Effect of rapid rehabilitation care on surgical site wound infection and pain in patients with intertrochanteric femoral fractures: A meta-analysis.

This study examines the effects of rapid rehabilitation on surgical site wound infections and pain in patients with intertrochanteric femoral fractures. A computerised search was conducted for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on rapid rehabilitation care in patients undergoing surgery for intertrochanteric femoral fractures published in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Biomedical Literature Database, Wanfang Database, VIP, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science. The search was conducted from the time of the database construction to August 2023. Two investigators independently performed literature screening, data extraction and quality assessment based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Meta-analysis was performed via RevMan 5.4 software. Encompassing 21 studies involving 2004 patients, with 1007 patients receiving rapid rehabilitation care and 997 receiving routine care, our analysis revealed that rapid rehabilitation care significantly reduced postoperative complications (odds ratio [OR] = 0.24, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.17-0.33, p < 0.001), wound infections (OR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.14-0.65, p = 0.002) and hospital stay (mean difference [MD] = -5.23, 95% CI: -6.03 to -4.43, p < 0.001). Moreover, compared with routine care, it notably improved wound pain (MD = -1.51, 95% CI: -1.98 to -1.05, p < 0.001) in patients undergoing surgery for intertrochanteric femoral fractures. Our findings underscore the effectiveness of rapid rehabilitation care in reducing wound pain, postoperative complications and wound infections among patients with intertrochanteric femoral fractures.

Selective Formation of Polyaniline Confined in the Nanopores of a Metal-Organic Framework for Supercapacitors.

In this study, a strategy that can result in the polyaniline (PANI) solely confined within the nanopores of a metal-organic framework (MOF) without forming obvious bulk PANI between MOF crystals is developed. A water-stable zirconium-based MOF, UiO-66-NH2 , is selected as the MOF material. The polymerization of aniline is initiated in the acidic suspension of UiO-66-NH2 nanocrystals in the presence of excess poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS). Since the pore size of UiO-66-NH2 is too small to enable the insertion of the bulky PSS, the quick formation of pore-confined solid PANI and the slower formation of well dispersed PANI:PSS occur within the MOF crystals and in the bulk solution, respectively. By taking advantage of the resulting homogeneous PANI:PSS polymer solution, the bulk PANI:PSS can be removed from the PANI/UiO-66-NH2 solid by successive washing the sample with fresh acidic solutions through centrifugation. As this is the first time reporting the PANI solely confined in the pores of a MOF, as a demonstration, the obtained PANI/UiO-66-NH2 composite material is applied as the electrode material for supercapacitors. The PANI/UiO-66-NH2 thin films exhibit a pseudocapacitive electrochemical characteristic, and their resulting electrochemical activity and charge-storage capacities are remarkably higher than those of the bulk PANI thin films.

[Clinical effect of a scrotal rapid recovery dressing device in the treatment of acute epididymitis].

OBJECTIVE: To study the protective effect of a scrotal rapid recovery dressing device, scrotal girdle, on the scrotum of the patient with acute epididymitis, so as to improve the prognosis and the patient's satisfaction. METHODS: A total of 120 patients with acute epididymitis were treated in our hospital from December 2018 to November 2019, 60 with the scrotal girdle plus local cold compress in addition to antibiotics administration (the scrotal girdle group) and the other 60 with antibiotics only (the control group), all for 6 days. Then, comparisons were made between the two groups of patients in the improvement of scrotal swelling, total effectiveness rate and the patients' satisfaction with therapeutic outcomes. RESULTS: After 6 days of treatment, the patients in the scrotal girdle group, compared with the controls, showed significantly lower scrotal swelling scores (1.01 ± 0.34 vs 1.38 ± 0.20, P < 0.05), a higher total effectiveness rate (83.33% vs 65%, P < 0.05) and higher satisfaction with the therapeutic outcomes (86.67% vs 56.67%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: For the treatment of acute epididymitis, the application of the scrotal girdle for protection can significantly relieve scrotal pain and discomfort, improve the therapeutic effect and patients' satisfaction, and enhance the patients' recovery and quality of life.

