Well-type thick-shell quantum dots combined with double hole transport layers device structure assisted realization of high-performance quantum dot light-emitting diodes.

Quantum dot (QD) light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) are promising for next-generation lighting and displays. Considering the optimization design of both the QD and device structure is expected to improve the QLED's performance significantly but has rarely been reported. Here, we use the thick-shell QDs combined with a dual-hole transport layer device structure to construct a high-efficiency QLED. The optimized thick-shell QDs with CdS/CdSe/CdS/ZnS seed/spherical quantum well/shell/shell geometry exhibit a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 96% at a shell thickness of 5.9 nm. The intermediate emissive CdSe layer with coherent strain ensures defect-free growth of the thick CdS and ZnS outer shells. Based on the orthogonal solvents assisted Poly-TPD&PVK dual-hole transport layer device architecture, the champion QLED achieved a maximum external quantum efficiency of 22.5% and a maximum luminance of 259955 cd m-2, which are 1.6 and 3.7 times that of thin-shell QDs based devices with single hole transport layer, respectively. Our study provides a feasible idea for further improving the performance of QLED devices.

Loss of macrophage TSC1 exacerbates sterile inflammatory liver injury through inhibiting the AKT/MST1/NRF2 signaling pathway.

Tuberous sclerosis complex 1 (TSC1) plays important roles in regulating innate immunity. However, the precise role of TSC1 in macrophages in the regulation of oxidative stress response and hepatic inflammation in liver ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/R) remains unknown. In a mouse model of liver I/R injury, deletion of myeloid-specific TSC1 inhibited AKT and MST1 phosphorylation, and decreased NRF2 accumulation, whereas activated TLR4/NF-κB pathway, leading to increased hepatic inflammation. Adoptive transfer of AKT- or MST1-overexpressing macrophages, or Keap1 disruption in myeloid-specific TSC1-knockout mice promoted NRF2 activation but reduced TLR4 activity and mitigated I/R-induced liver inflammation. Mechanistically, TSC1 in macrophages promoted AKT and MST1 phosphorylation, and protected NRF2 from Keap1-mediated ubiquitination. Furthermore, overexpression AKT or MST1 in TSC1-knockout macrophages upregulated NRF2 expression, downregulated TLR4/NF-κB, resulting in reduced inflammatory factors, ROS and inflammatory cytokine-mediated hepatocyte apoptosis. Strikingly, TSC1 induction in NRF2-deficient macrophages failed to reverse the TLR4/NF-κB activity and production of pro-inflammatory factors. Conclusions: Macrophage TSC1 promoted the activation of the AKT/MST1 signaling pathway, increased NRF2 levels via reducing Keap1-mediated ubiquitination, and modulated oxidative stress-driven inflammatory responses in liver I/R injury. Our findings underscore the critical role of macrophage TSC1 as a novel regulator of innate immunity and imply the therapeutic potential for the treatment of sterile liver inflammation in transplant recipients. Schematic illustration of macrophage TSC1-mediated AKT/MST1/NRF2 signaling pathway in I/R-triggered liver inflammation. Macrophage TSC1 can be activated in I/R-stressed livers. TSC1 activation promotes phosphorylation of AKT and MST1, which in turn increases NRF2 expression and inhibits ROS production and TLR4/NF-κB activation, resulting in reduced hepatocellular apoptosis in I/R-triggered liver injury.

Network pharmacology analysis and animal experiment validation of neuroinflammation inhibition by total ginsenoside in treating CSM.

