A comparative study of two pelvimetry methods: 3D models based on CT and MRI.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: To compare 3D models based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 3D models based on computed tomography (CT) in pelvimetry. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 141 patients who underwent both pelvic 3D MRI and 3D CT pelvimetry for gynecological diseases from December 2009 to October 2020 was performed. The two pelvimetry methods were compared by paired Student's t test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, Bland-Altman analysis and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: The differences between methods for each diameter were statistically significant, except for those of the posterior sagittal diameter of the pelvic inlet (t:-0.71, P = 0.5) and the anteroposterior pelvic outlet diameter (t:0.02, P = 0.98). 3D MRI and 3D CT pelvimetry strongly correlated with each other (r: min 0.7, max: 0.96, P < 0.01). The Bland-Altman results indicate that the difference points of each pelvic diameter line greater than 95 % are within the 95 % limits of agreement. The ICC was good to very good for all pelvimetric measurements using either MRI-3D (ICC: 0.64-0.98) or CT-3D (ICC: 0.72-0.98) between the two readers. CONCLUSIONS: 3D MRI and 3D CT pelvimetry have good agreement and reproducibility, indicating that 3D MRI is reliable for pelvimetry.

VEGFC ameliorates salt-sensitive hypertension and hypertensive nephropathy by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome via activating VEGFR3-AMPK dependent autophagy pathway.

Salt-sensitivity hypertension (SSHTN) is an independent predictor for cardiovascular mortality. VEGFC has been reported to be a protective role in SSHTN and hypertensive kidney injury. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. The current study aimed to explore the protective effects and mechanisms of VEGFC against SSHTN and hypertensive nephropathy. Here, we reported that VEGFC attenuated high blood pressure as well as protected against renal inflammation and fibrosis in SSHTN mice. Moreover, VEGFC suppressed the activation of renal NLRP3 inflammasome in SSHTN mice. In vitro, we found VEGFC inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation, meanwhile, upregulated autophagy in high-salt-induced macrophages, while these effects were reversed by an autophagy inhibitor 3MA. Furthermore, in vivo, 3MA pretreatment weakened the protective effects of VEGFC on SSHTN and hypertensive nephropathy. Mechanistically, VEGF receptor 3 (VEGFR3) kinase domain activated AMPK by promoting the phosphorylation at Thr183 via binding to AMPK, thus enhancing autophagy activity in the context of high-salt-induced macrophages. These findings indicated that VEGFC inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation by promoting VEGFR3-AMPK-dependent autophagy pathway in high-salt-induced macrophages, which provided a mechanistic basis for the therapeutic target in SSHTN and hypertensive kidney injury.

Anatomy of the internal iliac vein around the sacral promontory based on CT three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The area around the sacral promontory (SP) is the targeted location of various pelvic operations. We examined the internal iliac vein (IIV) configurations around the SP by computed tomography angiography (CTA) three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction to describe its anatomy and provide accurate anatomical parameters for relevant operations to reduce intraoperative vascular injury. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 2078 CTA 3D model datasets from Nanfang Hospital patients examined for gynecological diseases from December 2009 to October 2020. The IIVs of the above cases were divided into standard and variant IIVs, and variant IIVs were subdivided into different subtypes. To compare the size of the avascular area around the SP between standard and variant IIVs, we selected the two subtypes with the highest variation rate for comparison with the standard IIV type. RESULTS: The most common types of variant IIVs were 5a (5.15%) and 3a (5.05%). The results showed larger values in the standard group than in the 3a and 5a groups for the confluence of common iliac vein (CCIV) height (37.73±12.05 vs. 28.93±10.17 vs. 27.27±7.58 mm, P < 0.05), distance between the iliac vessels (49.47±9.47 mm vs. 37.08±9.36 vs. 37.73±8.94 mm, P < 0.05), and SP exposure width (44.94±6.39 mm vs. 36.83±8.29 vs. 36.93±7.91, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Variant IIVs may increase the risk of surgery by reducing the avascular area compared with standard IIVs. Therefore, when operating around the SP, special attention should be given to variant IIVs and avoiding vascular injury.

Anti-Freezing Nanocomposite Organohydrogels with High Strength and Toughness.

