RNA Sequencing Analysis and Verification of Paeonia ostii 'Fengdan' CuZn Superoxide Dismutase (PoSOD) Genes in Root Development.

Tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) is a significant medicinal plant. However, the low rooting number is a bottleneck problem in the micropropagation protocols of P. ostii 'Fengdan'. The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) is closely related to root development. But research on the SOD gene's impact on rooting is still lacking. In this study, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to analyze the four crucial stages of root development in P. ostii 'Fengdan' seedlings, including the early root primordium formation stage (Gmfq), root primordium formation stage (Gmf), root protrusion stage (Gtq), and root outgrowth stage (Gzc). A total of 141.77 GB of data were obtained; 71,718, 29,804, and 24,712 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the comparison groups of Gmfq vs. Gmf, Gmf vs. Gtq, and Gtq vs. Gzc, respectively. Among the 20 most highly expressed DEGs in the three comparison groups, only the CuZnSOD gene (SUB13202229, PoSOD) was found to be significantly expressed in Gtq vs. Gzc. The overexpression of PoSOD increased the number of adventitious roots and promoted the activities of peroxidase (POD) and SOD in P. ostii 'Fengdan'. The gene ADVENTITIOUS ROOTING RELATED OXYGENASE1 (PoARRO-1), which is closely associated with the development of adventitious roots, was also significantly upregulated in overexpressing PoSOD plants. Furthermore, PoSOD interacted with PoARRO-1 in yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) and biomolecular luminescence complementation (BiFC) assays. In conclusion, PoSOD could interact with PoARRO-1 and enhance the root development of tube plantlets in P. ostii 'Fengdan'. This study will help us to preliminarily understand the molecular mechanism of adventitious root formation and improve the root quality of tree peony and other medicinal plants.

Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals CBF-Dependent and CBF-Independent Pathways under Low-Temperature Stress in Teak (Tectona grandis).

Teak is a rare tropical tree with high economic value, and it is one of the world's main afforestation trees. Low temperature is the main problem for introducing and planting this species in subtropical or temperate zones. Low-temperature acclimation can enhance the resistance of teak to low-temperature stress, but the mechanism for this is still unclear. We studied the gene expression of two-year-old teak seedlings under a rapid temperature drop from 20 °C to 4 °C using RNA-seq and WGCNA analyses. The leaves in the upper part of the plants developed chlorosis 3 h after the quick transition, and the grades of chlorosis were increased after 9 h, with the addition of water stains and necrotic spots. Meanwhile, the SOD and proline contents in teak leaves increased with the prolonged cold stress time. We also identified 36,901 differentially expressed genes, among which 1055 were novel. Notably, CBF2 and CBF4 were significantly induced by low temperatures, while CBF1 and CBF3 were not. Furthermore, WGCNA successfully identified a total of fourteen modules, which consist of three modules associated with cold stress response genes, two modules linked to CBF2 and CBF4, and one module correlated with the CBF-independent pathway gene HY5. The transformation experiments showed that TgCBF2 and TgCBF4 improved cold resistance in Arabidopsis plants.

Association between radiotherapy and prognosis in patients with small cell carcinoma of the bladder undergoing bladder-sparing surgery.

Background: Small cell carcinoma of the bladder is rare and has a poor prognosis. This study aimed to investigate whether radiotherapy after bladder-sparing surgery could improve the survival benefits of patients. Methods: This population-based retrospective cohort study used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cohort in the United States to investigate small cell carcinoma of the bladder. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify significant risk factors influencing the clinical prognosis. A propensity score matching (PSM) algorithm was used to reduce the interference of confounding factors in each study group. The matched groups underwent Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to assess the potential survival benefits. Results: Univariate regression analysis demonstrated that age (P<0.001), tumour stage (T stage) (P=0.005), node stage (N stage) (P<0.001), chemotherapy (P<0.001), bone metastasis (P<0.001), liver metastasis (P<0.001), lung metastasis (P=0.005), tumour size (P=0.005), and radiotherapy (P<0.001) were related factors affecting survival. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that age (P=0.001), T stage (P=0.054), N stage (P<0.001), radiotherapy (P=0.010), chemotherapy (P<0.001), bone metastasis (P=0.007), and liver metastasis (P<0.001) were independent factors affecting survival. Moreover, survival analysis was performed on the PSM-matched groups, leading to the following findings: (1) the radiotherapy group exhibited a superior survival prognosis compared with the non-radiotherapy group (P<0.001); (2) the survival prognosis of individuals who underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy was higher than that of those who underwent chemotherapy alone (P<0.001). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that radiotherapy improves survival benefits for patients with small cell carcinoma of the bladder who undergo bladder-sparing surgery. Furthermore, radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy demonstrates a greater survival benefit compared with chemotherapy alone. The results underscore the importance of considering radiotherapy as a valuable treatment option for such patients, highlighting its potential benefits in improving their overall prognosis.

