Molecular characterization and pathogenicity of a novel monopartite geminivirus infecting tobacco in China.

The occurrence of geminiviruses causes significant economic losses in many economically important crops. In this study, a novel geminivirus isolated from tobacco in Sichuan province of China, named tomato leaf curl Chuxiong virus (TLCCxV), was characterized by small RNA-based deep sequencing. The full-length of TLCCxV genome was determined to be 2744 nucleotides (nt) encoding six open reading frames. Phylogenetic and genome-wide pairwise identity analysis revealed that TLCCxV shared less than 91% identities with reported geminiviruses. A TLCCxV infectious clone was constructed and successfully infected Nicotiana benthamiana, N. tabacum, N. glutinosa, Solanum lycopersicum and Petunia hybrida plants. Furthermore, expression of the V2, C1 and C4 proteins through a potato virus X vector caused severe chlorosis or necrosis symptom in N. benthamiana. Taken together, we identified a new geminivirus in tobacco plants, and found that V2, C1 and C4 contribute to symptom development.

Benefits of camrelizumab plus carboplatin and albumin paclitaxel as induction therapy for locally advanced borderline resectable or unresectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of camrelizumab plus albumin paclitaxel and carboplatin in the neoadjuvant treatment of borderline resectable or unresectable locally advanced esophageal cancer. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 27 patients with borderline resectable or unresectable locally advanced esophageal cancer who received neoadjuvant treatment with camrelizumab plus albumin paclitaxel and carboplatin at Shanxi Cancer Hospital from January 2020 to March 2022. Of these, 20 patients underwent thoracoscopic esophagectomy after neoadjuvant treatment. RESULTS: Overall, 88.9% (24/27) of patients completed neoadjuvant treatment. The objective response rate was 79.2% (19/24) according to the RECIST criteria. Of the 20 patients who underwent surgery, the R0 resection rate was 95%, and 35% (7/20) achieved pathological complete response (pCR). During neoadjuvant treatment, 30% (6/20) of patients experienced grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs), and 20% (4/20) had grade ≥3 postoperative complications. There were no cases of reoperation or perioperative mortality. CONCLUSION: Camrelizumab plus albumin paclitaxel and carboplatin were found to be safe and effective in the neoadjuvant treatment of borderline resectable or unresectable locally advanced esophageal cancer. It was observed to improve the rate of curative resection without increasing perioperative complications.

RNA interference-based exogenous double-stranded RNAs confer resistance to Rhizoctonia solani AG-3 on Nicotiana tabacum.

BACKGROUND: Rhizoctonia solani Kühn is a pathogenic fungus causing tobacco target spot disease, and leads to great losses worldwide. At present, resistant varieties and effective control strategy on tobacco target spot disease are very limited. Host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) as well as the exogenous dsRNA can be used to suppress disease progression, and reveal the function of crucial genes involved in the growth and pathogenesis of the fungus. RESULTS: The silencing of endoPGs or RPMK1 in host plants by TRV-based HIGS resulted in a significant reduction in disease development in Nicotiana benthamiana. In vitro analysis validated that red fluorescence signals were consistently observed in the hyphae treated with Cy3-fluorescein-labeled dsRNA at 12, 24, 48 and 72 h postinoculation (hpi). Additionally, application of dsRNA-endoPGs, dsRNA-RPMK1 and dsRNA-PGMK (fusion of partial endoPGs and RPMK1 sequences) effectively inhibited the hyphal growth of R. solani YC-9 in vitro and suppressed disease progression in the leaves, and quantitative real-time PCR confirmed that the application of dsRNAs significantly reduced the expression levels of endoPGs and RPMK1. CONCLUSION: These results provide theoretical basis and new direction for RNAi approaches on the prevention and control of disease caused by R. solani. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Identification and physiological activity of (methoxymethyl)triphenylphosphonium chloride as a new phytotoxin isolated from Rhizoctonia solani AG-3 TB.

Rhizoctonia solani as a cosmopolitan fungus is the causative agent of many crop diseases and leads to significant economic losses in crop production. To explore the toxin structure and physiological activity of R. solani AG-3 TB, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), infrared absorption spectrum (IR), and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum (NMR) were required. Here, the compound (methoxymethyl)triphenylphosphonium chloride (MMC) with the molecular formula C20H20ClOP was purified and identified from R. solani AG-3 TB. The pure compound MMC treated at 20 µg/mL, 50 µg/mL, and 100 µg/mL can cause obvious necrosis on leaves, increase active oxygen species (AOS), decrease chlorophyll content, and damage cellular structure. The results enrich the understanding of toxin compounds for R. solani and provide valuable insights into the toxicology of R. solani AG-3 TB.

