Platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonists in ischemic stroke patients without endovascular therapy: A meta-analysis.

Platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa antagonists have been employed in selective patients after endovascular therapy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS), yet application in patients without EVT is debated. This meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies on AIS patients without EVT assessed the effectiveness and safety of platelet GP IIb/IIIa antagonists compared with traditional antiplatelet or thrombolysis therapy. Articles were retrieved from databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Cochrane. The risk of bias and certainty level of evidence were assessed. Fifteen studies were included. GP IIb/IIIa antagonists increased the proportion of patients with modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0-1 (odd ratio [OR] 1.37, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.81, p = 0.03), mRS 0-2 (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.12-1.46, p = 0.0004), and Barthel Index (BI) 95-100 (OR 1.25, p = 0.005); decreased the proportion of stroke progression within 5 days (OR 0.66, p = 0.006); and lowered the mean mRS score at 90 days (mean difference [MD] -0.43, p = 0.002) and the National Institute of Health stroke scale score at 7 days (MD -1.64, p < 0.00001) compared with conventional treatment. Proportions of stroke recurrence within 90 days (OR 1.20, p = 0.60), any intracranial hemorrhage (aICH) (OR 1.20, p = 0.12), symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) (OR 0.91, p = 0.88), and death (OR 0.87, p = 0.25) had no statistical difference between both groups. This meta-analysis finds that compared with traditional antiplatelet or thrombolysis therapy, GP IIb/IIIa antagonists administered within 24-96 h of ischemic stroke onset significantly improve functional prognosis of patients with AIS not receiving EVT, as indicated by mRS and BI at 90 days, and do not increase the incidence of aICH, sICH, and death.

An updated immunosenescence exploration in healthy Chinese donors: circular elevated PD-1 on T cell and increased Ki67 on CD8+ T cell towards aging.

Immunosenescence is a process of immune dysfunction that occurs along with aging. Many studies have focused on the changes of different lymphocyte subsets in diseases and immune aging. However, the fluctuation in the number and phenotype of lymphocyte subset caused by aging have not been comprehensively analyzed, especially the effects of new indicators such as PD-1 and Ki67 in peripheral blood have been rarely reported. We further investigated the humoral and cellular immune parameters of 150 healthy donors over 18 years old. Age was associated with decreased CD4+CD45RA+CD62L+ T cells, decreased CD4+CD45RA+CD31+ T cells, and increased memory CD4+ or CD8+ T cells, dominated by male CD8+ T cells. The loss of CD28 expression on T cells and the transverse trend of activated CD38 and HLA-DR were also related to the increased age. In addition, CD8+ T cells in men were more prominent in activation indicators, and the difference between the old and young groups was obvious. CD4+CD25+CD127- T cells percentage tended to decrease with age and did not differ significantly between gender. Interestingly, we found that age was positively associated with PD-1+ T cells and showed significant age-related variability in men. Similarly, the percentage of CD8+ki-67+ also showed an increasing trend, with significant differences between the young group and other elderly groups in males. Our findings can provide immunological clues for future aging research, offering new insights for clinical monitoring and prevention of certain diseases.

Peripheral PD-1+NK cells could predict the 28-day mortality in sepsis patients.

