Correction of anterior bowing complicating tibial osteofibrous dysplasia in preadolescents by osteotomy and telescopic nailing without lesional resection: a preliminary study of four-case reports.

BACKGROUND: Osteofibrous dysplasia (OFD) occurs most frequently in the tibia and may result in deformity and pathological fracture. Surgical treatment such as curettage or segment excision has been performed but remains controversial due to high complication rates and surgical burden. This study introduces a new method to manage OFD with anterior bowing of the tibia using minimally invasive tibial osteotomy and telescopic rod (TR) osteosynthesis without extensive lesion resection. METHODS: A retrospective study of 4 children with OFD and tibia bowing deformity treated with minimally invasive tibial wedge osteotomy and TR fixation between January 2015 and November 2020 was performed. Results including bone healing, complications, function based on MSTS score, and recurrance of deformity were assessed. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 29 months. Radiographs showed the median time for union was 3 months. There were no instances of refracture or recurrence of deformity. The mean post-operative MSTS score was significantly higher than preoperative score. CONCLUSIONS: This method avoids large bone defects and reconstructive procedures. It is an effective and minimally invasive approach for managing anterior bowing deformity secondary to OFD while improving function and quality of life. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV; Case Series; Treatment Study.

Low phosphorus promotes NSP1-NSP2 heterodimerization to enhance strigolactone biosynthesis and regulate shoot and root architecture in rice.

Phosphorus is an essential macronutrient for plant development and metabolism, and plants have evolved ingenious mechanisms to overcome phosphate (Pi) starvation. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of shoot and root architecture by low phosphorus conditions and the coordinated utilization of Pi and nitrogen remain largely unclear. Here, we show that Nodulation Signaling Pathway 1 (NSP1) and NSP2 regulate rice tiller number by promoting the biosynthesis of strigolactones (SLs), a class of phytohormones with fundamental effects on plant architecture and environmental responses. We found that NSP1 and NSP2 are induced by Oryza sativa PHOSPHATE STARVATION RESPONSE2 (OsPHR2) in response to low-Pi stress and form a complex to directly bind the promoters of SL biosynthesis genes, thus markedly increasing SL biosynthesis in rice. Interestingly, the NSP1/2-SL signaling module represses the expression of CROWN ROOTLESS 1 (CRL1), a newly identified early SL-responsive gene in roots, to restrain lateral root density under Pi deficiency. We also demonstrated that GR244DO treatment under normal conditions inhibits the expression of OsNRTs and OsAMTs to suppress nitrogen absorption but enhances the expression of OsPTs to promote Pi absorption, thus facilitating the balance between nitrogen and phosphorus uptake in rice. Importantly, we found that NSP1p:NSP1 and NSP2p:NSP2 transgenic plants show improved agronomic traits and grain yield under low- and medium-phosphorus conditions. Taken together, these results revealed a novel regulatory mechanism of SL biosynthesis and signaling in response to Pi starvation, providing genetic resources for improving plant architecture and nutrient-use efficiency in low-Pi environments.

Loss of function of SSIIIa and SSIIIb coordinately confers high RS content in cooked rice.

The sedentary lifestyle and refined food consumption significantly lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and related complications, which have become one of the major threats to global health. This incidence could be potentially reduced by daily foods rich in resistant starch (RS). However, it remains a challenge to breed high-RS rice varieties. Here, we reported a high-RS mutant rs4 with an RS content of ~10.8% in cooked rice. The genetic study revealed that the loss-of-function SSIIIb and SSIIIa together with a strong Wx allele in the background collaboratively contributed to the high-RS phenotype of the rs4 mutant. The increased RS contents in ssIIIa and ssIIIa ssIIIb mutants were associated with the increased amylose and lipid contents. SSIIIb and SSIIIa proteins were functionally redundant, whereas SSIIIb mainly functioned in leaves and SSIIIa largely in endosperm owing to their divergent tissue-specific expression patterns. Furthermore, we found that SSIII experienced duplication in different cereals, of which one SSIII paralog was mainly expressed in leaves and another in the endosperm. SSII but not SSIV showed a similar evolutionary pattern to SSIII. The copies of endosperm-expressed SSIII and SSII were associated with high total starch contents and low RS levels in the seeds of tested cereals, compared with low starch contents and high RS levels in tested dicots. These results provided critical genetic resources for breeding high-RS rice cultivars, and the evolutionary features of these genes may facilitate to generate high-RS varieties in different cereals.