Hydrogels based on nanocomposites (NC) structure have acquired a great deal of interest, but they are still limited by relatively low mechanical strength, inevitably losing elasticity when applied below subzero temperatures, due to the formation of ice crystallization. In this study, an anti-freezing and mechanically strong Laponite NC organohydrogel was prepared by a direct solvent replacement strategy of immersing Laponite NC pre-hydrogel into ethylene glycol (EG)/water mixture solution. In the organohydrogel, a part of water molecules was replaced by EG, which inhibited the formation of ice crystallization even at extremely low temperatures. In addition, the formation of hydrogen bonds between Laponite and the monomers of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) endowed the organohydrogels with high mechanical strength and toughness. The NC organohydrogel can maintain its mechanical flexibility even at -25 °C. The compressive stress, tensile stress, and elongation at the break of N5H5L reached 3871.71 kPa, 137.05 kPa, and 173.39%, respectively, which may be potentially applied as ocean probes in low temperature environment.

Three-Dimensional in Vivo Anatomical Study of Female Iliac Vein Variations.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate female iliac vein variations by using the computed tomography angiography (CTA) three-dimensional (3 D) reconstruction technique. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 1623 patients undergoing abdominal and pelvic CTA scanning for gynecological diseases from December 2009 to December 2018. Accurate digital 3 D models of the iliac vein were constructed using Mimics 19.0 software and used to study the morphology and variations. Variations in the common iliac vein (CIV), external iliac vein (EIV) and internal iliac vein (IIV) were classified as type I, abnormal number of veins; type II, abnormal communicating branches; or type III, other variations. RESULTS: The overall variation rates of the iliac vein and CIV were 51.57% (837/1623) and 20.33% (330/1623), respectively. The main type of CIV variation was type II. The main type I CIV variation was the absence of the CIV (98.15%), which mostly occurred on the right side (64.81%, 35/54). Type II CIV variation was the most common, with abnormal communicating branches between the left CIV and right IIV (81.78%, 211/258). The overall variation rates of the EIV and IIV were 36.66% (595/1623) and 49.60% (805/1623), respectively, mainly on the right side. The main type of variation was type I. Among them, the division of the IIV into two branches plus convergence with the ipsilateral EIV was the most common (22.98%, 373/1623). CONCLUSION: In this study, approximately half of the patients had iliac vein variations. The preoperative identification of iliac vein variation may reduce vascular injury in pelvic surgery.

Metabolic Activation of the Acrylamide Michael Acceptor Warhead in Futibatinib to an Epoxide Intermediate Engenders Covalent Inactivation of CYP3A.

Futibatinib (FUT) is a potent inhibitor of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 1-4 that is currently under clinical investigation for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Unlike its predecessors, FUT possesses an acrylamide warhead, which enables it to bind covalently to a free cysteine residue in the FGFR kinase domain. However, it remains uninterrogated if this electrophilic α, ß -unsaturated carbonyl scaffold could also directly or indirectly engender off-target covalent binding to nucleophilic centers on other cellular proteins. Here, we discovered that FUT inactivated both CYP3A isoforms with inactivator concentration at half-maximum inactivation rate constant, maximum inactivation rate constant, and partition ratios of 12.5 and 51.4 µ M, 0.25 and 0.06 minutes-1, and ∼52 and ∼58 for CYP3A4 and CYP3A5, respectively. Along with its time-, concentration-, and cofactor-dependent inhibitory profiles, FUT also exhibited several cardinal features that were consistent with mechanism-based inactivation. Moreover, the nature of inactivation was unlikely to be pseudo-irreversible and instead arose from the covalent modification of the cytochrome P450 apoprotein and/or its heme moiety due to the lack of substantial enzyme activity recovery following dialysis and chemical oxidation, as well as the absence of the diagnostic Soret peak in spectral analyses. Finally, utilizing glutathione (GSH) trapping and high-resolution mass spectrometry, we illuminated that while the acrylamide moiety in FUT could nonenzymatically conjugate to GSH via Michael addition, it was not implicated in the covalent inactivation of CYP3A. Rather, we surmised that it likely stemmed from the metabolic activation of its acrylamide covalent warhead to a highly electrophilic epoxide intermediate that could covalently modify CYP3A and culminate in its catalytic inactivation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: In this study, we reported for the first time the inactivation of CYP3A by futibatinib (FUT). Furthermore, using FUT as an exemplary targeted covalent inhibitor, our study revealed the propensity for its acrylamide Michael acceptor moiety to be metabolically activated to a highly electrophilic epoxide. Due to the growing resurgence of covalent inhibitors and the well-established toxicological ramifications associated with epoxides, we advocate that closer scrutiny be adopted when profiling the reactive metabolites of compounds possessing an α, ß -unsaturated carbonyl scaffold.

