimers, base mismatch was introduced into primers. The probe was designed according to the forward primer, and the RPA-LFS system was established. According to the color results of the reaction system, the optimum reaction temperature and time were determined. Thirteen common clinical standard strains and 14 clinical samples of GAS were used to detect the selectivity of this method. The detection limit of this method was detected by using tenfold gradient dilution of GAS genome as template. One hundred fifty-six clinical samples were collected and compared with qPCR method and culture method. Kappa index and clinical application evaluation of the RPA-LFS were carried out. RESULTS: The enhanced RPA-LFS method demonstrates the ability to complete the amplification process within 6 min at 33 °C. This method exhibits a high analytic sensitivity, with the lowest detection limit of 0.908 ng, and does not exhibit cross-reaction with other pathogenic bacteria. CONCLUSIONS: The utilization of RPA and LFS allows for efficient and rapid testing of GAS, thereby serving as a valuable method for point-of-care testing.

Permanent left bundle branch area pacing improves mitral regurgitation and cardiac function in patients with right bundle branch block.

BACKGROUND: Permanent left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) has been established as an effective means to correct left bundle branch block. Right bundle branch block (RBBB), emerge as a distinct form of cardiac conduction abnormality, can be seen in the context of LBBAP procedure. However, the correction potential of LBBAP in patients with RBBB remains largely unexplored. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of permanent LBBAP in patients with RBBB. METHODS: Ninety-two consecutive patients who underwent successful permanent LBBAP were recruited from May. 2019 to Dec. 2022 in Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital. Among them, 20 patients with RBBB were included in our analysis. These patients were followed up at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months post-LBBAP. The QRS duration (QRSd) on the V1 lead of the 12-lead elctrocardiogram was measured and compared before and after the LBBAP procedure. Additionally, mitral regurgitation, tricuspid regurgitation and cardiac function were assessed using transthoracic echocardiography, specifically focusing on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and mitral regurgitation severity. The acute pitfills and delayed complications associated with the LBBAP procedure were recorded to evaluate its safety. SPSS 23.0 was used to perform statistical analysis with Student's t test or one way ANOVA or nonparametric tests (paired Wilcoxon test). A p value less than 0.05 was defined as significant. RESULTS: The demographic breakdown of the RBBB cohort revealed a mean age of 66.35 ± 11.55 years, 60% being male. Comorbidities were prevalent, including severe atrioventricular block (AVB) in 75%, sick sinus syndrome (SSS) in 20%, heart failure in 25%, atrial fibrillation in 30%, coronary heart diseases in 45%, hypertension in 35%, and diabetes mellitus in 15%. Regarding the LBBAP procedure, the average operation time was 106.53 ± 2.72 min, with 45% of patients (9 individuals) requiring temporary cardiac pacing during the surgery. Notably, the LBBAP procedure significantly narrow the QRS duration in RBBB patients, from 132.60 ± 31.49ms to 119.55 ± 18.58 ms (P = 0.046). Additionally, at the 12-month follow-up, we observed a marked improvement in LVEF, which increased significantly from 55.15 ± 10.84% to 58.5 ± 10.55% (P = 0.018). Furthermore, mitral regurgitation severity improved, with a median reduction from 4.46 (0.9, 7.3) to 2.29 (0, 3.49) cm2 (P = 0.033). Importantly, no cases of ventricular septum perforation or pericardial effusion were reported during the LBBAP procedure or during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: LBBAP provides an immediate reduction in QRS duration for patients suffering from RBBB, accompanied by improvements in mitral regurgitation and cardiac function as evident in the 12-month follow-up period.

Outcomes of Chengdu Pediatric Emergency Triage Criteria: A Retrospective Study of 198,628 Pediatric Patient Records.

BACKGROUND The Chengdu pediatric emergency triage criteria were developed at our hospital and consist of 4 triage levels: immediate treatment (level 1), treatment within 10 min (level 2), treatment within 30 min (level 3), and treatment within 240 min (level 4). This study aimed to evaluate outcomes from the levels 1 to 4 of this triage criteria. MATERIAL AND METHODS A self-designed survey form was used to collect pediatric Emergency Department (ED) patients' general data, including age, sex, and chief concern, and clinical data, including triage level, whether the patient had died, and whether the patient was admitted to our hospital. A total of 198,628 patient records that were triaged during January to May 2022 using Chengdu pediatric emergency triage criteria were included in this retrospective study. The numbers of patients triaged to levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 were 128, 1164, 14,560, and 182,776, respectively. RESULTS Statistically significant differences were found in waiting time for treatment, hospital admission rates, admission conversion rates, and case mix index at admission under different triage levels. The higher the triage priority level, the shorter the waiting time for ED treatment, higher the hospital admission and admission conversion rates, and higher case mix index value. CONCLUSIONS The Chengdu pediatric emergency triage criteria developed and applied within our hospital appears to be characterized by good clinical validity. Equipped with this triage criteria, triage nurses are more capable of determining the severity and emergency of the pediatric ED patients' health conditions and effectively triaging the patients.

