The Bifunctional Effects of Lactoferrin (LFcinB11) in Inhibiting Neural Cell Adhesive Molecule (NCAM) Polysialylation and the Release of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs).

The expression of polysialic acid (polySia) on the neuronal cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) is called NCAM-polysialylation, which is strongly related to the migration and invasion of tumor cells and aggressive clinical status. Thus, it is important to select a proper drug to block tumor cell migration during clinical treatment. In this study, we proposed that lactoferrin (LFcinB11) may be a better candidate for inhibiting NCAM polysialylation when compared with CMP and low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), which were determined based on our NMR studies. Furthermore, neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) represent the most dramatic stage in the cell death process, and the release of NETs is related to the pathogenesis of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, with proposed involvement in glomerulonephritis, chronic lung disease, sepsis, and vascular disorders. In this study, the molecular mechanisms involved in the inhibition of NET release using LFcinB11 as an inhibitor were also determined. Based on these results, LFcinB11 is proposed as being a bifunctional inhibitor for inhibiting both NCAM polysialylation and the release of NETs.

Brain network hierarchy reorganization in subthreshold depression.

BACKGROUND: Hierarchy is the organizing principle of human brain network. How network hierarchy changes in subthreshold depression (StD) is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the altered brain network hierarchy and its clinical significance in patients with StD. METHODS: A total of 43 patients with StD and 43 healthy controls matched for age, gender and years of education participated in this study. Alterations in the hierarchy of StD brain networks were depicted by connectome gradient analysis. We assessed changes in network hierarchy by comparing gradient scores in each network in patients with StD and healthy controls. The study compared different brain subdivisions if there was a different network. Finally, we analysed the relationship between the altered gradient scores and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: Patients with StD had contracted network hierarchy and suppressed cortical range gradients. In the principal gradient, the gradient scores of default mode network were significantly reduced in patients with StD compared to controls. In the default network, the subdivisions of reduced gradient scores were mainly located in the precuneus, superior temporal gyrus, and anterior and posterior cingulate gyrus. Reduced gradient scores in the default mode network, the anterior and posterior cingulate gyrus were correlated with severity of depression. CONCLUSIONS: The network hierarchy of the StD changed and was significantly correlated with depressive symptoms and severity. These results provided new insights into further understanding of the neural mechanisms of StD.

Psychological Capital and Its Factors as Mediators Between Interpersonal Sensitivity and Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese Undergraduates.

Purpose: Current interpersonal sensitivity among college students is easily linked to mood disorders such as anxiety, depression and other mood disorders. This study aims to examine the mediating role of psychological capital and its dimensions in the relationship between interpersonal sensitivity and depressive symptoms among undergraduates. Methods: The cross-sectional survey was conducted by using cluster stratified random sampling method across six Chinese universities between November and December 2022. The questionnaire consists of the Interpersonal Sensitivity sub-scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Psychological Capital Questionnaire and the Socio-Demographic Feature Questionnaire. Results: A total of 2580 respondents participated in the survey, with the majority being females (69.73%) and an average age of 19.22±1.28 years. Descriptive and correlation analyses were performed using SPSS v24.0, while direct and indirect effects were analyzed using PROCESS v3.4 macro. The findings revealed that interpersonal sensitivity had a significant direct effect on depression symptoms among undergraduates (ß =0.416, 95% Boot CI [0.380, 0.453], p < 0.001) Additionally, psychological capital and its components were found to be negatively correlated with depression (p < 0.001). Further analysis demonstrated that hope, optimism, and resilience significantly mediated the association between interpersonal sensitivity and depressive symptoms (indirect effect: hope = 0.056, optimism = 0.074, resilience = 0.099; p < 0.001 for all). Conclusion: These results suggest that psychological capital, including its dimensions of hope, optimism, and resilience plays a crucial role in mitigating the negative effects of interpersonal sensitivity on depressive symptoms among undergraduates.

Alterations in hippocampus-centered morphological features and function of the progression from normal cognition to mild cognitive impairment.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a significant precursor to dementia, highlighting the critical need for early identification of individuals at high risk of MCI to prevent cognitive decline. The study aimed to investigate the changes in brain structure and function before the onset of MCI. This study enrolled 19 older adults with progressive normal cognition (pNC) to MCI and 19 older adults with stable normal cognition (sNC). The gray matter (GM) volume and functional connectivity (FC) were estimated via magnetic resonance imaging during their normal cognition state 3 years prior. Additionally, spatial associations between FC maps and neurochemical profiles were examined using JuSpace. Compared to the sNC group, the pNC group showed decreased volume in the left hippocampus and left amygdala. The significantly positive correlation was observed between the GM volume of the left hippocampus and the MMSE scores after 3 years in pNC group. Besides, it showed that the pNC group had increased FC between the left hippocampus and the anterior-posterior cingulate gyrus, which was significantly correlated with the spatial distribution of dopamine D2 and noradrenaline transporter. Taken together, the study identified the abnormal brain characteristics before the onset of MCI, which might provide insight into clinical research.