Displaced supracondylar femoral fractures: Clinical and radiographic outcomes in children aged 4-10 years treated with Kirschner wires and hip spica cast.

Background: Supracondylar femoral fractures (SFFs) are uncommon in children but can cause several abnormalities. Although several methods have been employed to treat these fractures, no accepted standard has been established. Objectives: To investigate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of displaced SFFs treated with Kirschner wires (K-wires) and hip spica casts in children aged 4-10 years. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 22 displaced SFFs (mean age, 6.7 years; range, 4-10 years) in patients who underwent surgical treatment with K-wires and hip spica casts. The patients were followed-up frequently, radiographically and clinically between January 2014 and February 2019. Postoperative healing and functional results were elevated according to the radiographic and clinical measures. Results: Fifteen boys and seven girls were included in this study. All patients except two (91%), underwent closed reduction and stabilization of the fractures. The mean follow-up duration was four years (range, 2-5 years). All fractures showed clinical and radiological evidence of union 4-8 weeks after surgery. At the most recent check-up, all patients reported being pain-free and had returned to normal activities. The mean Knee Society Score was 95.41 at the final follow-up. According to the radiologic criteria, 18 of the 22 patients (81.8%) obtained excellent results, 3 (13.6%) had good results, 1 (4.5%) had a fair result, and none had poor results. Conclusion: Satisfactory clinical and radiological results can be expected in children aged 4-10 years using a combination of K-wires and hip spica cast fixation.

OsMPK4 promotes phosphorylation and degradation of IPA1 in response to salt stress to confer salt tolerance in rice.

Salt stress adversely affects plant growth, development, and crop yield. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most salt-sensitive cereal crops, especially at the early seedling stage. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK/MPK) cascades have been shown to play critical roles in salt response in Arabidopsis. However, the roles of the MPK cascade signaling in rice salt response and substrates of OsMPK remain largely unknown. Here, we report that the salt-induced OsMPK4-Ideal Plant Architecture 1 (IPA1) signaling pathway regulates the salt tolerance in rice. Under salt stress, OsMPK4 could interact with IPA1 and phosphorylate IPA1 at Thr180, leading to degradation of IPA1. Genetic evidence shows that IPA1 is a negative regulator of salt tolerance in rice, whereas OsMPK4 promotes salt response in an IPA1-dependent manner. Taken together, our results uncover an OsMPK4-IPA1 signal cascade that modulates the salt stress response in rice and sheds new light on the breeding of salt-tolerant rice varieties.

Chilling-induced phosphorylation of IPA1 by OsSAPK6 activates chilling tolerance responses in rice.

Chilling is a major abiotic stress harming rice development and productivity. The C-REPEAT BINDING FACTOR (CBF)-dependent transcriptional regulatory pathway plays a central role in cold stress and acclimation in Arabidopsis. In rice, several genes have been reported in conferring chilling tolerance, however, the chilling signaling in rice remains largely unknown. Here, we report the chilling-induced OSMOTIC STRESS/ABA-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE 6 (OsSAPK6)-IDEAL PLANT ARCHITECTURE 1 (IPA1)-OsCBF3 signal pathway in rice. Under chilling stress, OsSAPK6 could phosphorylate IPA1 and increase its stability. In turn, IPA1 could directly bind to the GTAC motif on the OsCBF3 promoter to elevate its expression. Genetic evidence showed that OsSAPK6, IPA1 and OsCBF3 were all positive regulators of rice chilling tolerance. The function of OsSAPK6 in chilling tolerance depended on IPA1, and overexpression of OsCBF3 could rescue the chilling-sensitive phenotype of ipa1 loss-of-function mutant. Moreover, the natural gain-of-function allele ipa1-2D could simultaneously enhance seedling chilling tolerance and increase grain yield. Taken together, our results revealed a chilling-induced OsSAPK6-IPA1-OsCBF signal cascade in rice, which shed new lights on chilling stress-tolerant rice breeding.