[Application value of a metamorphic mechanism-based special dressing system for patients after scrotal surgery].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the application of a metamorphic mechanism-based special dressing system (MMDS) in improving the prognosis and comfort of the patient after scrotal surgery. METHODS: We included 48 cases of scrotal surgery using the traditional method for postoperative dressing from June 2017 to June 2018 (the control group) and another 48 cases employing MMDS postoperatively from July 2018 to June 2019 (the MMDS group). We observed the differences between the two groups of patients in the incidence of scrotal edema, pain score, hospitalization days, patients' satisfaction, and dressing time. RESULTS: The scrotal edema score showed no statistically significant difference between the MMDS and control groups at 24 hours after operation (P > 0.05) but remarkably lower in the former than in the latter group at 48 hours (1.42 ± 0.5 vs 2.27 ± 0.7, P < 0.05) and 72 hours postoperatively (1.35 ± 0.2 vs 2.25 ± 0.7, P < 0.05). The MMDS group, compared with the controls, also exhibited a lower pain score (2.2 ± 1.0 vs 3.4 ± 1.5, P < 0.05), shorter hospitalization time (ï¼»5.96 ± 1.2ï¼½ vs ï¼»9.13 ± 2.3ï¼½ d, P < 0.05) and higher satisfaction score (98.1 ± 1.6 vs 92.8 ± 2.8, P < 0.05), as well as shorter dressing time at 24, 48 and 72 hours after operation (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The metamorphic mechanism-based special dressing system is a safe, efficient, simple and feasible method for dressing after scrotal surgery, which can effectively promote recovery and improve the quality of life of the patients.

The incidence and risk factors for central lymph node metastasis in cN0 papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: a meta-analysis.

Although there have been many studies identifying clinical and pathologic factors that may predict central lymph node metastases (CLNM) in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) patients without clinically cervical lymph node metastasis (cN0), the results were inconsistent. And whether prophylactic central lymph node dissection (pCLND) should be performed in cN0 PTMC remains controversial. The EMBASE, PubMed, MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library were searched until Oct 2015 to identify relevant studies. Primary outcomes were clinical and pathologic factors for CLNM. Secondary outcomes included CLNM rate, surgical complications of hypocalcaemia and recurrent laryngeal nerve(RLN) injury and neck recurrences. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata 12.0. Fourteen eligible studies enrolling 4573 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The overall incidence of CLNM was 33 % (95 % CI 29-37). An elevated risk of CLNM was significantly associated with male gender (OR 2.33, 95 % CI 1.71-3.17), age <45 years (OR 1.27, 95 % CI 1.08-1.48), tumor size >5 mm (OR 2.16, 95 % CI 1.87-2.50), multifocality (OR 1.73, 95 % CI 1.45-2.05), extrathyroidal extension (OR 1.99, 95 % CI 1.66-2.37) and lymphovascular invasion (OR 3.87, 95 % CI 1.64-9.10), but not with thyroid bilaterality (OR 1.41, 95 % CI 0.89-2.22) and chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (OR 0.98, 95 % CI 0.66-1.47). The pooled frequency of permanent hypocalcaemia, permanent RLN injury and neck recurrences was 1.1, 0.5 and 2.8 %, respectively. cN0 PTMC patients have a considerable CLNM rate and have a low pooled incident of surgical complications and neck recurrences with pCLND. Six unfavorable clinical and pathologic factors, which were significantly associated with CLNM, were identified. These findings may help guide the application of pCLND or subsequent treatment in cN0 PTMC.

Hippo signaling pathway in liver tissue homeostasis.

Liver cancer and diseases have become the leading cause of deaths in China. Liver diseases including liver failure and liver cancer can be genetic or caused by a variety of factors that damage the liver, such as viruses and alcohol overdose. However, the underlying mechanisms that maintain liver homeostasis remain unclear. Recent studies show that the Hippo signaling pathway plays a critical role in maintaining liver tissue homeostasis. Dysregulation of the Hippo signaling pathway impairs liver regeneration and remarkly enhances liver overgrowth and tumorigenesis. In this review, we summarize recent progresses on the roles and regulation mechanisms of the Hippo signaling pathway in liver development and diseases.

