Nutritional and Body Composition Changes in Paediatric ß-Thalassemia Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Retrospective Study Using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis.

Objective: This retrospective study evaluated nutritional status and body composition changes in paediatric ß-thalassemia (ß-TM) patients before and after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and explored their relationship with HSCT outcomes. Methods: A cohort of 40 paediatric ß-TM patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT was assessed for their nutritional status, anthropometric parameters, including body mass index (BMI), weight, and height, and body composition parameters pre-and post-HSCT, focusing on BIA measurements, including intracellular water (ICW), extracellular water (ECW), fat mass (FAT), fat-free mass (FFM), Skeletal Muscle Mass (SMM), soft Lean Mass (SLM), percent body fat (PBF), Body Cell Mass (BCM), Phase angle (PA) and muscle balance pre- and post-HSCT. Post-HSCT clinical outcomes, including acute graft-vs-host disease (aGVHD), engraftment time, oral mucositis (OM), sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS), and diarrhoea in relation to nutrition status after HSCT were analysed. Results: After HSCT, 28.21% experienced diminished nutritional status, with 71.43% of those who were wasting before HSCT showing diminished nutritional status, significantly higher than the normal group (18.75%, P = 0.012). Anthropometric changes included significant weight reduction (87.5%, 22.15 ± 7.46 vs 20.74 ± 6.57, P < 0.001) and BMI decrease (90%, 15.19 ± 1.70 vs 14.05 ± 1.48, P < 0.001). Body composition parameters, which are FFM, SMM, SLM, ICW, ECW, BCM, and PA (18.26 ± 5.71 vs 17.27 ± 5.19, 8.68 ± 3.30 vs 7.93 ± 3.02, 17.11 ± 5.28 vs 16.06 ± 4.84, 8.19 ± 2.54 vs 7.62 ± 2.31, 5.15 ± 1.58 vs 4.94 ± 1.47, 11.74 ± 3.63 vs 10.92 ± 3.32, 4.42 ± 0.50 vs 3.90 ± 0.57, respectively, P < 0.001) analysis revealed significant decreases. No significant differences in clinical outcomes were observed based on nutritional status. Conclusion: Paediatric ß-TM patients undergoing HSCT exhibit significant changes in nutrition status and body composition, emphasizing the need for focused attention on malnourished children who are more prone to diminished nutritional status. Comprehensive BIA aids in understanding the impact, urging consideration for extended follow-up and larger cohorts in future research.

Towards better laparoscopic video segmentation: A class-wise contrastive learning approach with multi-scale feature extraction.

The task of segmentation is integral to computer-aided surgery systems. Given the privacy concerns associated with medical data, collecting a large amount of annotated data for training is challenging. Unsupervised learning techniques, such as contrastive learning, have shown powerful capabilities in learning image-level representations from unlabelled data. This study leverages classification labels to enhance the accuracy of the segmentation model trained on limited annotated data. The method uses a multi-scale projection head to extract image features at various scales. The partitioning method for positive sample pairs is then improved to perform contrastive learning on the extracted features at each scale to effectively represent the differences between positive and negative samples in contrastive learning. Furthermore, the model is trained simultaneously with both segmentation labels and classification labels. This enables the model to extract features more effectively from each segmentation target class and further accelerates the convergence speed. The method was validated using the publicly available CholecSeg8k dataset for comprehensive abdominal cavity surgical segmentation. Compared to select existing methods, the proposed approach significantly enhances segmentation performance, even with a small labelled subset (1-10%) of the dataset, showcasing a superior intersection over union (IoU) score.

Improved antioxidative and antibacterial activity of epigallocatechin gallate derivative complexed by zinc cations and chitosan.

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) has attracted increasing attention thanks to its multi-bioactivities, and people are keen on improving the antioxidative and antibacterial performance of EGCG. Based on the favorable biofunctionality of Zn2+ and chitosan (CS), an EGCG derivative with a novel formula, i.e., EGCG-Zn-CS, is presented in this study. The structure of EGCG-Zn-CS was characterized by FT-IR, UV-vis, TGA, XPS, and SEM-EDS. The radical elimination results indicate that 0.1 mg mL-1 of EGCG-Zn-CS demonstrates DPPH radical and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities of 94.8% and 92.3%, while 0.1 mg mL-1 of EGCG exhibits only 78.5% and 75.6%, respectively, which means improved antioxidative activity of EGCG-Zn-CS was obtained. Inhibitory experiments against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli reveal that the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of EGCG-Zn-CS were 15.625 µg mL-1 and 187.5 µg mL-1, whereas the minimal bactericide concentrations (MBCs) were 46.875 µg mL-1 and 750 µg mL-1, respectively, which indicate that EGCG-Zn-CS exerts much higher antibacterial activity than EGCG. It can be concluded that the complexing of zinc cations and CS could amazingly improve both the antioxidative and antibacterial activity of EGCG, and it is expected that an exploration of EGCG-Zn-CS may inspire the development of simultaneous effective antioxidant and antibacterial agents.