An engineered platform for reconstituting functional multisubunit SCF E3 ligase in vitro.

Multisubunit SKP1/Cullin1/F-box (SCF) E3 ligases play essential roles in regulating the stability of crucial regulatory factors and controlling growth and development in eukaryotes. Detecting E3 ligase activity in vitro is important for exploring the molecular mechanism of protein ubiquitination. However, in vitro ubiquitination assay systems for multisubunit E3 ligases remain difficult to achieve, especially in plants, mainly owing to difficulties in achieving active components of multisubunit E3 ligases with high purity and characterizing specific E2 and E3 pairs. In this study, we characterized components of the rice SCFDWARF3 (SCFD3) E3 ligase, screened the coordinated E2, and reconstituted active SCFD3 E3 ligase in vitro. We further engineered SCFD3 E3 ligase using a fused SKP1-Cullin1-RBX1 (eSCR) protein and found that both the wild-type SCFD3 E3 ligase and the engineered SCFD3 E3 ligase catalyzed ubiquitination of the substrate D53, which is the key transcriptional repressor in strigolactone signaling. Finally, we replaced D3 with other F-box proteins from rice and humans and reconstituted active eSCF E3 ligases, including eSCFGID2, eSCFFBXL18, and eSCFCDC4 E3 ligases. Our work reconstitutes functional SCF E3 ligases in vitro and generates an engineered system with interchangeable F-box proteins, providing a powerful platform for studying the mechanisms of multisubunit SCF E3 ligases in eukaryotes.

Targeting a gene regulatory element enhances rice grain yield by decoupling panicle number and size.

Crop genetic improvement requires balancing complex tradeoffs caused by gene pleiotropy and linkage drags, as exemplified by IPA1 (Ideal Plant Architecture 1), a typical pleiotropic gene in rice that increases grains per panicle but reduces tillers. In this study, we identified a 54-base pair cis-regulatory region in IPA1 via a tiling-deletion-based CRISPR-Cas9 screen that, when deleted, resolves the tradeoff between grains per panicle and tiller number, leading to substantially enhanced grain yield per plant. Mechanistic studies revealed that the deleted fragment is a target site for the transcription factor An-1 to repress IPA1 expression in panicles and roots. Targeting gene regulatory regions should help dissect tradeoff effects and provide a rich source of targets for breeding complementary beneficial traits.

Modified Langenskiöld procedure for congenital patella dislocations in pediatric patients.

BACKGROUND: Great difficulty and more failures were the descriptions of the treatment of congenital patella dislocation in pediatric patients. This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of patients with congenital patellar dislocations treated with the modified Langenskiöld procedure. METHODS: The medical records of 16 knees in 11 patients with a diagnosis of congenital patella dislocation were collected from September 2016 to March 2019. They were treated with the modified Langenskiöld procedure. The mean follow-up period was 37.8 months. The outcome measures were the Lysholm score, Kujala score, patellar stability, and knee range of motion. RESULTS: Eleven patients, namely, eight girls and three boys, with 16 knees were enrolled. The mean age at the time of operation was 3.1 years. The post-operative mean Lysholm score was 94.8 (SD 5.1; 87-100), whereas the Kujala score was 95 (SD 5.9; 86-100). There were no recurrent dislocations, and all patients had full extension postoperatively. CONCLUSION: The modified Langenskiöld procedure is a promising solution for the treatment of congenital patella dislocations. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV; Case Series; Treatment Study.

A route to de novo domestication of wild allotetraploid rice.

Cultivated rice varieties are all diploid, and polyploidization of rice has long been desired because of its advantages in genome buffering, vigorousness, and environmental robustness. However, a workable route remains elusive. Here, we describe a practical strategy, namely de novo domestication of wild allotetraploid rice. By screening allotetraploid wild rice inventory, we identified one genotype of Oryza alta (CCDD), polyploid rice 1 (PPR1), and established two important resources for its de novo domestication: (1) an efficient tissue culture, transformation, and genome editing system and (2) a high-quality genome assembly discriminated into two subgenomes of 12 chromosomes apiece. With these resources, we show that six agronomically important traits could be rapidly improved by editing O. alta homologs of the genes controlling these traits in diploid rice. Our results demonstrate the possibility that de novo domesticated allotetraploid rice can be developed into a new staple cereal to strengthen world food security.