BACKGROUND: Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is a degenerative pathology that affects both upper and lower extremity mobility and sensory function, causing significant pressure on patients and society. Prior research has suggested that ginsenosides may have neuroprotective properties in central nervous system diseases. However, the efficacy and mechanism of ginsenosides for CSM have yet to be investigated. PURPOSE: This study aims to analyze the composition of ginsenosides using UPLC-MS, identify the underlying mechanism of ginsenosides in treating CSM using network pharmacology, and subsequently confirm the efficacy and mechanism of ginsenosides in rats with chronic spinal cord compression. METHODS: UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was utilized to obtain mass spectrum data of ginsenoside samples. The chemical constituents of the samples were analyzed by consulting literature reports and relevant databases. Ginsenoside and CSM targets were obtained from the TCMSP, OMIM, and GeneCards databases. GO and KEGG analyses were conducted, and a visualization network of ginsenosides-compounds-key targets-pathways-CSM was constructed, along with molecular docking of key bioactive compounds and targets, to identify the signaling pathways and proteins associated with the therapeutic effects of ginsenosides on CSM. Chronic spinal cord compression rats were intraperitoneally injected with ginsenosides (50 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg) and methylprednisolone for 28 days, and motor function was assessed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of ginsenosides for CSM. The expression of proteins associated with TNF, IL-17, TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB, and NLRP3 signaling pathways was assessed by immunofluorescence staining and western blotting. RESULTS: Using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS, 37 compounds were identified from ginsenoside samples. Furthermore, ginsenosides-compounds-key targets-pathways-CSM visualization network indicated that ginsenosides may modulate the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway and Apoptosis by targeting AKT1, TNF, MAPK1, CASP3, IL6, and IL1B, exerting a therapeutic effect on CSM. By attenuating neuroinflammation through the TNF, IL-17, TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB, and MAPK signaling pathways, ginsenosides restored the motor function of rats with CSM, and ginsenosides 150 mg/kg showed better effect. This was achieved by reducing the phosphorylation of NF-κB and the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. CONCLUSIONS: The results of network pharmacology indicate that ginsenosides can inhibit neuroinflammation resulting from spinal cord compression through multiple pathways and targets. This finding was validated through in vivo tests, which demonstrated that ginsenosides can reduce neuroinflammation by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasomes via multiple signaling pathways, additionally, it should be noted that 150 mg/kg was a relatively superior dose. This study is the first to verify the intrinsic molecular mechanism of ginsenosides in treating CSM by combining pharmacokinetics, network pharmacology, and animal experiments. The findings can provide evidence for subsequent clinical research and drug development.

Integrated physiological, biochemical, and transcriptomics analyses reveal the underlying mechanisms of high nitrogen use efficiency of black sesame.

Cultivating high nitrogen use efficient varieties is a sustainable solution to mitigating adverse effects on the environment caused by excessive nitrogen fertilizer application. However, in sesame, although immoderate nitrogen fertilizers are used to promote yield, the molecular basis of high nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is largely unknown. Hence, this study aimed to identify high NUE black sesame variety and dissect the underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms. To achieve this, seventeen seedling traits of 30 black sesame varieties were evaluated under low nitrogen (LN) and high nitrogen (HN) conditions. Dry matter accumulation, root parameters, shoot nitrogen accumulation, and chlorophyll content are important factors for evaluating the NUE of sesame genotypes. The variety 17-156 was identified as the most efficient for N utilization. Comparative physiological and transcriptomics analyses revealed that 17-156 possesses a sophisticated nitrogen metabolizing machinery to uptake and assimilate higher quantities of inorganic nitrogen into amino acids and proteins, and simultaneously improving carbon metabolism and growth. Specifically, the total nitrogen and soluble protein contents significantly increased with the increase in nitrogen concentrations. Many important genes, including nitrate transporters (NPFs), amino acid metabolism-related (GS, GOGAT, GDH, etc.), phytohormone-related, and transcription factors, were significantly up-regulated in 17-156 under HN condition. In addition, 38 potential candidate genes were identified for future studies toward improving sesame's NUE. These findings offer valuable resources for deciphering the regulatory network of nitrogen metabolism and developing sesame cultivars with improved NUE.