Interaction between STAT3 gene polymorphisms and smoking on Crohn's disease susceptibility: a case-control study in a Chinese Han population.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) gene and additional STAT3 gene-smoking interaction on Crohn's disease (CD) risk based on a Chinese population. METHODS: A total of 1012 participants (491 men, 521 women), were selected, including 502 CD patients and 510 normal controls. The mean age of all participants was 42.3 ± 11.2 years. Logistic regression model was used to examine the association between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of STAT3 and CD risk; the odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confident interval (95 % CI) were calculated. Generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction was employed to analyze the interaction among several SNPs. RESULTS: Logistic analysis showed the significant association between genotypes of variants in two SNP and decreased CD risk, after covariates adjustment. The carriers of homozygous mutant of two SNP polymorphism revealed decreased CD risk than those with wild-type homozygotes; OR (95 % CI) was 0.75 (0.59-0.93) and 0.68 (0.57-0.91), respectively. There was a significant two-locus model (p = 0.0107) involving rs744166 and smoking, indicating a potential gene-environment interaction between rs744166 and smoking. Overall, the cross-validation consistency was 10/10, and the testing accuracy was 62.17 %, and never smokers with TC or CC genotype have the lowest CD risk, compared to smokers with TT genotype; OR (95 % CI) was 0.52 (0.31-0.82), after covariate adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support an important association of rs744166 and rs4796793 with decreased CD risk, and additional interaction between rs744166 and smoking.

Modified Nishida muscle transposition procedure combined with superior rectus muscle tenotomy for inferior rectus muscle aplasia.

The modified Nishida muscle transposition procedure, in which one-third of each vertical rectus muscle belly is sutured onto the sclera in the infero- and superotemporal quadrants without either tenotomy of the vertical rectus muscles or splitting of the vertical rectus muscle is an effective treatment for abducens nerve palsy. We report a case of inferior rectus muscle aplasia treated using the modified Nishida procedure to transpose both horizontal rectus muscles inferiorly combined with superior rectus tenotomy.

[Assessment of CO2 Co-benefits of Air Pollution Control Policies in Taiyuan's 14th Five-Year Plan].

To quantitatively evaluate the co-benefits of air pollution reduction and carbon dioxide reduction of Taiyuan's 14th Five-Year Plan air pollution prevention and control policies, this study used the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Greenhouse Gas-Air Pollution Interaction and Synergy Model (GAINS-JJJ) to simulate and evaluate the emission reduction potential and CO2 co-benefit of 13 air pollution control measures. The emission reductions of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NOx, VOCs, and NH3 in 2025 were 1.8 (5%, compared with that in the baseline scenario), 2.5 (2%), 3.7 (16%), 20.0 (27%), 13.6 (15%), and 0.0 kt (0%), respectively. The reduction in CO2 emissions was 9.0 Mt (13%), whereas CH4 emissions increased by 203.3 kt (25% increase relative to that in the baseline scenario). SO2, NOx, and VOCs emission reductions derived from the power, industrial combustion, and solvent use sectors. CO2 reduction occurred mainly in the industrial combustion sector, and CH4 emission increased mainly due to the increase in coal mining activity. The highest synergistic CO2 reductions were achieved by restricting energy consumption in the high energy-consuming and high-emitting sectors; prohibiting new capacity in the steel, coke, cement, and flat glass industries; and replacing coal-fired power generation with renewable energy. Furthermore, the CO2 reduction co-benefit was highest for VOCs. In addition, this study suggests that promoting the policy of terminal electrification and simultaneously increasing the share of clean energy and the ability to consume renewable energy generation in the power sector are the keys to decreasing the emissions in Taiyuan.

