Tunable liquid-solid hybrid thermal metamaterials with a topology transition.

Thermal metamaterials provide rich control of heat transport which is becoming the foundation of cutting-edge applications ranging from chip cooling to biomedical. However, due to the fundamental laws of physics, the manipulation of heat is much more constrained in conventional thermal metamaterials where effective heat conduction with Onsager reciprocity dominates. Here, through the inclusion of thermal convection and breaking the Onsager reciprocity, we unveil a regime in thermal metamaterials and transformation thermotics that goes beyond effective heat conduction. By designing a liquid-solid hybrid thermal metamaterial, we demonstrate a continuous switch from thermal cloaking to thermal concentration in one device with external tuning. Underlying such a switch is a topology transition in the virtual space of the thermotic transformation which is achieved by tuning the liquid flow via external control. These findings illustrate the extraordinary heat transport in complex multicomponent thermal metamaterials and pave the way toward an unprecedented regime of heat manipulation.

Giant, magnet-free, and room-temperature Hall-like heat transfer.

Thermal chirality, generically referring to the handedness of heat flux, provides a significant possibility for modern heat control. It may be realized with the thermal Hall effect yet at the high cost of strong magnetic fields and extremely low temperatures. Here, we reveal magnet-free and room-temperature Hall-like heat transfer in an active thermal lattice composed of a stationary solid matrix and rotating solid particles. Rotation breaks the Onsager reciprocity relation and generates giant thermal chirality about two orders of magnitude larger than ever reported at the optimal rotation velocity. We further achieve anisotropic thermal chirality by breaking the rotation invariance of the active lattice, bringing effective thermal conductivity to a region unreachable by the thermal Hall effect. These results could enlighten topological and non-Hermitian heat transfer and efficient heat utilization in ways distinct from phonons.

Exosome-based engineering strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of oral and maxillofacial diseases.

Oral and maxillofacial diseases are one of the most prevalent diseases in the world, which not only seriously affect the health of patients' oral and maxillofacial tissues, but also bring serious economic and psychological burdens to patients. Therefore, oral and maxillofacial diseases require effective treatment. Traditional treatments have limited effects. In recent years, nature exosomes have attracted increasing attention due to their ability to diagnose and treat diseases. However, the application of nature exosomes is limited due to low yield, high impurities, lack of targeting, and high cost. Engineered exosomes can be endowed with better comprehensive therapeutic properties by modifying exosomes of parent cells or directly modifying exosomes, and biomaterial loading exosomes. Compared with natural exosomes, these engineered exosomes can achieve more effective diagnosis and treatment of oral and maxillary system diseases, and provide reference and guidance for clinical application. This paper reviews the engineering modification methods of exosomes and the application of engineered exosomes in oral and maxillofacial diseases and looks forward to future research directions.

Genetic spectrum of Chinese children with cystic fibrosis: comprehensive data analysis from the main referral centre in China.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a heterogeneous disease with a diverse genetic spectrum among populations. Few patients with CF of Chinese origin have been reported worldwide. The objective of this study is to characterise the genotypic features of CF in Chinese children. METHODS: We recruited and characterised the genetic manifestations of 103 Chinese children with CF in Beijing Children's Hospital from 2010 to 2022. Whole-exome sequencing were performed to define the genotypes. Meanwhile, other 99 genetically confirmed patients with Chinese origin described in 45 references were also summarised. RESULTS: 158 different variants including 23 novel observations were identified after sequencing. The majority of CFTR variants (82.3%) in Chinese have been observed only once or twice. 43.7% of the variants were only identified in patients of Chinese origin. The c.2909G>A(p.Gly970Asp), c.1766+5G>T and c.1657C>T(p.Arg553X) were the most frequent variants among Chinese patients, with allele frequency of 12.1%, 5.4% and 3.6%, respectively. The first two variants both showed significant Chinese ethnic tendency, while the latter one most likely came from Europeans for historical reasons. They also demonstrated significant differences in geographical distribution. c.1521_1523delCTT(p.F508del) was rarely observed in patients of pure Chinese origin, with an allele frequency of 1.8%. Two de novo variants (c.960dupA[p.Ser321IlefsX43] and c.2491-2A>G) and two deep-intronic variants (c.3718-2477C>T and c.3874-4522A>G) were identified, which were also quite rare among Chinese. CONCLUSIONS: The genetic spectrum of CF in Chinese is unique and quite different from that observed in Caucasians. The geographical distributions of the most frequent variants were reported for the first time.

