Re-sequencing and morphological data revealed the genetics of stone shell and kernel traits in apricot.

Kernel-using apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is an economically important fruit tree species in arid areas owing to its hardiness and cold and drought tolerance. However, little is known about its genetic background and trait inheritances. In the present study, we first evaluated the population structure of 339 apricot accessions and the genetic diversity of kernel-using apricots using whole genome re-sequencing. Second, the phenotypic data of 222 accessions were investigated for two consecutive seasons (2019 and 2020) for 19 traits, including kernel and stone shell traits and the pistil abortion rate of flowers. Heritability and correlation coefficient of traits were also estimated. The stone shell length (94.46%) showed the highest heritability, followed by the length/width ratio (92.01%) and length/thickness ratio (92.00%) of the stone shell, whereas breaking force of the nut (17.08%) exhibited a very low heritability. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) using general linear model and generalized linear mixed model revealed 122 quantitative trait loci (QTLs). The QTLs of the kernel and stone shell traits were unevenly assigned on the eight chromosomes. Out of the 1,614 candidate genes identified in the 13 consistently reliable QTLs found using the two GWAS methods and/or in the two seasons, 1,021 were annotated. The sweet kernel trait was assigned to chromosome 5 of the genome, similar to the almond, and a new locus was also mapped at 17.34-17.51 Mb on chromosome 3, including 20 candidate genes. The loci and genes identified here will be of significant use in molecular breeding efforts, and the candidate genes could play essential roles in exploring the mechanisms of genetic regulation.

Clinicopathological characteristics of autoimmune gastritis: A single-center retrospective study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is a prominent risk factor for pernicious anemia (PA) and gastric neoplasia. This study aimed to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of AIG patients in China, with a focus on those who had positive anti-intrinsic factor antibodies (AIFA). METHODS: A total of 103 AIG patients who were diagnosed between January 2018 and August 2022 were reviewed in a large academic tertiary teaching hospital. Patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of AIFA, and their serologic and histopathological characteristics were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age of the 103 AIG patients was 54.16±11.92 years (range 23-79), with 69 (66.99%) being women. AIFA were present in 28.16% of patients. Patients with AIFA-positive had a higher risk of PA than those with AIFA-negative, as demonstrated by a larger mean corpuscular volume (MCV), lower hemoglobin level, and lower vitamin B-12 level (P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in gastric histopathology, gastrin level, and pepsinogen level when patients were divided into AIFA-positive and AIFA-negative group. Of the 103 cases, 34 (33.01%) were concomitant with other autoimmune diseases, with autoimmune thyroid diseases being the most common (25.24%, 26/103). Thyroid peroxidase antibody, which accounted for 45.45% (25/55), was the most prevalent thyroid antibody, followed by anti-thyroglobulin antibody (34.55%, 19/55), thyroid stimulating antibody (12.73%, 7/55), and thyrotropin receptor antibody (3.64%, 2/55). CONCLUSION: This study highlights the increased risk of severe anemia in AIFA-positive AIG patients, particularly for PA. Clinicians should consider the presence of AIFA as a warning sign for PA and prioritize early diagnosis and appropriate treatment to prevent serious complications.

Effect of SiO2@PEGMA Composites on Mechanical Properties of Oil Well Cement.

SiO2@PEGMA composites were synthesized by grafting poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA) on SiO2 nanoparticles via radical polymerization. The chemical structures of the SiO2@PEGMA composites were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared, 1H NMR, and transmission electron microscopy methods. The mechanical and fresh properties, hydration products, heat of hydration, microtopography, and pore structures were studied. The shell formed by the grafted PEGMA gave the SiO2@PEGMA composite a steric hindrance effect, which enabled it to have excellent dispersion stability even in the cement pore solution. The SiO2@PEGMA composites could not only effectively facilitate hydration reaction and generate calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) through the seeding effect but also make the pore structure more compact by the filling effect. Compared with other control groups, SiO2@PEGMA composites could obviously enhance the compressive strength of cement samples, which was increased by 36.7% after curing for 28 days.

Effect of core-shell nanocomposites on the mechanical properties and rheological behaviors of cement pastes.