Dawn of CAR-T cell therapy in autoimmune diseases.

ABSTRACT: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has achieved remarkable success in the treatment of hematological malignancies. Based on the immunomodulatory capability of CAR-T cells, efforts have turned toward exploring their potential in treating autoimmune diseases. Bibliometric analysis of 210 records from 128 academic journals published by 372 institutions in 40 countries/regions indicates a growing number of publications on CAR-T therapy for autoimmune diseases, covering a range of subtypes such as systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, among others. CAR-T therapy holds promise in mitigating several shortcomings, including the indiscriminate suppression of the immune system by traditional immunosuppressants, and non-sustaining therapeutic levels of monoclonal antibodies due to inherent pharmacokinetic constraints. By persisting and proliferating in vivo , CAR-T cells can offer a tailored and precise therapeutics. This paper reviewed preclinical experiments and clinical trials involving CAR-T and CAR-related therapies in various autoimmune diseases, incorporating innovations well-studied in the field of hematological tumors, aiming to explore a safe and effective therapeutic option for relapsed/refractory autoimmune diseases.

The mechanistic interaction, aggregation and neurotoxicity of α-synuclein after interaction with glycyrrhizic acid: Modulation of synucleinopathies.

This article reveals the binding mechanism between glycyrrhizic acid (GA) and α-synuclein to may provide further information for the modulation of synucleinopathies using bioactive compounds. Therefore, the inhibitory activities of GA against α-synuclein aggregation and induced neurotoxicity were evaluated using different assays. Results showed that α-synuclein-GA binding was mediated by intermolecular hydrogen bonds leading to the formation of a slightly folded complex. Theoretical studies revealed that GA binds to the N-terminal domain of α-synuclein and triggers a compact structure around a major part of the N-terminal and the NAC regions along with fluctuations in the C-terminal domain, which are prerequisites for the inhibition of α-synuclein aggregation. Then, the cellular assays showed that GA as a potential small molecule can inhibit the oligomerization of α-synuclein and relevant neurotoxicity through modulation of neural viability, membrane leakage, and ROS formation in a concentration-dependent manner. As a result, the primary mechanism of GA's anti-aggregation and neuroprotective activities is the reorganized α-synuclein structure and fluctuating C-terminal domain, which promotes long-range transient intramolecular contacts between the N-terminal and the C-terminal domain.

Gene expression prognostic of early relapse risk in low-risk B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in children.

ETV6::RUNX1 is the most common fusion gene in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and is associated with favorable outcomes, especially in low-risk children. However, as many as 10% of children relapse within 3 years, and such early relapses have poor survival. Identifying children at risk for early relapse is an important challenge. We interrogated data from 87 children with low-risk ETV6::RUNX1-positive B-cell ALL and with available preserved bone marrow samples (discovery cohort). We profiled somatic point mutations in a panel of 559 genes and genome-wide transcriptome and single-nucleotide variants. We found high TIMD4 expression (> 85th-percentile value) at diagnosis was the most important independent prognostic factor of early relapse (hazard ratio [HR] = 5.07 [1.76, 14.62]; p = 0.03). In an independent validation cohort of low-risk ETV6::RUNX1-positive B-cell ALL (N = 68) high TIMD4 expression at diagnosis had an HR = 4.78 [1.07, 21.36] (p = 0.04) for early relapse. In another validation cohort including 78 children with low-risk ETV6::RUNX1-negative B-cell ALL, high TIMD4 expression at diagnosis had an HR = 3.93 [1.31, 11.79] (p = 0.01). Our results suggest high TIMD4 expression at diagnosis in low-risk B-cell ALL in children might be associated with high risk for early relapse.

Risk factors of high fluid absorption in patients treated with mini-PCNL: a single-center prospective study.