Atypical characteristic changes of surface morphology and structural covariance network in developmental dyslexia.

BACKGROUND: Developmental dyslexia (DD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by difficulties with all aspects of information acquisition in the written word, including slow and inaccurate word recognition. The neural basis behind DD has not been fully elucidated. METHOD: The study included 22 typically developing (TD) children, 16 children with isolated spelling disorder (SpD), and 20 children with DD. The cortical thickness, folding index, and mean curvature of Broca's area, including the triangular part of the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFGtriang) and the opercular part of the left inferior frontal gyrus, were assessed to explore the differences of surface morphology among the TD, SpD, and DD groups. Furthermore, the structural covariance network (SCN) of the triangular part of the left inferior frontal gyrus was analyzed to explore the changes of structural connectivity in the SpD and DD groups. RESULTS: The DD group showed higher curvature and cortical folding of the left IFGtriang than the TD group and SpD group. In addition, compared with the TD group and the SpD group, the structural connectivity between the left IFGtriang and the left middle-frontal gyrus and the right mid-orbital frontal gyrus was increased in the DD group, and the structural connectivity between the left IFGtriang and the right precuneus and anterior cingulate was decreased in the DD group. CONCLUSION: DD had atypical structural connectivity in brain regions related to visual attention, memory and which might impact the information input and integration needed for reading and spelling.

Chromosome-level genomes of three key Allium crops and their trait evolution.

Allium crop breeding remains severely hindered due to the lack of high-quality reference genomes. Here we report high-quality chromosome-level genome assemblies for three key Allium crops (Welsh onion, garlic and onion), which are 11.17 Gb, 15.52 Gb and 15.78 Gb in size with the highest recorded contig N50 of 507.27 Mb, 109.82 Mb and 81.66 Mb, respectively. Beyond revealing the genome evolutionary process of Allium species, our pathogen infection experiments and comparative metabolomic and genomic analyses showed that genes encoding enzymes involved in the metabolic pathway of Allium-specific flavor compounds may have evolved from an ancient uncharacterized plant defense system widely existing in many plant lineages but extensively boosted in alliums. Using in situ hybridization and spatial RNA sequencing, we obtained an overview of cell-type categorization and gene expression changes associated with spongy mesophyll cell expansion during onion bulb formation, thus indicating the functional roles of bulb formation genes.

Altered morphological characteristics and structural covariance connectivity associated with verbal working memory performance in ADHD children.

OBJECTIVES: Deficits in verbal working memory (VWM) observed in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children can persist into adulthood. Although previous studies have identified brain regions that are activated during VWM tasks, the neural mechanisms underlying the relationship between VWM deficits remain unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the structural covariance network connectivity and brain morphology changes that are associated with VWM performance in ADHD children. METHODS: For this study, we selected 26 ADHD children and 26 healthy control (HC) participants. Participants were instructed to perform an n-back VWM task and their accuracy and response times were subsequently recorded. This research utilised voxel-based morphometry to measure the grey matter (GM) volume and conducted structural covariance connectivity network analysis to explore the changes of brain in ADHD. RESULTS: Voxel-based morphometry analysis showed that lower GM volume in the right cerebellum lobule VI and the left parahippocampal gryus in ADHD children. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between the GM volume in the right cerebellum lobule VI and the accuracy of 2-back VWM task with verbal, small reward, and delayed feedback (VSD). Structural covariance network analysis found decreased structural connectivity between right cerebellum lobule VI and right precentral gyrus, right postcentral gyrus, left paracentral lobule, right superior parietal gyrus, and left hippocampus in ADHD children. CONCLUSIONS: The low GM volume and altered structural covariance connectivity in the right cerebellum lobule VI might potentially affect VWM performance in ADHD children. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: The innovation of this study lies in its more focused discussion on the morphological characteristics and structural covariance connectivity of VWM deficits in ADHD children, and the innovative finding of a positive correlation between grey matter volume in the right cerebellum lobule VI and accuracy in completing the 2-back VWM task with verbal instructions, small reward, and delayed feedback (VSD). This expands upon previous research by elucidating the specific brain structures involved in VWM deficits in ADHD children and highlights the potential importance of the cerebellum in this cognitive process. Overall, these innovative findings advance our understanding of the neural basis of ADHD and may have important implications for the development of targeted interventions for VWM deficits.

