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1.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38743550

ABSTRACT

In the field of healthcare, the acquisition of sample is usually restricted by multiple considerations, including cost, labor- intensive annotation, privacy concerns, and radiation hazards, therefore, synthesizing images-of-interest is an important tool to data augmentation. Diffusion models have recently attained state-of-the-art results in various synthesis tasks, and embedding energy functions has been proved that can effectively guide the pre-trained model to synthesize target samples. However, we notice that current method development and validation are still limited to improving indicators, such as Fréchet Inception Distance score (FID) and Inception Score (IS), and have not provided deeper investigations on downstream tasks, like disease grading and diagnosis. Moreover, existing classifier guidance which can be regarded as a special case of energy function can only has a singular effect on altering the distribution of the synthetic dataset. This may contribute to in-distribution synthetic sample that has limited help to downstream model optimization. All these limitations remind that we still have a long way to go to achieve controllable generation. In this work, we first conducted an analysis on previous guidance as well as its contributions on further applications from the perspective of data distribution. To synthesize samples which can help downstream applications, we then introduce uncertainty guidance in each sampling step and design an uncertainty-guided diffusion models. Extensive experiments on four medical datasets, with ten classic networks trained on the augmented sample sets provided a comprehensive evaluation on the practical contributions of our methodology. Furthermore, we provide a theoretical guarantee for general gradient guidance in diffusion models, which would benefit future research on investigating other forms of measurement guidance for specific generative tasks. Codes and models are available at: https://github.com/yangqy1110/MGDM.

2.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38662561

ABSTRACT

In a clinical setting, the acquisition of certain medical image modality is often unavailable due to various considerations such as cost, radiation, etc. Therefore, unpaired cross-modality translation techniques, which involve training on the unpaired data and synthesizing the target modality with the guidance of the acquired source modality, are of great interest. Previous methods for synthesizing target medical images are to establish one-shot mapping through generative adversarial networks (GANs). As promising alternatives to GANs, diffusion models have recently received wide interests in generative tasks. In this paper, we propose a target-guided diffusion model (TGDM) for unpaired cross-modality medical image translation. For training, to encourage our diffusion model to learn more visual concepts, we adopted a perception prioritized weight scheme (P2W) to the training objectives. For sampling, a pre-trained classifier is adopted in the reverse process to relieve modality-specific remnants from source data. Experiments on both brain MRI-CT and prostate MRI-US datasets demonstrate that the proposed method achieves a visually realistic result that mimics a vivid anatomical section of the target organ. In addition, we have also conducted a subjective assessment based on the synthesized samples to further validate the clinical value of TGDM.

3.
BMC Plant Biol ; 24(1): 246, 2024 Apr 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38575869

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Molecular mechanisms in response to drought stress are important for the genetic improvement of maize. In our previous study, nine ZmLAZ1 members were identified in the maize genome, but the function of ZmLAZ1 was largely unknown. RESULTS: The ZmLAZ1-3 gene was cloned from B73, and its drought-tolerant function was elucidated by expression analysis in transgenic Arabidopsis. The expression of ZmLAZ1-3 was upregulated by drought stress in different maize inbred lines. The driving activity of the ZmLAZ1-3 promoter was induced by drought stress and related to the abiotic stress-responsive elements such as MYB, MBS, and MYC. The results of subcellular localization indicated that the ZmLAZ1-3 protein localized on the plasma membrane and chloroplast. The ectopic expression of the ZmLAZ1-3 gene in Arabidopsis significantly reduced germination ratio and root length, decreased biomass, and relative water content, but increased relative electrical conductivity and malondialdehyde content under drought stress. Moreover, transcriptomics analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes between the transgenic lines and wild-type were mainly associated with response to abiotic stress and biotic stimulus, and related to pathways of hormone signal transduction, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, and plant-pathogen interaction. CONCLUSION: The study suggests that the ZmLAZ1-3 gene is a negative regulator in regulating drought tolerance and can be used to improve maize drought tolerance via its silencing or knockout.