BACKGROUND: The factors influencing fluid absorption in mini-percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (mini-PCNL) are still unknown. We aim to investigate the factors that influence irrigation fluid absorption during mini-PCNL. METHODS: A total of 94 patients who underwent mini-PCNL were included in this prospective study. The endoscopic surgical monitoring system (ESMS) was used to measure the volume of irrigation fluid absorbed during the procedure. Irrigating time, the total volume of irrigation fluid, stone size, S.T.O.N.E. score, hemoglobin, electrolyte levels, and postoperative complications were recorded. RESULTS: A significant correlation was observed between fluid absorption and the presence of postoperative fever, and based on this phenomenon, patients were divided into low and high fluid absorption groups. The serum creatinine level in the high fluid absorption group was significantly high (7 vs. 16.5, p = 0.02). Significant differences were observed between the low and high fluid absorption groups in terms of mean stone size (21.70 mm vs. 26.78 mm), presence of stone burden ≥ 800 mm2 (4% vs. 23%), S.T.O.N.E. score > 8 (4% vs. 38%), the fluid used > 18,596 ml (19% vs. 78%), irrigation time (55.61 min vs. 91.28 min), and perfusion rate (24% vs. 45%) (all p < 0.05). The rates of postoperative fever and SIRS in the high fluid absorption group were significantly high (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Mean stone size, presence of stone burden ≥ 800 mm2, S.T.O.N.E. score > 8, the fluid used > 18596 mL, irrigation time, and perfusion rate are risk factors of intraoperative fluid absorption in mini-PCNL.

Causal association between the peripheral immunity and the risk and disease severity of multiple sclerosis.

Background: Growing evidence links immunological responses to Multiple sclerosis (MS), but specific immune factors are still unclear. Methods: Mendelian randomization (MR) was performed to investigate the association between peripheral hematological traits, MS risk, and its severity. Then, further subgroup analysis of immune counts and circulating cytokines and growth factors were performed. Results: MR revealed higher white blood cell count (OR [95%CI] = 1.26 [1.10,1.44], P = 1.12E-03, P adjust = 3.35E-03) and lymphocyte count (OR [95%CI] = 1.31 [1.15,1.50], P = 5.37E-05, P adjust = 3.22E-04) increased the risk of MS. In further analysis, higher T cell absolute count (OR [95%CI] = 2.04 [1.36,3.08], P = 6.37E-04, P adjust = 2.19E-02) and CD4+ T cell absolute count (OR [95%CI] = 2.11 [1.37,3.24], P = 6.37E-04, P adjust = 2.19E-02), could increase MS risk. While increasing CD25++CD4+ T cell absolute count (OR [95%CI] = 0.75 [0.66,0.86], P = 2.12E-05, P adjust = 1.72E-03), CD25++CD4+ T cell in T cell (OR [95%CI] = 0.79[0.70,0.89], P = 8.54E-05, P adjust = 5.29E-03), CD25++CD4+ T cell in CD4+ T cell (OR [95%CI] = 0.80[0.72,0.89], P = 1.85E-05, P adjust = 1.72E-03), and CD25++CD8+ T cell in T cell (OR [95%CI] = 0.68[0.57,0.81], P = 2.22E-05, P adjust = 1.72E-03), were proved to be causally defensive for MS. For the disease severity, the suggestive association between some traits related to CD4+ T cell, Tregs and MS severity were demonstrated. Moreover, elevated levels of IL-2Ra had a detrimental effect on the risk of MS (OR [95%CI] = 1.22 [1.12,1.32], P = 3.20E-06, P adjust = 1.34E-04). Conclusions: This study demonstrated a genetically predicted causal relationship between elevated peripheral immune cell counts and MS. Subgroup analysis revealed a specific contribution of peripheral immune cells, holding potential for further investigations into the underlying mechanisms of MS and its severity.

Association of dietary carotenoid intake with the prevalence kidney stones among the general adult population.

PURPOSE: This study was to examine whether higher dietary carotenoid intake levels were associated with a lower prevalence of kidney stones. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study analyzed data from 2007 to 2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) project. Dietary carotenoid intake (α-carotene, ß-carotene, ß-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, and lutein/zeaxanthin) was assessed using two 24-h dietary recall interviews. Multiple logistic regression and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression were applied to examine the associations between five dietary carotenoids alone, compounds, and the prevalence of kidney stones. The dose-response relationships were analyzed by restricted cubic spline regression. RESULTS: A total of 30,444 adults (2909 participants with kidney stones) were included in the analysis. The mean age of the participants was 49.95 years and 49.2% of the participants were male. Compared with the first quartile, the fourth quartile of α-carotene (odds ratio [OR] = 0.82 [0.73-0.92]), ß-carotene (OR = 0.79 [0.70-0.89]), ß-cryptoxanthin (OR = 0.88 [0.79-0.99]), and lutein/zeaxanthin (OR = 0.80 [0.71-0.91]) were significantly and inversely associated with the prevalence of kidney stones after adjusting for confounders. The dose-response analysis showed a linear relationship between five dietary carotenoid intake levels and the prevalence of kidney stones. Further WQS analysis revealed that the combination of all five dietary carotenoids was negatively associated with and the prevalence of kidney stones, with the largest effect coming from ß-carotene (weight = 0.538). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that higher dietary carotenoid intake levels were associated with decreased prevalence of kidney stones, and increasing the intake of foods rich in ß-carotene may prevent the development of kidney stones.