Interfacial Assembly of Nanowire Arrays toward Carbonaceous Mesoporous Nanorods and Superstructures.

Synthesis of anisotropic carbonaceous nano- and micro-materials with well-ordered mesoporous structures has attracted increasing attention for a broad scope of applications. Although hard-templating method has been widely employed, overcoming the viscous forces to prepare anisotropic mesoporous materials is particularly challenging via the universal soft-templating method, especially from sustainable biomass as a carbon resource. Herein, the synthesis of biomass-derived nanowire-arrays based mesoporous nanorods and teeth-like superstructures is reported, through a simple and straightforward polyelectrolyte assisted soft-templating hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) approach. A surface energy induced interfacial assembly mechanism with the synergetic interactions between micelles, nanowire, nanorods, and polyelectrolyte is proposed. The polyelectrolyte acts not only as a stabilizer to decrease the surface energy of cylindrical micelles, nanowires and nanorods, but also as a structure-directing agent to regulate the oriented attachment and anisotropic assembly of micelles, nanowires, and nanorods. After a calcination treatment, the carbon nanorod and teeth-like superstructure are successfully coupled with Ru to directly produce supported catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction, exhibiting much better performance than the isotropic nanospheres based catalyst. This HTC approach will open up new avenues for the synthesis of anisotropic materials with various morphologies and dimensions, expanding the palette of materials selection for many applications.

Identification of QTL related to anther color and hull color by RAD sequencing in a RIL population of Setaria italica.

BACKGROUND: Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) is one of the oldest domesticated crops and has been considered as an ideal model plant for C4 grasses. It has abundant type of anther and hull colors which is not only a most intuitive morphological marker for color selection in seed production, but also has very important biological significance for the study of molecular mechanism of regulating the synthesis and metabolism of flavonoids and lignin. However, only a few genetic studies have been reported for anther color and hull color in foxtail millet. RESULTS: Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis for anther color and hull color was conducted using 400 F6 and F7 recombinant inbreed lines (RILs) derived from a cross between parents Yugu18 and Jigu19. Using restriction-site associated DNA sequencing, 43,001 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 3,022 indels were identified between both the parents and the RILs. A total of 1,304 bin markers developed from the SNPs and indels were used to construct a genetic map that spanned 2196 cM of the foxtail millet genome with an average of 1.68 cM/bin. Combined with this genetic map and the phenotypic data observed in two locations for two years, two QTL located on chromosome 6 (Chr6) in a 1.215-Mb interval (33,627,819-34,877,940 bp) for anther color (yellow - white) and three QTL located on Chr1 in a 6.23-Mb interval (1-6,229,734 bp) for hull color (gold-reddish brown) were detected. To narrow the QTL regions identified from the genetic map and QTL analysis, we developed a new method named "inconsistent rate analysis" and efficiently narrowed the QTL regions of anther color into a 60-kb interval (34.13-34.19 Mb) in Chr6, and narrowed the QTL regions of hull color into 70-kb (5.43-5.50 Mb) and 30-kb (5.69-5.72 Mb) intervals in Chr1. Two genes (Seita.6G228600.v2.2 and Seita.6G228700.v2.2) and a cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) gene (Seita.1G057300.v2.2) with amino acid changes between the parents detected by whole-genome resequencing were identified as candidate genes for anther and hull color, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This work presents the related QTL and candidate genes of anther and hull color in foxtail millet and developed a new method named inconsistent rate analysis to detect the chromosome fragments linked with the quality trait in RILs. This is the first study of the QTL related to hull color in foxtail millet and clarifying that the CAD gene (Seita.1G057300.v2.2) is the key gene responsible for this trait. It lays the foundation for further cloning of the functional genes and provides a powerful tool to detect the chromosome fragments linked with quality traits in RILs.

Sequential Superassembly of Nanofiber Arrays to Carbonaceous Ordered Mesoporous Nanowires and Their Heterostructure Membranes for Osmotic Energy Conversion.