[Costimulatory molecule CD40 expression in thyroid tissue of Graves' disease patients and its immune pathogenetic significance].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the expression of costimulatory molecule CD40 in thyroid tissue of Graves' disease patients and understand its immune pathogenetic significance. METHODS: From January 2008 to December 2011, 8 patients undergoing partial thyroidectomy for Graves' disease (n = 3) or non-toxic goiter (n = 5) at Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University and Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University were enrolled. Using the method of immunohistochemistry, the expression of CD40 was detected in their thyroid tissues. Variation in CD40 expression on thyroid follicular (TFC) in primary cultures was analyzed in the absence (no stimulation group) or presence of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin interferon-γ (IFN-γ) (IFN-γ stimulation group), interferon-6 (IL-6) (IL-6 stimulation group)and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α (TNF-α stimulation group) with flow cytometry. IFN-γ-stimulated TFC were cultured with agonist CD40 monoclonal antibody (5C11) (IFN-γ + CD40 group) or isotypic mouse IgG (mIgG) antibody (IFN-γ + mIgG group). And the proliferation of TFC was assessed by 3-(4,5)-dimethyl-thiazolyl-3,5-di-phenytetrazoliumromide (MTT) assays for each donor. The production of free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) and the release of thyroglobulin (Tg) were measured with radioimmunoassays. RESULTS: The expression of CD40 on infiltrated lymphocytes and TFC were detected in Graves' disease but not in non-toxic goiter patient tissues. Compared with no stimulation group (23.7% ± 7.3%), the expression of CD40 on TFC increased in IFN-γ stimulation group (86.4% ± 4.6%), IL-6 stimulation group (90.0% ± 4.2%) and TNF-α stimulation group (87.3% ± 4.2%). Compared with the IFN-γ + mIgG group (0.75 ± 0.06), the TFC proliferation of IFN-γ + CD40 group (1.14 ± 0.14) significantly increased (P < 0.01). The levels of FT3, FT4 and Tg secretion of IFN-γ + CD40 group were (1.10 ± 0.15) pmol/L, (0.80 ± 0.14) pmol/L and (30.23 ± 1.60) µg/L respectively. They were all significantly increased compared with the IFN-γ + mIgG group, of which the FT3, FT4 and Tg production were (0.76 ± 0.07) pmol/L, (0.63 ± 0.09) pmol/L and (21.37 ± 3.22) µg/L respectively (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: CD40 is abnormally expressed in thyroid tissue of Graves' disease patients. And its costimulatory signal may take part in the immunopathologic mechanism of Graves' disease.

Relationships of body composition and adipocytokines with outcomes in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients receiving docetaxel chemotherapy.

We evaluated the relationships of body composition and serum adipocytokine levels with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients receiving docetaxel. The medical records of mCRPC patients who received docetaxel between January 2011 and December 2015 at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (Shanghai, China) were reviewed. The following body composition parameters were calculated using computed tomography: skeletal muscle index (SMI), visceral adipose tissue index (VATI), and subcutaneous adipose tissue index (SATI). Pretreatment serum adipocytokine levels, including interleukin 6, insulin, leptin, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, adiponectin, and resistin, were measured using the multiplex bead-based immunoassays. Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier methods were used for survival analyses. Of the 453 mCRPC patients initially identified, 105 were included in the analysis. High VATI group patients had longer PFS (median, 10 months vs 7 months, P = 0.008) and OS (median, 24 months vs 15 months, P = 0.017), compared with low VATI group patients. SMI and SATI were not significantly associated with PFS or OS. Of the six detected adipocytokines, only leptin was associated with mCRPC prognosis. High leptin group patients had shorter PFS (median, 7 months vs 12 months, P = 0.0018) and OS (median, 17 months vs 22 months, P = 0.042), compared with low leptin group patients. Multivariate analysis showed that a high VATI was an independent protective factor for PFS and OS, while a high leptin level was an independent risk factor for PFS and OS. Therefore, VATI and serum leptin levels could provide important information concerning mCRPC prognosis.

LncRNA modulates Hippo-YAP signaling to reprogram iron metabolism.

Iron metabolism dysregulation is tightly associated with cancer development. But the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Increasing evidence has shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in various metabolic processes via integrating signaling pathway. In this study, we revealed one iron-triggered lncRNA, one target of YAP, LncRIM (LncRNA Related to Iron Metabolism, also named ZBED5-AS1 and Loc729013), which effectively links the Hippo pathway to iron metabolism and is largely independent on IRP2. Mechanically, LncRIM directly binds NF2 to inhibit NF2-LATS1 interaction, which causes YAP activation and increases intracellular iron level via DMT1 and TFR1. Additionally, LncRIM-NF2 axis mediates cellular iron metabolism dependent on the Hippo pathway. Clinically, high expression of LncRIM correlates with poor patient survival, suggesting its potential use as a biomarker and therapeutic target. Taken together, our study demonstrated a novel mechanism in which LncRIM-NF2 axis facilitates iron-mediated feedback loop to hyperactivate YAP and promote breast cancer development.