Structural variation and introgression from wild populations in East Asian cattle genomes confer adaptation to local environment.

BACKGROUND: Structural variations (SVs) in individual genomes are major determinants of complex traits, including adaptability to environmental variables. The Mongolian and Hainan cattle breeds in East Asia are of taurine and indicine origins that have evolved to adapt to cold and hot environments, respectively. However, few studies have investigated SVs in East Asian cattle genomes and their roles in environmental adaptation, and little is known about adaptively introgressed SVs in East Asian cattle. RESULTS: In this study, we examine the roles of SVs in the climate adaptation of these two cattle lineages by generating highly contiguous chromosome-scale genome assemblies. Comparison of the two assemblies along with 18 Mongolian and Hainan cattle genomes obtained by long-read sequencing data provides a catalog of 123,898 nonredundant SVs. Several SVs detected from long reads are in exons of genes associated with epidermal differentiation, skin barrier, and bovine tuberculosis resistance. Functional investigations show that a 108-bp exonic insertion in SPN may affect the uptake of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by macrophages, which might contribute to the low susceptibility of Hainan cattle to bovine tuberculosis. Genotyping of 373 whole genomes from 39 breeds identifies 2610 SVs that are differentiated along a "north-south" gradient in China and overlap with 862 related genes that are enriched in pathways related to environmental adaptation. We identify 1457 Chinese indicine-stratified SVs that possibly originate from banteng and are frequent in Chinese indicine cattle. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the unique contribution of SVs in East Asian cattle to environmental adaptation and disease resistance.

Automatic brain extraction for rat magnetic resonance imaging data using U2-Net.

Objective.Skull stripping is a key step in the pre-processing of rodent brain magnetic resonance images (MRI). This study aimed to develop a new skull stripping method via U2-Net, a neural network model based on deep learning method, for rat brain MRI.Approach.In this study, 599 rats were enrolled and U2-Net was applied to segment MRI images of rat brain. The intercranial tissue of each rat was manually labeled. 476 rats (approximate 80%) were used for training set while 123 rats (approximate 20%) were used to test the performance of the trained U2-Net model. For evaluation, the segmentation result by the U2-Net model is compared with the manual label, and traditional segment methods. Quantitative evaluation, including Dice coefficient, Jaccard coefficient, Sensitivity, Specificity, Pixel accuracy, Hausdorff coefficient, True positive rate, False positive rate and the volumes of whole brain, were calculated to compare the segmentation results among different models.Main results.The U2-Net model was performed better than the software of RATS and BrainSuite, in which the quantitative values of training U2-Net model were 0.9907 ± 0.0016 (Dice coefficient), 0.9816 ± 0.0032 (Jaccard coefficient), 0.9912 ± 0.0020 (Sensitivity), 0.9989 ± 0.0002 (Specificity), 0.9982 ± 0.0003 (Pixel accuracy), 5.2390 ± 2.5334 (Hausdorff coefficient), 0.9902 ± 0.0025 (True positive rate), 0.0009 ± 0.0002(False positive rate) respectively.Significance.This study provides a new method that achieves reliable performance in rat brain skull stripping of MRI images, which could contribute to the processing of rat brain MRI.

A high-precision thermometry strategy by replacing the infrared with visible light for detection.

We have developed a high-precision thermometry strategy based on 4I9/2-4I15/2 (I800 nm) and 4S3/2-4I15/2 (I551 nm) transitions of Er3+, after replacing the measurement of the 4I11/2-4I15/2 (I1000 nm) transition with the 4S3/2-4I15/2 transition, i.e., using visible light for detection instead of infrared. Through rate equation model analysis, (I1000 nm)2 and I551 nm can be substituted for each other under certain conditions. Further, because the 4I9/2 and 4I11/2 levels of Er3+ are thermally coupled, a new idea of ratiometric thermometry is proposed based on the ratio of (I800 nm)2 and I551 nm, which has the advantages of anti-interference of excitation light source fluctuation and background-free detection. The feasibility of the idea was verified by researching the power-dependent emission spectra at different temperatures and temperature-dependent emission spectra of a CaWO4:Er3+,Yb3+ sample under 980-nm laser excitation. The maximum relative sensitivity for the new ratiometric thermometry reaches up to 7.4% K-1 and the optimal temperature uncertainty calculated is 0.03 K at 303 K. This study provides guidance for solving the problem of a weak response of an infrared detector.