The capture of sustainable energy from a salinity gradient, in particular, using renewable biomass-derived functional materials, has attracted significant attention. In order to convert osmotic energy to electricity, many membrane materials with nanofluidic channels have been developed. However, the high cost, complex preparation process, and low output power density still restrict the practical application of traditional membranes. Herein, we report the synthesis of highly flexible and mechanically robust nanofiber-arrays-based carbonaceous ordered mesoporous nanowires (CMWs) through a simple and straightforward soft-templating hydrothermal carbonization approach. This sequential superassembly strategy shows a high yield and great versatility in controlling the dimensions of CMWs with the aspect ratio changes from about 3 to 39. Furthermore, these CMWs can be used as novel building blocks to construct functional hybrid membranes on macroporous alumina. This nanofluidic membrane with asymmetric geometry and charge polarity exhibits low resistance and high-performance energy conversion. This work opens a solution-based route for the one-pot preparation of CMWs and functional heterostructure membranes for various applications.

QTL mapping for foxtail millet plant height in multi-environment using an ultra-high density bin map.

KEY MESSAGE: Using a fixed RIL population derived from a widely used foxtail millet backbone breeding line and an elite cultivar, we constructed a high-density bin map and identified six novel multi-environment effect QTLs and seven candidate genes for dwarf phenotype. Plant height is an important trait that determines tradeoffs between competition and resource allocation, which is crucial for yield potential. To improve the C4 model plant foxtail millet (Setaria italica) productivity, it is necessary to isolate plant height-related genes that contribute to ideal plant architecture in breeding. In the present study, we generated a foxtail millet population of 333 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between a backbone line Ai 88 and an elite cultivar Liaogu 1. We evaluated plant height in 13 environmental conditions across 4 years, the mean plant height of the RIL population ranged from 89.5 to 149.9 cm. Using deep re-sequencing data, we constructed a high-density bin map with 3744 marker bins. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping identified 26 QTLs significantly associated with plant height. Of these, 13 QTLs were repeatedly detected under multiple environments, including six novel QTLs that have not been reported before. Seita.1G242300, a gene encodes gibberellin 2-oxidase-8, which was detected in nine environments in a 1.54-Mb interval of qPH1.3, was considered as an important candidate gene. Moreover, other six genes involved in GA biosynthesis or signaling pathways, and fifteen genes encode F-box domain proteins which might function as E3 ligases, were also considered as candidate genes in different QTLs. These QTLs and candidate genes identified in this study will help to elucidate the genetic basis of foxtail millet plant height, and the linked markers will be useful for marker-assistant selection of varieties with ideal plant architecture and high yield potential.

Genetic control and phenotypic characterization of panicle architecture and grain yield-related traits in foxtail millet (Setaria italica).

KEY MESSAGE: Multi-environment QTL mapping identified 23 stable loci and 34 co-located QTL clusters for panicle architecture and grain yield-related traits, which provide a genetic basis for foxtail millet yield improvement. Panicle architecture and grain weight, both of which are influenced by genetic and environmental factors, have significant effects on grain yield potential. Here, we used a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population of 333 lines of foxtail millet, which were grown in 13 trials with varying environmental conditions, to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling nine agronomic traits related to panicle architecture and grain yield. We found that panicle weight, grain weight per panicle, panicle length, panicle diameter, and panicle exsertion length varied across different geographical locations. QTL mapping revealed 159 QTL for nine traits. Of the 159 QTL, 34 were identified in 2 to 12 environments, suggesting that the genetic control of panicle architecture in foxtail millet is sensitive to photoperiod and/or other environmental factors. Eighty-eight QTL controlling different traits formed 34 co-located QTL clusters, including the triple QTL cluster qPD9.2/qPL9.5/qPEL9.3, which was detected 23 times in 13 environments. Several candidate genes, including Seita.2G388700, Seita.3G136000, Seita.4G185300, Seita.5G241500, Seita.5G243100, Seita.9G281300, and Seita.9G342700, were identified in the genomic intervals of multi-environmental QTL or co-located QTL clusters. Using available phenotypic and genotype data, we conducted haplotype analysis for Seita.2G002300 and Seita.9G064000,which showed high correlations with panicle weight and panicle exsertion length, respectively. These results not only provided a basis for further fine mapping, functional studies and marker-assisted selection of traits related to panicle architecture in foxtail millet, but also provide information for comparative genomics analyses of cereal crops.

