The state of parasitoid wasp genomics.

Parasitoid wasps represent a group of parasitic insects with high species diversity that have played a pivotal role in biological control and evolutionary studies. Over the past 20 years, developments in genomics have greatly enhanced our understanding of the biology of these species. Technological leaps in sequencing have facilitated the improvement of genome quality and quantity, leading to the availability of hundreds of parasitoid wasp genomes. Here, we summarize recent progress in parasitoid wasp genomics, focusing on the evolution of genome size (GS) and the genomic basis of several key traits. We also discuss the contributions of genomics in studying venom evolution and endogenization of viruses. Finally, we advocate for increased sequencing and functional research to better understand parasitoid biology and enhance biological control.

Elevated Serum IL-17A in Kawasaki Disease Patients Predicts Responsiveness to Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between serum interleukin (IL)-17A levels and responsiveness to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy in Kawasaki disease (KD) patients. METHODS: A retrospective analysis on data from 192 KD patients admitted to the Anqing Municipal Hospital between January 2021 and January 2024 was conducted. Patients were categorized into IVIG-nonresponsive and IVIG-sensitive groups as per the treatment outcomes. Outcome measures included serum IL-17A levels, left coronary artery (LCA) Z scores, and relevant laboratory parameters. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictive factors for IVIG responsiveness, and diagnostic performance was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and calculation of the area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: A total of 40 IVIG-nonresponsive cases and 152 IVIG-sensitive cases were included. Prior to intervention, IVIG-nonresponsive patients had significantly higher serum IL-17A levels compared to IVIG-sensitive patients, with a statistically significant difference. After intervention, serum IL-17A levels significantly decreased in IVIG-sensitive patients while remaining elevated in IVIG-nonresponsive patients. IVIG-nonresponsive patients exhibited significantly higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count (WBC), NE, and ALT compared to IVIG-sensitive patients, whereas no significant differences in LCA Z scores between the two groups existed. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified pre-IL-17A, CRP, WBC, and ALT as independent predictors of IVIG-nonresponsiveness in KD. When pre-IL-17A was ≥39.96 pg/mL, the specificity and sensitivity for predicting IVIG-nonresponsive KD were 63.9% and 71.9%, respectively, with an AUC of 0.637. The combined diagnosis of IL-17A, CRP, WBC, and ALT yielded an AUC of 0.780. CONCLUSION: Serum IL-17A levels were remarkably elevated in IVIG-nonresponsive KD patients both before and after intervention. A serum IL-17A level (≥39.96 pg/mL) demonstrated good predictive profile for IVIG-nonresponsive KD, and combining IL-17A with CRP, WBC, and ALT improved diagnostic performance.

Ratiometric surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy detection of 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid based on Au@MIL-125@MIPs substrates.

5-Hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA) is a molecular marker that can be used in the early diagnosis of carcinoid tumors, and the development of sophisticated 5-HIAA assays is therefore of great importance. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been widely used for the rapid and sensitive detection of disease biomarkers. Insufficient specificity for tumor markers and poor spectral reproducibility are the bottlenecks in the practical use of SERS technology. In this study, based on MIL-125 surface-loaded gold nanoparticles (Au@MIL-125), a novel strategy was proposed to obtain Au@MIL-125@molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) as functional SERS substrates by wrapping a thin MIP shell around the Au@MIL-125 surface for selective separation followed by a 5-HIAA assay. The Raman peak intensity ratio (I865/I1078) was used to quantify 5-HIAA after a SERS spectral calibration with an embedded internal standard (i.e., 4-aminobenzenethiol) to improve the quantitative accuracy. The linear range was from 10-11 to 10-7 M, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 5.45 × 10-13 M. The method of integrating the MIPs with the metal MOF-based nanocomposites was shown to be useful in the analysis of real samples using SERS. The application of SERS for the selective and quantitative detection of analytes in real sample analysis, therefore, has great potential.