An efficient mixed-valence copper pyrazolate catalyst for the conversion of carbon dioxide and epoxides into cyclic carbonates.

In this paper, a cyclic (CuIpz)3·CH3CN (1) precursor and a mixed-valence pentanuclear complex CuI3CuII2(OH)pz6·CH3CN (2) have been synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, where pzH = 4-chloro-3,5-diphenylpyrazole. The excellent catalytic activity of 2 has been demonstrated in the chemical fixation of CO2 into value-added cyclic carbonates, which can be carried out at ambient pressure and room temperature along with ultra-high yield and perfect steric hindrance tolerance. Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations and comparison with the catalytic performance of 1, it is proposed that the coordinatively unsaturated CuII atoms of 2 are probably the active sites for this catalytic reaction.

Efficacy and safety of a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in kidney transplant recipients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) who become infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at greater risk of serious illness and death than the general population. To date, the efficacy and safety of the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in KTRs have not been systematically discussed. METHODS: This systematic review and meta-analysis included articles from PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Med Online published before May 15, 2022. Studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in kidney transplant recipients were selected. RESULTS: Nine studies were included in the meta-analysis, with a total of 727 KTRs. The overall pooled seropositivity rate after the fourth COVID-19 vaccine was 60% (95% CI, 49%-71%, I2 = 87.83%, p > 0.01). The pooled proportion of KTRs seronegative after the third dose that transitioned to seropositivity after the fourth dose was 30% (95% CI, 15%-48%, I2 = 94.98%, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was well tolerated in KTRs with no serious adverse effects. Some KTRs showed a reduced response even after receiving the fourth vaccine dose. Overall, the fourth vaccine dose effectively improved seropositivity in KTRs, as recommended by the World Health Organization for the general population.

Fabrication of Two Isomorphic and Hyperstable Rare Earth-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks with Efficient Ratiometric Probe and Photocatalytic Performances.

Two isomorphic lanthanide compounds {[Ln(ddpp)(H2O)]·CH3CN}n (Ln = Eu and Gd, H4ddpp = 2,5-di(2',4'-dicarboxylphenyl)pyridine) were synthesized. Complex 1-Eu displays ultrahigh acid-base stability and thermal stability. Furthermore, luminescence measurements revealed that 1-Eu could detect quinolone antibiotics with an ultralow limit of detection in aqueous solution. The ratiometric probe properties for sensing antibiotics could be attributed to the incompletely sensitized Eu3+ ion of the ligand. Remarkably, it is interesting that 1-Gd exhibits excellent tetracycline degradation properties under visible light. Ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and valence band X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were carried out to investigate the photodegradation mechanisms. Moreover, a rational explanation for the fluorescent probe and photocatalysis behavior of these two complexes was also discussed with the assistance of density functional theory calculations.

Adaptive Bearing-Only Formation Tracking Control for Nonholonomic Multiagent Systems.

In this article, we consider the formation tracking problem of nonholonomic multiagent systems only using relative bearing measurements between the agents. Such a practical and important yet challenging issue has been taken into limited consideration by existing approaches, which usually requires additional measurements such as relative positions. The contributions of this article are two-fold. First, a fully distributed reference velocity estimator is proposed. Under the proposed adaptive estimator, each agent can estimate the time-varying reference velocity asymptotically. Second, an input-to-state stable controller is designed according to the bearing rigid theory. Under the proposed controller, the formation with bearing-only constraints can be achieved. Finally, the proposed scheme is demonstrated and its effectiveness is verified by presenting some simulation and experimental tests.

Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection During Cystectomy for Patients With Bladder Carcinoma With Variant Histology: Does Histologic Type Matter?