Outcome of first or second transplantation using unrelated umbilical cord blood without ATG conditioning regimen for pediatric bone marrow failure disorders.

BACKGROUND: Unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) for bone marrow failure (BMF) disorders using conditioning regimens without Anti-Thymocyte Globulin (ATG) has been used as an alternative transplantation for emerging patients without matched-sibling donors. Experience with this transplant modality in children is limited, especially as a secondary treatment for transplant failure patients. PROCEDURE: We retrospectively reviewed 17 consecutive bone marrow failure patients who underwent unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation in our center and received conditioning regimens of Total Body Irradiation (TBI) or Busulfan (BU) + Fludarabine (FLU) + Cyclophosphamide (CY). RESULTS: Among the 17 BMF patients, 15 patients were treated with first cord blood transplantation and another 2 with secondary cord blood transplantation because of graft failure after first haploidentical stem cell transplantation at days +38 and +82. All patients engrafted with a median donor cell chimerism of 50 % at days +7 (range, 16 %-99.95 %) and finally rose to 100 % at days +30. Median time to neutrophil engraftment was 19 days (range, 12-30) and time to platelet engraftment was 32 days (range, 18-61). Pre-engraftment syndrome (PES) was found in 16 patients (94.11 %, 16/17). Cumulative incidence of grades II to IV acute GVHD was 58.8 % (95 % CI: 32.7-84.9 %), and 17.6 % (95 % CI: 2.6-37.9 %) of patients developed chronic GVHD. The 3-year overall survival (OS) and failure-free survival (FFS) rates were 92.86 ± 6.88 %. CONCLUSION: UCBT is an effective alternative treatment for bone marrow failure pediatric patients. TBI/BU + FLU + CY regimen ensure a high engraftment rate for unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation, which overcomes the difficulty of graft failure. Secondary salvage use of cord blood transplantation may still be useful for patients who have failed after other transplantation.

Vascular endothelial growth factor B improves impaired glucose tolerance through insulin-mediated inhibition of glucagon secretion.

BACKGROUND: Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) is a homeostatic state between euglycemia and hyperglycemia and is considered an early high-risk state of diabetes. When IGT occurs, insulin sensitivity decreases, causing a reduction in insulin secretion and an increase in glucagon secretion. Recently, vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGFB) has been demonstrated to play a positive role in improving glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Therefore, we constructed a mouse model of IGT through high-fat diet feeding and speculated that VEGFB can regulate hyperglycemia in IGT by influencing insulin-mediated glucagon secretion, thus contributing to the prevention and cure of prediabetes. AIM: To explore the potential molecular mechanism and regulatory effects of VEGFB on insulin-mediated glucagon in mice with IGT. METHODS: We conducted in vivo experiments through systematic VEGFB knockout and pancreatic-specific VEGFB overexpression. Insulin and glucagon secretions were detected via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the protein expression of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) was determined using western blot. Further, mRNA expression of forkhead box protein O1, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, and glucose-6 phosphatase was detected via quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and the correlation between the expression of proteins was analyzed via bioinformatics. RESULTS: In mice with IGT and VEGFB knockout, glucagon secretion increased, and the protein expression of PI3K/AKT decreased dramatically. Further, in mice with VEGFB overexpression, glucagon levels declined, with the activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: VEGFB/vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 can promote insulin-mediated glucagon secretion by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to regulate glucose metabolism disorders in mice with IGT.

IN VITRO EVALUATION OF A NOVEL AUTOMATIC INTRAOPERATIVE BLOOD LOSS MONITOR.