CT imaging indications correlate with the degree of lung adenocarcinoma infiltration.

Background: Ground glass nodules (GGN) of the lung may be a precursor of lung cancer and have received increasing attention in recent years with the popularity of low-dose high-resolution computed tomography (CT). Many studies have discussed imaging features that suggest the benignity or malignancy of GGN, but the extent of its postoperative pathological infiltration is poorly understood. In this study, we identified CT imaging features that indicate the extent of GGN pathological infiltration. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 189 patients with pulmonary GGN from January 2020 to December 2021 at Shanxi Cancer Hospital was performed. Patients were classified according to their pathological type into non-invasive adenocarcinoma [atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) and adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) in a total of 34 cases], micro-invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) in 80 cases, and invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC) in a total of 75 cases. The general demographic data, nodule size, nodule area, solid component, CT indications and pathological findings of the three groups of patients were analyzed to predict the correlation between GGN and the degree of lung adenocarcinoma infiltration. Results: No statistically significant differences were found among the three groups in general information, vascular signs, and vacuolar signs (P > 0.05). Statistically significant differences among the three groups were found in nodule size, nodule area, lobar signs, pleural traction, burr signs, bronchial signs, and solid components (P < 0.05). Logistic regression equation tests based on the statistically significant indicators showed that nodal area, lobar sign, pleural pull, burr sign, bronchial sign, and solid component were independent predictors of lung adenocarcinoma infiltration. The subject operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that nodal area is valuable in predicting GGN infiltration. Conclusion: CT-based imaging indications are useful predictors of infiltrative adenocarcinoma manifested as pulmonary ground glass nodules.

Proteomics analysis of a tobacco variety resistant to brown spot disease and functional characterization of NbMLP423 in Nicotiana benthamiana.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco brown spot disease is an important disease caused by Alternaria alternata that affects tobacco production and quality worldwide. Planting resistant varieties is the most economical and effective way to control this disease. However, the lack of understanding of the mechanism of tobacco resistance to tobacco brown spot has hindered progress in the breeding of resistant varieties. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), including 12 up-regulated and 11 down-regulated proteins, were screened using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) by comparing resistant and susceptible pools and analyzing the associated functions and metabolic pathways. Significantly up-regulated expression of the major latex-like protein gene 423 (MLP 423) was detected in both the resistant parent and the population pool. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the NbMLP423 cloned in Nicotiana benthamiana had a similar structure to the NtMLP423 in Nicotiana tabacum, and that expression of both genes respond rapidly to Alternaria alternata infection. NbMLP423 was then used to study the subcellular localization and expression in different tissues, followed by both silencing and the construction of an overexpression system for NbMLP423. The silenced plants demonstrated inhibited TBS resistance, while the overexpressed plants exhibited significantly enhanced resistance. Exogenous applications of plant hormones, such as salicylic acid, had a significant inducing effect on NbMLP423 expression. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results provide insights into the role of NbMLP423 in plants against tobacco brown spot infection and provide a foundation for obtaining resistant tobacco varieties through the construction of new candidate genes of the MLP subfamily.

Integrated multi-omics profiling yields a clinically relevant molecular classification for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Integrated molecular analysis of human cancer has yielded molecular classification for precise management of cancer patients. Here, we analyzed the whole genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data of 155 esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCCs). Multi-omics analysis led to the classification of ESCCs into four subtypes: cell cycle pathway activation, NRF2 oncogenic activation, immune suppression (IS), and immune modulation (IM). IS and IM cases were highly immune infiltrated but differed in the type and distribution of immune cells. IM cases showed better response to immune checkpoint blockade therapy than other subtypes in a clinical trial. We further developed a classifier with 28 features to identify the IM subtype, which predicted anti-PD-1 therapy response with 85.7% sensitivity and 90% specificity. These results emphasize the clinical value of unbiased molecular classification based on multi-omics data and have the potential to further improve the understanding and treatment of ESCC.

Phyllosphere microbial community of cigar tobacco and its corresponding metabolites.

Cigar is made of a typical fermented tobacco where the microbiota inhabits within an alkaline environment. Our current understanding on cigar fermentation is far from thorough. This work employed both high-throughput sequencing and chromatography-mass spectrometric technologies to provide new scientific reference for this specific fermented system. Typical cigar samples from different regions (the Caribbeans, South America, East Asia, and Southeast Asia) were investigated. The results show that Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota were the predominant phyla in the cigar samples. Rather than the fungal community, it was the bacterial community structures that played vital roles to differentiate the cigar from different regions: Staphylococcus was the dominant genus in the Americas; Bacillus was the dominant genus in Southeast Asia; while in East Asia, there was no dominant genus. Such differences in community structure then affected the microflora metabolism. The correlation between microbiota and metabolites revealed that Aspergillaceae, Cercospora, and Staphylococcus were significantly correlated with sclareolide; Bacillus were positively associated with isophorone. Alcaligenaceae was significantly and positively correlated with L-nicotine and hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT.