Use of artificial intelligence algorithms to analyse systemic sclerosis-interstitial lung disease imaging features.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) for diagnosing systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) is relatively limited. This study aimed to analyse lung HRCT images of patients with systemic sclerosis with interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) using artificial intelligence (AI), conduct correlation analysis with clinical manifestations and prognosis, and explore the features and prognosis of SSc-ILD. Overall, 72 lung HRCT images and clinical data of 58 patients with SSC-ILD were collected. ILD lesion type, location, and volume on HRCT images were identified and evaluated using AI. The imaging characteristics of diffuse SSC (dSSc)-ILD and limited SSc-ILD (lSSc-ILD) were statistically analysed. Furthermore, the correlations between lesion type, clinical indicators, and prognosis were investigated. dSSc and lSSc were more prevalent in patients with a disease duration of < 1 and ≥ 5 years, respectively. SSc-ILD mainly comprises non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP), and unclassifiable idiopathic interstitial pneumonia. HRCT reveals various lesion types in the early stages of the disease, with an increase in the number of lesion types as the disease progresses. Lesions appearing as grid, ground-glass, and nodular shadows were dispersed throughout both lungs, while those appearing as consolidation shadows and honeycomb were distributed across the lungs. Ground-glass opacity lesion type was absent on HRCT images of patients with SSc-ILD and pulmonary hypertension. This study showed that AI can efficiently analyse imaging characteristics of SSc-ILD, demonstrating its potential to learn from complex images with high generalisation ability.

Protective role of pyrroloquinoline quinone against gentamicin induced cochlear hair cell ototoxicity.

Gentamicin (GM) is one of the commonly used antibiotics in the aminoglycoside class but is ototoxic, which constantly impacts the quality of human life. Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) as a redox cofactor produced by bacteria was found in soil and foods that exert an antioxidant and redox modulator. It is well documented that the PQQ can alleviate inflammatory responses and cytotoxicity. However, our understanding of PQQ in ototoxicity remains unclear. We reported that PQQ could protect against GM-induced ototoxicity in House Ear Institute-Organ of Corti 1 (HEI-OC1) cells in vitro. To evaluate reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and mitochondrial function, ROS and JC-1 staining, oxygen consumption rate (OCR), and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) measurements in living cells, mitochondrial dynamics analysis was performed. GM-mediated damage was performed by reducing the production of ROS and inhibiting mitochondria biogenesis and dynamics. PQQ ameliorated the cellular oxidative stress and recovered mitochondrial membrane potential, facilitating the recovery of mitochondrial biogenesis and dynamics. Our in vitro findings improve our understanding of the GM-induced ototoxicity with therapeutic implications for PQQ.

Measuring the continuing care needs of inpatients in rural China.

BACKGROUND: International experience shows that the suitability of a high-performance healthcare system for its given purposes is reflected in its ability to provide a continuum of services that match the changing health status of the given population. Although many low- and middle-income countries have sought to bring movement away from hospital-centered and towards patient-centered healthcare, such efforts have often had poor results, and one of the major reasons for this is the inability to accurately identify which inpatients need continuing care and what kind of continuing of care is needed. OBJECTIVES: To measure and assess the continuing care needs of discharged patients and its influencing factors in rural China. METHODS: Data were obtained from the hospital database of Medical Center M in County Z from May to July 2022. County Z is a county of 1 million people in central China. The database includes basic patient information, disease-related information, and information on readiness for hospital discharge. Factors related to the need for continuing care were included in the analysis. The Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale was used to assess the need for continuing care. The statistical data are expressed in terms of both frequency and composition ratio. Finally, linear regression was used to analyze the factors influencing the need for continuing care. RESULTS: The analysis included a total of 3,791 patients, 123 of whom (3.25%) had continuing nursing needs. The need of continuing nursing was related to patients' age group, mode of admission, occupation and major diagnostic categories (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Developing continuing care is an important initiative for bridging the fragmentation of health services, and an appropriate supply system for continuing care, interconnected with inpatient services, should be established in rural areas in China as soon as possible. And provide more appropriate care for patients in need.