PURPOSE: Adding pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) to cystectomy offers significant survival benefit. However, it remains unclear whether this benefit persists in all histologic types. The aim of the study was to examine the impact of PLND on overall survival (OS) after cystectomy in bladder carcinoma patients with histological variants. METHODS: Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database, we identified 16,880 bladder carcinoma patients receiving cystectomy between 2004 and 2015. Patients were stratified according to the following histologic types: transitional cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, small cell carcinoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma, signet ring cell carcinoma, pseudosarcomatous carcinoma, and other histology. Cox regression models were used to evaluate the effect of PLND on OS stratified by histologic type. RESULTS: Histologic types were significantly associated with the presence of lymph node metastasis in patients with bladder carcinoma (P < 0.001). In multivariable Cox regression analyses, PLND compared with non-PLND was associated with OS benefit in patients with transitional cell carcinoma (hazard ratio [HR], 0.595; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.557-0.634 [P < 0.001]), squamous cell carcinoma (HR, 0.646; 95% CI, 0.494-0.846 [P = 0.002]), and signet ring cell carcinoma (HR, 0.233; 95% CI, 0.107-0.504 [P < 0.001]), whereas no significant differences in OS were observed in other histological subsets. DISCUSSION: Our analyses revealed a significant OS benefit from PLND in patients with transitional cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and signet ring cell carcinoma. However, a survival benefit of PLND in patients with other histologic types was not demonstrated.

Meta-analysis of multiple hematological biomarkers as prognostic predictors of survival in bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating emerging studies have demonstrated that systemic inflammation can obviously affect tumor occurrence and progression. Nevertheless, the prognostic value of hematological inflammation biomarkers in bladder cancer is controversial. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the key hematological biomarkers with various clinical outcomes in bladder cancer. METHODS: We used online databases PUBMED and EMBASE to search relevant studies published prior to August 2019. After collecting the basic characteristics and prognostic data from the studies included, overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were used as primary results. Subgroup analyses were performed according to ethnicity, the number of samples, survival outcomes, the value of cut-off, follow-up time and metastasis stage. RESULTS: Thirty-three independent studies with 17,087 bladder cancer patients were added in the present analysis. The collected results showed that the increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was associated with a poor OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.48, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.32-1.67, P < .00001), CSS (HR = 1.71, 95%CI: 1.35-2.18, P < .0001) and PFS (HR = 1.59, 95%CI: 1.38-1.83, P < .00001). Additionally, the elevated platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio was related to a poor OS (HR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.07-1.54, P = .007), CSS (HR = 1.14, 95%CI = 0.98-1.34, P = .02) and PFS (HR = 1.2, 95%CI: 1.08-1.34, P = .0008). Moreover, a decreased lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio was associated with a poor OS (HR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.70-0.84, P = .001), CSS (HR = 0.76, 95%CI: 0.70-0.84). An elevated modified Glasgow prognostic score was also associated with a poor OS (HR = 2.71, 95%CI: 1.08-2.82, P = .003), CSS (HR = 1.50, 95%CI: 0.56-4.05) and PFS (HR = 1.52, 95%CI: 1.23-1.88, P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicated that the pretreatment hematological biomarkers (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, and modified Glasgow prognostic score) were predicative biomarkers of prognosis in bladder cancer patients. Further research is needed to conduct further prospective and multicenter studies to confirm our findings.

Comprehensive circular RNA profiling reveals the regulatory role of circ_100242/miR-145 pathway in bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer is a common genitourinary carcinoma with high morbidity and mortality rates. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), which are a type of single-stranded RNAs, have been characterized as stable, conserved and tissue-specific molecules in mammalian cells. The present study explored the circRNA expression profile in four bladder cancer tissues and matched normal samples by using microarray analysis. Furthermore, bioinformatics analyses were performed to investigate the potential function of dysregulated circRNAs in bladder cancer. The results demonstrated that 89 circRNAs were downregulated and 210 circRNAs were upregulated in bladder cancer tissues. The results from RT-qPCR demonstrated that hsa_circ_100241, hsa_circ_100242 and hsa_circ_101303 were markedly upregulated whereas hsa_circ_104510 was significantly downregulated in bladder cancer tissues compared with normal tissue. Following circRNA/microRNA (miRNA) interaction network generation via Cytoscape, it was demonstrated that hsa_circ_100242 contained a miRNA response element for miR-145-5p, which is a tumor suppressor in bladder carcinoma. In addition, results from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis showed that the MAPK signaling pathway was the most significant pathway of the differentially expressed circRNAs in bladder cancer tissues. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that circRNAs were dysregulated in bladder cancer tissues compared with matched normal samples. Pathway analysis was also performed to predict the binding of miRNAs to the dysregulated circRNAs. The results revealed that hsa_circ_100242 may be involved in bladder cancer initiation and progression by sponging miR-145. These findings may provide further insights into the functional and therapeutic roles of circRNAs in bladder cancer.