Adaptive Fuzzy Output Feedback Fault-Tolerant Compensation for Uncertain Nonlinear Systems With Infinite Number of Time-Varying Actuator Failures and Full-State Constraints.

This paper focuses on the observer-based fuzzy adaptive fault-tolerant tracking control problem for uncertain nonlinear systems subject to unmeasured states and unmatched external disturbances. By designing a high gain state observer and a disturbance observer, unmeasured states and unmatched external disturbances are estimated and robust tracking performance is improved. Moreover, the barrier-type functions are introduced to the backstepping design procedure to address the problem that all states do not violate their constraint bounds. Finally, a novel fault-tolerant control scheme for output feedback is proposed by combining with the projection technique. By designing appropriate Lyapunov functions, it is concluded that all signals of the plant are bounded and the desired tracking error can be regulated to a small neighborhood around the origin. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the designed control scheme.

ζ-Carotene Isomerase Suppresses Tillering in Rice through the Coordinated Biosynthesis of Strigolactone and Abscisic Acid.

Rice tillering is an important agronomic trait affecting grain yield. Here, we identified a high-tillering mutant tillering20 (t20), which could be restored to the wild type by treatment with the strigolactone (SL) analog rac-GR24. T20 encodes a chloroplast ζ-carotene isomerase (Z-ISO), which is involved in the biosynthesis of carotenoids and their metabolites, SL and abscisic acid (ABA). The t20 mutant has reduced SL and ABA, raising the question of how SL and ABA biosynthesis is coordinated, and whether they have overlapping functions in tillering. We discovered that rac-GR24 stimulated T20 expression and enhanced all-trans-ß-carotene biosynthesis. Importantly, rac-GR24 also stimulated expression of Oryza sativa 9-CIS-EPOXYCAROTENOID DIOXYGENASE 1 (OsNCED1) through induction of Oryza sativa HOMEOBOX12 (OsHOX12), promoting ABA biosynthesis in shoot base. On the other hand, ABA treatment significantly repressed SL biosynthesis and the ABA biosynthetic mutants displayed elevated SL biosynthesis. ABA treatment reduced the number of basal tillers in both t20 and wild-type plants. Furthermore, while ABA-deficient mutants aba1 and aba2 had the same number of basal tillers as wild type, they had more unproductive upper tillers at maturity. This work demonstrates complex interactions in the biosynthesis of carotenoid, SLs and ABA, and reveals a role for ABA in the regulation of rice tillering.

Recommendations for control and prevention of infections for pediatric orthopedics during the epidemic period of COVID-19.

The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged and spread rapidly throughout the world. As of February 29, 2020, 79 389 cases of COVID-19 have been reported, and the outbreak is linked to 2838 deaths. The population is generally susceptible to the disease, and differences in incubation periods after infection exist among individuals. These two aspects of COVID-19 pose significant challenges to pediatric orthopedic diagnosis and treatment. As a dedicated center for managing pediatric cases of SARS-CoV-2 in Shanghai, our hospital has mobilized all branches and departments to undertake joint actions for scientific prevention and control, precise countermeasure and comprehensive anti-epidemic efforts. Combined with our experience, we have consulted the relevant national regulations and the latest research advances and have formulated the prevention and control measures of SARS-CoV-2 infection, including outpatient, emergency, inpatient and surgical cares, for clinical practices of pediatric orthopedics according to the physicochemical properties of SARS-CoV-2. It may serve as practical references and recommendations for managing SARS-CoV-2 infection in other pediatric specialties and in other hospitals.

Strigolactone promotes cytokinin degradation through transcriptional activation of CYTOKININ OXIDASE/DEHYDROGENASE 9 in rice.