Subject(s)
Arabidopsis , Arabidopsis/metabolism , Drought Resistance , Zea mays/metabolism , Plants, Genetically Modified/genetics , Plants, Genetically Modified/metabolism , Plant Proteins/genetics , Plant Proteins/metabolism , Droughts , Gene Expression Regulation, Plant , Stress, Physiological/genetics
4.
Sci Total Environ ; 927: 172005, 2024 Jun 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38554969

ABSTRACT

Analysis of dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition and microbial characteristics is crucial for tracing the sources of rural black and odorous water bodies (BOWB). The aim of this study was to explore the DOM and microbial diversity and identify the primary environmental factors in BOWB from various pollution sources during different periods using EEMs-PARAFAC and Illumina sequencing. It was found that the physicochemical properties vary widely across different pollution types of BOWB, with higher overall content during the high-water period compared to the normal-water period. The types of dissolved organic matter in BOWB are Tyrosine proteins, Fulvic acid, Dissolved microbial metabolites, and Humic acid. During the normal-water period, DOM originates primarily from terrestrial sources in various water bodies. However, DOM affected by livestock and poultry waste and industrial effluents is influenced by both internal and external sources during periods of high water levels. In industrial waste-type BOWB, the biological sources of water are weak. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes were the dominant bacterial phyla. According to the redundancy analysis, pH (p = 0.047), Total nitrogen (TN) (p = 0.045), Organic carbon (OC) (p = 0.044), and Nickel (Ni) (p = 0.047) are the primary environmental factors influencing the composition of bacterial communities.


Subject(s)
Bacteria , Environmental Monitoring , Bacteria/classification , Water Microbiology , Microbiota , China , Odorants/analysis , Humic Substances/analysis , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis
5.
J Transl Med ; 22(1): 148, 2024 Feb 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38351014

ABSTRACT

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a major risk factor of gastric cancer (GC). The SUMO-activating enzyme SAE1(SUMO-activating enzyme subunit 1), which is indispensable for protein SUMOylation, involves in human tumorigenesis. In this study, we used the TIMER and TCGA database to explore the SAE1 expression in GC and normal tissues and Kaplan-Meier Plotter platform for survival analysis of GC patients. GC tissue microarray and gastric samples from patients who underwent endoscopic treatment were employed to detect the SAE1expression. Our results showed that SAE1 was overexpressed in GC tissues and higher SAE1 expression was associated with worse clinical characteristics of GC patients. Cell and animal models showed that H. pylori infection upregulated SAE1, SUMO1, and SUMO2/3 protein expression. Functional assays suggested that suppression of SAE1 attenuated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) biomarkers and cell proliferation abilities induced by H. pylori. Cell and animal models of ROS inhibition in H. pylori showed that ROS could mediate the H. pylori-induced upregulation of SAE1, SUMO1, and SUMO2/3 protein. RNA sequencing was performed and suggested that knockdown of SAE1 could exert an impact on IGF-1 expression. General, increased SUMOylation modification is involved in H. pylori-induced GC.


Subject(s)
Helicobacter Infections , Helicobacter pylori , Stomach Neoplasms , Animals , Humans , Up-Regulation/genetics , Stomach Neoplasms/pathology , Helicobacter pylori/genetics , Helicobacter pylori/metabolism , Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism , Cell Transformation, Neoplastic , Helicobacter Infections/complications , Helicobacter Infections/genetics , Helicobacter Infections/metabolism , Ubiquitin-Activating Enzymes/genetics , Ubiquitin-Activating Enzymes/metabolism
7.
Environ Sci Technol ; 57(51): 21650-21661, 2023 Dec 26.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38078857

ABSTRACT

Emerging classes of dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) like hydroxylated/methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (HO-/MeO-PBDEs) and polychlorinated diphenyl sulfides (PCDPSs) could lead to diverse adverse outcomes in humans and wildlife, yet knowledge gaps exist in their molecular mechanisms associated with different structures following early life environmental exposure. This study integrated a genetic knockout technique and concentration-dependent reduced zebrafish transcriptome approach (CRZT) to unravel the toxicological pathways underpinning developmental toxicity of four HO-/MeO-PBDEs and five PCDPSs at environmentally relevant doses. Generally, the dependence of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) on the embryotoxicity and transcriptomic potencies induced by the HO-PBDEs and PCDPSs varied across different congeners. The knockout of the ahr2 gene led to 1.02- to 76.48-fold decreases of DLC-induced embryotoxicities and reduced the transcriptome-based potencies ranging from 1.38 to 2124.74 folds in the CRZT test. The fold changes denoting AhR-mediated potentials significantly increased with the increasing chlorination degrees of MeO-PBDEs and PCDPSs (p < 0.05). Moreover, ahr2 knockout primarily affected the DLC-induced early molecular responses relevant to DNA damage, enzyme activation, and organ development. Our integrated approach revealed the differential role of AhR in mediating the developmental toxicity of emerging DLCs possessing varied structures at environmentally relevant doses.