A bio-inspired polarization navigation sensor based on artificial compound eyes.

Insect compound eyes are optical systems with small volume and a compact structure. The ommatidia in the dorsal rim area of some insects have polarized vision, which can perceive the polarization pattern of the sky and provide them with navigation information. In this paper, inspired by the polarization-sensitive compound eyes of insects, a bio-inspired polarization navigation sensor based on artificial compound eyes is designed. The sensor consists of an artificial compound eye, an integrated polarization detector and an integrated circuit. The optical path of the sensor uses the lens defocus method, which can ensure that the sensor obtains redundant polarization information. The integrated polarization detector is used to obtain the polarization information of the incident light, and the integrated circuit is responsible for the calculation. To extract effective information from images, we propose a multi-threshold segmentation method to filter and classify effective pixels. We use the least squares method to fit the inherent error of the sensor and then compensate it. The indoor calibration accuracy of the sensor is ±0.3°, and the outdoor calibration accuracy is ±0.5°. The sensor can provide accurate direction information for general smart mobile devices. The size of the sensor is 4 × 4 × 2 cm, and the weight is only 15 g. The key components of the sensor can be mass-produced, and it is a miniaturized and low-cost polarization navigation sensor.

Two divergent haplotypes from a highly heterozygous lychee genome suggest independent domestication events for early and late-maturing cultivars.

Lychee is an exotic tropical fruit with a distinct flavor. The genome of cultivar 'Feizixiao' was assembled into 15 pseudochromosomes, totaling ~470 Mb. High heterozygosity (2.27%) resulted in two complete haplotypic assemblies. A total of 13,517 allelic genes (42.4%) were differentially expressed in diverse tissues. Analyses of 72 resequenced lychee accessions revealed two independent domestication events. The extremely early maturing cultivars preferentially aligned to one haplotype were domesticated from a wild population in Yunnan, whereas the late-maturing cultivars that mapped mostly to the second haplotype were domesticated independently from a wild population in Hainan. Early maturing cultivars were probably developed in Guangdong via hybridization between extremely early maturing cultivar and late-maturing cultivar individuals. Variable deletions of a 3.7 kb region encompassed by a pair of CONSTANS-like genes probably regulate fruit maturation differences among lychee cultivars. These genomic resources provide insights into the natural history of lychee domestication and will accelerate the improvement of lychee and related crops.

Primary intramedullary melanocytoma presenting with lower limbs, defecation, and erectile dysfunction: A case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Primary intramedullary melanocytoma is an exceedingly rare type of primary melanocytic tumor in the central nervous system. Unfortunately, primary intramedullary melanocytoma lacks specificity in clinical symptoms and imaging features and there is currently no standard strategy for diagnosis or treatment. CASE SUMMARY: A 52-year-old male patient suffered from weakness and numbness involving the bilateral lower limbs for 18 mo, and defecation and erectile dysfunction for 6 mo. Furthermore, these symptoms started to worsen for the last 3 mo. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an intramedullary tumor located at the T9-T10 level. In subsequently surgery, the maximal safe resection extent approached to 98%. The lesion was confirmed to be melanocytoma by pathological examination. In addition, the possibility of original melanocytoma outside the spinal cord was excluded after the examination of the whole body. Therefore, a diagnosis of primary intramedullary melanocytoma was established. The patient refused to accept radiotherapy or Gamma Knife, but MRI examination on July 28, 2020 showed no sign of development. In addition, on April 10, 2021, the recent review showed that the disorder of defecation and lower limbs improved further but erectile dysfunction benefited a little from the surgery. CONCLUSION: After diagnosing intramedullary melanocytoma by postoperative pathology, the inspection of the whole body contributed to excluding the possibility of metastasis from other regions and further suggested a diagnosis of primary intramedullary melanocytoma. Complete resection, adjuvant radiation, and regular review are critical. In addition, maximal safe resection also benefits prognosis while the tumor is difficult to be resected totally.

Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated hairy root transformation as an efficient system for gene function analysis in Litchi chinensis.