Dissecting the causal relationship between moderate to vigorous physical activity levels and cognitive performance: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Introduction: Recent studies increasingly suggest that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) impacts cognitive risk. However, the bidirectional nature of this relationship warrants further exploration. To address this, we employed a Mendelian randomization (MR) approach, analyzing two distinct samples. Methods: These analyses utilized published genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics for MVPA (n = 377,234) and cognitive performance (n = 257,841). Our primary method was the inverse variance weighted (IVW) model with random effects, aiming to deduce potential causal links. Additionally, we employed supplementary methods, including MR Egger regression, Weighted median, Weighted mode, and Simple mode. For sensitivity analysis, tools like the MR Egger test, Cochran's Q, MR PRESSO, and leave-one-out (LOO) were utilized. Results: Our findings indicate a decrease in cognitive risk with increased MVPA (Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.577, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.460-0.723, p = 1.930 × 10-6). Furthermore, enhanced cognitive levels corresponded to a reduced risk of inadequate MVPA (OR = 0.866, 95% CI: 0.839-0.895, p = 1.200 × 10-18). Discussion: In summary, our study demonstrates that MVPA lowers cognitive risk, while poor cognitive health may impede participation in MVPA. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights for developing personalized prevention and intervention strategies in health and sports sciences.

Weyl semimetal/dielectric/Weyl semimetal stack for highly circularly polarized thermal radiation.

Highly circularly polarized (CP) infrared thermal radiation is greatly in demand because of its significant potential in mid-infrared (mid-IR) applications. To exploit the magnitude and quality factor of circular dichroism (CD) simultaneously, a lithography-free platform consisting of a Weyl semimetal (WSM)/dielectric (Ge)/WSM stack sitting on a metallic substrate (Mo) is proposed. A chiral response and varying CD values from -1 to 0.957 have been demonstrated. The numerical results from a generalized 4 × 4 transfer matrix algorithm verify that the chiral structure manifests a remarkably high quality factor (Q-factor) of 605. The effect of the thickness of each layer in the stack on the CD value is investigated. Moreover, it is identified that the design results in an angle-independent performance. A dual-channel chiral absorber operating in the 18-21 µm wavelength range has also been achieved. Our simple yet powerful paradigm could offer a new way of manipulating the Q-factor and resonance wavelength of a chiral absorber while maintaining near-unity CD, offering a new approach for the advancement of more efficient and tunable chiral optical devices. The approach is generally applicable to other planar configurations with different WSMs and can be extended to other wavelengths.

Design and synthesis of magnesium-modified copper oxide nanosheets as efficient electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction.

Electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to multiple carbon products plays a significant role in carbon neutrality and the production of valuable chemicals. Herein, we developed a magnesium-modified copper oxide nanosheet catalyst (Mg-CuO) using a post-impregnation method. Comprehensive elemental analysis demonstrated the effective incorporation of magnesium into CuO nanosheets, resulting in a noticeable alteration of the electron density of Cu atoms. Consequently, the Mg-CuO nanosheets exhibited an increased efficiency for CO2 electroreduction in comparison with the unmodified CuO nanosheets. The optimized Mg-CuO catalyst exhibited faradaic efficiencies of 46.33% for ethylene production and 62.64% for C2+ production at -1.3 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). DFT proved that the introduction of Mg species could increase the charge density of Cu and decrease the adsorption energy of *CO, which promoted C-C coupling and enhanced the selectivity of C2+ products. This study presents an effective way to adjust the electronic structure of common copper-based electrocatalysts and the corresponding interaction with *CO, resulting in an improved faradaic efficiency of C2+ products.

Hierarchical structures and magnetism of Co clusters: a perspective from integration of deep learning and a hybrid differential evolution algorithm.

Theoretically determining the lowest-energy structure of a cluster has been a persistent challenge due to the inherent difficulty in accurate description of its potential energy surface (PES) and the exponentially increasing number of local minima on the PES with the cluster size. In this work, density-functional theory (DFT) calculations of Co clusters were performed to construct a dataset for training deep neural networks to deduce a deep potential (DP) model with near-DFT accuracy while significantly reducing computational consumption comparable to classic empirical potentials. Leveraging the DP model, a high-efficiency hybrid differential evolution (HDE) algorithm was employed to search for the lowest-energy structures of CoN (N = 11-50) clusters. Our results revealed 38 of these clusters superior to those recorded in the Cambridge Cluster Database and identified diverse architectures of the clusters, evolving from layered structures for N = 11-27 to Marks decahedron-like structures for N = 28-42 and to icosahedron-like structures for N = 43-50. Subsequent analyses of the atomic arrangement, structural similarity, and growth pattern further verified their hierarchical structures. Meanwhile, several highly stable clusters, i.e., Co13, Co19, Co22, Co39, and Co43, were discovered by the energetic analyses. Furthermore, the magnetic stability of the clusters was verified, and a competition between the coordination number and bond length in affecting the magnetic moment was observed. Our study provides high-accuracy and high-efficiency prediction of the optimal structures of clusters and sheds light on the growth trend of Co clusters containing tens of atoms, contributing to advancing the global optimization algorithms for effective determination of cluster structures.

