Global richness patterns of alpine genus Gentiana depend on multiple factors.

Environmental factors impact species richness differently across taxonomic groups, and understanding the geographic patterns and drivers influencing alpine plant richness remains limited. This study compiled global distribution data of 404 species of Gentiana, an alpine genus, and analyzed the relative effects of different environmental factors and several previously proposed models on the variation of Gentiana richness. By evaluating the effects of range size and regions on the relationships between Gentiana richness and environmental factors, we found that all tested environmental factors had weak effects on richness variation for all species and wide-ranging species, while habitat heterogeneity was the best predictor for narrow-ranging species. Habitat heterogeneity was the main driver of richness variation in Europe and Asia, but not in North America. The multiple regression model that included variables for energy, water, seasonality, habitat heterogeneity and past climate change had the highest explanatory power, but it still explained less than 50% of the variation in species richness for all Gentiana species at both global and regional scale, except for Europe. The limited explanatory power of environmental factors in explaining species richness patterns for all species, along with the variations observed among regions, suggest that other factors, such as evolutionary processes and biogeographic history may have also influenced the geographic patterns of Gentiana species richness. In conclusion, our results indicate a limited influence of climate factors on alpine species richness, while habitat heterogeneity, along with its impacts on speciation and dispersal, likely play significant roles in shaping the richness of alpine Gentiana species.

A bibliometric study of the nasopharyngeal cancer immunotherapy knowledge map.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common malignant tumors, and stages III and IV are frequently diagnosed. In recent years, immunotherapy has achieved remarkable results in recurrent/metastatic NPC, and many studies related to immunotherapy for NPC have been published. However, to date, no relevant bibliometric studies have been published. The trends and research focus on NPC immunotherapy are analyzed in this study through bibliometric analysis, which is conducive to better understanding the status quo and future trends of immunotherapy for NPC. The Web of Science Core Collection was used to collect literature on NPC immunotherapy. These publications were analyzed using bibliometric methods from the aspects of country/region, institution, author (co-cited author), journal (co-cited journal), references, and keywords to determine the research focus and trends in the field. A total of 510 English studies were published between January 1, 2000 and September 1, 2023. The number of articles published increased rapidly in 2016. China ranked first in the number of publications (n = 254), followed by the United States (n = 127). Sun Yat-sen University had the largest number of publications (n = 74). In terms of authors, Comoli P is the most cited author among the co-cited authors. The journal publishing the largest number of studies on NPC immunotherapy is Frontiers in Oncology (impact factor (2022) = 4.7). Five of the top 10 highly cited publications came from China. Keyword analysis reveals that infiltrating lymphocytes, PD-L1, and the tumor microenvironment are recent research focuses on nasopharyngeal cancer immunotherapy. Immunotherapy research for nasopharyngeal cancer is a recent trend. Nasopharyngeal cancer immunotherapy research has mainly focused on immune checkpoint inhibitors and the tumor microenvironment. Notably, China has made significant contributions to this field.

Effect of anti-Müllerian hormone on early pregnancy loss in hormone replacement therapy-frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycles: An analysis including 6597 pregnant patients undergoing their first in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycle.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level and early pregnancy loss in patients who underwent their first embryo transfer by hormone replacement therapy-frozen-thawed embryo transfer (HRT-FET) and analyze the threshold effect. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed on pregnant women undergoing HRT-FET at the Reproductive Medical Center of Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2016 to December 2021. The patients were divided into four groups based on AMH concentration according to the Poseidon criteria: group A (≤1 µg/L), group B (1-≤2 µg/L), group C (2-≤6 µg/L), and group D (>6 µg/L). Univariate analysis, multivariate logistic regression analysis, smooth curve fitting, and threshold effect analysis were applied to investigate the influence of AMH on the outcome of early pregnancy loss in in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection and HRT-FET cycles. RESULTS: Of the 6597 pregnant women, early pregnancy loss occurred in 893, giving an early pregnancy loss rate of 13.54%. Univariate regression analysis demonstrated that age, female body mass index, AMH, antral follicle count, endometrial thickness at endometrial transformation day, total retrieved oocyte number, number of pregnancies, duration of infertility, type of infertility, and the number of embryos transferred were all factors influencing the early pregnancy loss rate (P < 0.050). Multivariate logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for confounders, further stratified the analysis of patients of different ages. With group A as the control group, the results showed that when age was younger than 35 years, the pregnancy loss rates in groups B, C, and D were lower than that in group A, with statistical significance (P < 0.050); when age was 35 years or older, there was no statistically significant difference in outcome indicators between the groups (P > 0.050). A threshold effect analysis revealed that the AMH threshold was 2.83 µg/L. When the AMH concentration was less than 2.83 µg/L, the early pregnancy loss rate decreased significantly with increasing AMH concentration; the early pregnancy loss rate decreased by 21% for each unit increase in AMH (odds ratio 0.79; 95% confidence interval 0.71-0.88; P < 0.001); when the AMH concentration was 2.83 µg/L or more, there was no statistical difference in the change in early pregnancy loss rate (odds ratio 1.01; 95% confidence interval 0.99-1.03; P = 0.383). CONCLUSION: For pregnant women after their first embryo transfer, there is a curvilinear relationship between the influences of AMH levels on early pregnancy loss rates in patients younger than 35 years. When the AMH level was less than 2.83 µg/L, the early pregnancy loss rate declined significantly with increasing AMH levels.