BACKGROUND: Litchi chinensis Sonn. is an economically important fruit tree in tropical and subtropical regions. However, litchi functional genomics is severely hindered due to its recalcitrance to regeneration and stable transformation. Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated hairy root transgenic system provide an alternative to study functional genomics in woody plants. However, the hairy root transgenic system has not been established in litchi. RESULTS: In this study, we report a rapid and highly efficient A. rhizogenes-mediated co-transformation system in L. chinensis using Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) gene as a marker. Both leaf discs and stem segments of L. chinensis cv. 'Fenhongguiwei' seedlings were able to induce transgenic hairy roots. The optimal procedure involved the use of stem segments as explants, infection by A. rhizogenes strain MSU440 at optical density (OD600) of 0.7 for 10 min and co-cultivation for 3 days, with a co-transformation efficiency of 9.33%. Furthermore, the hairy root transgenic system was successfully used to validate the function of the key anthocyanin regulatory gene LcMYB1 in litchi. Over-expression of LcMYB1 produced red hairy roots, which accumulated higher contents of anthocyanins, proanthocyanins, and flavonols. Additionally, the genes involving in the flavonoid pathway were strongly activated in the red hairy roots. CONCLUSION: We first established a rapid and efficient transformation system for the study of gene function in hairy roots of litchi using A. rhizogenes strain MSU440 by optimizing parameters. This hairy root transgenic system was effective for gene function analysis in litchi using the key anthocyanin regulator gene LcMYB1 as an example.

Do China's coal-to-gas policies improve regional environmental quality? A case of Beijing.

Clean energy transition has been considered as an indispensable way to attain sustainable development for China, where the coal-to-gas initiative plays a vital role towards the goal. This paper takes Beijing, China's political and economic center as well as a national pioneer in the energy transition, as a case to systematically analyze the co-mitigation of air pollution (PM2.5) and carbon emissions (CO2) achieved by the policy-driven natural gas-coal consumption substitution. Firstly, a qualitative analysis of the relationship of Beijing's coal-to-gas policies and its air quality has been conducted. Then, VAR and ARDL models are employed to quantitatively analyze the impacts of coal-to-gas policies on PM2.5 and CO2, respectively. Results show that (i) an innovation of natural gas/coal consumption ratio will reduce PM2.5 concentrations, and the effect decreases over time; and (ii) an increase of 1% in natural gas/coal consumption ratio in Beijing will cause a decrease of 0.0784% in CO2 emissions in the long run. Therefore, the coal-to-gas policies do increase the usage of natural gas and improve Beijing's air quality. The assessment methods and conclusions can be regarded as a reference for not only China's policymakers, but also other countries, especially nowadays when air quality is becoming more valued and GHGs are being tightly controlled.

Lhermitte-Duclos disease: A case report and literature review. / 小脑发育不良性神经节细胞瘤1ä¾‹åŠæ–‡çŒ®å¤ä¹ .

Lhermitte-Duclos disease (LDD) is a type of rare brain tumor located in posterior fossa. A patient with LDD located in the left cerebellum and vermis was admitted by the Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University. MRI scan showed slightly heterogeneous enhancement at the region close to vermis. The patient underwent partial resection on August 11, 2016 without postoperative chemoradiotherapy. The progress free survival was 11 months and the overall survival was 17 months. What the case reveals is that the partial resection is not beneficial to these patients with LDD as the residual lesion probably recurs in a short term after operation. The pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of LDD are explored and summarized in combination with relevant literature.

Exploration of the safe suture area of the presacral space in sacrocolpopexy by 3-dimensional (3D) models reconstructed from CT.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The objective of this study, a digital in vivo anatomical study based on patient-specific three-dimensional (3D) models reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) scans, was to clarify the anatomy of the presacral space and suggest a safe area for complication-free graft or mesh fixation. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 182 CT angiography (CTA) datasets from Han Chinese women examined for gynecological diseases from January 2018-June 2020; we used Mimics 21.0 to create 176 3D models of the female presacral space. The distances of pelvic structures from the presacral vessels and ureters were standardized and measured in 3D mode. RESULTS: The distances from the median sacral artery (MSA) to the bilateral great vessels and bilateral ureters at the sacral promontory (SP) level were similar to the respective distances from the midpoint of the SP (MSP) to those four structures (p > 0.05). At the level of the first transverse line, when the MSA was right of the midline, the MSA was 20.74 ± 3.86 mm from the medial edge of the left first anterior sacral foramen. When the MSA was left of the midline, its average distance from the medial edge of the right first anterior sacral foramen was 20.89 ± 4.92 mm. The SP was 9.71 ± 4.49 mm and 40.39 ± 6.74 mm, respectively, from the first and second sacral transverse veins along the midline. CONCLUSIONS: To preserve important vasculature, we recommend a 30 × 20-mm (L × W) avascular rectangular-shaped area, 10 mm below the SP and alongside the MSA, for safe graft or mesh attachment during sacrocolpopexy.