Current status of AIDS knowledge, attitudes, practices and associated factors of high risk sexual behavior among college students in Tianjin City / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand the current status of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) knowledge, attitudes, and practices of college students in Tianjin City and to further investigate the associated factors of high risk sexual behaviors, so as to provide a scientific and theoretical basis for accurate prevention and treatment of AIDS.@*Methods@#A stratified cluster random sample of 64 697 students in 56 colleges and universities in Tianjin City in November to December 2022 was investigated about the current status of AIDS knowledge, attitudes and practices. Information was collected using online survey via Questionnaire Star. Descriptive analysis was used for the current status of AIDS knowledge, attitudes and practices among college students. Chi square test and multiple Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the influencing factors of high risk sexual behavior among college students.@*Results@#The AIDS awareness rate of college students in Tianjin City reached 87.33%. The sexual openness rate was 70.73 %. Among the 3 463 students who had sex during the past year, 42.13% of students reported high risk sexual behavior. Multivariate Logistic regression showed that female, having a romantic partner, having received sex education and prevention and treatment knowledge of AIDS were negatively associated with high risk sexual behavior ( OR =0.66, 0.59, 0.81, 0.59, P <0.05). Being in sophomore year, non heterosexuality (homosexuality, bisexuality, not knowing), prejudice against AIDS, and misunderstanding the testing methods for AIDS showed positive correlations with highrisk sexual behavior ( OR =1.22, 2.49, 2.30, 3.17, 1.43, 1.22 , P <0.05).@*Conclusions@#The awareness rate of AIDS in college students in Tianjin is high, but high risk sexual behaviors are still at a high level. Further targeted knowledge education and behavioral interventions are needed to scientifically prevent the spread of AIDS.

Aloin Attenuates Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and CCl4-Induced Liver Fibrosis in Mice: Possible Role of TGF-ß/Smad Signaling.

Liver fibrosis refers to the excessive buildup of extracellular matrix (ECM) components in liver tissue. It is considered a pathological response to liver damage for which there is no effective treatment. Aloin, an anthraquinone compound isolated from the aloe plant, has shown good pharmacological effects in the treatment of gastric cancer, ulcerative colitis, myocardial hypertrophy, traumatic brain injury, and other diseases; however, its specific impact on liver fibrosis remains unclear. To address this gap, we conducted a study to explore the mechanisms underlying the potential antifibrotic effect of aloin. We constructed a mouse liver fibrosis model using carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) dissolved in olive oil as a modeling drug. Additionally, a cellular model was developed by using transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1) as a stimulus applied to hepatic stellate cells. After aloin intervention, serum alanine aminotransferase, hepatic hydroxyproline, and serum aspartate aminotransferase were reduced in mice after aloin intervention compared to CCl4-mediated liver injury without aloin intervention. Aloin relieved the oxidative stress caused by CCl4 via reducing hepatic malondialdehyde in liver tissue and increasing the level of superoxide dismutase. Aloin treatment decreased interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α and increased the expression of IL-10, which inhibited the inflammatory response in liver injury. In addition, aloin inhibited the activation of hepatic stellate cells and reduced the level of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagen type I. In cell and animal experiments, aloin attenuated liver fibrosis, acting through the TGF-ß/Smad2/3 signaling pathway, and mitigated CCl4- and TGF-ß1-induced inflammation. Thus, the findings of this study provided theoretical data support and a new possible treatment strategy for liver fibrosis.

