A review regarding the article 'Prevalence of Valvular Heart Disease in Cardiac Amyloidosis and Impact on Survival'.

Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is a condition characterized by the accumulation of amyloid fibrils in the heart muscle, resulting in an infiltrative cardiomyopathy. The presence of amyloid protein can impact different parts of the heart, including the valves. Limited data is available on the prevalence and prognostic significance of valvular heart disease (VHD) in CA. However, advancements in imaging technology have allowed for accurate noninvasive diagnosis of CA, eliminating the need for confirmatory endomyocardial biopsy and improving our understanding of this dual pathology. The development of targeted drug therapies for CA and transcatheter valve replacement or repair for VHD has significantly improved the prognosis for patients with both conditions. This review will discuss the findings of this original research and provide an overview of current researches on VHD in CA, as well as the progress in diagnosing and treating CA with VHD.

Chromosome-scale genome assembly and annotation of Cotoneaster glaucophyllus.

Cotoneaster glaucophyllus is a semi-evergreen plant that blossoms in late summer, producing dense, attractive, fragrant white flowers with significant ornamental and ecological value. Here, a chromosome-scale genome assembly was obtained by integrating PacBio and Illumina sequencing data with the aid of Hi-C technology. The genome assembly was 563.3 Mb in length, with contig N50 and scaffold N50 values of ~6 Mb and ~31 Mb, respectively. Most (95.59%) of the sequences were anchored onto 17 pseudochromosomes (538.4 Mb). We predicted 35,856 protein-coding genes, 1,401 miRNAs, 655 tRNAs, 425 rRNAs, and 795 snRNAs. The functions of 34,967 genes (97.52%) were predicted. The availability of this chromosome-level genome will provide valuable resources for molecular studies of this species, facilitating future research on speciation, functional genomics, and comparative genomics within the Rosaceae family.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for patients with somatoform disorders: A pilot preliminary randomized controlled trial.

Background and objective: Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for somatoform disorders (SFDs) is understudied in China. Western findings may not be applicable to Chinese culture. This preliminary study evaluated the efficacy of CBT for patients in China, relative to treatment-as-usual (TAU). Methods: Seventy patients with SFDs randomly received either combined CBT and TAU (CBT + TAU), or TAU alone between January 2018 to May 2019. The CBT + TAU group received 12 weekly individual 50-minute CBT sessions. Participants were blindly assessed at 4 timepoints (baseline, week 6, end of treatment: week 12; 12 weeks post-treatment: week 24) using the following outcome measures: SQSS (Self-screening Questionnaire for Somatic Symptoms); PHQ-15 (Patient-Health-Questionnaire-15) and the WI (Whiteley Index); GAD-7 (General Anxiety Disorder-7); HAMD-17 (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17); Family Burden Interview Schedule (FBIS); Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS); and the Short Form of Quality-of-Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q-SF). The primary endpoint was the difference between the SQSS total score at week 24 and the baseline. A mixed model for repeated measures was used to analyze inter- and intra-group changes from the baseline. Results: At week 24, The least-squares mean (LSM) change of the total score on the SQSS was -18.87 points and -9.69 points, respectively in the CBT + TAU group and in the TAU group (LSM difference, -9.18 points; 95% confidence interval, -15.72 to -2.64; P = 0.0068). At week 24, the LSM changes from baseline in the WI, HAMD, PHQ15, FBIS and SDS total scores were significantly different between the two groups, however, there was no significant difference in the Q-LES-Q-SF. The SQSS of group effect sizes were 0.63 at 24 weeks. The dropout rates of the CBT + TAU and TAU groups were comparable (22.9% and 19.3%). Conclusions: These preliminary findings suggest that CBT may be helpful for improving the symptoms of patients with SFDs in China.

Evaluation of preoperative coagulation function changes and deep vein thrombosis incidence in elderly patients with hip fractures.

OBJECTIVE: This study involved an analysis of preoperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT) incidence and changes in coagulation function among elderly patients suffering from hip fractures. The objective was to offer guidance on the prevention and management of preoperative DVT in the lower extremities of elderly individuals with hip fractures. METHODS: A total of 282 elderly individuals with a hip fracture were enrolled and divided into two groups based on the location of the fracture: femoral intertrochanteric fracture (FIF, 161 individuals) and femoral neck fracture (FNF, 121 individuals). The two groups were compared with respect to baseline characteristics, including gender, age, and comorbid chronic diseases. Furthermore, the analysis encompassed the incidence of preoperative DVT in both lower extremities, along with seven coagulation parameters and platelet count before the surgical procedure. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in baseline information between the two groups. The incidence of preoperative DVT in the FIF group was higher than that in the FNF group, along with a significantly higher percentage of patients exhibiting increased levels of D-dimer and fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products (FDPs). CONCLUSION: Preoperative hypercoagulability and a greater prevalence of DVT were observed in elderly individuals with FIF compared to individuals with FNF. This indicates that clinicians should pay attention to elderly patients with FIFs, especially those with increased D-dimer and FDP levels.