Serum Soluble Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 1 as a Potential Biomarker of Hepatopulmonary Syndrome.

Background and Aims: The results of basic research implicate the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family as a potential target of hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS). However, the negative results of anti-angiogenetic therapy in clinical studies have highlighted the need for markers for HPS. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether VEGF family members and their receptors can be potential biomarkers for HPS through clinical and experimental studies. Methods: Clinically, patients with chronic liver disease from two medical centers were enrolled and examined for HPS. Patients were divided into HPS, intrapulmonary vascular dilation [positive contrast-enhanced echocardiography (CEE) and normal oxygenation] and CEE-negative groups. Baseline information and perioperative clinical data were compared between HPS and non-HPS patients. Serum levels of VEGF family members and their receptors were measured. In parallel, HPS rats were established by common bile duct ligation. Liver, lung and serum samples were collected for the evaluation of pathophysiologic changes, as well as the expression levels of the above factors. Results: In HPS rats, all VEGF family members and their receptors underwent significant changes; however, only soluble VEGFR1 (sFlt-1) and the sFlt-1/ placental growth factor (PLGF) ratio were changed in almost the same manner as those in HPS patients. Furthermore, through feature selection and internal and external validation, sFlt-1 and the sFlt-1/PLGF ratio were identified as the most important variables to distinguish HPS from non-HPS patients. Conclusions: Our results from animal and human studies indicate that sFlt-1 and the sFlt-1/PLGF ratio in serum are potential markers for HPS.

[Experimental study on effects of matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor on posterior capsule opacification in rabbits].

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor can provide therapeutic effects for rabbits posterior capsule opacification in vivo and to observe the side effects of this drug on surrounding intraocular structures. METHODS: Experimental research. New Zealand white rabbits were undertaken phacoemulsification operation. GM6001 at different concentrations (100, 200 and 500 µmol/L) and GM6001 negative control liqueur were infused into the capsule bags of the rabbits at the end of operation and two days after the operation. The incidence of posterior capsule opacification was assessed and the histological sections of posterior capsules were observed under microscope 12 weeks after the surgery. The anterior chamber response was observed on day 2 post-operatively. The changes of intraocular pressure were measured by day 2 and day 7. Corneal endothelial cells were observed under scanning electron microscope and iris, ciliary body and retina were observed under microscope on day 7. RESULTS: GM6001 significantly prevented posterior capsule opacification (P = 0.007). No opacification occurred on the rabbit posterior capsule in eyes with 200 and 500 µmol/L GM6001 on week 12 post-operatively in vivo. No cells were found on posterior capsule in 500 µmol/L group, whereas lens epithelial cells and fibroblasts were found in the controls under microscope. No difference of anterior chamber flare between the eyes with GM6001 at different concentrations and the control group (P = 0.380) by day 2 after the operation. The intraocular pressure in eyes with GM6001 was the same as that in the control 2-days (F = 0.642, P = 0.597) and 7-days (F = 0.179, P = 0.909) post-operation. The corneal endothelial cells in eyes with 500 µmol/L GM6001 arranged regularly and did not show any difference from that in the control eyes under scanning electron microscope 7-day after the operation. The iris, ciliary body and retina in eyes with 500 µmol/L GM6001 were normal in appearance 7-day after the operation. CONCLUSIONS: MMP inhibitor can prevent posterior capsule opacification effectively in rabbits in vivo and does not cause damage to surrounding intraocular structures, suggesting that MMP inhibitor may become a medication used for the prevention of lens posterior capsule opacification.

Salivary gland function in women with Hashimoto's thyroiditis without xerostomia and the correlation with auto-thyroid antibodies.