Subject(s)
Dioxins , Animals , Humans , Dioxins/toxicity , Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers/chemistry , Zebrafish , Animals, Wild
8.
Molecules ; 28(24)2023 Dec 14.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38138583

ABSTRACT

The development of an efficient catalyst with excellent performance using agricultural biomass waste as raw materials is highly desirable for practical water pollution control. Herein, nano-sized, metal-decorated biochar was successfully synthesized with in situ chemical deposition at room temperature. The optimized BC-Cu (1:4) composite exhibited excellent peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation performance due to the enhanced non-radical pathway. The as-prepared BC-Cu (1:4) composite displays a superior 99.99% removal rate for ciprofloxacin degradation (initial concentration 20 mg·L-1) within 40 min. In addition, BC-Cu (1:4) has superior acid-base adaptability (3.98~11.95) and anti-anion interference ability. The trapping experiments and identification of reactive oxidative radicals confirmed the crucial role of enhanced singlet oxygen for ciprofloxacin degradation via a BC-Cu (1:4)/PMS system. This work provides a new idea for developing highly active, low-cost, non-radical catalysts for efficient antibiotic removal.


Subject(s)
Ciprofloxacin , Water Pollutants, Chemical , Copper , Water , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis , Peroxides
9.
Gastroenterol Rep (Oxf) ; 11: goad044, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37521332

ABSTRACT

Background: Nasogastric tube (NGT) placement is part of the post-operative management of upper gastrointestinal perforation, but its routine use in esophageal perforation (EP) caused by foreign bodies remains unclear. The purpose of this research was to investigate the necessity for routine NGT placement in patients with EP after endoscopic foreign body removal. Methods: A total of 323 patients diagnosed with EP caused by foreign bodies at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University between January 2012 and December 2021 were included in this retrospective study. Patients were divided into the NGT group and the non-NGT group according to whether or not NGT placement was performed. The perforation healing rate, post-operative adverse events, hospital stay, and death rate were analysed using a 1:1 propensity score matching model. Results: Before matching, there were 263 patients in the NGT group and 60 patients in the non-NGT group. There were significant differences in the time to treatment, infection, albumin, and types of endoscopy between the two groups, while the length of hospital stay in the NGT group was significantly longer than that in the non-NGT group. After 1:1 propensity score matching, 48 pairs of patients were matched between the two groups. The perforation healing rate, post-operative adverse events, length of hospital stay, and death rate did not show significant differences between the two groups. Conclusions: For patients with small EP caused by foreign bodies, routine NGT placement after endoscopic foreign body removal may be unnecessary.

10.
Front Pharmacol ; 14: 1096103, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36817141

ABSTRACT

Background: Currently, the management of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in elderly patients is controversial. We investigated whether high-dose dual therapy would serve as the first-line therapy in elderly patients. Methods: This was a single-center, randomized study of 150 elderly patients with H. pylori infection who were randomly assigned to 14-day therapy with pantoprazole 40 mg 3 times daily and either amoxicillin 1,000 mg 3 times daily or amoxicillin 1,000 mg twice daily, clarithromycin 500 mg twice daily and bismuth 220 mg twice daily. H. pylori eradication was evaluated by a 13C-urea breath test 4 weeks after the completion of treatment. Results: Successful eradication was achieved in 89.3% of the high-dose dual therapy (HT) group in the intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis, 91.7% in the modified intention-to-treat (mITT) analysis, and 93.0% for per-protocol (PP) analysis which was similar to the bismuth-containing quadruple therapy (BQT) group (86.6%, 87.8%, and 90.3%, respectively). There were no significant difference between the HT group and the BQT group in the ITT analysis (p = 0.484), mITT analysis (p = 0.458), or PP analysis (p = 0.403). HT was associated with fewer side effects (10.6% of patients) than BQT (26.6%) (p = 0.026). Conclusion: In this trial, we found that 14-day HT had a similar eradication rate to BQT but fewer side effects, which may be better for elderly patients.