Association with pre-pregnancy BMI on early pregnancy loss in infertility patients in first HRT-FET cycles: A retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and the early pregnancy loss rate in patients in first hormone replacement therapy-frozen-thawed embryo transfer (HRT-FET) cycles and find the threshold. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using a total of 14030 HRT-FET cycles at the Reproductive Center from January 2017 to December 2021. The association of pre-pregnancy BMI on early pregnancy loss rate in patients in HRT-FET cycles was assessed by performing univariate analysis, multivariable logistic regression, curve fitting and threshold effect analysis. RESULTS: There were 2076 cycles of early pregnancy loss, and the pregnancy loss rate was 14.80%. After adjusting for confounding factors, the early pregnancy loss rate of the obese group was significantly higher than that of the normal weight group (P < 0.05). The threshold effect analysis showed that as the pre-pregnancy BMI ranged from 21.2 to 25.8 kg/m2, the early pregnancy loss rate came to the plateau phase at the low level. In addition, when the BMI was ≥ 25.8 kg/m2, the early pregnancy loss rate increased by 3% (aOR = 1.03, P = 0.01) with each 1 kg/m2 increment of BMI. CONCLUSION: The early pregnancy loss rate might achieve a low level when the pre-pregnancy BMI was within the range of 21.2- 25.8 kg/m2. The early pregnancy loss rate would increase when pre-pregnancy BMI is more than 25.8 kg/m2. For patients in HRT-FET cycles, adjusting their pre-pregnancy BMI to the optimal level by following a healthy diet and daily exercise may help to reduce the early pregnancy loss.

Proteomics analysis of Toxoplasma gondii merozoites reveals regulatory proteins involved in sexual reproduction.

Sexual reproduction plays a crucial role in the transmission and life cycle of toxoplasmosis. The merozoites are the only developmental stage capable of differentiation into male and female gametes, thereby initiating sexual reproduction to form oocysts that are excreted into the environment. Hence, our study aimed to perform proteomic analyses of T. gondii Pru strain merozoites, a pre-sexual developmental stage in cat IECs, and tachyzoites, an asexual developmental stage, using the tandem mass tag (TMT) method in order to identify the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) of merozoites. Proteins functions were subjected to cluster analysis, and DEPs were validated through the qPCR method. The results showed that a total of 106 proteins were identified, out of which 85 proteins had quantitative data. Among these, 15 proteins were differentially expressed within merozoites, with four exhibiting up-regulation and being closely associated with the material and energy metabolism as well as the cell division of T. gondii. Two novel DEPs, namely S8GHL5 and A0A125YP41, were identified, and their homologous family members have been demonstrated to play regulatory roles in oocyte maturation and spermatogenesis in other species. Therefore, they may potentially exhibit regulatory functions during the differentiation of micro- and macro-gametophytes at the initiation stage of sexual reproduction in T. gondii. In conclusion, our results showed that the metabolic and divisional activities in the merozoites surpass those in the tachyzoites, thereby providing structural, material, and energetic support for gametophytes development. The discovery of two novel DEPs associated with sexual reproduction represents a significant advancement in understanding Toxoplasma sexual reproduction initiation and oocyst formation.

Building nonenhanced CT based radiomics model in discriminating arteriovenous malformation related hematomas from hypertensive intracerebral hematomas.