Strigolactones (SLs), a group of terpenoid lactones derived from carotenoids, are plant hormones that control numerous aspects of plant development. Although the framework of SL signaling that the repressor DWARF 53 (D53) could be SL-dependently degraded via the SL receptor D14 and F-box protein D3 has been established, the downstream response genes to SLs remain to be elucidated. Here we show that the cytokinin (CK) content is dramatically increased in shoot bases of the rice SL signaling mutant d53 By examining transcript levels of all the CK metabolism-related genes after treatment with SL analog GR24, we identified CYTOKININ OXIDASE/DEHYDROGENASE 9 (OsCKX9) as a primary response gene significantly up-regulated within 1 h of treatment in the wild type but not in d53 We also found that OsCKX9 functions as a cytosolic and nuclear dual-localized CK catabolic enzyme, and that the overexpression of OsCKX9 suppresses the browning of d53 calli. Both the CRISPR/Cas9-generated OsCKX9 mutants and OsCKX9-overexpressing transgenic plants showed significant increases in tiller number and decreases in plant height and panicle size, suggesting that the homeostasis of OsCKX9 plays a critical role in regulating rice shoot architecture. Moreover, we identified the CK-inducible rice type-A response regulator OsRR5 as the secondary SL-responsive gene, whose expression is significantly repressed after 4 h of GR24 treatment in the wild type but not in osckx9 These findings reveal a comprehensive plant hormone cross-talk in which SL can induce the expression of OsCKX9 to down-regulate CK content, which in turn triggers the response of downstream genes.

SLR1 inhibits MOC1 degradation to coordinate tiller number and plant height in rice.

The breeding of cereals with altered gibberellin (GA) signaling propelled the 'Green Revolution' by generating semidwarf plants with increased tiller number. The mechanism by which GAs promote shoot height has been studied extensively, but it is not known what causes the inverse relationship between plant height and tiller number. Here we show that rice tiller number regulator MONOCULM 1 (MOC1) is protected from degradation by binding to the DELLA protein SLENDER RICE 1 (SLR1). GAs trigger the degradation of SLR1, leading to stem elongation and also to the degradation of MOC1, and hence a decrease in tiller number. This discovery provides a molecular explanation for the coordinated control of plant height and tiller number in rice by GAs, SLR1 and MOC1.

Tiller Bud Formation Regulators MOC1 and MOC3 Cooperatively Promote Tiller Bud Outgrowth by Activating FON1 Expression in Rice.

Tillering in rice is one of the most important agronomic traits. Rice tiller development can be divided into two main processes: the formation of the axillary bud and its subsequent outgrowth. Several genes critical for bud formation in rice have been identified by genetic studies; however, their molecular functions and relationships are still largely unknown. Here, we report that MONOCULM 1 (MOC1) and MONOCULM 3/TILLERS ABSENT 1/STERILE AND REDUCED TILLERING 1 (MOC3/TAB1/SRT1), two vital regulators for tiller formation in rice, physically interact to regulate tiller bud outgrowth through upregulating the expression of FLORAL ORGAN NUMBER1 (FON1), the homolog of CLAVATA1 in rice. We found that MOC3 is able to directly bind the promoter of FON1 and subsequently activate FON1 expression. MOC1 functions as a co-activator of MOC3, whereas it could not directly bind the FON1 promoter, and further activated FON1 expression in the presence of MOC3. Accordingly, FON1 is highly expressed at axillary meristems and shows remarkably decreased expression levels in moc1 and moc3 mutants. Loss-of-function mutants of FON1 exhibit normal bud formation but defective bud outgrowth and reduced tiller number. Collectively, these results shed light on a joint transcriptional regulatory mechanim by MOC1 and MOC3, and establish a new framework for the control of tiller bud formation and outgrowth.

A Core Regulatory Pathway Controlling Rice Tiller Angle Mediated by the LAZY1-Dependent Asymmetric Distribution of Auxin.