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) promotes Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) to aggravate liver fibrosis into cirrhosis and portal hypertension (PHT) via ROS/TGF-ß1/Snail-1 signalling pathway in adult rats.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to investigate the toxicological impact of Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) on the process of liver fibrosis transitioning into cirrhosis and the subsequent development of portal hypertension (PHT) through the mechanism of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) mediated by the ROS/TGF-ß/Snail-1 signaling pathway. METHOD: Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) (1 mg/kg) was introduced in adult rats by oral feeding in CCl4 and CCl4+DBP groups twice a week for 8 weeks, and twice for another 8 week in CCl4 group. DBP was introduced by oral feeding in the CCl4+DBP group twice over the following 8 weeks. We subsequently analyzed hemodynamics measurements and liver cirrhosis degree, hepatic inflammation and liver function in the different groups. EMT related genes expression in rats in the groups of Control, DBP, CCl4 and CCl4+DBP were measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), qRT-PCR, western blot were used to detect the EMT related proteins and mRNA gene expression levels in rats and primary hepatocytes (PHCs). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were examined with a ROS detection kit. RESULTS: The results showed that the CCl4+DBP group had higher portal pressure (PP) and lower mean arterial pressure (MAP) than the other groups. Elevated collagen deposition, profibrotic factor, inflammation, EMT levels were detected in DBP and CCl4+DBP groups. ROS, TGF-ß1 and Snail-1 were highly expressed after DBP exposure in vitro. TGF-ß1 had the potential to regulate Snail-1, and both of them were subject to regulation by ROS. CONCLUSION: DBP could influence the progression of EMT through its toxicological effect by ROS/TGF-ß1/Snail-1 signalling pathway, causing cirrhosis and PHT in final. The findings of this research might contribute to a novel comprehension of the underlying toxicological mechanisms and animal model involved in the progression of cirrhosis and PHT, and potentially offered a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of the disease.

Analysis of disulfidptosis- and cuproptosis-related LncRNAs in modulating the immune microenvironment and chemosensitivity in colon adenocarcinoma.

The main objective was to establish a prognostic model utilising long non-coding RNAs associated with disulfidptosis and cuproptosis. The data for RNA-Sequence and clinicopathological information of Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) were acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas. A prognostic model was constructed using Cox regression and the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator method. The model's predictive ability was assessed through principal component analysis, Kaplan-Meier analysis, nomogram etc. The ability of identifying the rates of overall survival, infiltration of immune cells, and chemosensitivity was also explored. In vitro experiments were conducted for the validation of differential expression and function of lncRNAs. A disulfidptosis and cuproptosis-related lncRNA prognostic model was constructed. The prognostic model exhibits excellent independent predictive capability for patient outcomes. Based on the authors' model, the high-risk group exhibited higher tumour mutation burdened worse survival. Besides, differences in immune cell infiltration and responsiveness to chemotherapeutic medications exist among patients with different risk scores. Furthermore, aberrant expressions in certain lncRNAs have been validated in HCT116 cells. In particular, FENDRR and SNHG7 could affect the proliferation and migration of colorectal cancer cells. Our study developed a novel prognostic signature, providing valuable insights into prognosis, immune infiltration, and chemosensitivity in COAD patients.

Camelliazijinica (Theaceae), a new species endemic to Danxia landscape from Guangdong Province, China.

A new species of the genus Camellia (Theaceae), Camelliazijinica, discovered in the Danxia landscape from Guangdong Province, China, is characterized and illustrated. Phylogenetic analysis based on chloroplast genomes suggested its affinity with C.drupifera, C.oleifera and C.fluviatilis, however, it morphologically differs from all of the latter by leaf shape and size. Phonologically, it most closely resembles C.microphylla, but can be distinguished from the latter by its young branchlets glabrous (vs. densely pubescent), fewer bracteoles and sepals, diverse leaf shape, midvein raised slightly with sparsely pubescent or glabrous (vs. prominently with densely pubescent) and leaf adaxially matt (vs. vernicose) when dried. By morphological and molecular analyses, Camelliazijinica represented a distinct new species of C.sect.Paracamellia.

