Nitrogen-mediated volatilisation of defensive metabolites in tomato confers resistance to herbivores.

Plants synthesise a vast array of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which serve as chemical defence and communication agents in their interactions with insect herbivores. Although nitrogen (N) is a critical resource in the production of plant metabolites, its regulatory effects on defensive VOCs remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of N content in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) on the tobacco cutworm (Spodoptera litura), a notorious agricultural pest, using biochemical and molecular experiments in combination with insect behavioural and performance analyses. We observed that on tomato leaves with different N contents, S. litura showed distinct feeding preference and growth and developmental performance. Particularly, metabolomics profiling revealed that limited N availability conferred resistance upon tomato plants to S. litura is likely associated with the biosynthesis and emission of the volatile metabolite α-humulene as a repellent. Moreover, exogenous application of α-humulene on tomato leaves elicited a significant repellent response against herbivores. Thus, our findings unravel the key factors involved in N-mediated plant defence against insect herbivores and pave the way for innovation of N management to improve the plant defence responses to facilitate pest control strategies within agroecosystems.

Effect of different retention doses of ultrasound-guided polidocanol chemical ablation for benign cystic-solid thyroid nodules.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of varying retention doses of ultrasound-guided polidocanol chemical ablation for benign cystic-solid thyroid nodules. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted from December 2019 to January 2022, including 78 patients with benign cystic-solid thyroid nodules, of which 31 received polidocanol chemical ablation alone, 23 received polidocanol chemical plus thermal ablation, and 24 received open surgery. Patients who received polidocanol chemical ablation were assigned into groups based on the retention dose of polidocanol: 0 %, 10 %, 20 %, 30 %, and 50 %. Follow-ups were done at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. The volume of the nodules, postoperative complications, and recurrence of the nodules were examined before treatment and during follow-up visits. RESULTS: Total operation time and intraoperative bleeding volume for patients who received ablation were substantially lower than those for patients who received open surgery (P < 0.001). Among patients in the polidocanol chemical ablation group, volume shrinkage rate of thyroid nodules in the 10 % retention dose group was significantly lower than that in the 0 % retention dose group at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively (P < 0.05). The 30 % retention dose group had the highest nodule shrinkage rate (98.46 ± 1.55 %) at 12 months postoperatively, which was significantly higher than that in the 50 % retention dose group (P < 0.05). Among patients in the polidocanol chemical and thermal ablation group, the volume shrinkage rate of thyroid nodules in the 10 % and 30 % retention dose groups at 1 month postoperatively was significantly lower than that in the 0 % retention dose group (P < 0.05). Although volume shrinkage rate in the 20 % retention dose group after thermal ablation was higher than that in the 0 % retention dose group, the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). In terms of adverse reactions, the incidence of hoarseness and coughing was higher in the open surgery group than in the polidocanol chemical ablation and polidocanol chemical and thermal ablation groups, but there was no significant difference (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Chemical ablation with polidocanol was safe and effective for therapy of benign cystic-solid thyroid nodules, and the optimal retention dose may be between 20 % and 30 %. Patients with poor efficacy from chemical ablation alone can receive safe and effective treatment through thermal ablation.

The evolution of China's regulation of agricultural biotechnology.

To ensure safe use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), since 1993, China has made great efforts to establish and improve the safety regulatory system for GMOs. Here, we summarize and analyze the regulatory framework of agricultural GMOs, and the progress in regulatory approval of GM crops in China. In general, the development of GMO safety regulations underwent four stages: exploration (1993-2000), development (2001-2010), improvement (2011-2020) and current (2021-present) stage. The first formal regulation was promulgated in 1993, which provided a basis for further development of the regulations, during the exploration stage, when insect-resistant GM cotton, expressing genes from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), was approved for cultivation. During the development stage, the Chinese government issued a series of administrative measures, which covered almost all the fields relative to GMO safety when the basic regulatory system was established. Along with the controversy over GMO safety, the regulations have been further, and greatly improved, during improvement stage. From 2021, a few additional revisions have been made, and meanwhile, the new regulation on gene-edited crops was introduced with the development of biotechnology, forming a relative complete regulation and law system for China. The well-developed GMO regulations establishes a firm basis for safe use of GM crops in China. Currently, GM cotton and GM papaya have been widely grown on a large scale in China that have brought great economic and ecological benefits. In addition, 12 corn events, 3 soybean events, and 2 rice events have also obtained biosafety certification, but presently, these lines have yet to enter commercial production. However, several GM soybean and corn events have entered pilot industrialization, and can soon be expected to be commercially grown in China. In addition to planting, six GM crops, including soybean, corn, cotton, canola, papaya and sugar beet, with a total of 64 events, have been approved for import as processing material in China.

Spatio-temporal analysis of socio-economic characteristics for pulmonary tuberculosis in Sichuan province of China, 2006-2015.