BACKGROUND: Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) may cause salivary dysfunction in patients resulting in xerostomia, but little is known about changes in salivary function in patients with no obvious dry mouth symptoms. In this study we assessed salivary function in women with HT, who had not experienced xerostomia and, for the first time, evaluated the effects of thyroid auto-antibodies on this function.: METHODS: Sixty consecutive subjects were included, comprising 32 women (mean age, 36 ±â€Š12 years) diagnosed with HT accompanied by differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) in the study group (HT group), along with a control group (DTC group) of 28 women (mean age, 40 ±â€Š12 years) diagnosed with DTC only. Salivary gland scintigraphy was used to assess salivary function with the semi-quantitative parameters of maximum absorption ratio and maximum secretion ratio, the decrease of which indicate impaired salivary function. Moreover, the HT and DTC groups were divided into four subgroups (Anti- HT, Anti+ HT, Anti- DTC, and Anti+ DTC), based on the presence of anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) and anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb). Finally, salivary gland semi-quantitative parameters were correlated with levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), TGAb, and TPOAb in the HT and DTC groups. RESULTS: None of the semi-quantitative parameters examined in parotid or submandibular glands differed significantly between the HT and DTC groups. However, the maximum secretion ratio for the parotid and submandibular glands were significantly different in the subgroup comparison (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the TgAb, TPOAb, and TSH values correlated significantly with salivary excretive function (p ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSION: Women with HT without xerostomia may not have salivary functional impairment during hypothyroidism. Serum thyroid autoantibody and TSH levels may mainly influence salivary excretive function but not uptake function.

Organic Liquid Fertilizer Coupled With Single Application of Chemical Fertilization Improves Growth, Biomass, and Yield Components of Cotton Under Mulch Drip Irrigation.

Excessive fertilization, low nutrient utilization rate, and continuous deterioration of cotton field environment have adversely affected the sustainable development of cotton in Xinjiang province of China. To overcome these issues, we hypothesized that an appropriate combination of liquid organic fertilizer and chemical fertilizer (CF) would effectively reduce the input of CF without sacrificing the quality and yield of cotton. A 2-year field experiment explores the effects of three fertilization treatments on the growth, biomass accumulation, and yield of cotton. The three fertilization treatments, namely, no application of fertilizer (CK), the single application of CF, and the combined application of organic liquid fertilizer and CF (F0.6-F1.4), were set up in five ratios. Compared with CF treatment, the combined application of organic liquid fertilizer and CF treatments (F0.6-F1.2) speeded the growth period of cotton by 2-7 days with increased plant height, stem diameter, functional leaf width, and more number of branches, with 9.7-23.5 and 8.4-28.5% higher total plant biomass (TPB) and reproductive organs biomass (ROB), respectively. Compared with CF treatment, the rapid growth duration and maximum accumulation rate of reproductive organs were the highest in F0.8 treatment, with an average increase of 4.6 days and 20.3%. Increment in biomass accumulation contributed to an average increase of 21.8 and 18.9% in cotton boll number and yield, respectively, under F0.8 treatment. Principal component analysis shows that the total biomass, ROB, and total bolls per unit area were positively correlated with the yield, while stem diameter and vegetative organ biomass are negatively correlated with the yield. In conclusion, under film mulching with drip irrigation, organic liquid fertilizer combined with CF reduced by 20% (F0.8 treatment: N, P2O5, and K2O were 182, 104, and 76 kg hm-2, respectively) can sustain the normal growth, promote the accumulation rate of ROB, and lead to efficient cotton production.

A phosphatidic acid-binding lncRNA SNHG9 facilitates LATS1 liquid-liquid phase separation to promote oncogenic YAP signaling.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as a new class of important regulators of signal transduction in tissue homeostasis and cancer development. Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) occurs in a wide range of biological processes, while its role in signal transduction remains largely undeciphered. In this study, we uncovered a lipid-associated lncRNA, small nucleolar RNA host gene 9 (SNHG9) as a tumor-promoting lncRNA driving liquid droplet formation of Large Tumor Suppressor Kinase 1 (LATS1) and inhibiting the Hippo pathway. Mechanistically, SNHG9 and its associated phosphatidic acids (PA) interact with the C-terminal domain of LATS1, promoting LATS1 phase separation and inhibiting LATS1-mediated YAP phosphorylation. Loss of SNHG9 suppresses xenograft breast tumor growth. Clinically, expression of SNHG9 positively correlates with YAP activity and breast cancer progression. Taken together, our results uncover a novel regulatory role of a tumor-promoting lncRNA (i.e., SNHG9) in signal transduction and cancer development by facilitating the LLPS of a signaling kinase (i.e., LATS1).