Lysimachiadanxiashanensis, a new species of Primulaceae from Guangdong, China.

Lysimachiadanxiashanensis, a new Primulaceae species, endemic to the Danxia landscape in Guangdong Province, China, is described and illustrated. This new species is morphologically similar to L.pseudohenryi, L.phyllocephala, L.congestiflora and L.kwangtungensis, but it differs from the similar species by its purplish-red plants, petiole without wings, calyx with orange glandular and the corolla margin serrated on upper half with orange-red glandular punctates. This new species belongs to Lysimachiasubgen.Lysimachiasect.Nummularia. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that L.danxiashanensis is a distinct clade, based on the combined data of ITS and rbcL sequences. The conservation status of the new species was evaluated as Endangered (EN) according to IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.

Palladium-Catalyzed Carbonylation Reaction of Indole/Pyrrole Involving HCFO-1233zd (E).

3-Indole-3-one is a key intermediate in the synthesis of many drugs and plays an important role in synthetic chemistry and biochemistry. A new method for synthesizing trifluoromethylated 3-indoleketones by Pd(0)-catalyzed carbonylation was introduced. In the absence of additives, 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropyl (an inexpensive and environmentally friendly synthetic block of trifluoromethyl) reacts with indole and carbon monoxide to generate trifluoromethylindole ketones with good yields, regioselectivity, and chemical selectivity; furthermore, the products exhibit strong resistance to basic functional groups, such as alkynes, aldehydes, and esters. In addition to the conversion of indole compounds into corresponding products, pyrrole and heteroindole may be suitable for corresponding chemical transformations. This study provides a synthetic method for the further construction of trifluoromethylated 3-indole ketones.

Anti-CELA1 antibody KF4 prevents emphysema by inhibiting stretch-mediated remodeling.

There are no therapies to prevent emphysema progression. Chymotrypsin-like elastase 1 (CELA1) is a serine protease that binds and cleaves lung elastin in a stretch-dependent manner and is required for emphysema in a murine antisense oligonucleotide model of α-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency. This study tested whether CELA1 is important in strain-mediated lung matrix destruction in non-AAT-deficient emphysema and the efficacy of CELA1 neutralization. Airspace simplification was quantified after administration of tracheal porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE), after 8 months of cigarette smoke (CS) exposure, and in aging. In all 3 models, Cela1-/- mice had less emphysema and preserved lung elastin despite increased lung immune cells. A CELA1-neutralizing antibody was developed (KF4), and it inhibited stretch-inducible lung elastase in ex vivo mouse and human lung and immunoprecipitated CELA1 from human lung. In mice, systemically administered KF4 penetrated lung tissue in a dose-dependent manner and 5 mg/kg weekly prevented emphysema in the PPE model with both pre- and postinjury initiation and in the CS model. KF4 did not increase lung immune cells. CELA1-mediated lung matrix remodeling in response to strain is an important contributor to postnatal airspace simplification, and we believe that KF4 could be developed as a lung matrix-stabilizing therapy in emphysema.

Human Adipose-derived Stem Cells Upregulate IGF-1 and Alleviate Osteoarthritis in a Two-stage Rabbit Osteoarthritis Model.

OBJECTIVE: In recent years, it has been known that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the potential to treat osteoarthritis (OA). This study aimed to investigate the effects of intraarticular injection of human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) in a new double-damage rabbit osteoarthritis model. METHODS: The OA model was established surgically first by medial collateral ligament and anterior insertional ligament transection and medical meniscectomy, then by articular cartilage full-thickness defect. At six weeks following surgery, hADSCs were labeled with Enhanced Green Fluorescence Protein expressing lentivirus FG12 and injected into the knee joints. All rabbits were sacrificed at 4- and 8 weeks post-surgery. Assessments were carried out by macroscopic examination, immunohistochemistry staining, magnetic resonance imaging, qRT-PCR and ELISA analysis. RESULTS: At 4- and 8 weeks, hADSCs injection showed less cartilage loss, few fissures and few cracks, decreased volume of joint effusion and cartilage defect measured with MRI. Furthermore, ELISA and qRT-PCR methods showed that hADSCs treatment increased the level of IGF-1. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that hADSC transplantation promotes articular cartilage healing in the double-damage rabbit osteoarthritis model, IGF-1 may play an essential role in the hADSC-based cartilage repair process. Transplantation of hADSCs may be suitable for clinical application in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Lineage regulators TFAP2C and NR5A2 function as bipotency activators in totipotent embryos.