Background: Unbalanced inflammatory response is a critical feature of sepsis, a life-threatening condition with significant global health burdens. Immune dysfunction, particularly that involving different immune cells in peripheral blood, plays a crucial pathophysiological role and shows early warning signs in sepsis. The objective is to explore the relationship between sepsis and immune subpopulations in peripheral blood, and to identify patients with a higher risk of 28-day mortality based on immunological subtypes with machine-learning (ML) model. Methods: Patients were enrolled according to the sepsis-3 criteria in this retrospective observational study, along with age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). Data on clinical characteristics, laboratory tests, and lymphocyte immunophenotyping were collected. XGBoost and k-means clustering as ML approaches, were employed to analyze the immune profiles and stratify septic patients based on their immunological subtypes. Cox regression survival analysis was used to identify potential biomarkers and to assess their association with 28-day mortality. The accuracy of biomarkers for mortality was determined by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) analysis. Results: The study enrolled 100 septic patients and 89 HCs, revealing distinct lymphocyte profiles between the two groups. The XGBoost model discriminated sepsis from HCs with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 1.0 and 0.99 in the training and testing set, respectively. Within the model, the top three highest important contributions were the percentage of CD38+CD8+T cells, PD-1+NK cells, HLA-DR+CD8+T cells. Two clusters of peripheral immunophenotyping of septic patients by k-means clustering were conducted. Cluster 1 featured higher proportions of PD1+ NK cells, while cluster 2 featured higher proportions of naïve CD4+T cells. Furthermore, the level of PD-1+NK cells was significantly higher in the non-survivors than the survivors (15.1% vs 8.6%, P<0.01). Moreover, the levels of PD1+ NK cells combined with SOFA score showed good performance in predicting the 28-day mortality in sepsis (AUC=0.91,95%CI 0.82-0.99), which is superior to PD1+ NK cells only(AUC=0.69, sensitivity 0.74, specificity 0.64, cut-off value of 11.25%). In the multivariate Cox regression, high expression of PD1+ NK cells proportion was related to 28-day mortality (aHR=1.34, 95%CI 1.19 to 1.50; P<0.001). Conclusion: The study provides novel insights into the association between PD1+NK cell profiles and prognosis of sepsis. Peripheral immunophenotyping could potentially stratify the septic patients and identify those with a high risk of 28-day mortality.

Unusual Achalasia Presentation Detected on 131I SPECT/CT in a Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Patient.

ABSTRACT: Various factors leading to unexpected false-positive 131I uptake have been extensively studied in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma. In this case, we present a patient who underwent achalasia surgery and subsequently exhibited abnormal 131I uptake on SPECT/CT imaging. The patient was a known case of papillary thyroid carcinoma that suggested to 131I therapy. 131I SPECT/CT showed linear increased activity in the distended esophagus.

Fate-mapping and functional dissection reveal perilous influence of type I interferon signaling in mouse brain aging.

Although aging significantly elevates the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases, how age-related neuroinflammation preconditions the brain toward pathological progression is ill-understood. To comprehend the scope of type I interferon (IFN-I) activity in the aging brain, we surveyed IFN-I-responsive reporter mice and detected age-dependent signal escalation in multiple brain cell types from various regions. Selective ablation of Ifnar1 from microglia in aged mice significantly reduced overall brain IFN-I signature, dampened microglial reactivity, lessened neuronal loss, and diminished the accumulation of lipofuscin, a core hallmark of cellular aging in the brain. Overall, our study demonstrates pervasive IFN-I activity during normal mouse brain aging and reveals a pathogenic role played by microglial IFN-I signaling in perpetuating neuroinflammation, neuronal dysfunction, and molecular aggregation. These findings extend the understanding of a principal axis of age-related inflammation in the brain, and provide a rationale to modulate aberrant immune activation to mitigate neurodegenerative process at all stages.

In-line attosecond photoelectron holography for single photon ionization.

The momentum distribution of photoelectrons in H2+ molecules subjected to an attosecond pulse is theoretically investigated. To better understand the laser-molecule interaction, we develop an in-line photoelectron holography approach that is analogous to optical holography. This approach is specifically suitable for extracting the amplitude and phase of the forward-scattered electron wave packet in a dissociating molecule with atomic precision. We also extend this approach to imaging the transient scattering cross-section of a molecule dressed by a near infrared laser field. This attosecond photoelectron holography sheds light on structural microscopy of dissociating molecules with high spatial-temporal resolution.

Fate-mapping and functional dissection reveal perilous influence of type I interferon signaling in mouse brain aging.