Electromagnetic wave beam manipulator based on an all-dielectric THz coding metasurface.

In this paper, we proposed an all-dielectric THz coding metasurface that can effectively manipulate electromagnetic waves. This structure was composed of sub-wavelength coding units with different reflection phases. The encoding unit is composed of a rectangular base with a cross dielectric column. Different encodings were designed by changing the thickness of the X arm of the dielectric column. We designed a variety of coding modes and implemented the modulation of the number of far-field reflection beams and the angle of reflection direction at 0.85 THz by 1- and 2-bit coding. Our theoretical calculations and numerical simulations of the structure suggested that the far-field scattering obtained by full-wave simulation matched the theoretical calculation when the incident direction of electromagnetic wave was perpendicular to the metasurface. We chose all-dielectric materials to design the coding unit due to the low cost, strong corrosion resistance, and low internal electromagnetic loss. As a result, the all-dielectric materials avoided the serious internal loss of metal materials and demonstrated the flexibility to regulate the reflected beam in the THz band to realize abnormal refraction and beam splitting.

High throughput deep sequencing elucidates the important role of lncRNAs in Foxtail millet response to herbicides.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important function in plant growth and development as well as response to stresses. However, little information was known in foxtail millet; no study was reported on lncRNAs in plant response to herbicide treatment. In this study, by using deep sequencing and advanced bioinformatic analysis, a total of 2547 lncRNAs were identified, including 787 known and 1760 novel lncRNAs. These lncRNAs are distributed across all 9 chromosomes, and the majority were located in the intergenic region with 1-2 exons. These lncRNAs were differentially expressed between different genotypes under different herbicide treatments. lncRNAs regulate plant growth and development as well as response to herbicide treatments through targeting protein-coding genes that directly relate to chemical metabolism and defense system. Multiple potential target genes and lncRNA-mRNA-miRNA gene networks were discovered. These results elucidate the potential roles of lncRNAs in plant response to herbicides.

Unravelling the Hydration Barrier of Lignin Oleate Nanoparticles for Acid- and Base-Catalyzed Functionalization in Dispersion State.

Lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) are promising renewable nanomaterials with applications ranging from biomedicine to water purification. However, the instability of LNPs under acidic and basic conditions severely limits their functionalization for improved performance. Here, we show that controlling the degree of esterification can significantly improve the stability of lignin oleate nanoparticles (OLNPs) in acidic and basic aqueous dispersions. The high stability of OLNPs is attributed to the alkyl chains accumulated in the shell of the particle, which delays protonation/deprotonation of carboxylic acid and phenolic hydroxyl groups. Owing to the enhanced stability, acid- and base-catalyzed functionalization of OLNPs at pH 2.0 and pH 12.0 via oxirane ring-opening reactions were successfully performed. We also demonstrated these new functionalized particles as efficient pH-switchable dye adsorbents and anticorrosive particulate coatings.

STING-Associated Vasculopathy with Onset in Infancy in Three Children with New Clinical Aspect and Unsatisfactory Therapeutic Responses to Tofacitinib.

PURPOSE: STING-associated vasculopathy with onset in infancy (SAVI) is a new rare auto-inflammatory disease. The purpose of this study is to report new cases and summarize the manifestations and outcome of SAVI. METHODS: We made a retrospective analysis of three pediatric patients diagnosed with SAVI between March 2016 and July 2018 in Beijing Children's Hospital. RESULTS: Three patients comprised one boy and two girls. The median age of onset was 4 months. All patients had the same de novo heterozygous mutation (c.463G>A, p. V155M) of TMEM173. All patients presented with interstitial lung disease and one coexisted with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage. Rashes were presented in two patients. Other clinical manifestations include febrile attacks, failure to thrive, arthritis, myositis, cerebrovascular involvement, ureteral calculus, gastroesophageal reflux, and malnutrition. Ground-glass opacities were the most common features of chest computed tomography, followed with cysts and reticular opacities. Transbronchial lung biopsy was performed in one patient revealing pulmonary vasculitis. Skin biopsy was performed in one patient with changes of vasculitis. All patients were treated with corticosteroids and two patients received combined treatment of tofacitinib. The therapeutic effects of tofacitinib were limited on interstitial lung disease in both patients and were poor on rashes in one patient. One patient under the treatment of tofacitinib died. CONCLUSIONS: New clinical aspect of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage is first reported to be associated with SAVI. Unsatisfactory therapeutic effects of tofacitinib are observed in this study and further evaluations are needed.