High bandwidth series-biased green micro-LED array toward 6 Gbps visible light communication.

In this Letter, a record modulation bandwidth of 1.31 GHz was achieved by a 10 µm c-plane green micro light emitting diode (micro-LED) at a current density of 41.4 kA/cm2. Furthermore, by designing a series-biased 20 µm micro-LED with higher light output power, combined with an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing modulation scheme, a maximum data rate of 5.789 Gbps was achieved at a free-space transmission distance of 0.5 m. This work demonstrates the prospect of c-plane polar green micro-LED in ultrahigh-speed visible light communication, which is expected to realize a high-performance wireless system in the future.

Three-Dimensional Computed Tomography Bronchography and Angiography-Guided Thoracoscopic Segmentectomy for Pulmonary Nodules.

BACKGROUND: Three-dimensional computed tomography bronchography and angiography (3D-CTBA) provides detailed imaging information for pulmonary segmentectomy. This study was performed to verify the feasibility of 3D-CTBA-guided thoracoscopic segmentectomy for the treatment of pulmonary nodules. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on all patients who underwent 3D-CTBA-guided uniport thoracoscopic segmentectomies or subsegmentectomies for pulmonary nodules in the period from May 2019 to May 2020. All of the information related to perioperative management and surgical operations was retrieved from the medical records and operating notes for detailed analysis. RESULTS: A total of 104 eligible operations involving the resection of 110 nodules with diameters in the range of 5-20 mm were included. Under 3D-CTBA guidance, the pulmonary nodules were located with an accuracy of 100% (110/110) and the median resection margin was 24.3 mm (17-33 mm). Additionally, the segmental (subsegmental) bronchi, arteries, and veins were identified with accuracy rates of 100% (104/104), 96.2% (100/104), and 94.2% (98/104), respectively. The postoperative complications consisted of 3 cases of pulmonary infection (2.9%), 6 cases of arrhythmia (5.8%), 2 cases of hemoptysis (1.9%), 4 cases of air leak (3.8%), and 2 cases of subcutaneous emphysema (1.9%). No perioperative death occurred. CONCLUSION: 3D-CTBA-guided thoracoscopic segmentectomy is an effective surgical approach for the management of pulmonary nodules.

Primary EWS/PNET of the lung with TP53 germline and SKT11 somatic mutation: A case report and review of the literature.

Primary pulmonary EWS/PNET is extremely rare. This report describes a 20 year-old man with primary pulmonary EWS/PNET with TP53 germline and SKT11 somatic mutation. After four neoadjuvant chemotherapy cycles (VAC with alternating IE) combined with anlotinib, a left pneumonectomy was performed. Maintenance anlotinib monotherapy was then continued with no sign of recurrence to date. It is suggested that before the treatment and prognosis of children or young adults with primary EWS/PNET of the lung that consideration should be given to genetic testing.

[Corrigendum] Long non­coding RNA PITPNA­AS1 silencing suppresses proliferation, metastasis and epithelial­mesenchymal transition in non­small cell lung cancer cells by targeting microRNA­32­5p.

Following the publication of this article and after having solicited the opinions of all the participating authors, the Editorial Office was contacted by the authors to explain that the following changes are required to the list of contributing authors on the paper. The corresponding author of the article should be changed to the first author (Gang Chen), and a request was made that the name of the final author in the author list (Xiaotang Yang), who was also the original corresponding author, be removed. Therefore, the author affiliations and addresses, and the corresponding author information, in this paper have been revised as follows: GANG CHEN1, ZHIFENG ZHENG2, JUNSHENG LI3, PEIGANG ZHANG4, ZHENJUN WANG5, SHIPING GUO1, JUN MA6, JIAN SHEN7 and HUIXIN LI8. 1The Secondary Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Tumor Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030013; 2Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Linfen People's Hospital, Linfen, Shanxi 041000; 3Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital), Taizhou, Zhejiang 318000; 4Department of Cardio­Thoracic Surgery, The People's Hospital of Lvliang, Lvliang, Shanxi 033000; 5Cardiothoracic Surgery Department of Shanxi Yangquan Coal Industry (Group) Co., Ltd., Yangquan, Shanxi 045000; 6Department of Thoracic Surgery, Heji Hospital, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi 046011; 7Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Changzhi People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Changzhi, Shanxi 046000; 8Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Yuci District People's Hospital, Jinzhong, Shanxi 030600, P.R. China. Correspondence to: Dr Gang Chen, The Secondary Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Tumor Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, No. 3 of Workers' New Village, Xinghualing, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030013, P.R. China. E­mail: 1973chengang@163.com. Note that all the authors listed on the paper, including the author who has been removed, Xiaotang Yang, have agreed to this Corrigendum. The authors regret this error in the presentation of these affiliations, and apologize for any inconvenience caused. [the original article was published in Molecular Medicine Reports 23: 212, 2021; DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2021.11851].