BACKGROUND: Aging significantly elevates the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases. Neuroinflammation is a universal hallmark of neurodegeneration as well as normal brain aging. Which branches of age-related neuroinflammation, and how they precondition the brain toward pathological progression, remain ill-understood. The presence of elevated type I interferon (IFN-I) has been documented in the aged brain, but its role in promoting degenerative processes, such as the loss of neurons in vulnerable regions, has not been studied in depth. METHODS: To comprehend the scope of IFN-I activity in the aging brain, we surveyed IFN-I-responsive reporter mice at multiple ages. We also examined 5- and 24-month-old mice harboring selective ablation of Ifnar1 in microglia to observe the effects of manipulating this pathway during the aging process using bulk RNA sequencing and histological parameters. RESULTS: We detected age-dependent IFN-I signal escalation in multiple brain cell types from various regions, especially in microglia. Selective ablation of Ifnar1 from microglia in aged mice significantly reduced overall brain IFN-I signature, dampened microglial reactivity, lessened neuronal loss, restored expression of key neuronal genes and pathways, and diminished the accumulation of lipofuscin, a core hallmark of cellular aging in the brain. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our study demonstrates pervasive IFN-I activity during normal mouse brain aging and reveals a pathogenic, pro-degenerative role played by microglial IFN-I signaling in perpetuating neuroinflammation, neuronal dysfunction, and molecular aggregation. These findings extend the understanding of a principal axis of age-related inflammation in the brain, one likely shared with multiple neurological disorders, and provide a rationale to modulate aberrant immune activation to mitigate neurodegenerative process at all stages.

Temporomandibular Joint Disc Reduction And Fixation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness and stability of open suture versus micro-screw anchored disc reduction and fixation in treating disc displacement without reduction in the anterior temporomandibular joint. METHODS: A total of 38 patients (51 sides) with anterior disc displacement without reduction (ADDwR) of the TMJ treated in our hospital from August 2021 to January 2023 were selected, including 19 cases in group A (23 sides) treated with open temporomandibular joint disc reduction and anchorage, and 19 cases in group B (28 sides) treated with temporomandibular joint disc reduction and suture. The Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data of the two groups before and after operation were compared to evaluate the effective rate of articular disc reduction, the change of articular disc length, The Maximal Interincisal Opening (MIO) and Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) were measured before and after operation. RESULTS: In group A, the MRI effective rate 6 months after disc reduction was 95.65% (22/23), the disc length gain was 1.74mm, MIO was 40.32±5.067mm, and NRS was 0.47±0.697. The MRI effective rate 6 months after disc reduction in group B was 100% (28/28). The disc length gain was 1.78mm, MIO was 41.58±3.746mm, and NRS was 0.00. There was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: TMJ disc reduction and suture and open TMJ disc anchorage can effectively reduce the TMJ disc. The TMJ disc stability is high at 6 months after operation, and the pain and mouth opening can be improved, which is worthy of further promotion in clinical practice.

Solar light driven atomic and electronic transformations in a plasmonic Ni@NiO/NiCO3 photocatalyst revealed by ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

This work employs ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) to delve into the atomic and electronic transformations of a core-shell Ni@NiO/NiCO3 photocatalyst - a model system for visible light active plasmonic photocatalysts used in water splitting for hydrogen production. This catalyst exhibits reversible structural and electronic changes in response to water vapor and solar simulator light. In this study, APXPS spectra were obtained under a 1 millibar water vapor pressure, employing a solar simulator with an AM 1.5 filter to measure spectral data under visible light illumination. The in situ APXPS spectra indicate that the metallic Ni core absorbs the light, exciting plasmons, and creates hot electrons that are subsequently utilized through hot electron injection in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by NiCO3. Additionally, the data show that NiO undergoes reversible oxidation to NiOOH in the presence of water vapor and light. The present work also investigates the contribution of carbonate and its involvement in the photocatalytic reaction mechanism, shedding light on this seldom-explored aspect of photocatalysis. The APXPS results highlight the photochemical reduction of carbonates into -COOH, contributing to the deactivation of the photocatalyst. This work demonstrates the APXPS efficacy in examining photochemical reactions, charge transfer dynamics and intermediates in potential photocatalysts under near realistic conditions.

Association of Cytokines with Clinical Indicators in Patients with Drug-Induced Liver Injury.