A novel stress sensor enables accurate estimation of micro-scale tissue mechanics in quantitative micro-elastography.

Quantitative micro-elastography (QME) is a compression-based optical coherence elastography technique enabling the estimation of tissue mechanical properties on the micro-scale. QME utilizes a compliant layer as an optical stress sensor, placed between an imaging window and tissue, providing quantitative estimation of elasticity. However, the implementation of the layer is challenging and introduces unpredictable friction conditions at the contact boundaries, deteriorating the accuracy and reliability of elasticity estimation. This has largely limited the use of QME to ex vivo studies and is a barrier to clinical translation. In this work, we present a novel implementation by affixing the stress sensing layer to the imaging window and optimizing the layer thickness, enhancing the practical use of QME for in vivo applications by eliminating the requirement for manual placement of the layer, and significantly reducing variations in the friction conditions, leading to substantial improvement in the accuracy and repeatability of elasticity estimation. We performed a systematic validation of the integrated layer, demonstrating >30% improvement in sensitivity and the ability to provide mechanical contrast in a mechanically heterogeneous phantom. In addition, we demonstrate the ability to obtain accurate estimation of elasticity (<6% error compared to <14% achieved using existing QME) in homogeneous phantoms with mechanical properties ranging from 40 to 130 kPa. Furthermore, we show the integrated layer to be more robust, exhibiting increased temporal stability, as well as improved conformity to variations in sample surface topography, allowing for accurate estimation of elasticity over acquisition times 3× longer than current methods. Finally, when applied to ex vivo human breast tissue, we demonstrate the ability to distinguish between healthy and diseased tissue features, such as stroma and cancer, confirmed by co-registered histology, showcasing the potential for routine use in biomedical applications.

Circulating circular RNAs as novel biomarkers and functional prediction for the early diagnosis in post-stroke cognitive impairment: A single-center prospective study in China.

BACKGROUND: Early evaluation and intervention for post-stroke cognitive impairment are crucial for improving the prognosis of acute ischemic stroke. The search for specific diagnostic markers and feasible therapeutic targets is extremely urgent.The characteristics of circular RNAs make them promising candidates. AIMS: To screen circular RNAs as novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for post-stroke cognitive impairment in large-artery atherosclerosis anterior circulation cerebral infarction patients. METHODS: In this prospective observational study, patients with first-ever large-artery atherosclerosis anterior circulation cerebral infarction were recruited. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment was used to assess the cognitive statuses of patients. Venous blood samples were collected on the seventh day after stroke onset. A circRNA microarray was used to identify differentially expressed circular RNAs in the discovery cohort (four patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment and four patients with post-stroke cognitive normal characteristics), and validation was performed in the validation cohorts (45 patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment and 30 patients with post-stroke cognitive normal characteristics) using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Receiver operating characteristic curves of the validated circular RNAs and the NIHSS score were constructed, and the area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated. Correlation analysis was performed to explore the relationship between the copy number of circular RNAs and the cognitive status. The functions of the differentially expressed circular RNAs were predicted using bioinformatics analysis. RESULTS: CircRNA microarray analysis revealed 189 human circular RNAs (152 upregulated and 37 downregulated) that were differentially expressed in the plasma samples of patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment and PSCN characteristics. The expression of hsa_circ_0089763, hsa_circ_0064644, and hsa_circ_0089762 was validated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity of hsa_circ_0089762 in post-stroke cognitive impairment diagnosis were 0.993, 97.8%, and 96.7%, respectively, and the correlation coefficient between hsa_circ_0089762 expression and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment score was -0.693 (p < 0.001), which made it an ideal biomarker. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that the targeted mRNAs of the three circular RNAs were enriched in pathologically related signaling pathways of post-stroke cognitive impairment, such as the MAPK and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways. Based on the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network, the three circular RNAs play a crucial role in numerous pathological processes of acute ischemic stroke and post-stroke cognitive impairment by sponging miRNAs such as MiR-335, MiR-424, and MiR-670. By building the protein-protein interaction network, we identified cluster 1 according to the MCODE score; cluster 1 was composed of ERBB4, FGFR1, CACNA2D1, NRG1, PPP2R5E, CACNB4, CACNB2, CCND1, NTRK2, and PTCH. CONCLUSION: Hsa_circ_0089762, hsa_circ_0064644, and hsa_circ_0089763 are potential novel biomarkers and focal points for exploring intervention targets in post-stroke cognitive impairment of large-artery atherosclerosis anterior circulation cerebral infarction patients. REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2000035074.