Objective: To develop and validate radiomics models on non-enhanced CT for discrimination of arteriovenous malformation (AVM) related hematomas from hypertensive intracerebral hematomas. Materials and methods: A total of 571 patients with acute intraparenchymal hematomas and baseline non-enhanced CT scans were retrospectively analyzed, including 297 cases of AVM related hematomas and 274 cases of hypertensive intracerebral hematomas. The patients were divided into training and validation cohorts in a 7:3 ratio with a random seed. A total of 1,688 radiomics features of hematomas were extracted from non-enhanced CT. Then, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was applied to select features and construct the radiomics models. In this study, a radiomics-based model was constructed that based on the radiomics features only. Furthermore, a combined model was constructed using radiomics features, clinical characteristics and radiological signs by radiologists' evaluation. In addition, we compared predictive performance of the two models for discrimination of AVM related hematomas from hypertensive intracerebral hematomas. Results: A total of 67 radiomics features were selected to establish radiomics signature via LASSO regression. The radiomics-based model was constructed with 2 classifiers, support vector machine (SVM) and logistic regression (LR). AUCs of the radiomics-based model in the training set were 0.894 and 0.904, in validation set were 0.774 and 0.782 in SVM classifier and LR classifier, respectively. AUCs of the combined model (combined with radiomics, age and calcification) in the training set were 0.976 and 0.981, in validation set were 0.896 and 0.907 in SVM classifier and LR classifier, respectively. The combined model showed greater AUCs than radiomics-based model in both training set and validation set. Conclusion: The combined model using radiomics, age and calcification showed a satisfactory predictive performance for discrimination of AVM related hematomas from hypertensive intracerebral hematomas and hold great potential for personalized clinical decision.

Label-free quantitative proteomic analyses of mouse astrocytes provides insight into the host response mechanism at different developmental stages of Toxoplasma gondii.

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an opportunistic parasite that can infect the central nervous system (CNS), causing severe toxoplasmosis and behavioral cognitive impairment. Mortality is high in immunocompromised individuals with toxoplasmosis, most commonly due to reactivation of infection in the CNS. There are still no effective vaccines and drugs for the prevention and treatment of toxoplasmosis. There are five developmental stages for T. gondii to complete life cycle, of which the tachyzoite and bradyzoite stages are the key to the acute and chronic infection. In this study, to better understanding of how T. gondii interacts with the host CNS at different stages of infection, we constructed acute and chronic infection models of T. gondii in astrocytes, and used label-free proteomics to detect the proteome changes before and after infection, respectively. A total of 4676 proteins were identified, among which 163 differentially expressed proteins (fold change ≥ 1.5 or ≤ 0.67 and p-value ≤ 0.05) including 109 up-regulated proteins and 54 down-regulated proteins in C8-TA vs C8 group, and 719 differentially expressed proteins including 495 up-regulated proteins and 224 down-regulated proteins in C8-BR vs C8-TA group. After T. gondii tachyzoites infected astrocytes, differentially expressed proteins were enriched in immune-related biological processes to promote the formation of bradyzoites and maintain the balance of T. gondii, CNS and brain. After T. gondii bradyzoites infected astrocytes, the differentially expressed proteins up-regulated the host's glucose metabolism, and some up-regulated proteins were strongly associated with neurodegenerative diseases. These findings not only provide new insights into the psychiatric pathogenesis of T. gondii, but also provide potential targets for the treatment of acute and chronic Toxoplasmosis.

Adsorption Characteristics of Heavy Metals Pb2+ and Zn2+ by Magnetic Biochar Obtained from Modified AMD Sludge.

Acid mine drainage (AMD) sludge can be used to prepare adsorbent materials for the removal of heavy metals in water, which is an effective means for its resource utilization. Magnetic modified biochar (MMB), which can be recovered by magnetic separation, was prepared from sludge generated from the carbonate rock neutralization treatment of AMD and rice straw agricultural waste. Unmodified biochar (UMB) was obtained from rice straw and chemically modified and treated by ultraviolet radiation to produce MMB. The Pb2+ and Zn2+ adsorption capacities of UMB and MMB were investigated. Simultaneously, the materials were characterized by SEM, FTIR, BET, and ZETA. The results showed that the specific surface area (130.89 m2·g-1) and pore volume (0.22 m2·g-1) of MMB were significantly increased compared to those of UMB (9.10 m2·g-1 and 0.05 m2·g-1, respectively). FTIR images showed that MMB was successfully loaded with Fe3O4. The adsorption process of Pb2+ and Zn2+ onto MMB was consistent with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm and second-order kinetic models, with maximum adsorption capacities of 329.65 mg·g-1 and 103.67 mg·g-1, respectively. In a binary system of Pb2+ and Zn2+, MMB preferentially binds Pb2+. The adsorption efficiencies of MMB reached >80% for Pb2+ and Zn2+.