SiO2 nanoparticles (50 nm in diameter) coated with poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) were synthesized by radical polymerization. The SiO2/PEGMA nanocomposites were characterised using FITR, 1HNMR and TGA methods. The load of PEGMA in SiO2/PEGMA nanocomposites was 72.9 wt%. The hydration products, microstructure, pore structure, density, compressive strengths and rheological properties of cement were investigated. The SiO2/PEGMA nanocomposite could not only significantly improve the cement hydration and densify the microstructure by reducing the content of calcium hydroxide and promoting the production of calcium silicate hydrate, but also efficiently enhance the fluidity of the cement slurry. The compressive strength of cement with 2 wt% SiO2/PEGMA nanocomposites was increased by 40.1% curing for 28 days, which was much better than cement with the physical blending of SiO2 nanoparticles and superplasticizers. The SiO2/PEGMA nanocomposites with core-shell structure novelly combine the advantages of SiO2 nanoparticles and superplasticizers to significantly improve the performance of cement pastes. The results obtained provide a new understanding of the effect of the core-shell nanocomposites on cement pastes and demonstrate the potential of the nanocomposites for well cementing applications.

Wet-etched asymmetric spherical nanoparticles with controllable pit structures and application in non-aqueous foams.

The structure of colloidal particles is one of the factors that significantly affect their properties. Asymmetrical spherical particles with pit structures were prepared by using NH4F to perform wet chemical etching on the designated positions of the partially masked particles. The depth and effectiveness of the pits were adjusted by varying the etching time. By changing the properties of the oil mixture, the oil repellency and foaming ability of the etched particles were characterized and compared. By controlling the wet etching time, the effective pit structures were etched on the particles. Within 10 d of being etched, the particles with pit geometry showed better foam properties than the original unetched particles. The pit structure on the particles improves the oil repellency of the particles in a series of oil mixtures with relatively lower surface tension. No significant difference was observed between the under-etched (18 h) particles and the non-etched particles. The ineffective geometry of the over-etched (15 d) particles results in insufficient robustness of the Cassie-Baxter state of the particles and reduces the volume of the generated foam.

Spontaneous Agglomeration of Fluorinated Janus Particles and Its Effect on the Adsorption Behavior of Oil-Air Surfaces.

Based on the Pickering emulsion template method, two types of Janus particles with different relative amphiphilic areas for stabilizing non-aqueous foam were synthesized. In addition, particles with uniformly modified surface were synthesized for comparison. By adjusting oil mixtures, the behavior of particles on the oil-air surface was measured. Moreover, the role of particle agglomerates in surface adsorption process was investigated. Affected by the particle surface contact angle, the surface activity of Janus particles is not always greater than that of uniformly modified particles, which is reflected on delta surface tension and the volume of foam generated. The oil-surface adsorption process of synthesized Janus particles is not only occurred in the form of independent detached particles, but also in the form of particle agglomerates. The adsorption of the particles from the bulk phase to the surface requires the contact angle of the Cassie-Baxter composite surface of the particle agglomerates to be around 90°, but the inherent contact angle of the individual particles is <90°.

Modified Porous SiO2-Supported Cu3(BTC)2 Membrane with High Performance of Gas Separation.

The structures and applications of metal-organic framework materials (MOFs) have been attracting great interest due to the wide variety of possible applications, for example, chemical sensing, separation, and catalysis. N-[3-(Trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine is grafted on a porous SiO2 disk to obtain a modified porous SiO2 disk. A large-scale, continuous, and compact Cu3(BTC)2 membrane is prepared based on a modified porous SiO2 disk. The chemical structure, surface morphology, thermal stability, mechanical stability, and gas separation performance of the obtained Cu3(BTC)2 membrane is analyzed and characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and a gas separation experiment. The results show that the prepared Cu3(BTC)2 membrane has an intact morphology with its crystal. It is continuous, compact, and intact, and has good thermal stability and mechanical stability. The result of the gas separation experiment shows that the Cu3(BTC)2 membrane has a good selectivity of hydrogen and can be used to recover and purify hydrogen.