Long non­coding RNA PITPNA­AS1 silencing suppresses proliferation, metastasis and epithelial­mesenchymal transition in non­small cell lung cancer cells by targeting microRNA­32­5p.

Lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer and has a high mortality rate, worldwide. The major histopathological subtype is non­small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of long non­coding (lnc) RNA PITPNA antisense RNA 1 (PITPNA­AS1) in NSCLC and elucidate its potential mechanisms. The expression of PITPNA­AS1 was determined in several NSCLC cell lines. Following PITPNA­AS1­silencing, cell proliferation, invasion and migration were evaluated using Cell Counting Kit­8, colony formation, Transwell assay and wound healing assays, respectively. The expression levels of proliferation­, migration­ and epithelial­mesenchymal transition (EMT)­associated proteins were examined using immunofluorescence assay or western blot analysis. A luciferase reporter assay was conducted to verify the potential interaction between PITPNA­AS1 and microRNA(miR)­32­5p. Subsequently, rescue assays were performed to investigate the effects of PITPNA­AS1 and miR­32­5p on NSCLC progression. The results demonstrated that PITPNA­AS1 was highly expressed in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. It was found that PITPNA­AS1 silencing inhibited the proliferation, invasion and migration of NSCLC cells. Furthermore, the protein expression of E­cadherin was upregulated, while the expression levels N­cadherin and vimentin were downregulated. The luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR­32­5p was a direct target of PITPNA­AS1. The rescue experiments suggested that a miR­32­5p inhibitor significantly reversed the inhibitory effects of PITPNA­AS1 silencing on proliferation, invasion, migration and EMT in NSCLC cells. Collectively, the present results demonstrated that PITPNA­AS1 silencing could suppress the progression of NSCLC by targeting miR­32­5p, suggesting a promising biomarker in NSCLC diagnosis and treatment.

Expert consensus on resection of chest wall tumors and chest wall reconstruction.

Chest wall tumors are a relatively uncommon disease in clinical practice. Most of the published studies about chest wall tumors are usually single-center retrospective studies, involving few patients. Therefore, evidences regarding clinical conclusions about chest wall tumors are lacking, and some controversial issues have still to be agreed upon. In January 2019, 73 experts in thoracic surgery, plastic surgery, science, and engineering jointly released the Chinese Expert Consensus on Chest Wall Tumor Resection and Chest Wall Reconstruction (2018 edition). After that, numerous experts put forward new perspectives on some academic issues in this version of the consensus, pointing out the necessity to further discuss the points of contention. Thus, we conducted a survey through the administration of a questionnaire among 85 experts in the world. Consensus has been reached on some major points as follows. (I) Wide excision should be performed for desmoid tumor (DT) of chest wall. After excluding the distant metastasis by multi-disciplinary team, solitary sternal plasmacytoma can be treated with extensive resection and adjuvant radiotherapy. (II) Wide excision with above 2 cm margin distance should be attempted to obtain R0 resection margin for chest wall tumor unless the tumor involves vital organs or structures, including the great vessels, heart, trachea, joints, and spine. (III) For patients with chest wall tumors undergoing unplanned excision (UE) for the first time, it is necessary to carry out wide excision as soon as possible within 1-3 months following the previous surgery. (IV) Current Tumor Node Metastasis staging criteria (American Joint Committee on Cancer) of bone tumor and soft tissue sarcoma are not suitable for chest wall sarcomas. (V) It is necessary to use rigid implants for chest wall reconstruction once the maximum diameter of the chest wall defect exceeds 5 cm in adults and adolescents. (VI) For non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) invading the chest wall, wide excision with neoadjuvant and/or adjuvant therapy are recommended for patients with stage T3-4N0-1M0. As clear guidelines are lacking, these consensus statements on controversial issues on chest wall tumors and resection could possibly serve as further guidance in clinical practice during the upcoming years.