Saccharothrix deserti sp. nov., an actinomycete isolated from desert soil.

A Gram-stain-positive, aerobic actinomycete, designated strain BMP B8144T, was isolated from desert soil, in Xinjiang province, northwest China. The isolate produced scanty aerial mycelium and fragmented substrate mycelium on most tested media. Cell-wall hydrolysates contained meso-diaminopimelic acid, galactose and mannose. The diagnostic phospholipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylhydroxylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylinositol mannosides. The major fatty acids included iso-C16 : 0, C17 : 1 ω8c and iso-C15 : 0. The predominant menaquinones were MK-9(H4) and MK-10(H4). The DNA G+C content was 70.4 mol% (genome). Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis on EzBioCloud server, strain BMP B8144T showed the closest similarities to Saccharothrix lopnurensis YIM LPA2hT (98.9 %) and 'Saccharothrix yanglingensis' Hhs.015 (98.6 %). However, it can be distinguished from the closest strains based on the low levels of DNA-DNA relatedness (59.3±1.8 and 47.9±2.3 %, respectively). A combination of morphological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic characteristics, strain BMP B8144T represents a novel species of the genus Saccharothrix, for which the name Saccharothrix deserti sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is BMP B8144T (=CGMCC 4.7490T=KCTC 49001T).

Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia associated thrombosis at Beijing Children's hospital.

BACKGROUND: With the increase of awareness of mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP), we found thrombosis in severe MPP (SMPP) was not rare. The aim of the study was to investigate the clinical characteristics, treatment, and long-term prognosis of MPP-associated thrombosis. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 43 children with MPP-associated thrombosis between January 2013 and June 2019 at Beijing Children's Hospital. The results of blood coagulation studies, autoimmune antibody, thrombophilia screening, contrast-enhanced lung computed tomography, echocardiography, and blood vessel ultrasonography were analyzed, as were treatment outcomes. RESULTS: Forty-two patients were diagnosed with SMPP. D-dimer was higher than 5.0 mg/L in 58.1% (25/43) of patients. The mean D-dimer level was 11.1 ± 12.4 mg/L. Anticardiolipin-IgM was positive in 60.0% of patients, ß2-glycoprotein-IgM in 64.0%, and lupus anticoagulant in 42.1%. Chest imaging revealed pulmonary consolidation with lobe distribution in all patients (2/3-1 lobe in 10 patients, > 1 lobe in 29 patients). In our experience, thrombosis can occur in a vessel of any part of the body, and it can be initially detected as late as 31 days after disease onset. Thrombosis in the brain and abdomen can occur early, at 5 days after disease onset. Pulmonary vessels were the most commonly involved sites in the current study, and accordingly chest pain was the most common symptom (32.6%), followed by neurological symptoms (14.0%) and abdominal pain (9.3%). Thirty-five percent of patients were asymptomatic with regard to thrombosis. All patients underwent anticoagulant therapy, and thrombus absorption took > 3 months in most patients. All patients were followed until October 2019, at which time 41 were asymptomatic and 2 had mild recurrent cough. CONCLUSIONS: SMPP with pulmonary consolidation (> 2/3 lobe) was the most strongly associated risk factor for thrombosis. Thrombosis-associated symptoms may be subtle, even absent. Elevated D-dimer, specifically > 11.1 mg/L (even > 5.0 mg/L), would assist in the early diagnosis of thrombosis. The long-term prognosis of thrombosis was good after timely administration of anticoagulant therapy.