Using clinical parameters to predict prostate cancer and reduce the unnecessary biopsy among patients with PSA in the gray zone.

The gold standard for prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis is prostate biopsy. However, it remines controversial as an invasive mean for patients with PSA levels in the gray zone (4-10 ng/mL). This study aimed to develop strategy to reduce the unnecessary prostate biopsy. We retrospectively identified 235 patients with serum total PSA testing in the gray zone before prostate biopsy between 2014 and 2018. Age, PSA derivates, prostate volume and multiparametric magnetic imaging (mpMRI) examination were assessed as predictors for PCa and clinically significant PCa with Gleason score ≥ 7 (CSPCa). Univariate analysis showed that prostate volume, PSAD, and mpMRI examination were significant predictors of PCa and CSPCa (P < 0.05). The differences of diagnostic accuracy between mpMRI examination (AUC = 0.69) and other clinical parameters in diagnostic accuracy for PCa were not statistically significant. However, mpMRI examination (AUC = 0.79) outperformed prostate volume and PSAD in diagnosis of CSPCa. The multivariate models (AUC = 0.79 and 0.84 for PCa and CSPCa) performed significantly better than mpMRI examination for detection of PCa (P = 0.003) and CSPCa (P = 0.036) among patients with PSA level in the gray zone. At the same level of sensitivity as the mpMRI examination to diagnose PCa, applying the multivariate models could reduce the number of biopsies by 5% compared with mpMRI examination. Overall, our results supported the view that the multivariate model could reduce unnecessary biopsies without compromising the ability to diagnose PCa and CSPCa. Further prospective validation is required.

Identification of Immune-Related lncRNA Signature to Predict Prognosis and Immunotherapeutic Efficiency in Bladder Cancer.

PURPOSE: Identify immune-related lncRNA (IRL) signature related to the prognosis and immunotherapeutic efficiency for bladder cancer (BLCA) patients. METHODS: A total of 397 samples, which contained RNA-seq and clinical information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, were used for the following study. Then the Lasso penalized Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to construct prognostic signature. According to the optimal cut-off value determined by time-dependent ROC curve, low and high-risk groups were set up. One immunotherapy microarray dataset as validation set was used to verify the ability of predicting immunotherapy efficacy. Furthermore, more evaluation between two risk groups related clinical factors were conducted. Finally, external validation of IRL-signature was conducted in Zhengzhou cohort. RESULT: Four IRLs (HCP5, IPO5P1, LINC00942, and LINC01356) with significant prognostic value (P<0.05) were distinguished. This signature can accurately predict the overall survival of BLCA patients and was verified in the immunotherapy validation set. IRL-signatures can be used as independent prognostic risk factor in various clinical subgroups. According to the results of GSVA and MCP algorithm, we found that IRL-signature risk score is strikingly negative correlated with tumor microenvironment (TME) CD8+T cells and Cytotoxic lymphocytes infiltration, indicating that the better prognosis and immunotherapy might be caused partly by these. Then, the results from the TIDE analysis revealed that IRL could efficiently predict the response of immunotherapy in BLCA. External validation had similar results with TCGA-BLCA cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The novel IRL-signature has a significant prognostic value for BLCA patients might facilitate predicting the efficacy of immunotherapy.

Preoperative predictors of early death risk in bladder cancer patients treated with robot-assisted radical cystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Early identification of early death for bladder cancer patients undergoing radical cystectomy based on the laboratory findings at the time of diagnosis could improve the overall survival. The study aimed to explore preoperative factors associated with higher risk of early death (within 1 year after surgery) for bladder cancer patients. METHODS: A total of 186 bladder cancer patients who underwent robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) were identified between October 2014 and May 2017. The probability of dying within 1 year after RARC was defined as the end point "early death." Predictive factors including clinical features and laboratory findings at diagnosis were retrospectively collected. RESULTS: Median follow-up time after RARC was 20.6 months (1.2-43.7 months). Fifty-one patients (27.4%) died during follow-up and 31 within 1 year from surgery (1-year mortality rate: 16.7%). All potentially prognostic factors were assessed on univariate analyses, which revealed the following factors as being associated with higher risk of early death within 1 year after RARC: older age (P = 0.004), advanced clinical stage (P = 0.005), presence of hydronephrosis (P = 0.021), higher fibrinogen (P = 0.007), higher PLR (P = 0.031), and lower PNI (P = 0.016). In a multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model analysis, age >60 years (HR = 7.303, 95% CI 1.734-30.764; P = 0.007) and fibrinogen ≥3.295 g/L (HR = 2.396, 95% CI 1.138-5.045; P = 0.007) at diagnosis were independent prognostic factors of early death after RARC. CONCLUSION: Age and preoperative elevated plasma fibrinogen level were independent predictors for 1-year mortality after RARC. We believe that plasma fibrinogen levels may become a useful biomarker, which may help guide the treatment decision-making process for patients with bladder cancer.