11.
Environ Pollut ; 323: 121215, 2023 Apr 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36740168

ABSTRACT

Numerous applications of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) have increased the likelihood of their release and accumulation in agroecosystem. Thus far, few studies have evaluated the impacts of AgNPs to soil methane emissions and the microbial dynamics. In this study, microcosmic experiments were conducted to investigate the responses of methanogenic processes from two paddy soils (Cambisols and Ultisols) subjected to four AgNPs doses (0.1, 1, 10 and 50 mg/kg). The results showed that 0.1 and 1 mg/kg AgNPs had no significant effects on CH4 emissions, but 50 mg/kg AgNPs increased soil CH4 emissions in both paddy soils. The aggravation effect of AgNPs on CH4 emissions was more apparent in Ultisols compared to Cambisols paddy soils. Real-time PCR suggested that 50 mg/kg AgNPs significantly increased the ratio of methanogenic to bacterial gene for both paddy soils. Amplicon sequencing indicated that methanogenic community was clustered into a separate group after 50 mg/kg AgNPs exposure. Structural equation model illustrated that Methanosarcinales was both significantly responded to AgNPs in Cambisols and Ultisols soils; however, Methanocellales significantly responded to AgNPs only in Cambisols soils. Subsequently, uncontrolled use of AgNPs may account as an environmental risk due to the potentially increased soil CH4 emissions in paddy ecosystems.


Subject(s)
Metal Nanoparticles , Oryza , Soil/chemistry , Methane/analysis , Ecosystem , Silver/analysis , Nitrous Oxide/analysis , Agriculture
12.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int ; 30(10): 27743-27762, 2023 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36383318

ABSTRACT

The intensified non-stationary, skewness, non-linear nature of runoff series due to the comprehensive influences of meteorological events and human activities has brought new challenges to accurate runoff prediction. To solve the issues, a multivariate hybrid model introducing decomposition-normality mode into SVR was proposed. The normal transformation techniques, Box-Cox transformation, and W-H inverse transformation were employed to transform the input variables of the model into normal distribution to overcome the error caused by skewness of the runoff data. The results show that decomposition-normality mode can improve the performance of the models. In particular, WT-BC-LSVR accurately predicted peak flow and low flow during the testing, and the mean relative errors are less than 16%, Rs and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiencies are greater than 0.97 and 0.94, respectively. The study demonstrates that the proposed multivariate hybrid model based on the decomposition-normality mode is a novel promising prediction model with satisfactory performance that can accurately predict complex monthly runoff.


Subject(s)
Meteorology , Humans , Normal Distribution
13.
J Chromatogr Sci ; 61(8): 766-772, 2023 Oct 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36477207

ABSTRACT

A high-performance liquid chromatograph with diode array detector was established for the simultaneous determination of five phenylethanoid glycosides in Syringa pubescens Turcz. The optimal chromatographic conditions were achieved on a Zorbax C18 column using gradient elution with 0.5% aqueous acetic acid and acetonitrile as the mobile phase at the flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The detection wavelength was developed as follows: 0-10 min, 276 nm; 10-45 min, 332 nm. The validation of the method including linearity, precision, stability, accuracy, repeatability and recovery was tested. The chemometric analysis including hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis was employed to investigate the similarity and difference of samples from different geographical origin. The results revealed that S. pubescens samples were divided into four clusters based on the phenylethanoid glycosides contents. Antioxidant activity of extract was measured using three different methods including α,α-diphenyl-ß-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical scavenging assays, and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay. Furthermore, different phenylethanoid glycosides exhibited different contribution to antioxidant capacities. This study provides a foundation for the quality evaluation and offers scientific data for the utilization of S. pubescens resources.


Subject(s)
Glycosides , Syringa , Glycosides/analysis , Antioxidants , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods , China
14.
Clin Transl Gastroenterol ; 14(1): e00557, 2023 01 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36520782

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Interval colorectal cancer identified before the next surveillance colonoscopy was more likely to be located in the proximal colon. This study aimed to determine whether a second examination of the proximal colon could increase the adenoma detection rate (ADR). METHODS: Patients undergoing colonoscopy for any indications were recruited for the study. After the colonoscopy was completed with the first standard forward view examination of the proximal colon, patients were randomized to either the intervention group, in which the proximal colon was once again inspected, or the control group, in which the proximal colon was inspected once. The primary outcome was the proximal colon ADR. RESULTS: A total of 840 patients were enrolled for intention-to-treat analysis (intervention group, n = 420; control group, n = 420). The proximal colon ADR in the intervention group was significantly higher than that in the control group (35.7% vs 25.2%, P = 0.001). The whole-colon ADR was also higher in the intervention group than in the control group (44.0% vs 34.0%, P = 0.003). The higher ADR in the intervention group was also confirmed by the per-protocol analysis. Older age, adenoma detected on the first proximal colon examination, and longer total proximal colon withdrawal time were independent factors for detecting ≥1 adenoma on the second withdrawal from the proximal colon. DISCUSSION: The second examination of the proximal colon significantly increased the proximal colon ADR and whole-colon ADR in patients undergoing colonoscopy for any indication.