A novel ultrasound-assisted enzyme extraction method of total flavonoids from Viticis Fructus and processed Viticis Fructus: Comparison of in vitro antioxidant activity.

In this study, it is the first that the Viticis Fructus (VF) was used as the raw material for extracting total flavonoids using the ultrasound-assisted enzyme extraction (UAE) method. Response surface methodology was employed to determine the optimal extraction parameters. The optimal conditions were as follows: 60 % ethanol solution as the extract solvent, material-liquid ratio of 1:25, pH value of 4, enzyme addition amount of 1.5 %, enzymatic hydrolysis time of 30 min, enzymatic hydrolysis temperature of 40 ℃, and ultrasonic time of 50 min. Comparing the total flavonoid yield of VF and processed VF (PVF) extracted using different methods, it was observed that UAE resulted in a higher total flavonoid yield compared to traditional ultrasound extraction and enzyme extraction. Additionally, the total flavonoid yield of PVF extracted by all three methods was generally higher than that of VF. The PVF solution extracted by UAE also demonstrated better in vitro antioxidant activity compared to VF. These results suggest that UAE is an effective method to enhance the activity of natural total flavonoids. The study of the physicochemical properties and in vitro antioxidant activity of VF and PVF showed that the total flavonoid yield and antioxidant activity significantly increased after VF stir-frying, indicating that their efficacy can also be enhanced.

Unveiling the charge storage mechanisms of Co-based perovskite fluoride in a mild aqueous electrolyte.

This study is an in-depth exploration of the charge storage mechanisms of KCoF3 in 1 M Na2SO4 mild aqueous electrolytes via an array of ex situ/in situ physicochemical/electrochemical methods, especially the electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) technique, showing a combination of conversion, insertion/extraction and adsorption mechanisms. Specifically, during the first charge phase, Co(OH)2 is formed/oxidized into amorphous CoOOH and Co3O4, and then CoOOH undergoes partial proton extraction to yield CoO2, which is simultaneously accompanied by the transformation of Co3O4 into CoOOH and (hydrated) CoO2. During the first discharge process, the partial insertion of H+ into (hydrated) CoO2 leads to the formation of CoOOH and Co3O4, with the conversion of Co3O4 into CoOOH and both Co3O4 and CoOOH undergoing further transformations into (hydrated) Co(OH)2via the insertion of H+. This work offers valuable references for the development of aqueous energy storage.

Case report: Comprehensive exploration of a novel PFKM mutation in glycogen storage disease Type VII.

Glycogen Storage Disease Type VII (GSD VII) is a rare glycogen metabolism disorder resulting from mutations in the PFKM gene, inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. It is characterized by exercise intolerance, muscle cramps, myoglobinuria, compensatory hemolysis, and later onset de novo myasthenia and mild myopathy, contributing to its clinical heterogeneity and diagnostic challenges. Here, we report a rare case of a 17-year-old Chinese woman exhibiting substantial muscle weakness and compensated hemolysis. Muscle biopsies showed glycogen deposition, and blood tests showed hyperuricemia and significantly elevated creatine kinase. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) and whole exome sequencing (WES) identified two compound heterozygous mutations in the PFKM (NM_000289.6) gene: c.626G>A and c.1376G>A in exons 7 and 15, respectively. According to the clinical presentation, diagnostic examination, and WES results, the patient was finally diagnosed with GSDVII. The discovery of these two new PFKM mutations expands the genetic spectrum, and understanding the clinical manifestations of these mutations is critical to preventing diagnostic delays and timely intervention and treatment.

Corrigendum: Fucoidan ameliorates renal injury-related calcium-phosphorus metabolic disorder and bone abnormality in the CKD-MBD model rats by targeting FGF23-Klotho signaling axis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.586725.].

Host and venom evolution in parasitoid wasps: does independently adapting to the same host shape the evolution of the venom gland transcriptome?