Tiller angle in cereals is a key shoot architecture trait that strongly influences grain yield. Studies in rice (Oryza sativa) have implicated shoot gravitropism in the regulation of tiller angle. However, the functional link between shoot gravitropism and tiller angle is unknown. Here, we conducted a large-scale transcriptome analysis of rice shoots in response to gravistimulation and identified two new nodes of a shoot gravitropism regulatory gene network that also controls rice tiller angle. We demonstrate that HEAT STRESS TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR 2D (HSFA2D) is an upstream positive regulator of the LAZY1-mediated asymmetric auxin distribution pathway. We also show that two functionally redundant transcription factor genes, WUSCHEL RELATED HOMEOBOX6 (WOX6) and WOX11, are expressed asymmetrically in response to auxin to connect gravitropism responses with the control of rice tiller angle. These findings define upstream and downstream genetic components that link shoot gravitropism, asymmetric auxin distribution, and rice tiller angle. The results highlight the power of the high-temporal-resolution RNA-seq data set and its use to explore further genetic components controlling tiller angle. Collectively, these approaches will identify genes to improve grain yields by facilitating the optimization of plant architecture.

DWARF14, A Receptor Covalently Linked with the Active Form of Strigolactones, Undergoes Strigolactone-Dependent Degradation in Rice.

Strigolactones (SLs) are the latest confirmed phytohormones that regulate shoot branching by inhibiting bud outgrowth in higher plants. Perception of SLs depends on a novel mechanism employing an enzyme-receptor DWARF14 (D14) that hydrolyzes SLs and becomes covalently modified. This stimulates the interaction between D14 and D3, leading to the ubiquitination and degradation of the transcriptional repressor protein D53. However, the regulation of SL perception in rice remains elusive. In this study, we provide evidences that D14 is ubiquitinated after SL treatment and degraded through the 26S proteasome system. The Lys280 site of the D14 amino acid sequence was important for SL-induced D14 degradation, but did not change the subcellular localization of D14 nor disturbed the interaction between D14 and D3, nor D53 degradation. Biochemical and genetic analysis indicated that the key amino acids in the catalytic center of D14 were essential for D14 degradation. We further showed that D14 degradation is dependent on D3 and is tightly correlated with protein levels of D53. These findings revealed that D14 degradation takes place following D53 degradation and functions as an important feedback regulation mechanism of SL perception in rice.

IPA1 functions as a downstream transcription factor repressed by D53 in strigolactone signaling in rice.

Strigolactones (SLs), a group of carotenoid derived terpenoid lactones, are root-to-shoot phytohormones suppressing shoot branching by inhibiting the outgrowth of axillary buds. DWARF 53 (D53), the key repressor of the SL signaling pathway, is speculated to regulate the downstream transcriptional network of the SL response. However, no downstream transcription factor targeted by D53 has yet been reported. Here we report that Ideal Plant Architecture 1 (IPA1), a key regulator of the plant architecture in rice, functions as a direct downstream component of D53 in regulating tiller number and SL-induced gene expression. We showed that D53 interacts with IPA1 in vivo and in vitro and suppresses the transcriptional activation activity of IPA1. We further showed that IPA1 could directly bind to the D53 promoter and plays a critical role in the feedback regulation of SL-induced D53 expression. These findings reveal that IPA1 is likely one of the long-speculated transcription factors that act with D53 to mediate the SL-regulated tiller development in rice.

Critical roles of soluble starch synthase SSIIIa and granule-bound starch synthase Waxy in synthesizing resistant starch in rice.

Changes in human lifestyle and food consumption have resulted in a large increase in the incidence of type-2 diabetes, obesity, and colon disease, especially in Asia. These conditions are a growing threat to human health, but consumption of foods high in resistant starch (RS) can potentially reduce their incidence. Strategies to increase RS in rice are limited by a lack of knowledge of its molecular basis. Through map-based cloning of a RS locus in indica rice, we have identified a defective soluble starch synthase gene (SSIIIa) responsible for RS production and further showed that RS production is dependent on the high expression of the Waxya (Wxa ) allele, which is prevalent in indica varieties. The resulting RS has modified granule structure; high amylose, lipid, and amylose-lipid complex; and altered physicochemical properties. This discovery provides an opportunity to increase RS content of cooked rice, especially in the indica varieties, which predominates in southern Asia.