Analysis of Influencing Factors of Professional Identity of Nurses in Infection Department in the Post-Epidemic Era.

Objective: The objective of this study was to understand the factors that influence the professional identity of nurses working in infectious diseases departments following the COVID-19 epidemic. Additionally, the research aims to provide a theoretical foundation for enhancing nurses' professional identity in these departments. Methods: A total of 155 nurses from the infection departments of 5 hospitals in Guangdong Province were selected using a convenience sampling method. A locally designed general questionnaire, nurse occupational benefit scale, and occupational identity scale were employed for data collection. Single-factor linear analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were conducted to analyze the data. Results: The average occupational identity score of nurses in the infection departments was 105.50±18.94. Multiple linear regression analysis results indicated that several factors influenced professional identity, including family support, recognition from doctors, participation in integrated medical and nursing ward rounds, positive perception of professional benefits, and a sense of belonging to a team. Conclusion: In the post-epidemic era, the professional identity of nurses working in the infection departments is moderately affected by various factors, particularly the perception of occupational advantages post-exposure to the epidemic.

UBE2L3 promotes benzene-induced hematotoxicity via autophagy-dependent ferroptosis.

Benzene is a common environmental pollutant and significant health hazard. Low-dose benzene exposure is common in most industrial settings, and some workers exhibit hematotoxicity characterized by impaired hematopoietic function. Consequently, understanding the early hematopoietic damage and biomarkers associated with low-dose benzene exposure is of critical importance for health risk assessment. Using data from a 5-year prospective cohort study on benzene exposure and the National Center for Biotechnology Information's Gene Expression Omnibus database, we detected significant downregulation of the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme UBE2L3 (E2) in benzene-exposed subjects compared to control subjects. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and co-immunoprecipitation experiments illustrated the binding interaction between UBE2L3 and the ubiquitin-protein ligase ZNF598 (E3). We applied deep learning algorithms to predict candidate interacting proteins and then conducted validation via co-immunoprecipitation experiments, which showed that ZNF598 engages in binding with the autophagy protein LAMP-2. Subsequent overexpression and knockdown of UBE2L3 coupled with immunofluorescence experiments and transmission electron microscopy revealed that UBE2L3 disrupts the ubiquitination-degradation of LAMP-2 by ZNF598, reduces GPX4 expression levels, and activates an autophagy-dependent ferroptosis pathway. It also leads to increased lipid peroxidation, thereby promoting ferroptosis and contributing to the hematotoxicity induced by benzene. In summary, our results suggest that UBE2L3 may be involved in early hematopoietic damage by modulating the autophagy-dependent ferroptosis signaling pathway in benzene-induced hematotoxicity.

Lycium barbarum polysaccharide's protective effects against PM2.5-induced cellular senescence in HUVECs.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure is strongly associated with vascular endothelial senescence, a process implicated in cardiovascular diseases. While there is existing knowledge on the impact of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) on vascular endothelial damage, the protective mechanism of LBP against PM2.5-induced vascular endothelial senescence remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the impact of PM2.5 exposure on vascular endothelial senescence and explored the intervention effects of LBP in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). We found that PM2.5 exposure dose-dependently reduced cell viability and proliferation in HUVECs while increasing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Additionally, PM2.5 exposure inhibited the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Notably, PM2.5 exposure induced autophagy impairments and cellular senescence. However, LBP mitigated PM2.5-induced cell damage. Further studies demonstrated that correcting autophagy impairment in HUVECs reduced the expression of the senescence markers P16 and P21 induced by PM2.5. This suggests the regulatory role of autophagy in cellular senescence and the potential of LBP in improving HUVECs senescence. These findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying PM2.5-induced cardiovascular toxicity and highlight the potential of LBP as a therapeutic agent for improving vascular endothelial health.

Association between left bundle branch block and ventricular septal mid-wall fibrosis in patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction.