During the first lineage segregation, a mammalian totipotent embryo differentiates into the inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm (TE). However, how transcription factors (TFs) regulate this earliest cell-fate decision in vivo remains elusive, with their regulomes primarily inferred from cultured cells. Here, we investigated the TF regulomes during the first lineage specification in early mouse embryos, spanning the pre-initiation, initiation, commitment, and maintenance phases. Unexpectedly, we found that TFAP2C, a trophoblast regulator, bound and activated both early TE and inner cell mass (ICM) genes at the totipotent (two- to eight-cell) stages ('bipotency activation'). Tfap2c deficiency caused downregulation of early ICM genes, including Nanog, Nr5a2, and Tdgf1, and early TE genes, including Tfeb and Itgb5, in eight-cell embryos. Transcription defects in both ICM and TE lineages were also found in blastocysts, accompanied by increased apoptosis and reduced cell numbers in ICMs. Upon trophoblast commitment, TFAP2C left early ICM genes but acquired binding to late TE genes in blastocysts, where it co-bound with CDX2, and later to extra-embryonic ectoderm (ExE) genes, where it cooperatively co-occupied with the former ICM regulator SOX2. Finally, 'bipotency activation' in totipotent embryos also applied to a pluripotency regulator NR5A2, which similarly bound and activated both ICM and TE lineage genes at the eight-cell stage. These data reveal a unique transcription circuity of totipotency underpinned by highly adaptable lineage regulators.

Cediranib ameliorates portal hypertensive syndrome via inhibition of VEGFR-2 signaling in cirrhotic rats.

Portal hypertension (PHT) is a syndrome caused by systemic and portal hemodynamic disturbances with the progression of cirrhosis. However, the exact mechanisms regulating angiogenesis-related responses in PHT remain unclear. Cediranib is a potent inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) tyrosine kinases, exhibiting a greater affinity for VEGFR-2. Liver cirrhosis was induced by common bile duct ligation (BDL) in Sprague-Dawley rats. Sham-operated rats were controls. BDL and sham rats were randomly allocated to receive Cediranib or vehicle after BDL. On the 28th day, portal hypertension related parameters were surveyed. Cediranib treatment could significantly reduce the portal pressure (PP) in BDL rats, while it did not affect the mean arterial pressure (MAP) in sham groups and BDL groups. Cediranib treatment could significantly affect the stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), cardiac index (CI), systemic vascular resistance (SVR), superior mesenteric artery (SMA) flow and SMA resistance in BDL groups and BDL with Cediranib groups. Cediranib treatment could improve the mesenteric vascular remodeling and contractility. Cediranib treatment significantly reduced mesenteric vascular density. And phospho-VEGFR-2 was significantly downregulated by Cediranib. On the other hand, phospho-endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthases (phospho-eNOS) expressions were upregulated. Cediranib not only improved splanchnic hemodynamics, extrahepatic vascular remodeling and vasodilation, but also alleviated intrahepatic fibrosis and collagen deposition significantly. Cediranib treatment could reduce intrahepatic angiogenesis between BDL-vehicle and BDL-Cediranib rats. In conclusion, Cediranib could improve extrahepatic hyperdynamic circulation by inhibiting extrahepatic angiogenesis through inhibition of the VEGFR-2 signaling pathway, portal collateral circulation formation, as well as eNOS-mediated vasodilatation and vascular remodeling, and at the same time, Cediranib improved intrahepatic fibrogenesis and angiogenesis, which together alleviate cirrhotic PHT syndrome.

Multifaceted SOX2-chromatin interaction underpins pluripotency progression in early embryos.

Pioneer transcription factors (TFs), such as OCT4 and SOX2, play crucial roles in pluripotency regulation. However, the master TF-governed pluripotency regulatory circuitry was largely inferred from cultured cells. In this work, we investigated SOX2 binding from embryonic day 3.5 (E3.5) to E7.5 in the mouse. In E3.5 inner cell mass (ICM), SOX2 regulates the ICM-trophectoderm program but is dispensable for opening global enhancers. Instead, SOX2 occupies preaccessible enhancers in part opened by early-stage expressing TFs TFAP2C and NR5A2. SOX2 then widely redistributes when cells adopt naive and formative pluripotency by opening enhancers or poising them for rapid future activation. Hence, multifaceted pioneer TF-enhancer interaction underpins pluripotency progression in embryos, including a distinctive state in E3.5 ICM that bridges totipotency and pluripotency.