BACKGROUND: The disease burden caused by pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in Sichuan province still persisted at a high level, and large spatial variances were presented across regional distribution disparities. The socio-economic factors were suspected to affect the population of TB notification, we aimed to describe TB case notification rate (CNR) and identify which factors influence TB epidemic are necessary for the prevention and control of the disease in Sichuan province. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study and an ecological spatial analysis was conducted to quantify the presence and location of spatial clusters of TB by the Moran's I index and examined these patterns with socio-economic risk factors by hierarchical Bayesian spatio-temporal model. RESULTS: A total of 630,009 pulmonary TB cases were notified from 2006 to 2015 in 181 counties of Sichuan province. The CNR decreased year by year since 2007, from 88.70 to 61.37 per 100,000 persons. The spatial heterogeneities of CNR were observed during the study periods. Global Moran's I index varied from 0.23 to 0.44 with all P-value < 0.001. The Bayesian spatio-temporal model with parametric spatio-temporal interactions was chosen as the best model according to the minimum of Deviance Information Criterion (DIC)(19,379.01), and in which the quadratic form of time was taken. The proportion of age group and education year were all associated with CNR after adjusting the spatial effect, temporal effect and spatio-temporal interactions. TB CNR increased by 10.2% [95% credible interval (CI): 6.7-13.7%] for every 1-standard-deviation increase in proportion of age group and decreased by 23% (95% CI: 13.7-32.7%) for every 1-standard-deviation increase in education year. CONCLUSIONS: There were spatial clusters of TB notification rate in Sichuan province from 2006 to 2015, and heavy TB burden was mainly attributed to aging and low socioeconomic status including poor education. Thus, it is more important to pay more attention to the elderly population and improve socioeconomic status including promoting education level in Sichuan province to reduce the TB burden.

Comparison of the short-term and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic hysterectomies and of abdominal hysterectomies: a case study of 4,895 patients in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the short-term and long-term outcomes after laparoscopic hysterectomy (LH) compared with abdominal hysterectomy (AH) in case of benign gynecological disease. METHODS: A multi-center cohort retrospective comparative study of population among 4,895 hysterectomies (3,539 LH vs.1,356 AH) between 2007 and 2013 was involved. Operative time (OT), estimated blood loss (EBL), intra-operative and post-operative complications, passing flatus; days with indwelling catheter, questionnaires covering pelvic floor functions and sexual functions were assessed. RESULTS: The EBL (174.1±157.4 vs. 263.1±183.2 cc, LH and AH groups, respectively), passing flatus (38.7±14.1 vs. 48.1±13.2 hours), days with indwelling catheter (1.5±0.6 vs. 2.2±0.8 days), use of analgesics (6.5% vs. 73.1%), intra-operative complication rate (2.4% vs. 4.1%), post-operative complication rate (2.3% vs. 5.7%), post-operative constipation (12.1% vs. 24.6%), mild and serious stress urinary incontinence (SUI) post-operative (P<0.001; P=0.014), and proportion of Female Sexual Functioning Index (FSFI) total score <26.55 post-operative (P<0.001) of the LH group were significantly less than those of AH group. There were no significant differences in OT (106.5±34.5 vs. 106.2±40.3 min) between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: LH is a safe and efficient operation for improving patients?long-term quality of life (QoL), and LH is a cost-effectiveness procedure for treating benign gynecological disease. LH is superior to AH due to reduced EBL, reduced post-operative pain and earlier passing flatus.

How Graphene Islands Are Unidirectionally Aligned on the Ge(110) Surface.

The unidirectional alignment of graphene islands is essential to the synthesis of wafer-scale single-crystal graphene on Ge(110) surface, but the underlying mechanism is not well-understood. Here we report that the necessary coalignment of the nucleating graphene islands on Ge(110) surface is caused by the presence of step-pattern; we show that on the preannealed Ge(110) textureless surface the graphene islands appear nonpreferentially orientated, while on the Ge(110) surfaces with natural step pattern, all graphene islands emerge coaligned. First-principles calculations and theoretical analysis reveal this different alignment behaviors originate from the strong chemical binding formed between the graphene island edges and the atomic steps on the Ge(110) surface, and the lattice matching at edge-step interface dictates the alignment of graphene islands with the armchair direction of graphene along the [-110] direction of the Ge(110) substrate.

[Constitutive characteristics and change trend of gynecological malignant tumors in 8009 hospitalized patients in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the constitutive characteristics and the change trend of gynecologic malignant tumors in hospitalized patients in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region over the recent 20 years. METHODS: Clinical data of 8009 in-patients who suffered from gynecologic malignant tumors in 23 hospitals from 1985 to 2004 in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were analyzed, with respect to the tumor types and change trend. RESULTS: (1) The leading 4 types of malignant tumors were cervical cancers, ovarian cancers, endometrial cancers, and malignant trophoblastic tumors according to the constitutive ratios of the tumors. The constitutive ratio of cervical cancer patients rose year by year, from 17.48% during the 1985-1989 period to 49.25% during the 2000-2004 period (P < 0.01). While the constitutive ratio of malignant trophoblastic tumors dropped year by year. The changes of ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, vulvar and vaginal carcinomas, and sarcoma of the uterus were not obvious (P > 0.05). (2) The occurring age of cervical cancers became younger obviously, from > or = 60 years old dropped to < 40 years old. (3) Cervical cancers were found mainly in urban residents in the former 10 years, the constitutive ratio being 67.1%; while in the latter 10 years it gradually shifted to rural residents, accounting for 52.6% of the total gynecological tumors. (4) Patients were usually at stages II, III, IV when they visited a doctor for their diseases. Especially for ovarian cancer, malignant trophoblastic tumors, sarcoma of the uterus, these patients were in the intermediate or advanced stage when they were diagnosed, mainly because of lack of obvious symptoms. The constitutive ratio of these advanced patients was over 60%. CONCLUSIONS: We should strengthen the screening program of cervical cancer, and pay more attention to prevention and control of other gynecological reproductive organ tumors at the same time. On the other hand, we should explore better tumor markers, new methods of diagnosis and treatment to improve early diagnosis and treatment of gynecologic malignant tumors.