Phytophthora cactorum as a Pathogen Associated with Root Rot on Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) in China.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is the largest grown pasture crop in China due to its economic and ecological importance. During the summer season from June to August in 2018, stunted plants was frequently observed in alfalfa fields that have been established for two years in Jinchang, Gansu Province. The disease incidence of root rot ranged from 40% to 50%. Taproots of stunted plants showed red-brown to dark brown discolorations, and lateral roots were poorly developed. Shoots wilted with rotted taproots and lateral roots in severely affected plants. Twenty symptomatic plants were collected and transported to the laboratory for pathogen isolations. Roots were washed under running tap water, cut into 2 to 3 mm pieces (40 pieces each plant), and then sterilized in 75% ethanol for 2 mins followed by three times washing with autoclaved distilled water. Surface dried pieces on autoclaved filter papers were put onto water agar and also a Phytophthora selective medium P5ARP(H) (Jeffers and Martin 1986). The plates were incubated at 22°C for 3 to 5 days and then the growing hypha were subcultured onto potato dextrose agar (PDA). Thirty-two Phytophthora-like isolates were obtained and showed similar morphologies on PDA. Five isolates picked randomly were purified by single-hyphal-tip and plugs (4 to 5 mm) from PDA cultures were incubated in petri dishes with autoclaved distilled water at 22°C for 5 days. Sporangia, chlamydospores and oospores were examined. Sporangia were usually ovoid and sometimes appeared ellipsoid, with the length of 30.5-39.1 µm and width of 23.4-27.8 µm. The diameter of chlamydospores was 29.6 to 42.5µm. Oospores had a diameter of 23.6 to 30.2 µm. The isolates were tentatively identified as P. cactorum based on these morphology characteristics (Montealegre et al. 2016). DNA of these isolates were extracted and PCR amplifications of the rDNA ITS region and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (Cox I) (Kroon et al. 2004) were conducted. Sequences of these isolates were then compared with reference sequences in GenBank using BLAST search. The 866-bp ITS sequences had a sequence identity of 99% to 100% with P. cactorum (e.g. accession nos. EU662221, KJ128036). In addition, the 663-bp CoxI sequences showed 100% sequence identity with three P. cactorum isolates (accession nos. AB688156, HQ708234, EU660851). The ITS and CoxI sequences of one representative isolate Phy.c2 have been deposited in GenBank with the accession no. MT280033 and MT344138, respectively. Pathogenicity of the five isolates (Phy.c1-Phy.c5) were determined on two-week-old alfalfa seedlings (cv. Longdong) grown from seeds. Inoculums were prepared by subculturing agar plugs from edges of PDA cultures into the flask with autoclaved millet seeds, and incubated at 22°C in darkness for two weeks and shaken by hand every two days to ensure uniform colonization. Seedlings were transplanted into pots (12 cm x 12 cm) filled with autoclaved potting mix infested with millet-seed inoculum of each isolate at a rate of 0.5% (w/w). Control seedlings for comparison were transplanted into pots with uninfested potting mix. There were five seedlings per pot and twelve replicate pots for both inoculated and noninoculated treatments, and pots were kept under controlled environment room (22°C, 12 h photoperiod and 65% relative humidity) that were watered every two days to free draining. 87%~92% of the inoculated plants showed stunted symptoms with poorly developed and brown-discoloured roots three weeks after inoculation while the control plants were healthy with no root disease symptoms. To fulfil Koch's postulates, re-isolated cultures from discoloured root tissues were confirmed as the inoculated isolates by morphological examination and ITS sequencing. The five-purified isolates were submitted to the Grassland Culture Collection Center, Lanzhou University, with the accession nos. LZU-MsR-Phy.c1-Phy.c5. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. cactorum as a pathogen of root rot on alfalfa in China. Phytophthora spp. has been reported causing root rot on alfalfa in America, Australia and Canada, and other legumes such as chickpea, and many other crops worldwide (Musial et al. 2005; Tan and Tan 1986; Vandemark and Barker 2003), and P. cactorum was reported as a root rot pathogen on lavender in China (Chen et al. 2017). P. cactorum may be a significant pathogen associated with root rot in major commercial alfalfa-producing areas in China where are based on flood-irrigation during the growth season.

Transcriptome Analysis Provides Insights into Grain Filling in Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica L.).