A new species of Cotoneaster (Rosaceae) from western Sichuan, China.

Cotoneasterdensiflorus, a new species of Rosaceae from western Sichuan, China, is described and illustrated. Morphologically, we inferred that the new species belongs to CotoneasterSer.Salicifolii sensu Yü et al. (1974) in the Flora of China and Fryer and Hylmö (2009). This species is most similar to C.salicifolius, but differs in its leaf blade of ovate-lanceolate to obovate shape (vs. elliptic-oblong to ovate-lanceolate), smaller length-width ratio of 2.37 ± 0.31 (vs. 3.17 ± 0.32), slightly conduplicate (vs. not conduplicate), less lateral veins of 6-8 pairs (vs. 12-16 pairs), upper surface slightly rugose (vs. rugose), leaf margin plane (vs. revolute), lower surface densely grey tomentose (vs. grey tomentose, with bloom), greater corolla diameter of 7-9 mm (vs. 5-6 mm), styles 2 (vs. 2-3), pyrenes 2 (vs. 2-3), larger pollen grains P/E values of 2.05 ± 0.12 (vs. 1.19 ± 0.05) and leaf epidermis type W (vs. type I). Based on phylogenetic analysis of the whole chloroplast genome, C.densiflorus is sister to C.rhytidophyllus, but distantly related to C.salicifolius.

Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Power Allocation for Minimizing Age of Information and Energy Consumption in Multi-Input Multi-Output and Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access Internet of Things Systems.

Multi-input multi-output and non-orthogonal multiple access (MIMO-NOMA) Internet-of-Things (IoT) systems can improve channel capacity and spectrum efficiency distinctly to support real-time applications. Age of information (AoI) plays a crucial role in real-time applications as it determines the timeliness of the extracted information. In MIMO-NOMA IoT systems, the base station (BS) determines the sample collection commands and allocates the transmit power for each IoT device. Each device determines whether to sample data according to the sample collection commands and adopts the allocated power to transmit the sampled data to the BS over the MIMO-NOMA channel. Afterwards, the BS employs the successive interference cancellation (SIC) technique to decode the signal of the data transmitted by each device. The sample collection commands and power allocation may affect the AoI and energy consumption of the system. Optimizing the sample collection commands and power allocation is essential for minimizing both AoI and energy consumption in MIMO-NOMA IoT systems. In this paper, we propose the optimal power allocation to achieve it based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL). Simulations have demonstrated that the optimal power allocation effectively achieves lower AoI and energy consumption compared to other algorithms. Overall, the reward is reduced by 6.44% and 11.78% compared the to GA algorithm and random algorithm, respectively.

NR5A2 connects zygotic genome activation to the first lineage segregation in totipotent embryos.

Zygotic genome activation (ZGA) marks the beginning of the embryonic program for a totipotent embryo, which gives rise to the inner cell mass (ICM) where pluripotent epiblast arises, and extraembryonic trophectoderm. However, how ZGA is connected to the first lineage segregation in mammalian embryos remains elusive. Here, we investigated the role of nuclear receptor (NR) transcription factors (TFs), whose motifs are highly enriched and accessible from the 2-cell (2C) to 8-cell (8C) stages in mouse embryos. We found that NR5A2, an NR TF strongly induced upon ZGA, was required for this connection. Upon Nr5a2 knockdown or knockout, embryos developed beyond 2C normally with the zygotic genome largely activated. However, 4-8C-specific gene activation was substantially impaired and Nr5a2-deficient embryos subsequently arrested at the morula stage. Genome-wide chromatin binding analysis showed that NR5A2-bound cis-regulatory elements in both 2C and 8C embryos are strongly enriched for B1 elements where its binding motif is embedded. NR5A2 was not required for the global opening of its binding sites in 2C embryos but was essential to the opening of its 8C-specific binding sites. These 8C-specific, but not 2C-specific, binding sites are enriched near genes involved in blastocyst and stem cell regulation, and are often bound by master pluripotency TFs in blastocysts and embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Importantly, NR5A2 regulated key pluripotency genes Nanog and Pou5f1/Oct4, and primitive endoderm regulatory genes including Gata6 among many early ICM genes, as well as key trophectoderm regulatory genes including Tead4 and Gata3 at the 8C stage. By contrast, master pluripotency TFs NANOG, SOX2, and OCT4 targeted both early and late ICM genes in mouse ESCs. Taken together, these data identify NR5A2 as a key regulator in totipotent embryos that bridges ZGA to the first lineage segregation during mouse early development.