Radiological education in the era of artificial intelligence: A review.

In the era of artificial intelligence (AI), a great deal of attention is being paid to AI in radiological practice. There are a large number of AI products on the radiological market based on X-rays, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound. AI will not only change the way of radiological practice but also the way of radiological education. It is still not clearly defined about the exact role AI will play in radiological practice, but it will certainly be consolidated into radiological education in the foreseeable future. However, there are few literatures that have comprehensively summarized the attitudes, opportunities and challenges that AI can pose in the different training phases of radiologists, from university education to continuing education. Herein, we describe medical students' attitudes towards AI, summarize the role of AI in radiological education, and analyze the challenges that AI can pose in radiological education.

Identification of key genes and pathways associated with sex differences in rheumatoid arthritis based on bioinformatics analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Women are more likely than men to develop the chronic, progressive autoimmune disease known as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although there may be a complex interplay between sex-based differences and autoimmune dysfunction. Their function in RA is largely unknown, though. The purpose of this study was to pinpoint the crucial genes and metabolic pathways that control biological variations in RA between men and women. METHODS: First, the Gene Expression Omnibus database's gene expression information for GSE39340 and GSE55457 was downloaded (GEO). R software was used to find each of the individually identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the sexes. DEGs that overlapped were found. The interactions between the overlapping DEGs were then further examined using a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Ontology tools, respectively, were used to perform enrichment analyses. RESULTS: According to our findings, there were 1169 DEGs that overlapped between RA males and females, comprising 845 up-regulated genes and 324 down-regulated genes. Ten hub genes, including PIK3R1, RAC1, HRAS, PTPN11, UQCRB, NDUFV1, EGF, UBA1, UBE2G1, and UBE2E1, were discovered in the PPI network. According to a functional enrichment analysis, these genes were primarily enriched in neurodegenerative illnesses, including various disease pathways, MAPK signaling, insulin signaling, and autophagy. CONCLUSION: The current data point to the possibility that the MAPK pathway and autophagy may be significant contributors to sex differences in RA. PTPN11, EGF, and UBA1 may be important genes linked to the gender development of RA and are anticipated to be therapeutic targets for the disease. Key Points • Our research point to the possibility that the MAPK pathway and autophagy may be significant contributors to sex differences in RA. • PTPN11, EGF, and UBA1 may be important genes linked to the gender development of RA and are anticipated to be therapeutic targets for the disease. • These findings may aid in the development of novel diagnostic and treatment techniques for RA in men and women.

Thymic cyst: Is attenuation artifactually increased on contrast-enhanced CT?

Background: Thymic cysts are often misinterpreted as thymomas or lymph nodes, then leading to unnecessary thymectomy. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the adjacent large vessels artifactually affected attenuation values of thymic cysts on contrast-enhanced CT (CE-CT). Methods: In this retrospective study, a total of 84 patients were included with pathological diagnosis of thymic cysts and preoperative CE-CT. Quantitative measurements of the size, CT attenuation of thymic cysts and CT attenuation of adjacent large vessels were performed on preoperative CE-CT. According to the absolute change in attenuation of the cysts between contrast-enhanced and nonenhanced CT, the patients were classified into the groups of artifactual hyper-density, unchanged density, and artifactual hypo-density. CT characteristics were compared between the three groups. Furthermore, multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the independent factors for artifactual hyper-density. Results: The group of artifactual hyper-density had smaller short diameter of the cysts, higher postcontrast attenuation values and lower nonenhanced attenuation values of the adjacent large vessel. Furthermore, the multivariable logistic analysis showed that artifactual hyper-density of thymic cysts was negatively associated with nonenhanced attenuation of adjacent large vessel, and positively associated with postcontrast attenuation of adjacent large vessel and postcontrast attenuation of cysts. Conclusions: Most cases with >20 HU nonenhanced CT attenuation in surgically resected cases. Artifactual hyper-density─pseudo-enhancement phenomenon of thymic cysts was more apparent in higher increasing attenuation of adjacent large vessels on CE-CT. A well understanding of this phenomenon can help reduce preoperative misdiagnosis and unnecessary thymectomy.