Objective: To explore characteristics of clinical parameters and cytokines in patients with drug-induced liver injury (DILI) caused by different drugs and their correlation with clinical indicators. Method: The study was conducted on patients who were up to Review of Uncertainties in Confidence Assessment for Medical Tests (RUCAM) scoring criteria and clinically diagnosed with DILI. Based on Chinese herbal medicine, cardiovascular drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), anti-infective drugs, and other drugs, patients were divided into five groups. Cytokines were measured by Luminex technology. Baseline characteristics of clinical biochemical indicators and cytokines in DILI patients and their correlation were analyzed. Results: 73 patients were enrolled. Age among five groups was statistically different ( P = 0.032). Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ( P = 0.033) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ( P = 0.007) in NSAIDs group were higher than those in chinese herbal medicine group. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in patients with Chinese herbal medicine (IL-6: P < 0.001; TNF-α: P < 0.001) and cardiovascular medicine (IL-6: P = 0.020; TNF-α: P = 0.001) were lower than those in NSAIDs group. There was a positive correlation between ALT ( r = 0.697, P = 0.025), AST ( r = 0.721, P = 0.019), and IL-6 in NSAIDs group. Conclusion: Older age may be more prone to DILI. Patients with NSAIDs have more severe liver damage in early stages of DILI, TNF-α and IL-6 may partake the inflammatory process of DILI.

3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane modified MXene on three-dimensional nonwoven fiber substrates for low-cost, stable, and efficient solar-driven interfacial evaporation desalination.

Recently, the solar-driven interfacial evaporation desalination has attracted more and more attentions due to the advantages of low cost, zero energy consumption, and high water purification rate, etc. One of the bottlenecks of this emerging technique lies in a lack of simple and low-cost ways to construct three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical microstructures for photothermal membranes. To this end, a two-step strategy is carried out by combining surface functionalization with substrate engineering. Firstly, a silane coupling agent 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) is grafted onto an ideal photothermal material of Ti3C2Tx MXene, to improve the nanochannel sizes and hydrophilicity, which are attributed to enlarged interspaces of MXene and introduced hydrophilic group e.g., -NH2 and -OH, respectively. Secondly, a low-cost and robust nonwoven fiber (NWF) substrate, which has a 3D micron-sized mesh structure with interlaced fiber stacks, is employed as the skeleton to load enough APTES-grafted MXene by a simple soaking method. Benefited from above design, the Ti3C2Tx-APTES/NWF composite membrane with a 3D hierarchical structure shows enhanced light scattering and utilization, water transport and vapor escape. A remarkable evaporation rate of 1.457 kg m-2 h-1 and an evaporation efficiency of 91.48 % are attained for a large-area (5 × 5 cm2) evaporator, and the evaporation rate is further increased to 1.672 kg m-2 h-1 for a small-area (2 × 2 cm2) device. The rejection rates of salt ions and heavy metal ions are higher than 99 % and 99.99 %, respectively, and the removal rates of organic dye molecules are nearly to 100 %. Besides, the composite photothermal membrane exhibits great stabilities in harsh conditions such as high salinities, long cycling, large light intensities, strong acid/alkali environments, and mechanical bending. Most importantly, the photothermal membrane shows a considerable cost-effectiveness of 89.4 g h-1/$. Hence, this study might promote the commercialization of solar-driven interfacial evaporation desalination by collaboratively considering surface modification and substrate engineering for MXene.

Multi-source domain adaptive network based on local kernelized higher-order moment matching for rotating machinery fault diagnosis.

Unsupervised domain adaptation has been extensively researched in rotating-machinery cross-domain fault diagnosis. A multi-source domain adaptive network based on local kernelized higher-order moment matching is constructed in this research for rotating-machinery fault diagnosis. Firstly, a multi-branch network is designed to map each source-target pair to a domain-specific shared space and to extract domain-invariant features using domain adversarial thought. Then, a local kernelized higher-order moment matching algorithm is proposed to perform fine-grained matching in shared category subspace. Finally, a feature fusion strategy based on the local domain distribution deviation is applied to synthesize the output features of multiple classifiers to obtain diagnostic results. The experimental validation of two-branch and three-branch networks on two public datasets is carried out and average diagnostic accuracies both exceed 99%. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the approach.

Socioeconomic characteristics, cancer mortality, and universal health coverage: A global analysis.