Characteristics of multi-channel intermuscular directional coupling based on time-varying partial directional coherence analysis.

The human body transmits directional information between muscles during upper limb movements, and this will be particularly evident when the dominant muscle changes during movement transitions. By capturing the electromyography (EMG) signals of wrist flexion and extension continuous transition movements, we investigated the characteristics of multichannel intermuscular directional coupling and directional information transmission, and consequently explored the control mechanism of Central nervous system (CNS) and the coordination mechanism of motor muscles. Multi-channel EMG was collected from 12 healthy subjects under continuous translational movements of wrist flexion and extension, and the time-varying biased directional coherence analysis (TVPDC) model was constructed using partial directional coherence analysis (PDC) frequency domain directionality to study the directional information transfer characteristics in the time-frequency domain, screen closely related muscle pairs and perform directional coupling significance analysis. Palmaris longus (PL) played a dominant role under wrist flexion movements(WF), Extensor Carpi Radialis (ECR) played a dominant role under wrist extension movements(WE), and the remaining muscles responded to them with information and Biceps Brachii (BB) played a responsive role throughout the movement; flexor pairs had the highest positive coupling values in the beta band during Conversion action1 (MC1) and WF phases, and extensor pairs had the highest positive coupling values in the gamma band during Conversion action2(MC2) phase and the highest coupling values in the beta band during WE phase. TVPDC can effectively analyze the multichannel intermuscular directional coupling and information transmission relationship of surface electromyography under wrist flexion and extension transition movements, providing a reference for exploring the control mechanism of CNS and abnormal control mechanism in patients with motor dysfunction in a new perspective.

Population genetics of Camellia granthamiana, an endangered plant species with extremely small populations in China.

Introduction: Camellia, the largest genus of Theaceae, is well-known for having high economic values. Camellia granthamiana demonstrates large beautiful flowers with some primitive characters, such as multiple large and persistent bracteoles and sepals, was listed as Vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List. Methods: In this study, we investigated all possible records of the species, and sampled four natural populations and five cultivated individuals. By applying shallow-genome sequencing for nine individuals and RAD-seq sequencing for all the sampled 77 individuals, we investigated population genetic diversity and population structure of the species. Results and discussion: The results showed that the population sampled from Fengkai, previously identified as C. albogigias, possessed different plastid genome from other species possibly due to plastid capture; the species possesses strong population structure possibly due to the effect of isolation by distance, habitat fragmentation, and self-crossing tendency of the species, whose effective population size declined quickly in the past 4,000 years. Nevertheless, C. granthamiana maintains a medium level of genetic diversity within population, and significant differentiation was observed among the four investigated populations, it is anticipated that more populations are expected to be found and all these extant populations should be taken into instant protection.

Functional and structural MRI based obsessive-compulsive disorder diagnosis using machine learning methods.

BACKGROUND: The success of neuroimaging in revealing neural correlates of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has raised hopes of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indices to discriminate patients with OCD and the healthy. The aim of this study was to explore MRI based OCD diagnosis using machine learning methods. METHODS: Fifty patients with OCD and fifty healthy subjects were allocated into training and testing set by eight to two. Functional MRI (fMRI) indices, including amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), fractional ALFF (fALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), degree of centrality (DC), and structural MRI (sMRI) indices, including volume of gray matter, cortical thickness and sulcal depth, were extracted in each brain region as features. The features were reduced using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression on training set. Diagnosis models based on single MRI index / combined MRI indices were established on training set using support vector machine (SVM), logistic regression and random forest, and validated on testing set. RESULTS: SVM model based on combined fMRI indices, including ALFF, fALFF, ReHo and DC, achieved the optimal performance, with a cross-validation accuracy of 94%; on testing set, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.90 and the validation accuracy was 85%. The selected features were located both within and outside the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuit of OCD. Models based on single MRI index / combined fMRI and sMRI indices underperformed on the classification, with a largest validation accuracy of 75% from SVM model of ALFF on testing set. CONCLUSION: SVM model of combined fMRI indices has the greatest potential to discriminate patients with OCD and the healthy, suggesting a complementary effect of fMRI indices on the classification; the features were located within and outside the CSTC circuit, indicating an importance of including various brain regions in the model.