BACKGROUND: The left bundle branch block (LBBB) is associated with ventricular septal mid-wall fibrosis (SMF) in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). However, whether LBBB is also associated with SMF in patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) remains unclear. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 210 patients with preserved LVEF (male, n = 116; female, n = 94; mean age, 44 ± 17 years). LBBB was defined as QRS duration ≥140 ms for men or ≥ 130 ms for women, QS or rS in V1-V2, mid-QRS notching or slurring in at least two leads (V1, V2, V5, V6, I, and aVL). SMF determined by late gadolinium-enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance was defined as stripe-like or patchy mid-myocardial hyper-enhancement in the interventricular septal segments. RESULTS: SMF was detected in 24.8% (52/210) of these patients. The proportion of patients with SMF with LBBB was higher than the proportion of patients with SMF without LBBB (58.3% vs. 20.4%; P < 0.001). In the forward multivariate logistic analysis, LBBB (OR, 4.399; 95% CI, 1.774-10.904; P = 0.001) and age (OR, 1.028; 95% CI, 1.006-1.051; P = 0.011) were independently associated with SMF. The presence of LBBB showed a sensitivity of 27%%, specificity of 94%, positive predictive value of 58%%, and negative predictive value of 80% for the detection of SMF. CONCLUSION: LBBB was significantly associated with SMF in hospitalized patients with preserved LVEF. Screening with a resting 12­lead ECG may help to identify patients who are at a high risk of the presence of SMF.

Application of deep learning to pressure injury staging.

OBJECTIVE: Accurate assessment of pressure injuries (PIs) is necessary for a good outcome. Junior and non-specialist nurses have less experience with PIs and lack clinical practice, and so have difficulty staging them accurately. In this work, a deep learning-based system for PI staging and tissue classification is proposed to help improve its accuracy and efficiency in clinical practice, and save healthcare costs. METHOD: A total of 1610 cases of PI and their corresponding photographs were collected from clinical practice, and each sample was accurately staged and the tissues labelled by experts for training a Mask Region-based Convolutional Neural Network (Mask R-CNN, Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research, Meta, US) object detection and instance segmentation network. A recognition system was set up to automatically stage and classify the tissues of the remotely uploaded PI photographs. RESULTS: On a test set of 100 samples, the average precision of this model for stage recognition reached 0.603, which exceeded that of the medical personnel involved in the comparative evaluation, including an enterostomal therapist. CONCLUSION: In this study, the deep learning-based PI staging system achieved the evaluation performance of a nurse with professional training in wound care. This low-cost system could help overcome the difficulty of identifying PIs by junior and non-specialist nurses, and provide valuable auxiliary clinical information.

A survey of ethical sensitivity among nursing students and its influencing factors.

BACKGROUND: Nurses frequently experience ethical issues in their area of practice. In the challenging reality of today's healthcare environment, nursing students need to be prepared to deal with ethical issues in their future roles. Nevertheless, Chinese nursing students' ethical sensitivity status and the factors influencing it have not been described. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the level of ethical sensitivity and its influencing factors among Chinese nursing students. RESEARCH DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study. We firstly cross-culturally adapted the Japanese version of the Ethical Sensitivity Questionnaire for Nursing Students (ESQ-NS) into a Chinese version. Then, we administered the Chinese version of ESQ-NS, the Caring Ability Inventory (CAI), and general information questionnaire to nursing undergraduates. PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT: The invitations were sent to 600 nursing undergraduates from four universities in Hunan, China. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: The study was supported by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the lead university. The Approval No. was E202092. RESULTS: A total of 489 undergraduate nursing students participated in the study. The mean score for ethical sensitivity of the samples was 36.34 ± 4.90, and 187.99 ± 22.64 for their humanistic care ability. Pearson's correlation coefficient test indicated a meaningful and positive relationship between the ethical sensitivity and humanistic care ability (r = 0.576 and p < .01). And regression analysis showed that age, school year, experience in studying nursing ethics, how much you like nursing major, and humanistic care ability were of relevance to nursing students' ethical sensitivity. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that the mean ethical sensitivity score of Chinese nursing students is 36.34 (13-52). The humanistic caring ability of Chinese nursing students is still at a low level. CONCLUSION: Future interventions for improving the ethical sensitivity of the nursing students should consider general information of participants and their humanistic care ability.

[Clinical and genetic analysis of a Chinese pedigree affected with type 2 Long QT syndrome due to variant of KCNH2 gene].