Subject(s)
Adenoma , Colonic Neoplasms , Humans , Prospective Studies , Colonic Neoplasms/diagnosis , Colonoscopy/methods , Adenoma/diagnosis
15.
J Hum Hypertens ; 37(4): 292-299, 2023 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35338245

ABSTRACT

Arterial stiffness is an independent cardiovascular risk factor. However, the association between sodium/potassium intake and arterial stiffness in the Chinese population is unclear. Therefore, we performed a large, community-based cross-sectional study to reach a more definitive conclusion. The study was conducted at the Third Xiangya Hospital in Changsha between August 2017 and September 2019. Urinary sodium, potassium, and creatinine levels were tested from spot urine samples during physical examinations of each recruited participant. The 24-hour estimated urinary sodium excretion (eUNaE) and estimated urinary potassium excretion (eUKE) levels were calculated using the Kawasaki formula (used as a surrogate for intake). The brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and ankle brachial index (ABI) were measured using an automatic waveform analyzer. In 22,557 subjects with an average age of 49.3 ± 10.3 years, the relationships of the ABI and baPWV with the levels of eUNaE, eUKE and the ratio of sodium to potassium (Na/K ratio) were analyzed. A significant negative relationship was found between the eUKE and baPWV levels (ß = 2.41, p < 0.01), whereas the Na/K ratio was positively associated with baPWV (ß = 2.46, p < 0.01), especially in the overweight and hypertensive populations (both pinteraction = 0.04). The association of eUNaE quartiles with baPWV presented a J-shaped curve after adjusting for confounders. In addition, a positive association was observed between the Na/K ratio and the ABI (ß = 0.002, p < 0.01). In this study, high potassium and/or low sodium intake was further confirmed to be related to vascular stiffness in Chinese individuals.


Subject(s)
Ankle Brachial Index , Vascular Stiffness , Humans , Adult , Middle Aged , Potassium/urine , Cross-Sectional Studies , East Asian People , Pulse Wave Analysis , Sodium
16.
BMC Gastroenterol ; 22(1): 537, 2022 Dec 22.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36550403

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Esophageal perforation (EP) has a high mortality rate and poor prognosis. This single-center retrospective study aims to analyze the related risk factors for benign EP. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 135 patients with benign EP admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from January 2012 to December 2020. Univariate and multivariate logistic analysis were performed to estimate risk factors for prognosis of esophageal perforation patients. RESULTS: There were 118 EP patients with foreign body ingestion and 17 patients with nonforeign body ingestion. Fish bones (78/118) were the most common foreign body and most of the nonforeign EPs were caused by spontaneous esophageal rupture (14/17). Foreign body perforations occurred mostly in the upper thoracic segment (70/118) and middle thoracic segment (31/118), and spontaneous esophageal ruptures occurred mostly in the lower thoracic segment (15/17). Fifteen patients (11.1%) died during hospitalization or within one month of discharge. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that high white blood cell (WBC) levels [odds ratio (OR) = 2.229, 95% confidential interval (CI): 0.776-6.403, P = 0.025], chest or mediastinal emphysema (OR = 7.609, 95% CI: 2.418-23.946, P = 0.001), and time to treatment > 72 h (OR = 3.407, 95% CI: 0.674-17.233, P = 0.018) were independent risk factors for poor prognosis. CONCLUSION: Foreign body was the major reason for benign EP. High WBC level, chest or mediastinal emphysema and time to treatment > 72 h were risk factors for poor prognosis.


Subject(s)
Esophageal Perforation , Foreign Bodies , Mediastinal Emphysema , Animals , Esophageal Perforation/etiology , Retrospective Studies , Mediastinal Emphysema/complications , Prognosis , Foreign Bodies/complications , Risk Factors
17.
Cell Death Dis ; 13(11): 989, 2022 11 23.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36424389

ABSTRACT

The deubiquitinating enzyme family in tumor progression play important role in intracellular protein degradation. The proteasome subunit alpha type 1 (PSMA1) has been reported to act as an oncogene in several human cancers. The present study aimed to reveal the functional significance of PSMA1 in gastric cancer (GC) progression and the underlying mechanisms. The expression of PSMA1 in human GC samples and GC cell lines was examined by western blot analysis, real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and in vitro ubiquitination assays and established a xenograft mouse model. We found that PSMA1 was upregulated in GC and promoted proliferation, migration and invasion in GC cells. Herein, we report transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) was a downstream gene of PSMA1. Mechanistically, PSMA1 directly interacted with and stabilized TAZ via deubiquitination in GC. Furthermore, we found that TAZ was the essential mediator of PSMA1-modulated oncogenic activity in vitro and in vivo. Examination of clinical samples confirmed that elevated mediators of PSMA1, concomitant with increased TAZ abundance, correlate with human GC progression. These data suggested that PSMA1 promotes GC progression and proliferation by deubiquitinating TAZ. PSMA1 promotes GC progression and proliferation regarding PSMA1-mediated deubiquitinating enzyme activity and suggest potential therapeutic targets for GC management.