The change of plasma metabolic profile and gut microbiome dysbiosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory joint disease, which is associated with progressive disability, systemic complications, and early death. But its etiology and pathogenesis are not fully understood. We aimed to investigate the alterations in plasma metabolite profiles, gut bacteria, and fungi and their role of them in the pathogenesis of RA. Methods: Metabolomics profiling of plasma from 363 participants including RA (n = 244), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, n = 50), and healthy control (HC, n = 69) were performed using the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The differentially expressed metabolites were selected among groups and used to explore important metabolic pathways. Gut microbial diversity analysis was performed by 16S rRNA sequencing and ITS sequencing (RA = 195, HC = 269), and the specific microbial floras were identified afterward. The diagnosis models were established based on significant differential metabolites and microbial floras, respectively. Results: There were 63 differential metabolites discovered between RA and HC groups, mainly significantly enriched in the arginine and proline metabolism, glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism, and glycerophospholipid metabolism between RA and HC groups. The core differential metabolites included L-arginine, creatine, D-proline, ornithine, choline, betaine, L-threonine, LysoPC (18:0), phosphorylcholine, and glycerophosphocholine. The L-arginine and phosphorylcholine were increased in the RA group. The AUC of the predictive model was 0.992, based on the combination of the 10 differential metabolites. Compared with the SLE group, 23 metabolites increased and 61 metabolites decreased in the RA group. However, no significant metabolic pathways were enriched between RA and SLE groups. On the genus level, a total of 117 differential bacteria genera and 531 differential fungal genera were identified between RA and HC groups. The results indicated that three bacteria genera (Eubacterium_hallii_group, Escherichia-Shigella, Streptococcus) and two fungal genera (Candida and Debaryomyces) significantly increased in RA patients. The AUC was 0.80 based on a combination of six differential bacterial genera and the AUC was 0.812 based on a combination of seven differential fungal genera. Functional predictive analysis displayed that differential bacterial and differential fungus both were associated with KEGG pathways involving superpathway of L-serine and glycine biosynthesis I, arginine, ornithine, and proline interconversion. Conclusion: The plasma metabolism profile and gut microbe profile changed markedly in RA. The glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism and arginine and proline metabolism played an important role in RA.

Comparative analysis of the complete chloroplast genomes of six threatened subgenus Gynopodium (Magnolia) species.

BACKGROUND: The subgenus Gynopodium belonging to genus Magnolia have high ornamental, economic, and ecological value. Subgenus Gynopodium contains eight species, but six of these species are threatened. No studies to date have characterized the characteristics of the chloroplast genomes (CPGs) within subgenus Gynopodium species. In this study, we compared the structure of CPGs, identified the mutational hotspots and resolved the phylogenetic relationship of subgenus Gynopodium. RESULTS: The CPGs of six subgenus Gynopodium species ranged in size from 160,027 bp to 160,114 bp. A total of 131 genes were identified, including 86 protein-coding genes, eight ribosomal RNA genes, and 37 transfer RNA genes. We detected neither major expansions or contractions in the inverted repeat region, nor rearrangements or insertions in the CPGs of six subgenus Gynopodium species. A total of 300 large repeat sequences (forward, reverse, and palindrome repeats), 847 simple sequence repeats, and five highly variable regions were identified. One gene (ycf1) and four intergenic regions (psbA-trnH-GUG, petA-psbJ, rpl32-trnL-UAG, and ccsA-ndhD) were identified as mutational hotspots by their high nucleotide diversity (Pi) values (≥ 0.004), which were useful for species discrimination. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference trees were concordant and indicated that Magnoliaceae consisted of two genera Liriodendron and Magnolia. Six species of subgenus Gynopodium clustered as a monophyletic clade, forming a sister clade with subgenus Yulania (BS = 100%, PP = 1.00). Due to the non-monophyly of subgenus Magnolia, subgenus Gynopodium should be treated as a section of Magnolia. Within section Gynopodium, M. sinica diverged first (posterior probability = 1, bootstrap = 100), followed by M. nitida, M. kachirachirai and M. lotungensis. M. omeiensis was sister to M. yunnanensis (posterior probability = 0.97, bootstrap = 50). CONCLUSION: The CPGs and characteristics information provided by our study could be useful in species identification, conservation genetics and resolving phylogenetic relationships of Magnoliaceae species.