OBJETIVE: To explore the clinical and genetic etiology of a Chinese pedigree affected with type 2 Long QT syndrome (LQTS). METHODS: A pedigree with type 2 LQTS presented at Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital on August 23, 2019 was selected as the study subject. Peripheral blood samples were collected from the proband and her parents. Following extraction of genomic DNA, whole exome sequencing (WES) was carried out for the proband, and candidate variant was screened through functional annotation and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis. Sanger sequencing was conducted to verify the pathogenicity of candidate variant. This study was approved by the Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital (Ethics No. 2019-15). RESULTS: WES revealed that the proband has harbored a missense variant of the KCNH2 gene, namely c.1478A>G (p.Tyr493Cys), which was confirmed by Sanger sequencing to have inherited from her father. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the variant was classified as likely pathogenic (PM2_supporting+PM5+PP3+PP4). CONCLUSION: The KCNH2 gene c.1478A>G (p.Tyr493Cys) variant probably underlay the type 2 LQTS in this pedigree.

Fine-Scale analysis of both wild and cultivated horned galls provides insight into their quality differentiation.

BACKGROUND: Galla chinensis is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) produced due to the interaction between the Fordinae aphids and the Rhus plant species. Horned galls with high tannin content are the most widely cultivated gall type, and Wufeng county of Hubei province in China is the center of cultivation. However, long-term artificial cultivation and domestication of horned galls to meet the increasing production demand have led to quality degradation. Understanding the reasons underlying quality degradation is urgent for horned gall production and application. The present study used a combination of metabolic, genetic, and ecological analyses to investigate the quality and genetic differentiation of the horned galls under long-term domestication as well as the potential relationships between them. RESULTS: Analysis of gallic acid content and other three phenotypic traits (fresh weight, gall size, and wall thickness) revealed quality differentiation of horned galls collected from five locations in Wufeng, in which the cultivated samples from Wang Jiaping (WJP) showed the highest degradation. Genetic differentiation between the cultivated and wild Rhus chinensis trees in WJP, and between WJP and the other populations was detected based on SSR molecular markers, however, no significant difference in genetic structure was seen for the aphid populations. Among the various ecological factors examined, temperature was identified as the primary one affecting the quality of horned galls. CONCLUSIONS: Both genetic and ecological factors caused quality differentiation of horned galls. The collection of diverse germplasm of host trees and aphids will help reduce the quality degradation of horned galls in Wufeng.

A novel genome sequence of Jasminum sambac helps uncover the molecular mechanism underlying the accumulation of jasmonates.

Jasminum sambac is a well-known plant for its attractive and exceptional fragrance, the flowers of which are used to produce scented tea. Jasmonate (JA), an important plant hormone was first identified in Jasminum species. Jasmine plants contain abundant JA naturally, of which the molecular mechanisms of synthesis and accumulation are not clearly understood. Here, we report a telomere-to-telomere consensus assembly of a double-petal J. sambac genome along with two haplotype-resolved genomes. We found that gain-and-loss, positive selection, and allelic specific expression of aromatic volatile-related genes contributed to the stronger flower fragrance in double-petal J. sambac compared with single- and multi-petal jasmines. Through comprehensive comparative genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses of double-petal J. sambac, we revealed the genetic basis of the production of aromatic volatiles and salicylic acid (SA), and the accumulation of JA under non-stress conditions. We identified several key genes associated with JA biosynthesis, and their non-stress related activities lead to extraordinarily high concentrations of JA in tissues. High JA synthesis coupled with low degradation in J. sambac results in accumulation of high JA under typical environmental conditions, similar to the accumulation mechanism of SA. This study offers important insights into the biology of J. sambac, and provides valuable genomic resources for further utilization of natural products.

A review on the role of gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase 1 antisense RNA 1 in the carcinogenesis and tumor progression.

Gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase 1 antisense RNA 1 (BBOX1-AS1), located on human chromosome 11 p14, emerges as a critical player in tumorigenesis with diverse oncogenic effects. Aberrant expression of BBOX1-AS1 intricately regulates various cellular processes, including cell growth, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, migration, invasion, metastasis, cell death, and stemness. Notably, the expression of BBOX1-AS1 was significantly correlated with clinical-pathological characteristics and tumor prognoses, and it could also be used for the diagnosis of lung and esophageal cancers. Through its involvement in the ceRNA network, BBOX1-AS1 competitively binds to eight miRNAs in ten different cancer types. Additionally, BBOX1-AS1 can directly modulate downstream protein-coding genes or act as an mRNA stabilizer. The implications of BBOX1-AS1 extend to critical signaling pathways, including Hedgehog, Wnt/ß-catenin, and MELK/FAK pathways. Moreover, it influences drug resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma. The present study provides a systematic review of the clinical significance of BBOX1-AS1's aberrant expression in diverse tumor types. It sheds light on the intricate molecular mechanisms through which BBOX1-AS1 influences cancer initiation and progression and outlines potential avenues for future research in this field.