Astaxanthin promotes locomotor function recovery and attenuates tissue damage in rats following spinal cord injury: a systematic review and trial sequential analysis.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a catastrophic condition with few therapeutic options. Astaxanthin (AST), a natural nutritional supplement with powerful antioxidant activities, is finding its new application in the field of SCI. Here, we performed a systematic review to assess the neurological roles of AST in rats following SCI, and assessed the potential for clinical translation. Searches were conducted on PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, the Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang data, Vip Journal Integration Platform, and SinoMed databases. Animal studies that evaluated the neurobiological roles of AST in a rat model of SCI were included. A total of 10 articles were included; most of them had moderate-to-high methodological quality, while the overall quality of evidence was not high. Generally, the meta-analyses revealed that rats treated with AST exhibited an increased Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) score compared with the controls, and the weighted mean differences (WMDs) between those two groups showed a gradual upward trend from days 7 (six studies, n = 88, WMD = 2.85, 95% CI = 1.83 to 3.87, p < 0.00001) to days 28 (five studies, n = 76, WMD = 6.42, 95% CI = 4.29 to 8.55, p < 0.00001) after treatment. AST treatment was associated with improved outcomes in spared white matter area, motor neuron survival, and SOD and MDA levels. Subgroup analyses indicated there were differences in the improvement of BBB scores between distinct injury types. The trial sequential analysis then firmly proved that AST could facilitate the locomotor recovery of rats following SCI. In addition, this review suggested that AST could modulate oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, neuron loss, and autophagy via multiple signaling pathways for treating SCI. Collectively, with a protective effect, good safety, and a systematic action mechanism, AST is a promising candidate for future clinical trials of SCI. Nonetheless, in light of the limitations of the included studies, larger and high-quality studies are needed for verification.

Investigation of hearing loss in elderly vertigo and dizziness patients in the past 10 years.

Background: Vertigo and hearing loss are both prevalent in the elderly. This study retrospectively analyzed hearing test results from elderly patients experiencing vertigo and dizziness at ENT outpatient over a 10-year period, in order to study the patterns of hearing loss in this patient population. Methods: Nine thousand three hundred eighty four patients over 50 years old underwent retrospective collection and screening of outpatient diagnosis, pure tone audiometry, acoustic immittance measurement (tympanogram) and auditory brainstem response (ABR) test. The patient's audiograms are divided into 7 subtypes according to a set of fixed criteria. Meanwhile, K-Means clustering analysis method was used to classify the audiogram. Results: The Jerger classification of tympanogram in elderly patients with vertigo and dizziness showed the majority falling under type A. The leading audiogram shapes were flat (27.81% in right ear and 26.89% in left ear), high-frequency gently sloping (25.97% in right ear and 27.34% in left ear), and high-frequency steeply sloping (21.60% in right ear and 22.53% in left ear). Meniere's disease (MD; 30.87%), benign recurrent vertigo (BRV; 19.07%), and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV; 15.66%) were the most common etiologies in elderly vestibular diseases. We observed statistically significant differences in hearing thresholds among these vestibular diseases (P < 0.001). K-Means clustering analysis suggested that the optimal number of clusters was three, with sample sizes for the three clusters being 2,747, 2,413, and 4,139, respectively. The ANOVA statistical results of each characteristic value showed P < 0.001. Conclusion: The elderly patients often have mild to moderate hearing loss as a concomitant symptom with vertigo. Female patients have better hearing thresholds than males. The dominant audiometric shapes in this patient population were flat, high-frequency gently sloping, and high-frequency steeply sloping according to a set of fixed criteria. This study highlights the need for tailored strategies in managing hearing loss in elderly patients with vertigo and dizziness.

Zyxin promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression via the activation of AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy that is driven by multiple genes and pathways. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and specific mechanism of the actin-interacting protein zyxin (ZYX) in HCC. We found that the expression of ZYX was significantly higher in HCC tissues compared to that in normal liver tissues. In addition, overexpression of ZYX in hepatoma cell lines (PLC/PRF/5, HCCLM3) enhanced their proliferation, migration and invasion, whereas ZYX knockdown had the opposite effects (SK HEP-1, Huh-7). Furthermore, the change in the expression levels of ZYX also altered that of proteins related to cell cycle, migration and invasion. Similar results were obtained with xenograft models. The AKT/mTOR signaling pathway is one of the key mediators of cancer development. While ZYX overexpression upregulated the levels of phosphorylated AKT/mTOR proteins, its knockdown had the opposite effect. In addition, the AKT inhibitor MK2206 neutralized the pro-oncogenic effects of ZYX on the HCC cells, whereas the AKT activator SC79 restored the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells with ZYX knockdown. Taken together, ZYX promotes the malignant progression of HCC by activating AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, and is a potential therapeutic target in HCC.