Grain filling is an importantly developmental process which is associated with the yield and quality of foxtail millet (Setaria italic L.). However, the molecular mechanisms of grain filling are rarely reported in foxtail millet. In our study, RNA-seq was performed to investigate the transcriptional dynamics and identify the key genes involved in grain filling in foxtail millet at five different developmental stages. A total of 11,399 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 902 transcription factors (TFs), were identified. Certain important genes involved in grain filling were discovered through a function annotation and temporal expression patterns analysis. These genes included genes associated with starch biosynthesis, cell-wall invertases, hormone signal transduction, and polyamine metabolism pathways. The expression levels of seven randomly selected DEGs were validated by a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). This study provides the first insight into the changes in the gene expression of grain filling at different developmental stages in foxtail millet. These results could help understand the complex molecular mechanisms of the panicle formation in foxtail millet and other cereal crops.

A novel human monoclonal Trop2-IgG antibody inhibits ovarian cancer growth in vitro and in vivo.

Trop2 is a tumor-related antigen closely related to the development of a variety of tumors and has been identified as a promising target for cancer immunotherapy. In this study, a Trop2-IgG antibody was constructed by a eukaryotic expression system based on our previously constructed Trop2-Fab antibody. SDS-PAGE, cell ELISA, affinity assays, fluorescence staining and FACS analyses were performed to characterize Trop2-IgG. Then, CCK-8, wound healing, Transwell and annexin V-PI assays were employed to evaluate the tumor inhibitory effects of Trop2-IgG on OC in vitro, while tumor-bearing mice were constructed to examine the tumor inhibitory effects of Trop2-IgG on OC in vivo. Trop2-IgG was successfully constructed by a eukaryotic expression system and maintained recognition characteristics to Trop2 antigen. In vitro, Trop2-IgG could inhibited tumor cell growth, migration, and invasion compared to those of control cells and induced tumor cell apoptosis. In vivo, Trop2-IgG exerted critical tumor inhibitory effects in OC xenografts. Our data suggest that the use of Trop2-IgG provides a potential therapeutic strategy for the immunotherapy of Trop2-expressing OC.

High Mycoplasma pneumoniae loads and persistent long-term Mycoplasma pneumoniae DNA in lower airway associated with severity of pediatric Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: An increased number of refractory mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) pneumonia (MPP) cases have been reported. However the duration of MP infection in lower airway and the course of anti-MP treatment remains unclear. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 94 MPP children. Patients were classified into two groups. The long-term group (Group LT) was defined as bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) remained MP-positive by PCR after 30 days of the disease course. The non-long-term group (Group NLT) was defined as BALF became MP-negative by PCR within 30 days of disease and patients who only needed one bronchoscopy lavage therapy. MP loads, clinical outcomes were analyzed along with other clinical measurements. RESULTS: The average levels of inflammatory markers such as C reactive protein and lactate dehydrogenase in Group LT were significantly higher than those in Group NLT. Airway and lung damage in Group LT were more severe than Group NLT. 28 patients developed necrotizing pneumonia and 8 patients developed pulmonary embolism in Group LT. Mean maximum MP loads in BALF were 107.46 ± 0.93 and 104.86 ± 0.93 in Groups LT and NLT, respectively. There was persistent MP DNA in Group LT, even lasted for 120 days. One severe MPP patient in Group LT had MP-associated bloodstream infection. After 3 months of follow-up, chest imaging revealed incomplete absorption of pulmonary consolidation in 33 patients of Group LT [including 13 airway obliterans (AO) patients] and in 7 patients of Group NLT (including 2 AO patients). CONCLUSION: MP loads of BALF were associated with the subsequent duration of MP DNA in lower airway. High MP loads and persistent long-term MP DNA in lower airway were associated with severity of pediatric MPP.

Hypersensitive Pneumonitis: an Initial Presentation of Chronic Granulomatous Disease in a Child.

Hypersensitive pneumonitis (HP) is a rare initial presentation of chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), especially in children. CGD presenting as HP may result from exposure to inhaled environmental antigens and be induced by excessive production of inflammatory cytokines due to loss of reactive oxygen species production. We herein describe a 2-year-old boy with CGD caused by a mutation in CYBB gene, who initially presented with HP. The patient developed dry cough, progressive dyspnea, and fever after playing in dusty air in a factory that produced plastic materials containing isocyanates. The patient's symptoms and radiological abnormalities did not improve after antigen avoidance, but disappeared after corticosteroid therapy. Because HP is uncommon in children, we should consider the possibility of CGD in children who present with HP. A prompt diagnosis of CGD is essential to enable initiation of prophylactic antibacterial and antifungal therapies.