Effectiveness and postoperative pain level of single-port versus two-port thoracoscopic lobectomy for lung cancer: a retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Single-port thoracoscopic lobectomy is a new therapeutic technique for patients with lung cancer; however, insufficient data are available regarding its clinical outcomes. We therefore compared the clinical outcomes of single-port and two-port thoracoscopic lobectomies for lung cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed and compared the data of 204 and 368 patients with lung cancer who underwent single-port or two-port thoracoscopic lobectomy, respectively, between October 2014 and October 2017 at our institution. Patients in both groups underwent 1:1 propensity score matching, and 400 patients (200 patients in each group) were included. Perioperative clinical indicators were analyzed, including operation time, lymph node dissection stations and numbers, incidence of postoperative complications, and pain scores at 24 h, 72 h, and 1 week after surgery. RESULTS: No perioperative deaths occurred in either group. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, chest drainage duration, duration of postoperative hospital stay, lymph node dissection station and number, rate of conversion to open surgery, number of ruptured intraoperative pulmonary vessel, and incidence of postoperative complications were not significantly different between the groups (all P > 0.05). However, analysis of the 24-h (P = 0.005), 72-h (P = 0.011), and 1-week (P = 0.034) visual analog scale score after surgery revealed that the postoperative pain levels were significantly lower in the single-port than in the two-port group. CONCLUSIONS: Single-port and two-port thoracoscopic lobectomies had similar perioperative outcomes, although the postoperative pain was lower after single-port than two-port thoracoscopic lobectomy. Hence, we concluded that single-port thoracoscopic lobectomy is an effective, minimally invasive, and promising surgical procedure.

Sec-Eliminating the SARS-CoV-2 by AlGaN Based High Power Deep Ultraviolet Light Source.

The world-wide spreading of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has greatly shaken human society, thus effective and fast-speed methods of non-daily-life-disturbance sterilization have become extremely significant. In this work, by fully benefitting from high-quality AlN template (with threading dislocation density as low as ≈6×108 cm-2) as well as outstanding deep ultraviolet (UVC-less than 280 nm) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) structure design and epitaxy optimization, high power UVC LEDs and ultra-high-power sterilization irradiation source are achieved. Moreover, for the first time, a result in which a fast and complete elimination of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causes COVID-19) within only 1 s is achieved by the nearly whole industry-chain-covered product. These results advance the promising potential in UVC-LED disinfection particularly in the shadow of COVID-19.

Author Correction: Multi-region sequencing unveils novel actionable targets and spatial heterogeneity in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Elevated DHODH expression promotes cell proliferation via stabilizing ß-catenin in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

As a key enzyme in de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis, the expression level of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) has been reported to be elevated in various types of malignant tumors and its tumor-promoting effect was considered to relate to its pyrimidine synthesis function. Here, we revealed one intriguing potential mechanism that DHODH modulated ß-catenin signaling in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We demonstrated that DHODH directly bound to the NH2 terminal of ß-catenin, thereby, interrupting the interaction of GSK3ß with ß-catenin and leading to the abrogation of ß-catenin degradation and accumulation of ß-catenin in the nucleus, which in turn, resulted in the activation of ß-catenin downstream genes, including CCND1, E2F3, Nanog, and OCT4. We further demonstrated that the regulation of ß-catenin by DHODH was independent of DHODH catalyzing activity. Univariate and multivariate analyses suggested that DHODH expression might be an independent prognostic factor for ESCC patients. Collectively, our study highlights the pivotal role of DHODH mediated ß-catenin signaling and indicates that DHODH may act as a multi-functional switcher from catalyzing pyrimidine metabolism to regulating tumor-related signaling pathways in ESCC.

Th17 cell frequency and IL-17A production in peripheral blood of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the frequency of T-helper (Th)17 lymphocytes and production of cytokine interleukin (IL)-17 in peripheral blood of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and their use as a marker of clinical value. METHODS: Sixty patients with NSCLC and 60 healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. Flow cytometry was used to detect the frequency of Th17 lymphocytes in peripheral blood, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect serum levels of IL-17. We analyzed the association of Th17 lymphocytes and IL-17 levels in the peripheral blood of patients with their clinicopathological features. RESULTS: Frequency of Th17 lymphocytes and production of IL-17 were significantly higher in the NSCLC group than in the control group and were higher in patients with a smoking history compared with non-smokers. Moreover, Th17 lymphocyte and IL-17 expression levels were higher in patients with squamous cell carcinoma than in patients with adenocarcinoma, and significantly higher in patients with stage III and IV cancers than in patients at stage I or II. CONCLUSION: Th17 lymphocytes and IL-17 play an important role in the development of NSCLC in patients and may have clinical value as markers for treatment of NSCLC.