Nitrogen and Sulfur Co-Doped Hierarchically Porous Carbon Nanotubes for Fast Potassium Ion Storage.

Exploration of advanced carbon anode material is the key to circumventing the sluggish kinetics and poor rate capability for potassium ion storage. Herein, a synergistic synthetic strategy of engineering both surface and structure is adopted to design N, S co-doped carbon nanotubes (NS-CNTs). The as-designed NS-CNTs exhibit unique features of defective carbon surface, hollow tubular channel, and enlarged interlayer space. These features significantly contribute to a large potassium storage capacity of 307 mA h g-1 at 1 A g-1 and a remarkable rate performance with a capacity of 151 mA h g-1 even at 5 A g-1 . Furthermore, an excellent cyclability with 98% capacity retention after 500 cycles at 2 A g-1 is also achieved. Systematic analysis by in situ Raman spectroscopy and ex situ TEM demonstrates the structural stability and reversibility in the charge-discharge process. Although the kinetics studies reveal the capacitive-dominated process for potassium storage, density functional theory calculations provide evidence that N, S co-doping contributes to expanding the interlayer space to promote the K-ion insertion, improving the electronic conductivity, and providing ample defective sites to favor the K-ion adsorption.

ß cell regeneration and novel strategies for treatment of diabetes (Review).

The etiology of diabetes is primarily attributed to the lack of functioning ß cells, which in-turn leads to insulin deficiency or insulin resistance, and this ultimately leads to ß cell dysfunction. Restoring the number and function of ß cells is an effective means of improving or even curing diabetes. ß cell regeneration is a potential method for increasing the number of functioning ß cells. In addition to self-duplication of pancreatic ß cells, ß cells can be regenerated from embryonic stem cells, human induced pluripotent stem cells and pancreatic stem cells. Based on these mechanisms, proliferation and differentiation into functional ß cells in vitro is one of the most promising strategies for treatment of diabetes. Although ß cell regeneration has significant potential in the treatment of insulin-deficient diabetes, and significant progress has been made in this regard, there remains challenges which prevent its use in the clinic.

Epigenetic Manipulation of Psychiatric Behavioral Disorders Induced by Toxoplasma gondii.

Toxoplasma gondii is known to have a complex life cycle and infect almost all kinds of warm-blooded animals around the world. The brain of the host could be persistently infected by cerebral cysts, and a variety of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and suicide have been reported to be related with latent toxoplasmosis. The infected animals showed fear reduction and a tendency to be preyed upon. However, the mechanism of this "parasites manipulation" effects have not been elucidated. Here, we reviewed the recent infection prevalence of toxoplasmosis and the evidence of mental and behavioral disorders induced by T. gondii and discussed the related physiological basis including dopamine dysregulation and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) pathway and the controversial opinion of the necessity for cerebral cysts existence. Based on the recent advances, we speculated that the neuroendocrine programs and neurotransmitter imbalance may play a key role in this process. Simultaneously, studies in the evaluation of the expression pattern of related genes, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and mRNAs of the host provides a new point for understanding the mechanism of neurotransmitter dysfunction induced by parasite manipulation. Therefore, we summarized the animal models, T. gondii strains, and behavioral tests used in the related epigenetic studies and the responsible epigenetic processes; pinpointed opportunities and challenges in future research including the causality evidence of human psychiatric disorders, the statistical analysis for rodent-infected host to be more vulnerable preyed upon; and identified responsible genes and drug targets through epigenetics.

Diversity patterns and conservation gaps of Magnoliaceae species in China.