BACKGROUND: Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all individuals attaining accessible health interventions at an affordable cost. We examined current patterns and temporal trends of cancer mortality and UHC across sociodemographic index (SDI) settings, and quantified these association. METHODS: We used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 and Our World in Data. The UHC effective coverage index was obtained to assess the potential population health gains delivered by health systems. The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated to quantify the trend of cancer age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR). A generalized linear model was applied to estimate the association between ASMR and UHC. FINDINGS: The high (EAPC = -0.9% [95% CI, -1.0%, -0.9%]) and high-middle (-0.9% [-1.0%, -0.8%]) SDI regions had the fastest decline in ASMR (per 100,000) for total cancers from 1990 to 2019. The overall UHC effective coverage index increased by 27.9% in the high-SDI quintile to 62.2% in the low-SDI quintile. A negative association was observed between ASMR for all-cancer (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.87 [0.76, 0.99]), stomach (0.73 [0.56, 0.95]), breast (0.64 [0.52, 0.79]), cervical (0.42 [0.30, 0.60]), lip and oral cavity (0.55 [0.40, 0.75]), and nasopharynx (0.42 [0.26, 0.68]) cancers and high UHC level (the lowest as the reference). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings strengthen the evidence base for achieving UHC to improve cancer outcomes. FUNDING: This work is funded by the China National Natural Science Foundation and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Science.

Role of ESCCAL-1 in regulating exocytosis of AuNPs in human esophageal squamous carcinoma cells.

Exocytosis is a critical factor for designing efficient nanocarriers and determining cytotoxicity. However, the research on the exocytosis mechanism of nanoparticles, especially the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), has not been reported. In this study, the exocytosis of AuNPs in the KYSE70 cells and the involved molecular pathways of exocytosis are analyzed. It demonstrates that nanoparticles underwent time-dependent release from the cells by exocytosis, and the release of ß-hexosaminidase confirms that AuNPs are excreted through lysosomes. Mechanistic studies reveal that lncRNA ESCCAL-1 plays a vital role in controlling the exocytosis of AuNPs through activation of the MAPK pathway, including the phosphorylation of ERK and JNK. The study implies that the ESCCAL-1-mediated pathway plays an important role in the exocytosis of AuNPs in KYSE70 cells. This finding has implications for the role of ESCCAL-1 on the drug resistance of esophagus cancer by controlling lysosome-mediated exocytosis.

Occurrence of microplastics in the Haima cold seep area of the South China Sea.

The pollution of deep-sea microplastics has received increasing attention. As a special ecosystem in the deep sea, the cold seep area is of great significance for studying the distribution of microplastics in the deep sea. In this work, the distribution and characteristics of microplastics in seawater, sediments, and shellfish in the Haima cold seep area and the correlation between the characteristics of microplastics in different media and the type of media were studied. Microplastics were found in all three media. The abundance of microplastics in different samples from the Haima cold seep area ranged 1.8-3.8 items/L for the seawater, 11.47-96.8 items/kg (d.w.) for the surface sediments, and 0-5 items/individual (0-0.714 items/g) for the shellfish. The amount of microplastics ingested by shellfish varied among different species. The microplastics in these three media were mainly fibrous, dark-colored, small-sized rayon, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyethylene (PE). In the correlation analysis of microplastic characteristics among the three media, it was found that the characteristics of microplastics in different media in the same area were closely related, and each pair of variables showed a significant positive correlation (P ≤ 0.05). The distinctive geographical conditions would accelerate the interchange of microplastics among various media. Principal component analysis showed that habitat contribute to microplastic feature differences in shellfish. Differences in correlation were observed between the characteristics of shellfish microplastics in different regions and the characteristics of microplastics in surrounding seawater and sediments.

A novel glycoglycerolipid from Holotrichia diomphalia Bates: Structure characteristics and protective effect against DNA damage.