Clinical and VEMPS Characteristics of Benign Recurrent Vertigo With Cochlear Symptoms and Migraine.

Objectives: To explore the clinical manifestations and vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) characteristics in patients diagnosed with benign recurrent vertigo (BRV) accompanied by cochlear symptoms or migraine history. Methods: A total of 34 patients were diagnosed with BRV (57 ears) and 30 healthy volunteers (60 ears) were recruited. They were divided into 4 groups: Group A consisted of 17 patients diagnosed as BRV with cochlear symptoms (21 ears), Group B consisted of 11 patients diagnosed as BRV with migraine history (22 ears), and Group C consisted of 7 patients with BRV without cochlear symptoms and migraine history (14 ears). Group D, as a Normal control (NC) group, consisted of 30 healthy volunteers without a history of migraine and cochlear symptoms. Detailed consultations and VEMP testing were performed separately. The VEMPs elicitation rate, amplitude ratio at different frequencies and amplitude statistics were compared and analyzed among the 4 groups. Results: The amplitudes of cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) have significant differences between Groups D and A, and Group C, under 500 Hz (PAD = .017, PBD = .052, PCD = .044), but the amplitudes of cVEMP have significant differences between Groups D and A, and Group B under 1000 Hz, respectively (PAD = .008, PBD = .020, PCD = .119). The amplitudes of ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP) have significant differences between Groups D and A, and Group B, under 500 Hz, respectively (PAD = .029, PBD = .005, PCD = .198). oVEMP amplitudes significantly differ between Groups D and A under 1000 Hz (PAD = .049, PBD = .079, PCD = .103). The statistical difference was absent in elicit rates of cVEMP and oVEMP between the NC and experimental groups (cVEMP: PAD = .525, PBD = .917, PCD = .374; oVEMP: PAD = .678, PBD = .523, PCD = .427). Moreover, there is no significant difference between the NC group and experimental groups among VEMPs and VEMP frequency amplitude ratio (P > .05). Conclusion: VEMPs could be a diagnostic indicator for BRV patients with cochlear symptoms. The pathogenesis of BRV may be related to damage to the otolithic apparatus.

Dermal repeated dose toxicity study of the anti-breast cancer drug Formestane cream in Bama minipig.

Formestane (4-OHA) has been proven to be highly effective with high systemic tolerability in treating ER+ breast cancer. However, its intramuscular administration and associated side effects make it unsuitable for adjuvant treatment, leading to its withdrawal from the market. In contrast, Formestane cream may offer a solution by providing a more convenient route of administration and retaining its tumor-shrinking effects. This suggests that 4-OHA cream could have promising clinical applications. However, before clinical application, it is necessary to evaluate the potential toxicity of the cream in animals. This study evaluated the toxicity of 4-OHA cream on female Bama minipigs in vivo by analyzing hematology, biochemistry, and histopathology. The results showed that there was no significant difference between the cream-treated group and the control normal group for each parameter analyzed, indicating that 4-OHA cream was non-dermal toxic to minipigs. This finding provides a basis for the safe clinical use of the cream.

Towards Better Modeling With Missing Data: A Contrastive Learning-Based Visual Analytics Perspective.