BACKGROUND: Venoms have repeatedly evolved over 100 occasions throughout the animal tree of life, making them excellent systems for exploring convergent evolutionary novelty. Growing evidence supports that venom evolution is predominantly driven by prey or host-related selection pressures, and the expression patterns of venom glands reflect adaptive evolution. However, it remains elusive whether the evolution of expression patterns in venom glands is likewise a convergent evolution driven by their prey/host species. RESULTS: We utilized parasitoid wasps that had independently adapted to Drosophila hosts as models to investigate the convergent evolution of venom gland transcriptomes in 19 hymenopteran species spanning ~ 200 million years of evolution. Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals that the global expression patterns among the venom glands of Drosophila parasitoid wasps do not achieve higher similarity compared to non-Drosophila parasitoid wasps. Further evolutionary analyses of expression patterns at the single gene, orthogroup, and Gene Ontology (GO) term levels indicate that some orthogroups/GO terms show correlation with the Drosophila parasitoid wasps. However, these groups rarely include genes highly expressed in venom glands or putative venom genes in the Drosophila parasitoid wasps. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that convergent evolution may not play a predominant force shaping gene expression levels in the venom gland of the Drosophila parasitoid wasps, offering novel insights into the co-evolution between venom and prey/host.

A novel homozygous nonsense variant of STX2 underlies non-obstructive azoospermia in a consanguineous Chinese family.

Male infertility is a widespread population health concern, causing various degrees of adverse fertility outcomes. We determined the genetic cause of an infertile male from a consanguineous family, expanding the mutant spectrum of male infertility. A non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) patient was recruited, and histological type of human testicular tissue of the patient categorized as maturation arrest. We identified a novel loss-of-function variant of syntaxin 2 (STX2) (c.142C>T:p.Gln48*) by performing Whole-exome sequencing (WES) on the NOA patient from a consanguineous Chinese family. Sanger sequencing confirmed the p.Gln48* variant was maternally and paternally inherited. The variant was predicted to be deleterious and resulted in aberrant changes to structure and function of STX2 by In silico analysis. In summary, we reported for the first time that a nonsense variant occurred in the exon region of STX2 in an infertile male presenting with NOA, which was beneficial for diagnosis and therapies of NOA.

Ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack due to cervical and intracranial large-vessel vasculitis secondary to primary Sjögren's syndrome: A case series and literature review.

Introduction: Primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS) is a systemic autoimmune disease that mainly affects exocrine glands. Little is known about PSS associated cervical and intracranial cerebral large-vessel vasculitis outside of individual case reports. Methods: We present 5 cases of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic stroke (TIA) caused by PSS associated cervical and intracranial large-vessel vasculitis. Literature review was performed to summarize and identify the demographic, clinical features, treatment, and prognosis of this condition. Results: The review resulted in 8 included articles with 8 patients, plus our 5 new patients, leading to a total of 13 subjects included in the analysis. The median age was 43 (range, 17-69) years old, among which 69.2 % (9/13) were female, and 92.3 % (12/13) came from Asia. Among them, 84.6 % (11/13) presented with cerebral infarction and 70.0 % (7/10) with watershed infarction. Middle cerebral artery (MCA) (6/13, 46.2 %) and internal carotid artery (ICA) (6/13, 46.2 %) were the most frequently involved arteries. Remarkable vessel wall concentric thickening and enhancement was observed in 57.1 % (4/7) patients and intravascular thrombi was identified in 28.6 % (2/7) patients. Glucocorticoid combined with non-glucocorticoid immunosuppressants (8/12, 66.7 %) were the most often chosen medication therapy and 4 patients received surgical intervention. Conclusion: Asian females are the most vulnerable population to ischemic stroke or TIA due to PSS associated cervical and intracranial large-vessel vasculitis. Cerebral infarctions were characterized by recurrence and watershed pattern. Magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging (MR-VWI) helps to identify the inflammatory pathology of large vessel lesion in PSS.

Diet-derived circulating antioxidants and risk of epilepsy: a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Previous studies suggest a link between diet-derived circulating antioxidants and epilepsy, but the causal relationship is unclear. This study aims to investigate the causal effect of these antioxidants on epilepsy. Methods: To assess the causal link between dietary antioxidants and epilepsy risk, we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. This involved examining antioxidants such as zinc, selenium, α- and γ-tocopherol, vitamin A (retinol), vitamin C (ascorbate), and vitamin E (α-tocopherol). We utilized instrumental variables (IVs) which were genetic variations highly associated with these commonly used antioxidants. Exposure data were sourced from a comprehensive genome-wide association study (GWAS). We aggregated data from the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Consortium sample, which included various types of epilepsy, as an outcome variable. Finally, we applied the inverse variance weighting method and conducted sensitivity analyses for further validation. Results: Based on the primary MR estimates and subsequent sensitivity analyses, the inverse variance weighting (IVW) method revealed that a genetically predicted increase in zinc per standard deviation was positively associated with three types of epilepsy. This includes all types of epilepsy (OR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.02-1.11, p = 0.008), generalized epilepsy (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.01-1.25, p = 0.030), and focal epilepsy (documented hippocampal sclerosis) (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.00-1.02, p = 0.025). However, there is no evidence indicating that other antioxidants obtained from the diet affect the increase of epilepsy either positively or negatively. Conclusion: Our research indicates that the risk of developing epilepsy may be directly linked to the genetic prediction of zinc, whereas no such association was found for other antioxidants.