A lipidated polysaccharide, HDPS-2II, was isolated from the dried larva of Holotrichia diomphalia, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine. The molecular weight of HDPS-2II was 5.9 kDa, which contained a polysaccharide backbone of →4)-ß-Manp-(1 â†’ 4,6)-ß-Manp-(1 â†’ [6)-α-Glcp-(1]n â†’ 6)-α-Glcp→ with the side chain α-Glcp-(6 â†’ 1)-α-Glcp-(6 â†’ linked to the C-4 of ß-1,4,6-Manp and four types of lipid chains including 4-(4-methyl-2-(methylamino)pentanamido)pentanoic acid, 5-(3-(tert-butyl)phenoxy)hexan-2-ol, N-(3-methyl-5-oxopentan-2-yl)palmitamide, and N-(5-amino-3-methyl-5-oxopentan-2-yl)stearamide. The lipid chains were linked to C-1 of terminal α-1,6-Glcp in carbohydrate chain through diacyl-glycerol. HDPS-2II exhibited DNA protective effects and antioxidative activity on H2O2- or adriamycin (ADM)-induced Chinese hamster lung cells. Furthermore, HDPS-2II significantly ameliorated chromosome aberrations and the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), reduced γ-H2AX signaling and the expressions of NADPH oxidase (NOX)2, NOX4, P22phox, and P47phox in ADM-induced cardiomyocytes. Mechanistically, HDPS-2II suppressed ADM-induced up-regulation of NOX2 and NOX4 in cardiomyocytes, but not in NOX2 or NOX4 knocked-down cardiomyocytes, indicating that HDPS-2II could relieve intracellular DNA damage by regulating NOX2/NOX4 signaling. These findings demonstrate that HDPS-2II is a new potential DNA protective agent.

Discovery of Fusarium pseudograminearum Causing Crown Rot of Winter Wheat in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China.

Fusarium pseudograminearum is an important plant pathogen that invades many crops (Zhang et al. 2018). Since it was first discovered in Australia in 1951, F. pseudograminearum has been reported in many countries and regions and caused huge economic losses (Burgess et al. 2001). In 2012, crown rot of wheat caused by F. pseudograminearum was discovered for the first time in Henan Province, China (Li et al. 2012). Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important food crops in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), with 1.07 million hectares cultivated in 2020. In June 2023, a survey of crown rot disease was carried out in winter wheat cv. Xindong 20 in Hotan area, XUAR, China (80.148907°E, 37.051474°N). About 5% of wheat plants showed symptoms of crown rot such as browning of the stem base and white head. The disease was observed in 85% of wheat fields. In order to identify the pathogens, 36 pieces of diseased stem basal tissue, 0.5 cm in length, were collected and sterilized with 75% alcohol for 30s and 5% NaOCl solution for 2 min, then rinsed three times with sterile water and placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium at 25°C. A total of 27 isolates with consistent morphological characteristics were obtained using single-spore technique (Leslie and Summerell. 2006), and the isolation rate was 75%. The isolates grew rapidly on PDA, produced large numbers of fluffy white hyphae, and pink pigment accumulated in the medium. The isolates were grown on 2% mung bean flour medium and identified by morphological and molecular methods. Macroconidia were abundant, relatively slender, curved to almost straight, commonly two to seven septate, and averaged 22 to 72 × 1.8 to 4.9 µm. Microconidia were not observed. The morphological characters are consistent with Fusarium (Aoki and O'Donnell. 1999). Two isolates (LP-1 and LP-3) were selected for molecular identification. Primers EF1/EF2 (5'-ATGGGTAAGGARGACAAGAC-3'/5'-GGARGTACCAGTSATCATG-3') were used to amplify a portion of the EF-1α gene (O'Donnell et al. 1998). The two 696 bp PCR products were sequenced and submitted to GenBank. The EF-1α gene sequences (GenBank Accession No: PP062794 and PP062795) shared 99.9% identity (695/696) with published F.pseudograminearum sequences (e.g., OP105187, OP105184, OP105179, OP105173). The identification was further confirmed by F. pseudograminearum species-specific PCR primers Fp1-1/Fp1-2 (Aoki and O'Donnell. 1999). The expected PCR products of 518 bp were produced only in F. pseudograminearum. Pathogenicity tests of LP-1 and LP-3 isolates were performed on 7-day-old seedlings of winter wheat cv. Xindong 20 using the drip inoculation method with a 10-µl of a 106 macroconidia ml-1 suspension near the stem base (Xu et al. 2017). The experiment was repeated five times in a 20 to 25°C greenhouse. Control seedlings were treated with sterile water. After 4 weeks, wheat seedling death and crown browning occurred in the inoculated plants with over 90% incidence. No symptoms were observed in the control plants. The pathogen was reisolated from the inoculated plants by the method described above and identified by morphological and PCR amplification using F. pseudograminearum species-specific primers Fp1-1/Fp1-2. No F. pseudograminearum was isolated from the control plants, fulfilling Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of F. pseudograminearum causing crown rot of winter wheat in XUAR of China. Since F. pseudograminearum can cause great damage to wheat, one of the most important food crops in China, necessary measures should be taken to prevent the spread of F. pseudograminearum to other regions.