Three Novel C-Repeat Binding Factor Genes of Dimocarpus longan Regulate Cold Stress Response in Arabidopsis.

Longan (Dimocarpus longan) is a typical southern subtropical fruit tree species that is sensitive to cold stress. C-repeat binding factors (CBFs), as transcription factors, are crucial components involved in the molecular regulation of the plant response to cold stress. However, the role of CBF homologs in the cold response regulation of longan remains largely unknown. Here, three novel CBF genes, DlCBF1, DlCBF2, and DlCBF3, were cloned from longan. DlCBF1 and DlCBF2 contain an AP2 domain and PKKPAGR and DSAWR CBF signature motifs, while DlCBF3 has mutations within these conserved signature motifs. DlCBF1/2/3 were mainly localized in the nucleus and specifically bound to CRT/DRE cis-elements, resulting in strong transcriptional activation. DlCBF1/2 exhibited tissue expression specificity, and their expression was induced by low temperature, while DlCBF3 had no tissue specificity and barely responded to low temperature. DlCBF1, DlCBF2, and DlCBF3 overexpression in Arabidopsis-enhanced cold tolerance by increasing proline accumulation and reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) content, accompanied by upregulated expression of cold-responsive genes (AtRD29A, AtCOR15A, AtCOR47, and AtKIN1) in the CBF cold stress response signaling pathway. In conclusion, the biological functions of DlCBF1/2/3 were somewhat conserved, but slow expression of DlCBF1/2 and low expression of DlCBF3 may partly cause the cold sensitivity of longan. Collectively, these results indicated that differences exist in the expression and function of CBF orthologs in the cold-sensitive plant species longan, and these findings may help to improve the understanding of the cold response regulation mechanism and provide important theoretical support for cold-tolerant breeding of longan.

Fluorescent schiff base probes for sequential detection of Al3+ and F- and cell imaging applications.

Two novel Schiff-base fluorescent probers SQ and NQ based on 8-hydroxyquinoline moiety were designed and synthesized. The both probes were capable of binding with Al3+ by naked eye detection to produce a significant fluorescence enhancement response with a detection limit of 1.48 × 10-8 and 4.23 × 10-8 M, respectively. At the same time, the formed complexes SQ-Al3+ and NQ-Al3+ could sequentially detect F-, and the detection limits of F- were determined to be 1.64 × 10-7 and 3.58 × 10-8 M, respectively. The "off-on-off" fluorescence response process demonstrated that the binding were reversible. The probes were further successfully utilized to detect Al3+ and F- in vitro PC12 cells.

A dual fluorescence probe for Zn2+ and Al3+ through differentially response and bioimaging in living cells.

A novel Schiff base fluorescent probe 7-Hydroxy-8-(((2-(hydroxymethyl)quinolin-8-yl)imino)methyl)-coumarin (XL) consist of formylcoumarin and aminoquinoline moieties was synthesized for dual detection of Zn2+ and Al3+ ions. Probe XL exhibited high selective and sensitive response towards Zn2+ and Al3+ ions through different color changes and significant fluorescence turn-on response (270 fold higher for Zn2+ and 230 fold higher for Al3+) in MeOH-H2O (4/1, v/v) over other cations, with detection limits (LOD) as low as 3.75 × 10-8 and 1.14 × 10-8 M, respectively. Moreover, probe XL exhibited preferential selectivity for Al3+ through displacing Zn2+ from the XL-Zn2+ complex by ligand-to-ligand transfer process. The binding mechanism of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) were proposed from fluorescence and UV-vis titrations, Job's plot, 1H NMR titration, HRMS and DFT calculations. The probe was proven to be suitable for actual samples detection of Zn2+ and Al3+ ions. The complex XL-Zn2+ and XL-Al3+ exhibited dramatic fluorescent "turn-off" properties for PPi and PPi/F- respectively through snatching metal ions and released free XL. Moreover, probe XL showed low biotoxicity and sequentially "off-on-off" fluorescent bio-imaging of Zn2+/Al3+ and PPi/F- in PC12 cells.