Missing data can pose a challenge for machine learning (ML) modeling. To address this, current approaches are categorized into feature imputation and label prediction and are primarily focused on handling missing data to enhance ML performance. These approaches rely on the observed data to estimate the missing values and therefore encounter three main shortcomings in imputation, including the need for different imputation methods for various missing data mechanisms, heavy dependence on the assumption of data distribution, and potential introduction of bias. This study proposes a Contrastive Learning (CL) framework to model observed data with missing values, where the ML model learns the similarity between an incomplete sample and its complete counterpart and the dissimilarity between other samples. Our proposed approach demonstrates the advantages of CL without requiring any imputation. To enhance interpretability, we introduce CIVis, a visual analytics system that incorporates interpretable techniques to visualize the learning process and diagnose the model status. Users can leverage their domain knowledge through interactive sampling to identify negative and positive pairs in CL. The output of CIVis is an optimized model that takes specified features and predicts downstream tasks. We provide two usage scenarios in regression and classification tasks and conduct quantitative experiments, expert interviews, and a qualitative user study to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach. In short, this study offers a valuable contribution to addressing the challenges associated with ML modeling in the presence of missing data by providing a practical solution that achieves high predictive accuracy and model interpretability.

Saccades of video head impulse test in Meniere's disease and Vestibular Migraine: What can we learn from?

Background: Saccades are often observed on video head impulse tests (vHIT) in patients with Meniere's Disease (MD) and Vestibular Migraine (VM). However, their saccadic features are not fully described. Objective: This study aims to identify the saccades characteristics of MD and VM. Methods: 75 VM patients and 103 definite unilateral MD patients were enrolled in this study. First raw saccades were exported and analyzed. The VM patients were divided into left and right based on their ears, while the MD patients were separated into affected and unaffected subgroups based on their audiograms and symptoms. Results: The MD patients have more saccades on the affected side (85% vs. 69%), and saccade velocity is more consistent than the contralateral side (shown by the coefficient of variation). The saccades occurrence rates on both sides are similar in VM (77% vs. 76%), as are other saccadic parameters. The MD patients have more significant inter-aural differences than the VM patients, manifested in higher velocity (p-value 0.000), earlier arriving (p-value 0.010), and more time-domain gathered (p-value 0.003) on the affected side. Conclusions: Bilateral saccades are commonly observed in MD and VM. In contrast to MD, saccades on VM are subtle, scattered, and late-arrived. Furthermore, the MD patients showed inconsistent saccadic distribution with more velocity-uniform saccades on the affected side.

[Expert consensus on the diagnosis of isolated otolith dysfunction].

Isolated otolith dysfunction(iOD) involves a group of unexplained vestibular syndromes that manifest clinically as a sense of translation, tilting or floating, and blurred vision with head movement, with normal semicircular canal function but abnormal otolith function on laboratory vestibular testing. As vestibular medicine has gained widespread popularity in recent years, increasing attention has also been paid to iOD and case reports, clinical studies and diagnostic criteria have been published. However, there is no consensus document to guide the diagnosis of this disease in China. In this context, the Special Committee on Vertigo of China Medical Education Association organized a group of domestic experts in vestibular medicine and formulated this diagnostic consensus after thorough discussion based on the latest evidence in China and abroad, in order to promote the best clinical practice for iOD.

Comparative analysis of drought stress-induced physiological and transcriptional changes of two black sesame cultivars during anthesis.

Sesame production is severely affected by unexpected drought stress during flowering stage. However, little is known about dynamic drought-responsive mechanisms during anthesis in sesame, and no particular attention was given to black sesame, the most common ingredient in East Asia traditional medicine. Herein, we investigated drought-responsive mechanisms of two contrasting black sesame cultivars (Jinhuangma, JHM, and Poyanghei, PYH) during anthesis. Compared to PYH, JHM plants showed higher tolerance to drought stress through the maintenance of biological membrane properties, high induction of osmoprotectants' biosynthesis and accumulation, and significant enhancement of the activities of antioxidant enzymes. For instance, the drought stress induced a significant increase in the content of soluble protein (SP), soluble sugar (SS), proline (PRO), glutathione (GSH), as well as the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) in leaves and roots of JHM plants compared to PYH plants. RNA sequencing followed by differentially expressed genes (DEGs) analysis revealed that more genes were significantly induced under drought in JHM than in PYH plants. Functional enrichment analyses disclosed that several pathways related to drought stress tolerance, such as photosynthesis, amino acids and fatty acid metabolisms, peroxisome, ascorbate and aldarate metabolism, plant hormone signal transduction, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and glutathione metabolism, were highly stimulated in JHM than in PYH plants. Thirty-one (31) key highly induced DEGs, including transcription factors and glutathione reductase and ethylene biosynthetic genes, were identified as potential candidate genes for improving black sesame drought stress tolerance. Our findings show that a strong antioxidant system, biosynthesis and accumulation of osmoprotectants, TFs (mainly ERFs and NACs), and phytohormones are essential for black sesame drought tolerance. Moreover, they provide resources for functional genomic studies toward molecular breeding of drought-tolerant black sesame varieties.