3α-Hydroxylup-20(29)-ene-23,28-dioic Acid as a Phytogenic Chemical Marker for Authenticating Schefflera octophylla (Lour.) Harms Monofloral Honey.

The monofloral honey from Schefflera octophylla (Lour.) Harms (MH-Sco) are of high economic value due to their rarity and potential medicinal benefits. However, the limited investigations on the relationship of phytogenic components between the plant S. octophylla (P-Sco) and MH-Sco have an impact on MH-Sco authentication. Herein, the tentative phytogenic markers of MH-Sco were screened by comparing the metabolites of MH-Sco obtained by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS)-based untargeted metabolomics with the identified phytogenic chemicals from P-Sco. Combined with the mass and NMR spectral information, 3α-hydroxylup-20(29)-ene-23,28-dioic acid (HLEDA) was finally identified as the phytogenic marker of MH-Sco. A targeted ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS)-based method was established and validated based on the purified monomer standard to measure HLEDA levels in honey samples. HLEDA determined in MH-Sco was with the content from 0.303 to 0.440 mg/kg, while HLEDA was absent in honey samples from other botanical origins, indicating the reliability of HLEDA as a chemical marker in MH-Sco authentication. This study provides the theoretical basis and industry guidance for honey quality control for commercial consumption.

The characterization of functional conduction block in patients with multiple types of atrial tachycardia- A discussion on the mechanism of multiple atrial tachycardia.

BACKGROUND: High-resolution mapping offers superior accuracy in delineating conduction features; however, certain characteristics are still linked to elevated recurrence rates of atrial tachycardia (AT), suggesting the influence of additional mechanisms. This study systematically assessed the substrate of functional conduction block (FCB) regions in relation to the mechanisms of multiple ATs. METHODS: In this study, the Carto system facilitated the mapping of ATs in 13 patients undergoing ablation, each presenting with more than two AT variants. FCB regions were marked and further analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 33 sustained ATs were mapped across the patient cohort. FCB regions showed convertibility in 7 of 13 patients (54%). Three kinds of presentations can be summarized by the FCB region: Firstly, the FCB region could act as the main obstacle sustaining the localized reentrant pathway, for which rounding obviously has a direct correlation with the mechanism of the AT (27%). Secondly, the FCB regions could act as obstacle lines to reorganize the propagation of the reentry in localized AT and macroreentrant AT (55%). Lastly, the FCB region could act as a bystander and may not be related to the mechanism of the ATs (18%). The potentials in FCB regions mostly performed low voltages or fragmented potentials (FPs) in the ATs which they did not perform the conduction block (90%). CONCLUSION: In multiple ATs, FCB regions may not be uncommon. The participation of FCB regions in the mechanism of ATs showed three different kinds of performance. The dynamic nature of this substrate may provide insight into the reasons for the high recurrence of related ATs.

Comprehensive quality evaluation of Lysimachia christinae Hance via fingerprint, spectrum-effect relationship, and quantitative analyses of multiple components by single marker.

BACKGROUND: Lysimachia christinae Hance (LCH) is a traditional medicine used to treat gallstone disease and cholecystitis. Despite its known anti-inflammatory and choleretic effects, its quality has not been extensively evaluated. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to establish a reliable quality evaluation method for LCH via fingerprint, spectrum-effect relationship, and quantitative analyses of multicomponents by a single marker (QAMS). METHODS: First, the fingerprints and anti-inflammatory and choleretic activities of 14 LCH batches were determined. Then, the gray relation analysis method was used to analyze the peak areas of the fingerprint profile and pharmacodynamic data. Subsequently, the characteristic peaks were tentatively identified using high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Finally, rutin was selected as the internal reference material, and QAMS was used to analyze the LCH components. RESULTS: Pharmacodynamic experiments confirmed that LCH exerted anti-inflammatory and choleretic effects. Moreover, 15 flavonoids related to the anti-inflammatory and choleretic effects of LCH were identified. Notably, relative error percentage between the QAMS and external standard method was less than 5%. CONCLUSION: This study successfully established a comprehensive evaluation method for the qualitative and quantitative analyses of LCH.