Magnoliaceae, a primitive group of angiosperms and distinguished ornamental plants with more than 100 species in China, is one of the most threatened plant family in the wild due to logging, habitat loss, over-collection and climate change. To provide a scientific guide of its conservation for policymakers, we explore the diversity patterns of 114 Magnoliaceae species in China using three diversity indices (species richness, weighted endemism, ß-diversity) with a spatial resolution of 10 km by 10 km. Two methods, the top 5% richness algorithm and complementary algorithm, are used to identify diversity hotspots. Conservation gaps are recognized by overlapping the diversity hotspots with Chinese nature reserves. Our results indicate that Magnoliaceae species richness and weighted endemism are high in tropical to subtropical low montane forests in southern China, exceptionally high in southernmost Yunnan and boundary of Guizhou, Guangxi and Hunan. The ß-diversity are scattered in southern China, suggesting a different species composition among grid cells. We identify 2524 grids as diversity hotspots for Magnoliaceae species in China, with 24 grids covered by three diversity indices (first-level diversity hotspots), 561 grids covered by two indices (second-level diversity hotspots) simultaneously and 1939 grids (76.8%) covered by only one index (third-level diversity hotspots). The first-level diversity hotspots include over 70% of the critically endangered Magnoliaceae species and are the priority areas for Magnoliaceae conservation. However, only 24% of the diversity hotspots fall in nature reserves and only ten grids are from the first-level diversity hotspots. Zhejiang, Guizhou and Fujian have less than 20% of diversity hotspots covered by nature reserves and need attention in future Magnoliaceae conservation. Using multiple diversity indices and algorithms, our study identifies diversity hotspots and conservation gaps and provides scientific basis for Magnoliaceae conservation in future.

Boron-Functionalized Organic Framework as a High-Performance Metal-Free Catalyst for N2 Fixation.

Inspired by the recently synthesized covalent organic framework (COF) containing triquinoxalinylene and benzoquinone units (TQBQ) in the skeleton, we study the stability and properties of its two-dimensional analogue, TQBQCOF, and examine its potential for the synthesis of ammonia using first-principles calculations. We show that the TQBQCOF sheet is mechanically, dynamically, and thermally stable up to 1200 K. It is a semiconductor with a direct band gap of 2.70 eV. We further investigate the electrocatalytic reduction of N2to NH3on the Boron-functionalized TQBQCOF sheet (B/TQBQCOF). The rate-determining step of the catalytic pathways is found to be *N-N → *N-NH for the distal, alternating, and enzymatic catalytic mechanisms, with the corresponding overpotentials of 0.65, 0.65, and 0.07 V, respectively. The value of 0.07 V is the lowest required voltage among all of the N2 reduction catalysts reported so far, showing the potential of B/TQBQCOF as a metal-free catalyst to effectively reduce N2to NH3.

Radiological and clinical findings of idiopathic myointimal hyperplasia of mesenteric veins: Case report.

INTRODUCTION: Idiopathic myointimal hyperplasia of mesenteric veins (IMHMV) is an uncommon cause of ischemic bowel disease resulting from the proliferation of smooth muscles in the venous intima. Delayed diagnosis could only be made following the surgical resection due to lack of imaging data, which may lead to bowel severe bleeding, perforation, necrosis, infection, or shock. In previous reports, few cases have provided the detailed pre-operative radiological characteristics of IMHMV. Herein, we are the first to provide the complete clinical course and comprehensive pre-operative radiological data of a 21-year-old female diagnosed with IMHMV. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 21-year-old female was admitted to our hospital with bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain. Physical examination revealed tenderness localized to the left lower abdomen. The patient had no prior history of similar symptoms. A computed tomography scan was performed and showed diffuse wall thickening from the rectum to sigmoid colon with poor mural enhancement, multiple ulcers, fat stranding, and free fluid. The arterial phase images demonstrated many tortuous pericolic arteries and submucosal pseudoaneurysm. INTERVENTION: Conservative treatment including empirical antibiotics, Mesalazine, and methylprednisolone sodium succinate were administrated to relief the symptoms. However, the diarrhea and abdominal pain worsened. An emergency surgery was arranged and total proctocolectomy with ileal pouchanal anastomosis with ileostomy was performed. DIAGNOSIS: Macroscopic and histopathological examinations of the excised specimen showed ischemic colitis. Elastica van Gieson staining revealed extensive myointimal hyperplasia and confirmed the diagnosis of IMHMV. OUTCOMES: During the 2-year follow-up period, no additional medical management was needed. The patient was well and surveillance colonoscopy showed normal colon and anastomosis. CONCLUSION: Pre-operative computed tomography with imaging features including pronounced continuous concentric thickening colonic wall with poor enhancement and enlarged tortuous pericolic arteries could specifically facilitate the speedy diagnosis of IMHMV.