A rapid bioassay for recombinant interleukin-22.

Interleukin-22 is a novel cytokine produced mainly in activated T cells. The elaborate biological functions of IL-22 in vivo are still widely unknown. In this report, we describe a rapid, simple, and reproducible in vitro cell-based bioassay for measuring the bioactivity of recombinant interleukin-22 (IL-22) to study the primary function of IL-22 in vivo. Human hepatocyte cell line (HepG2) was transfected with pSTAT3-Luc, a plasmid carrying the luciferase gene under the control of STAT3. After screening and selection, one stable clone was established which generates a strong response to recombinant human IL-22 (rhIL-22) stimulation in a dose-dependent manner. The cell showed ED50 of 17.0 +/- 1.4 ng/mL (n = 15) to recombinant human IL-22. Pre-incubation of anti-IL-22 mAb with IL-22 recombinant proteins completely blocked the bioactivities. The assay can be completed within one day. The current assay provides a rapid analytical method to measure the biological activity of IL-22 in vitro.

[Antioxidants inhibit the oxidative modification of high density lipoproteins].

OBJECTIVE: To study the role and mechanism of antioxidants on inhibiting oxidative modification of high density lipoproteins (HDL). METHODS: Freshly prepared human plasma HDL was treated by incubation with copper ion, hyperchlorite or arterial wall cells. Compared to control, the test groups were treated with addition of different concentration of butylhydroxytoluene (BHT), vitamin C and vitamin E. Then, the relative electrophoretic mobility (REM), thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), ratio of lysolecithin to lecithin (LPC/PC), and lipoprotein moieties were investigated. RESULTS: BHT, vitamin C and vitamin E can significantly inhibit the increasing REM, TBARS, LPC/PC ratio and lipoprotein variation that induced by copper ion and hyperchlorite and arterial wall cells. But these antioxidants act on different manner. CONCLUSION: BHT, vitamin C and vitamin E can inhibit the oxidative modification of HDL and hence could be potential nutrients to prevent atherosclerosis.

[Responses of root physiological characteristics of different drought-tolerant cotton varieties to drought]. / ä¸¤ä¸ªä¸åŒè€æ—±æ€§æ£‰èŠ±å“ç§æ ¹ç³»ç”Ÿç†ç‰¹æ€§å¯¹å¹²æ—±çš„å“åº”.

In order to explore the physiological responses of root system of different drought-resistant cotton varieties to drought and their relationships with biomass, we examined the effects of drought stress on root vigor, antioxidant enzyme activities and anatomic structure (duct diameter, number) and biomass of different drought-tolerant varieties, including the drought-inolerant variety 'Xinluzao 17' (L17) and the drought-tolerant variety 'Xinluzao 22' (L22). Both varieties were grown under soil column cultivation conditions, with conventional irrigation (CK), mild drought (W1) and moderate drought (W2) treatments. The results showed that drought stress caused significant reductions in soluble protein (SP) content, root vigor (RV), the number of cork layers, the number of rhizome ducts, the diameter of the ducts in both varieties. The higher root MDA content, CAT, POD and SOD activities in response to drought led to reduction of aboveground dry mass. Compared with that of L17, SP content, 0-40 cm and 80-120 cm soil layer RV, the number of cork layers, the number of rhizome ducts, the diameter of ducts, and the aboveground dry mass of L22 all signi-ficantly increased. Under the W2 treatment, the RV decrease of L22 was 26.2% lower than that of L17, and CAT, POD, SOD activities and the thickness of cortex were 43.6%, 6.9%, 25.4%, 19.9% higher than that of L17. There were positive correlations between dry mass and RV, SOD, POD, the number of cork layers, the diameter and number of rhizome ducts. Therefore, cotton variety with strong drought tolerance could maintain higher root activity, cork layer number, the diameter of rhizome ducts, and number under drought conditions, and thus promote the accumulation of aboveground biomass, which was the physiological mechanism for their stronger drought tolerance.