Preparation and Investigation of Foaming Amphiphilic Fluorinated Nanoparticles for Enhanced Oil Recovery.

Amphiphilic nanoparticles have attracted increasing interest as Pickering emulsifiers owing to the combined advantages of both traditional surfactants and homogeneous particles. Here, foaming amphiphilic fluorinated nanoparticles were prepared for enhanced oil recovery by the toposelective surface modification method. The structure and properties of amphiphilic nanoparticles were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, a laser diffraction method, fluorescence microscopy, a pendant drop tensiometer, and foamscan. It was found that the amphiphilic fluorinated nanoparticles exhibited significant interfacial activity at the air-water interface and generated stabilized aqueous foams against coalescence and drainage even in the absence of surfactants. When the particle concentration reached 0.6 wt %, the adsorption of the amphiphilic nanoparticles at the interface was saturated and the equilibrium surface tension dropped to around 32.7 mN/m. When the particle concentration reached 0.4 wt %, the Gibbs stability criterion was fulfilled. The amphiphilic nanoparticles foam system has a better plugging capacity and enhanced oil recovery capacity. The results obtained provide fundamental insights into the understanding of the self-assembly behavior and foam properties of amphiphilic fluorinated nanoparticles and further demonstrate the future potential of the amphiphilic nanoparticles used as colloid surfactants for enhanced oil recovery applications.

Laser induced alignment of state-selected CH3I.

Hexapole state selection is used to prepare CH3I molecules in the |JKM〉 = |1±1∓1〉 state. The molecules are aligned in a strong 800 nm laser field, which is linearly polarised perpendicular to the weak static extraction field E of the time of flight setup. The molecules are subsequently ionised by a second time delayed probe laser pulse. It will be shown that in this geometry at high enough laser intensities the Newton sphere has sufficient symmetry to apply the inverse Abel transformation to reconstruct the three dimensional distribution from the projected ion image. The laser induced controllable alignment was found to have the upper and lower extreme values of 〈P2(cos θ)〉 = 0.7 for the aligned molecule and -0.1 for the anti-aligned molecule, coupled to 〈P4(cos θ)〉 between 0.3 and 0.0. The method to extract the alignment parameters 〈P2(cos θ)〉 and 〈P4(cos θ)〉 directly from the velocity map ion images will be discussed.

T-type calcium channel antagonists, mibefradil and NNC-55-0396 inhibit cell proliferation and induce cell apoptosis in leukemia cell lines.

BACKGROUND: T-type Ca(2+) channels are often aberrantly expressed in different human cancers and participate in the regulation of cell cycle progression, proliferation and death. METHODS: RT-PCR, Q-PCR, western blotting and whole-cell patch-clamp recording were employed to assess the expression of T-type Ca(2+) channels in leukemia cell lines. The function of T-type Ca(2+) channels in leukemia cell growth and the possible mechanism of the effect of T-type Ca(2+) channel antagonists on cell proliferation and apoptosis were examined in T-lymphoma cell lines. RESULTS: We show that leukemia cell lines exhibited reduced cell growth when treated with T-type Ca(2+) channel inhibitors, mibefradil and NNC-55-0396 in a concentration-dependent manner. Mechanistically, these inhibitors played a dual role on cell viability: (i) blunting proliferation, through a halt in the progression to the G1-S phase; and (ii) promoting cell apoptosis, partially dependent on the endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) release. In addition, we observed a reduced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in MOLT-4 cells in response to mibefradil and NNC-55-0396 treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that mibefradil and NNC-55-0396 regulate proliferation and apoptosis in T-type Ca(2+) channel expressing leukemia cell lines and suggest a potential therapeutic target for leukemia.

Identification and functional characterization of voltage-gated sodium channels in lymphocytes.

A variety of ion channels has been discovered in lymphocytes. RT-PCR and real-time PCR analysis revealed that ALL (acute lymphocytic leukemia) cell lines and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells mainly expressed TTX (tetrodotoxin)-sensitive voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs). Expression of VGSC protein was confirmed by western blots and Immunofluorescence. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings showed that a sub-population (20%) of MOLT-4 cells expressed functional VGSCs, which were TTX-sensitive. Importantly, 2 µM TTX decreased the invasion of Jurkat and MOLT-4 cells ∼90%. These results indicate that the activity of VGSCs could represent a novel mechanism potentiating the invasive capacity of these cells.