Subject(s)
Carcinoma , Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex , Stomach Neoplasms , Animals , Humans , Mice , Deubiquitinating Enzymes/genetics , Disease Models, Animal , Oncogenes , Stomach Neoplasms/genetics , Transcription Factors , Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex/genetics
18.
Front Plant Sci ; 13: 881055, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35586216

ABSTRACT

Zinc is an essential micronutrient for plant growth and development, and functions as a cofactor for hundreds of transcription factors and enzymes in numerous biological processes. Zinc deficiency is common abiotic stress resulting in yield loss and quality deterioration of crops, but zinc excess causes toxicity for biological systems. In plants, zinc homeostasis is tightly modulated by zinc transporters and binding compounds that uptake/release, transport, localize, and store zinc, as well as their upstream regulators. Lazarus 1 (LAZ1), a member of DUF300 protein family, functions as transmembrane organic solute transporter in vertebrates. However, the function of LAZ1 in plants is still obscure. In the present study, the ZmLAZ1-4 protein was confirmed to bind to zinc ions by bioinformatic prediction and thermal shift assay. Heterologous expression of ZmLAZ1-4 in the zinc-sensitive yeast mutant, Arabidopsis, and maize significantly facilitated the accumulation of Zn2+ in transgenic lines, respectively. The result of subcellular localization exhibited that ZmLAZ1-4 was localized on the plasma and vacuolar membrane, as well as chloroplast. Moreover, the ZmLAZ1-4 gene was negatively co-expressed with ZmBES1/BZR1-11 gene through co-expression and real-time quantitative PCR analysis. The results of yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase assay suggested that ZmBES1/BZR1-11 could bind to ZmLAZ1-4 promoter to inhibit its transcription. All results indicated that ZmLAZ1-4 was a novel zinc transporter on plasma and vacuolar membrane, and transported zinc under negative regulation of the ZmBES1/BZR1-11 transcription factor. The study provides insights into further underlying the mechanism of ZmLAZ1-4 regulating zinc homeostasis.

19.
Scand J Gastroenterol ; 57(8): 958-964, 2022 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35289240

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Cronkhite-Canada syndrome (CCS) is a rare disease that is characterized by multiple gastrointestinal polyps and ectodermal abnormalities. This study aimed to improve the understanding of CCS by presenting our patient data. METHODS: Clinical features, treatment, and outcomes of four CCS patients at a single medical center were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The age of the patients ranged from 32 to 61 years (mean: 49.5 years), including three men and one woman. All the patients presented with gastrointestinal symptoms, ectodermal abnormalities, and multiple gastrointestinal polyps. Two patients showed abnormal immune indices. Three patients underwent magnetic resonance enterography, and the typical manifestations of small intestine involvement were diffuse wall thickening, high signal intensity on diffusion-weighted imaging, obvious enhancement, and multiple small nodular enhancements of the small intestine. The main histological manifestations were chronic inflammation and hyperplastic, adenomatoid, and hamartomatoid polyps. Eosinophilic infiltration was observed in two patients. One patient had rectal adenocarcinoma at the time of diagnosis. All the four patients received prednisone at a dose of 0.75-1 mg/kg/day, and had their gastrointestinal symptoms gradually resolved (including two with ectodermal abnormality and endoscopic remission). Two patients are currently receiving low-dose prednisone (2.5-5 mg/day) with no recurrence after a 1.5- and 6-year follow-up periods, respectively. CONCLUSION: Magnetic resonance enterography has the potential to evaluate small-intestinal lesions in CCSs. Long-term therapy with low doses of prednisone may be beneficial in maintaining remission.


Subject(s)
Adenoma , Colorectal Neoplasms , Intestinal Polyposis , Polyps , Adult , Female , Humans , Intestinal Polyposis/diagnosis , Intestinal Polyposis/pathology , Intestinal Polyposis/therapy , Male , Middle Aged , Prednisone , Retrospective Studies
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