miRNA-mediated insect-resistant transgenic rice poses no risk to a non-target parasitoid, Cotesia chilonis, via direct feeding or through its target host.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have started to play an important role in pest control, and novel miRNA-based transgenic insect-resistant plants are now emerging. However, an environmental risk assessment of these novel transgenic plants expressing insect miRNAs must be undertaken before promoting their application. Here, transgenic miR-14 rice, which has high resistance to the rice stem borer Chilo suppressalis, was used as an example for evaluation in this study. Taking the tier 1 risk assessment method in Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops as a reference, the effects of the direct exposure of a non-target parasitoid, Cotesia chilonis, to a high concentration of miRNA were evaluated. The results showed that direct feeding with miR-14 at high concentration had no significant effects on the biological parameters of Co. chilonis, whereas when miR-14 was injected into Ch. suppressalis-parasitized larvae, the development duration of Co. chilonis was significantly affected. In combination with the real conditions of the rice paddy field, it could be inferred that transgenic miR-14 rice has no significant negative effects on the important non-target parasitoid, Co. chilonis. These results will provide a foundation for the establishment of a new safety evaluation system for novel RNAi-based transgenic plants.

Association between dietary zinc intake and epilepsy: findings from NHANES 2013-2018 and a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: The association between dietary zinc intake and epilepsy remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between zinc intake from the diet and epilepsy, employing Mendelian randomization (MR) to explore potential causal links between zinc and epilepsy. Methods: The cross-sectional study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2013 and 2018. Among the 4,434 participants included, 1.5% (67/4,434) reported having epilepsy. Restricted cubic spline models and logistic regression models were employed to examine the relationships between dietary zinc intakes and epilepsy. Subsequently, a 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted using the inverse variance weighted (IVW) approach as the primary analysis. Results: In the restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis, the relationship between dietary zinc consumption and epilepsy displayed an L-shaped curve (nonlinear, p = 0.049). After multivariate adjustments, the adjusted odds ratios for epilepsy in T2 (5.0-11.0 mg/day) and T3 (≥11.0 mg/day) were 0.49 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.26-0.92, p = 0.026) and 0.60 (95% CI: 0.31-1.17, p = 0.132), respectively, compared to the lowest dietary zinc consumption tertile (T1, ≤5.0 mg/day). The IVW method indicated that genetically predicted zinc intake per standard-deviation increase was inversely associated with three types of epilepsy, including all types of epilepsy (OR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.02-1.11, p = 0.008), generalized epilepsy (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.01-1.25, p = 0.030), and focal epilepsy (documented hippocampal sclerosis) (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.00-1.02, p = 0.025). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a daily zinc intake ranging from 5.0 to 11.0 mg is associated with the lowest risk of epilepsy. Furthermore, Mendelian randomization (MR) studies provide additional support for the existence of a causal relationship between zinc and epilepsy.

Mechanism of ceramide synthase inhibition by fumonisin B1.

Ceramide synthases (CerSs) play crucial roles in sphingolipid metabolism and have emerged as promising drug targets for metabolic diseases, cancers, and antifungal therapy. However, the therapeutic targeting of CerSs has been hindered by a limited understanding of their inhibition mechanisms by small molecules. Fumonisin B1 (FB1) has been extensively studied as a potent inhibitor of eukaryotic CerSs. In this study, we characterize the inhibition mechanism of FB1 on yeast CerS (yCerS) and determine the structures of both FB1-bound and N-acyl-FB1-bound yCerS. Through our structural analysis and the observation of N-acylation of FB1 by yCerS, we propose a potential ping-pong catalytic mechanism for FB1 N-acylation by yCerS. Lastly, we demonstrate that FB1 exhibits lower binding affinity for yCerS compared to the C26- coenzyme A (CoA) substrate, suggesting that the potent inhibitory effect of FB1 on yCerS may primarily result from the N-acyl-FB1 catalyzed by yCerS, rather than through direct binding of FB1.