Effects of interpersonal sensitivity on depressive symptoms in postgraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Psychological capital and sleep quality as mediators.

Background: This study aimed to examine depressive symptoms associated with interpersonal sensitivity, sleep quality, and psychological capital among postgraduate students during static campus management after the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Methods: Research data were obtained during static campus management (10-19 April 2022) after the reappearance of COVID-19 in cities in eastern China. We collected data through an online questionnaire, and the anonymous self-reported questionnaire included the Patient Health Questionnaire, the interpersonal sensitivity subscale of Symptom Checklist-90, the Psychological Capital Questionnaire, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. analysis of variance was performed using t-test and ANOVA. The PROCESS macro was used to determine the relationship between interpersonal sensitivity and depression, together with the independent and serial mediating role of psychological capital and sleep quality. Results: A total of 2,554 postgraduate students were included in this study. The prevalence of mild, moderate, and severe depressive symptoms was 30.97, 6.58, and 1.45%, respectively. Interpersonal sensitivity was significantly associated with depressive symptoms (direct effect = 0.183, p < 0.001). Between interpersonal sensitivity and depressive symptoms, psychological capital and sleep quality played a single mediating role (indirect effect = 0.136 and 0.100, p < 0.001, respectively) and a chain mediating role together (indirect effect = 0.066, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Interpersonal sensitivity has a significant influence on depression among Chinese graduate students. Psychological capital and sleep quality may not only independently mediate the relationship between interpersonal sensitivity and depression, but also co-play a chain-mediating role in the pathway from interpersonal sensitivity to depression. Positive psychological interventions and sleep guidance may be beneficial in alleviating depressive symptoms.

Effects of psychological capital and social support availability on anxiety and depression among Chinese emergency physicians: Testing moderated mediation model.

Introduction: Anxiety often precedes depression, and the pathway from anxiety to depression may be affected by multiple exposures. Our research aims to explore the mediating effect of the social support availability (SSA) between anxiety and depression and how it is moderated by psychological capital. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Chinese emergency physicians at the top-level general hospitals in eastern China. Data were collected via the questionnaire including anxiety and depression subscales of Symptom Checklist-90, Psychological Capital Questionnaire as well as Social Support Rating Scale. The PROCESS v3.4 macro was employed to assess the mediating role of SSA and a moderating role of psychological capital. Results: A total of 536 valid samples were filtered. Anxiety, depression, SSA, and psychological capital were significant correlated. Anxiety was positively associated with depression (ß = 0.82, p < 0.001), and the SSA mediated the relationship between anxiety and depression (indirect effect = 0.013, 95%BootCI [0.005, 0.023]). Psychological capital (specifically, self-efficacy, hope and resilience) further played a moderating role in the relationship between SSA and depression (ß = 0.06, p < 0.01). Conclusion: The mental health of emergency physicians should be concerned. In order to decrease anxiety and depression, SSA and psychological capital should be increased as the interventions for emergency physicians.

The study of psychological traits among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 campus lockdown.

To investigate the prevalence of interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, depression symptoms and associated risk factors among a large-scale sample of college students in China during the COVID-19 campus lockdown. The survey was conducted among undergraduate students at a university in eastern part of China in April 2022. The Chi-square test was used to compare the different variable groups and multivariable analysis was performed for the risk factors associated with interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, and depression symptoms. A total of 12,922 college students were included, with an average age of (20.96 ± 1.66) years. The prevalence of interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety and depression symptoms in this study was 58.1, 22.7, and 46.8%, respectively. Male (OR = 1.16, p < 0.001), 22-23 years (OR = 1.40, p < 0.001), freshman (OR = 1.35, p = 0.002), and non-only child (OR = 1.15, p < 0.001) were positively associated with interpersonal sensitivity. Male (OR = 1.20, p < 0.001), sophomores (OR = 1.27, p = 0.020) and seniors (OR = 1.20, p = 0.027) were positively associated with anxiety symptoms. Compared with female students, male students (OR = 0.89, p < 0.001) were less likely to have depression symptoms. 22-23 years (OR = 1.37, p < 0.001), sophomores (OR = 1.26, p = 0.009) and non-only child (OR = 1.11, p = 0.009) were positively associated with depression symptoms. In addition, college students aged 18-21 years, learning status, skipping breakfast, roommate relationship and sleep quality were associated with interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety and depression symptoms (all p < 0.05). The findings of this study suggest a high prevalence of interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety and depression symptoms among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 campus lockdown. Younger ages, low grades, poor dormitory relationship, negative learning status, skipping breakfast and poor sleep quality were the risk factors for college students' mental health, which should be concerned by the relevant departments of school during the campus lockdown.