A regulatory loop establishes the link between the circadian clock and abscisic acid signaling in rice.

There is a close regulatory relationship between the circadian clock and the abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway in regulating many developmental processes and stress responses. However, the exact feedback regulation mechanism between them is still poorly understood. Here, we identified the rice (Oryza sativa) clock component PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATOR 95 (OsPRR95) as a transcriptional regulator that accelerates seed germination and seedling growth by inhibiting ABA signaling. We also found that OsPRR95 binds to the ABA receptor gene REGULATORY COMPONENTS OF ABA RECEPTORS10 (OsRCAR10) DNA and inhibits its expression. Genetic analysis showed OsRCAR10 acts downstream of OsPRR95 in mediating ABA responses. In addition, the induction of OsPRR95 by ABA partly required a functional OsRCAR10, and the ABA-responsive element-binding factor ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE5 (OsABI5) bound directly to the promoter of OsPRR95 and activated its expression, thus establishing a regulatory feedback loop between OsPRR95, OsRCAR10, and OsABI5. Taken together, our results demonstrated that the OsRCAR10-OsABI5-OsPRR95 feedback loop modulates ABA signaling to fine-tune seed germination and seedling growth, thus establishing the molecular link between ABA signaling and the circadian clock.

Protective effect of pinocembrin from Penthorum chinense Pursh on hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury via regulating HMGB1/TLR4 signal pathway.

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI) is of common occurrence during liver surgery and transplantation. Pinocembrin (PIN) is a kind of flavonoid monomer extracted from the local traditional Chinese medicine Penthorum chinense Pursh (P. chinense). However, the effect of PIN on HIRI has not determined. We investigated the protective effect and potential mechanism of PIN against HIRI. Model mice were subjected to partial liver ischemia for 60 min, experimental mice were pretreated with PIN orally for 7 days, and H2 O2 -induced oxidative damage model in AML12 hepatic cells was established in vitro. Histopathologic analysis and serum biochemical levels revealed that PIN had hepatoprotective activities against HIRI. The variation of GSH, SOD, MDA, and ROS levels indicated that PIN treatments attenuated oxidative stress in tissue. PIN pretreatment obviously ameliorated apoptosis, and restrained the expression of HMGB1 and TLR4 in vivo. In vitro, compared with H2 O2 group, the contents of ROS, mitochondrial membrane potential, apoptotic cells, and Bcl-2 protein were decreased, while the Bax protein expression was increased. Moreover, HMGB-1 small interfering RNA test and western blotting showed that PIN pretreatment reduced HMGB1 and TLR4 protein levels. In conclusion, PIN pretreatment effectively protected hepatocytes from HIRI and inhibited the HMGB1/TLR4 signaling pathway.

Potassium application enhances drought tolerance in sesame by mitigating oxidative damage and regulating osmotic adjustment.