Electrochemical synthesis of a microporous conductive polymer based on a metal-organic framework thin film.

A new approach to preparing 3D microporous conductive polymer has been demonstrated in the electrochemical synthesis of a porous polyaniline network with the utilization of a MOF thin film supported on a conducting substrate. The prepared porous polyaniline with well-defined uniform micropores of 0.84 nm exhibits a high BET surface area of 986 m(2) g(-1) and a high electric conductivity of 0.125 S cm(-1) when doped with I2, which is superior to existing porous conducting materials of porous MOFs, CMPs, and COFs.

Effect of quercetin on colon contractility and L-type Ca(2+) channels in colon smooth muscle of guinea-pig.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of quercetin on colon contractility and voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels in the single smooth muscle cell isolated from the proximal colon of guinea-pig and to clarify whether its effect on L-type Ca(2+) current (I(Ca,L)) would be related to its myorelaxing properties. Colon smooth muscle strips were used to take contractile tension recordings. Smooth muscle cells were freshly isolated from the proximal colon of guinea-pig by means of papain treatment. I(Ba,L) (barium instead of calcium as current carrier) was measured by using whole-cell patch-clamp techniques. The results showed that quercetin relaxed colon muscle strips in a concentration-dependent manner and antagonized the contractile effect of acetylcholine and neostigmine. Preincubation with indomethcin [cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor] and methylene blue [guanylate cyclase (GC) inhibitor] significantly attenuated the relaxing effect of quercetin, respectively. Quercetin increased I(Ba,L) in a concentration- [EC(50)= (7.59+/-0.38) mumol/L] and voltage-dependent pattern, and shifted the maximum of the current-voltage curve by 10 mV in the depolarizing direction without modifying the threshold potential for Ca(2+) influx. Quercetin shifted the steady-state inactivation curve toward more positive potentials by approximately 3.75 mV without affecting the slope of activation and inactivation curve. H-89 (PKA inhibitor) abolished quercetin-induced I(Ba,L) increase, while cAMP enhanced the quercetin-induced I(Ba,L) increase. The patch-clamp results proved that quercetin increased I(Ba,L) via PKA pathway. It is therefore suggested that the relaxing effect of quercetin attributes to the interaction of GC and COX stimulation, as well as the antagonism effect on acetylcholine, which hierarchically prevails over the increase in the Ca(2+) influx to be expected from I(Ca,L) stimulation.

MicroRNA-1/206 targets c-Met and inhibits rhabdomyosarcoma development.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous short (approximately 22) nucleotide RNAs that regulate gene function by modification of target mRNAs. miRNA-1 (miR-1) and miRNA-206 (miR-206) are highly expressed in skeletal muscle. Due to the tissue-specific nature of miR-1/206 for skeletal muscles, we investigated the role of miR-1/206 in the development of rhabdomyosarcoma. Initially, we demonstrated that miR-1/206 expression was suppressed in rhabdomyosarcomas and found at very low levels in a rhabdomyosarcoma RD cell line. Transient transfection of miR-1/206 into cultured RD cells led to a significant decrease in cell growth and migration. Using bioinformatics, we identified two putative miR-1/206 binding sites within the 3'-untranslated region of the human c-Met mRNA. miR-1/206 was then shown to have activity on mRNA expression by targeting the c-Met 3'-untranslated region. The expression of c-Met protein was shown to be down-regulated by subsequent Western blot analysis. Conversely, up-regulation of c-Met was confirmed in tissue samples of human rhabdomyosarcoma, with its level inversely correlated with miR-1/206 expression. In vivo, miR-1/206-expressing tumor cells showed growth delay in comparison with negative control. Our results demonstrated that miR-1/206 suppressed c-Met expression in rhabdomyosarcoma and could function as a potent tumor suppressor in c-Met-overexpressing tumors. Inhibition of miR-1/206 function could contribute to aberrant cell proliferation and migration, leading to rhabdomyosarcoma development.