Interpersonal sensitivity on college freshmen's depression: A moderated moderation model of psychological capital and family support.

Background: The prevalence of depressive symptoms has become very high among college freshmen, with interpersonal sensitivity serving as an important predictor of depression. Combining internal and external positive resources can effectively prevent and alleviate depression. This study explores the moderating role of psychological capital (PsyCap) in the relationship between interpersonal sensitivity and depression, as well as the moderating effect of familial support on the conditional influence of PsyCap among Chinese college freshmen. Methods: A cross-sectional mental health survey was performed and the anonymous self-reported questionnaires, including the Patient Health Questionnaire, interpersonal sensitivity subscale of Symptom Checklist-90, Psychological Capital Questionnaire 24, and Perceived Social Support from Family, were distributed to the freshmen. Pearson's coefficient was employed to describe correlations between variables. The PROCESS macro and slope difference tests were used to explore the moderating role of PsyCap and family support in the relationship between interpersonal sensitivity and depression. Results: The prevalence of depression among freshmen was 30.89% (694/2,247). The correlation analysis revealed that depression negatively related to PsyCap (r = -0.187, p < 0.001) and family support (r = -0.193, p < 0.001) and positively related to interpersonal sensitivity (r = 0.399, p < 0.001). The moderation analysis showed that PsyCap negatively moderated the positive relationship between interpersonal sensitivity and depression (ß = -0.159, p < 0.001). We also found that family support played a moderating role in the conditional influence of PsyCap (ß = 0.076, p < 0.01). The slope difference test further showed that family support weakened the effect of interpersonal sensitivity on depression in freshmen when they had low PsyCap. Conclusion: More attention should be paid to freshmen's mental health and interpersonal interaction problems. For freshmen with interpersonal sensitivity and depression, mental health departments can conduct PsyCap development interventions to alleviate psychological symptoms. Freshmen themselves should also seek family support in time, but those individuals with high PsyCap should seek an appropriate level of family support to maintain their autonomy.

Dynamic Gesture Recognition Model Based on Millimeter-Wave Radar With ResNet-18 and LSTM.

In this article, a multi-layer convolutional neural network (ResNet-18) and Long Short-Term Memory Networks (LSTM) model is proposed for dynamic gesture recognition. The Soli dataset is based on the dynamic gesture signals collected by millimeter-wave radar. As a gesture sensor radar, Soli radar has high positional accuracy and can recognize small movements, to achieve the ultimate goal of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). A set of velocity-range Doppler images transformed from the original signal is used as the input of the model. Especially, ResNet-18 is used to extract deeper spatial features and solve the problem of gradient extinction or gradient explosion. LSTM is used to extract temporal features and solve the problem of long-time dependence. The model was implemented on the Soli dataset for the dynamic gesture recognition experiment, where the accuracy of gesture recognition obtained 92.55%. Finally, compare the model with the traditional methods. The result shows that the model proposed in this paper achieves higher accuracy in dynamic gesture recognition. The validity of the model is verified by experiments.

Ratiometric optical thermometry based on upconversion luminescence with different multi-photon processes in CaWO4:Tm3+/Yb3+ phosphor.

Ratiometric optical thermometry based on upconversion (UC) luminescence with different multi-photon processes in CaWO4:Tm3+,Yb3+ phosphor was developed. A new fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) thermometry, utilizing the ratio of the cube of 3F2,3 emission to the square of 1G4 emission of Tm3+ and retaining the feature of anti-interference of excitation light source fluctuations, is proposed. Under the hypotheses of the UC terms being neglected in the rate equations and the ratio of the cube of 3H4 emission to the square of 1G4 emission of Tm3+ being a constant in a relatively narrow temperature range, the new FIR thermometry is valid. The correctness of all hypotheses was confirmed by testing and analyzing the power-dependent emission spectra at different temperatures and the temperature-dependent emission spectra of CaWO4:Tm3+,Yb3+ phosphor. The results prove that the new ratiometric thermometry based on UC luminescence with different multi-photon processes is feasible through optical signal processing, and maximum relative sensitivity of the thermometry is 6.61% K-1 at 303 K. This study provides guidance in selecting UC luminescence with different multi-photon processes to construct ratiometric optical thermometers with anti-interference of excitation light source fluctuation.