Potassium (K) is known for alleviating the negative effects of abiotic stresses on plants. To explore the functions of K in controlling reactive oxygen species (ROS), antioxidant activities, and osmoregulation in sesame under drought stress, a pot experiment was conducted with three K levels (0, 60, and 120 kg ha-1, recorded as K0, K1, and K2, respectively) and exposed to well-watered (WW, 75% ± 5% soil relative water content) and drought-stressed (DS, 50% ± 5% soil relative water content) conditions. The results showed that DS stimulated the production of ROS such as increased hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), leading to lipid peroxidation as characterized by higher malondialdehyde (MDA) and, consequently, resulting in the decline in relative water content (RWC) and photosynthetic pigments as compared with WW plants. These adverse effects were exacerbated when drought stress was prolonged. Concurrently, K application alleviated the magnitude of decline in the RWC, chlorophyll a, and chlorophyll b, and plants applied with K exhibited superior growth, with the optimal mitigation observed under K2 treatment. Additionally, DS plants treated with K exhibited lower lipid peroxidation, higher antioxidant activities, and increased osmotic solute accumulation in comparison with plants under K deficiency, which suggested that exogenous K application mitigated the oxidative damages and this was more prominent under K2 treatment. Noteworthily, proline and soluble protein, respectively, dominated in the osmotic regulation at 3 and 6 days of drought stress according to the analysis of the quantitative comparison among different osmotically active solutes. Based on the correlation of the aforementioned traits and the analysis of variance on the interaction effects of drought stress and potassium, we propose that superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR), and MDA could be critical indicators in balancing ROS detoxification and reproduction. In summary, our studies suggest that optimized K application keeps a balance between the production of antioxidants and ROS and simultaneously affects osmoregulation to alleviate the damage from drought stress.

The role of nanoparticles in plant biochemical, physiological, and molecular responses under drought stress: A review.

Drought stress (DS) is a serious challenge for sustaining global crop production and food security. Nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as an excellent tool to enhance crop production under current rapid climate change and increasing drought intensity. DS negatively affects plant growth, physiological and metabolic processes, and disturbs cellular membranes, nutrient and water uptake, photosynthetic apparatus, and antioxidant activities. The application of NPs protects the membranes, maintains water relationship, and enhances nutrient and water uptake, leading to an appreciable increase in plant growth under DS. NPs protect the photosynthetic apparatus and improve photosynthetic efficiency, accumulation of osmolytes, hormones, and phenolics, antioxidant activities, and gene expression, thus providing better resistance to plants against DS. In this review, we discuss the role of different metal-based NPs to mitigate DS in plants. We also highlighted various research gaps that should be filled in future research studies. This detailed review will be an excellent source of information for future researchers to adopt nanotechnology as an eco-friendly technique to improve drought tolerance.

Analysis of video head impulse test saccades data in patients with vestibular migraine or probable vestibular migraine.

Objective: Saccades accompanied by normal gain in video head impulse tests (vHIT) are often observed in patients with vestibular migraine (VM). However, they are not considered as an independent indicator, reducing their utility in diagnosing VM. To better understand clinical features of VM, it is necessary to understand raw saccades data. Methods: Fourteen patients with confirmed VM, 45 patients with probable VM (p-VM) and 14 age-matched healthy volunteers were included in this study. Clinical findings related to spontaneous nystagmus (SN), positional nystagmus (PN), head-shaking nystagmus (HSN), caloric test and vHIT were recorded. Raw saccades data were exported and numbered by their sequences, and their features analyzed. Results: VM patients showed no SN, PN or HSN, and less than half of them showed unilateral weakness (UW) on caloric test. The first saccades from lateral semicircular canal stimulation were the most predominant for both left and right sides. Neither velocity nor time parameters were significantly different when compared between the two sides. Most VM patients (86%) exhibited small saccades, around 35% of the head peak velocity, with a latency of 200-400 ms. Characteristics of saccades were similar in patients with p-VM. Only four normal subjects showed saccades, all unilateral and seemingly random. Conclusions: Small saccades involving bilateral semicircular canals with a scattered distribution pattern are common in patients with VM and p-VM.