Coumarin-based colorimetric-fluorescent sensors for the sequential detection of Zn2+ ion and phosphate anions and applications in cell imaging.

Two novel coumarin based fluorescent sensors CHP and CHS have been synthesized for the sequential detection of Zn2+ ion and phosphate anion (PA) in DMF/HEPES buffer medium (1/5 v/v, 10 mM, pH = 7.4). On the addition of Zn2+ ion to the solution of CHP or CHS resulted in a pronounced fluorescence enhancement, accompanying noticeable color change (under UV or daylight), while there was hardly obvious change with other competing metal ions co-existing. The detection limits (DL) of CHP and CHS toward Zn2+ were separately determined as 1.03 × 10-7 (R2 = 0.9886) and 1.87 × 10-7 (R2 = 0.9902). The PET binding processes were affirmed by spectroscopic techniques, HRMS experiments and theoretical calculations. Subsequently, the CHP-Zn2+ or CHS-Zn2+ complexes showed high selectivity fluorescence quenching toward PA by snatching Zn2+ ion from its complex and the binding processes were reversible. DLs were calculated as 2.07 × 10-7 M (R2 = 0.9928) and 2.63 × 10-7 M (R2 = 0.9954), respectively. Furthermore, the cell imaging experiments demonstrated that the sensors were capable of detecting of Zn2+ and PA in vitro cells.

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of SWEET gene family in Litchi chinensis reveal the involvement of LcSWEET2a/3b in early seed development.

BACKGROUND: SWEETs (Sugar Will Eventually be Exported transporters) function as sugar efflux transporters that perform diverse physiological functions, including phloem loading, nectar secretion, seed filling, and pathogen nutrition. The SWEET gene family has been identified and characterized in a number of plant species, but little is known about in Litchi chinensis, which is an important evergreen fruit crop. RESULTS: In this study, 16 LcSWEET genes were identified and nominated according to its homologous genes in Arabidopsis and grapevine. Multiple sequence alignment showed that the 7 alpha-helical transmembrane domains (7-TMs) were basically conserved in LcSWEETs. The LcSWEETs were divided into four clades (Clade I to Clade IV) by phylogenetic tree analysis. A total of 8 predicted motifs were detected in the litchi LcSWEET genes. The 16 LcSWEET genes were unevenly distributed in 9 chromosomes and there was one pairs of segmental duplicated events by synteny analysis. The expression patterns of the 16 LcSWEET genes showed higher expression levels in reproductive organs. The temporal and spatial expression patterns of LcSWEET2a and LcSWEET3b indicated they play central roles during early seed development. CONCLUSIONS: The litchi genome contained 16 SWEET genes, and most of the genes were expressed in different tissues. Gene expression suggested that LcSWEETs played important roles in the growth and development of litchi fruits. Genes that regulate early seed development were preliminarily identified. This work provides a comprehensive understanding of the SWEET gene family in litchi, laying a strong foundation for further functional studies of LcSWEET genes and improvement of litchi fruits.

A novel fluorescent-colorimetric probe for Al3+ and Zn2+ ion detection with different response and applications in F- detection and cell imaging.

A novel Schiff base fluorescence probe (HL) was synthesized by the condensation of salicylaldehyde and an 8-aminoquinoline derivative. This probe acts as a "turn-on" dual selectivity fluorescence probe for Zn2+ and Al3+ ions, providing different colors and detection limits (DL) of 11.5 and 23.5 nM, respectively. Moreover, when Zn2+ and Al3+ co-exist, HL exhibits a preference for Al3+ by displacing Zn2+ from the HL-Zn2+ complex, realizing a dual-channel signal output for Al3+. The HL-Al3+ system could further discern F- by a "turn-off" fluorescence response with a DL of 86.0 nM. Furthermore, the probe HL was capable of monitoring intracellular Al3+, Zn2+ and F- in living PC12 cells in vitro through fluorescence imaging, which proved its value in potential in vivo applications.