Supramolecular Interactions of Fullerene C60 with 1,3,5-Trifluoro-2,4,6-triiodobenzene: A Combined Theoretical and Experimental Study.

The noncovalent interactions between fullerene C60 and 1,3,5-trifluoro-2,4,6-triiodobenzene (C6 F3 I3 ) have been investigated in detail by means of a combined theoretical and experimental study. The noncovalent interactions formed by C60 with C6 F3 I3 in the gas phase were modeled by means of quantum chemical calculations, and the noncovalent interactions formed between C60 and C6 F3 I3 in the solid state were explored by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies at both low temperature and room temperature. In both the gas phase and solid state, formations of the π⋅⋅⋅π-stacking interactions, halogen bonds, and F⋅⋅⋅π interactions were found in the supramolecular complexes of C60 with C6 F3 I3 . The strength of these noncovalent interactions was characterized by means of dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and the nature of these noncovalent interactions was revealed through energy-component analyses.

Genome-Wide Constitutively Expressed Gene Analysis and New Reference Gene Selection Based on Transcriptome Data: A Case Study from Poplar/Canker Disease Interaction.

A number of transcriptome datasets for differential expression (DE) genes have been widely used for understanding organismal biology, but these datasets also contain untapped information that can be used to develop more precise analytical tools. With the use of transcriptome data generated from poplar/canker disease interaction system, we describe a methodology to identify candidate reference genes from high-throughput sequencing data. This methodology will improve the accuracy of RT-qPCR and will lead to better standards for the normalization of expression data. Expression stability analysis from xylem and phloem of Populus bejingensis inoculated with the fungal canker pathogen Botryosphaeria dothidea revealed that 729 poplar transcripts (1.11%) were stably expressed, at a threshold level of coefficient of variance (CV) of FPKM < 20% and maximum fold change (MFC) of FPKM < 2.0. Expression stability and bioinformatics analysis suggested that commonly used house-keeping (HK) genes were not the most appropriate internal controls: 70 of the 72 commonly used HK genes were not stably expressed, 45 of the 72 produced multiple isoform transcripts, and some of their reported primers produced unspecific amplicons in PCR amplification. RT-qPCR analysis to compare and evaluate the expression stability of 10 commonly used poplar HK genes and 20 of the 729 newly-identified stably expressed transcripts showed that some of the newly-identified genes (such as SSU_S8e, LSU_L5e, and 20S_PSU) had higher stability ranking than most of commonly used HK genes. Based on these results, we recommend a pipeline for deriving reference genes from transcriptome data. An appropriate candidate gene should have a unique transcript, constitutive expression, CV value of expression < 20% (or possibly 30%) and MFC value of expression <2, and an expression level of 50-1,000 units. Lastly, when four of the newly identified HK genes were used in the normalization of expression data for 20 differential expressed genes, expression analysis gave similar values to Cufflinks output. The methods described here provide an alternative pathway for the normalization of transcriptome data, a process that is essential for integrating analyses of transcriptome data across environments, laboratories, sequencing platforms, and species.

A four-unit [c2]daisy chain connected by hydrogen bonds.

A mono-adenine-functionalized pillar[5]arene and a guest including uracil were prepared. They formed a novel four-unit [c2]daisy chain both in the solid state and in a chloroform solution. As far as we know, this [c2]daisy chain is the first one without a covalently bound linear thread. This unique assembly behavior is mainly induced by hydrogen-bond interactions between A and U in the A-U base pairs.

[Fatigue property analysis of prosthesis of hip joint with two different materials].

Total hip replacement (THR) is replacing the prosthesis stem similar to human bone that takes advantage of the material with both good mechanical properties and biocompatibility to the damaged articular surface. Thus it can not only alleviate or even eliminate the pain but also effectively maintain the joint stability and freedom and restore its normal performance. Finite element analysis was used in this study to establish a 3D model of artificial hip stem, and explore its fatigue properties of different materials to ensure the safety and reliability. The calculating obtained two results of different metal hip prosthesis, including lifetime and deformation. The minimum service life of titanium prosthesis reaches 568 million times, which satisfies ISO standards, while the stainless steel does not suit to be a prosthesis material.