High performance FIR thermometry on the basis of the redshift of CTB by dual-wavelength alternative excitation in Eu3+:YVO4.

Compared with the forbidden 4f transition of rare earth ions, the strong absorption of the charge transfer band (CTB) enabled fluorescence thermometry to have high luminescence efficiency. Based on the temperature induced redshift of CTB, a high performance fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) thermometry performed by dual-wavelength alternative excitation was studied. By way of the rising and falling edges of CTB in Eu3+ doped YVO4, monochrome sensitivity as a function of excitation wavelength was studied in the range of 303-783 K. The excitation wavelength with the highest positive monochrome sensitivity was determined, as well as that with the negative one. The optimum FIR temperature sensing strategy is proposed, and the theoretical highest relative sensitivity (Sr) is calculated to be 1.86% K-1, with the lowest uncertainty (ΔT) of 0.1 K at 783 K.

The relationship between the rs4986791 variant of the TLR4 gene and the severity of bronchial asthma in children.

BACKGROUND: Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is an important receptor for lipopolysaccharide and lipid A, components of gram-negative bacteria. At present, a variant in TLR4 has been shown to be associated with asthma, but it has not been reported whether variants in TLR4 are associated with bronchial asthma in children. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to determine the relationship between the rs4986791 (+1196C/T) variants of TLR4 and bronchial asthma in Chinese children. METHODS: DNA extracted from peripheral blood samples was amplified and the Bi-PASA technique was carried out to identify the genotypes in 600 patients. RESULTS: The result showed no difference between the 1196 C/T variant of TLR4 and hemoglobin level, proportion of neutrophils and lymphocytes, leukocyte, basophil and eosinophil counts, log10IgE and hsCRP in the peripheral blood of bronchial asthmatic patients. However, the eosinophil ratio, FEV1% and FEV1/FVC level of asthma patients with the CT genotype was lower than those of patients with the CC genotype, which were 1.19 ± 0.10 and 1.67 ± 0.18 (P = 0.01), 81.25 ± 0.50 and 84.99 ± 0.65 (P < 0.0001), 81.72 ± 0.568 and 5.55 ± 0.78 (P < 0.0001), respectively. The incidence of bronchial asthma in patients with the CT genotype is higher than that in patients with the CC genotype. We analysed the influence of the two genotypes on the current medical history by multiple logistic regression, performing a comparative analysis between the two genotypes and bronchial asthma (P < 0.05). Patients with moderately persistent asthma with the CT genotype are more likely to develop severely persistent asthma compared to those with the CC genotype (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This comparative analysis between rs4986791 and bronchial asthma in children indicates that this variant is associated with bronchial asthma risk in Chinese children.

Conserved Regulatory Pathways for Stock-Scion Healing Revealed by Comparative Analysis of Arabidopsis and Tomato Grafting Transcriptomes.

Many plants can successfully join root and shoot sections at cut surfaces when severed at the stem. Graft healing is complex and conserved in diverse taxonomic groups with different vascular structures. Herein, we compared transcriptome data from autografted and separated stem sections of Arabidopsis thaliana and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) to explore changes related to graft healing. Using orthologous gene pairs identified between the two species, temperal expression patterns of evolutionary associated genes in grafted top and bottom, separated top and bottom, and intact stems were exhibited. Genes with expression preference indicate functional diversification of genes related to anatomical structure and cellular development in the two species. Expression profiles of the variable genes revealed common pathways operating during graft healing, including phenylpropanoid metabolism, response to oxygen-containing compounds, xylan, and cell wall biogenesis, mitosis and the cell cycle, carboxylic acid catabolism, and meristem structural organization. In addition, vascular differentiation related NAC domain transcription factors and genome-wide members in Arabidopsis and tomato were used for phylogenetic and expression analysis. Expression differences were largely consistent with sequence differences, reflecting high similarity for protein-coding and regulatory regions of individual clades. NAC proteins mainly clustered in accordance with their reported functions in xylem differentiation or cambium formation. The putative conserved mechanisms suggested by conserved genes and functions could help to expand graft healing theory to a wider range of species, and temporal fluctuations in common pathways imply conserved biological processes during graft healing.