INTRODUCTION: Accurate and real-time monitoring of surgical blood loss is essential for ensuring intraoperative safety. However, there is currently no standard way to assess the amount of blood lost in patients during surgery. This study aims to evaluate the accuracy and precision of a new automatic intraoperative blood loss monitor, which can measure both free blood volume and blood content in sponges in real time. METHODS: The monitor uses an integrated photoelectric probe to gauge hemoglobin levels in both free blood and blood taken from surgical sponges. This data, combined with initial hemoglobin levels, is processed using specific calculations to determine blood volume. We created 127 diverse free blood samples and 160 blood-containing sponge samples by utilizing fresh pig blood and physiological saline. The monitor then measured these samples. We subsequently compared its measurements with actual values acquired through physical measurements, detecting both agreement and measurement errors. Repeated measurements were performed to calculate the coefficient of variation, thereby evaluating the monitor's precision. RESULTS: The estimated blood loss percentage error of the monitor was 5.2% for free blood, -5.7% for small sponge, -6.3% for medium sponge, and -6.6% for large sponge. The coefficient of variation of free blood with different hemoglobin concentrations measured by the monitor was less than 10%. Bland-Altman analysis showed that the limits of agreement between the monitor and the reference method were all within the acceptable clinical range. CONCLUSION: The new automatic intraoperative blood loss monitor is an accurate and reliable device for monitoring both free blood and surgical sponge blood, and shows high performance under various clinical simulation conditions.

Spatiotemporal trends of carbon stock in wood and bamboo products in China during 1987-2020.

Harvested wood/bamboo products (HWP/HBP) constitute a large global carbon stock. However, the contribution of HBP to carbon stocks has been neglected in mixed wood and bamboo data, especially in China. Therefore, the production approach and the first-order decay method were used to estimate the spatiotemporal carbon stock change in HWP/HBP based on provincial production data from the China Forestry Statistical Yearbooks for 1987-2020. The results showed that China's total carbon stocks of HWP and HBP were 328.7 teragram carbon (TgC) and 129.7 TgC between 1987 and 2020. Of this, the HWP carbon stock was mainly sourced from three provinces across the north and south: Guangxi (60.8 TgC), Heilongjiang (37.2 TgC), and Fujian (24.2 TgC), and HBP carbon stock was mainly sourced from three southern provinces: Fujian (33.4 TgC), Guangxi (20.3 TgC), and Zhejiang (13.7 TgC). The proportion of the HBP carbon stock in the total carbon stock increased from 20% in 2010 to 28% in 2020, indicating that bamboo products play an important role in the accumulation of carbon stocks in China. The differences in contributions to spatiotemporal trends between the provinces provide more specific information to make precise decisions about forest management and carbon sequestration.

[Retracted] Deoxypodophyllotoxin inhibits cell viability and invasion by blocking the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in human glioblastoma cells.

Following the publication of the above article and a corrigendum that was published to address issues of duplicated data panels in Fig. 4 (doi: 10.3892/or.2023.8484), a concerned reader has drawn to the Editor's attention that Fig. 3B also contains a matching pair of identical flow cytometry scatterplots where the results from different experiments were intended to have been portrayed, and certain of the western blotting data shown in Fig. 3C are strikingly similar to data that had appeared in Figs. 2 and 3 in a previously published paper written by different authors at different research institutes [Tian F, Ding D and Li D: Fangchinoline targets PI3K and suppresses PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in SGC7901 cells. Int J Oncol 46: 2355­2363, 2015]. In view of the fact that certain of the data in the above article had already appeared in a previously published paper, and given the large number of apparently overlapping data panels identified in several of the figures, the Editor of Oncology Reports has decided that this paper should be retracted from the publication. After having been in contact with the authors, they accepted the decision to retract the paper. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [Oncology Reports 41: 2453­2463, 2019; DOI: 10.3892/or.2019.7016].

[Retracted] miR­489 promotes apoptosis and inhibits invasiveness of glioma cells by targeting PAK5/RAF1 signaling pathways.

Subsequently to the publication of the article, an interested reader drew to the authors' attention that certain of the data panels showing the results of cell migration and invasion assays in Figs. 5A and 6C were overlapping, suggesting that the data were derived from the same original source, even though they were selected to represent the results from differently performed experiments. The authors requested that a corrigendum be published to rectify this problem; however, after having conducted an independent analysis of the data in the Editorial Office, we have noticed that the data shown in Figs. 5A and 6C are strikingly similar to data appearing in different form in other articles published in another journal, mainly written by different authors at different research institutions. Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article were already under consideration for publication, or had already been published, elsewhere at the time it was submitted to Oncology Reports, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. After having been in contact with the authors, they agreed with the decision to retract the paper. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [Oncology Reports 42: 2390­2401, 2019; DOI: 10.3892/or.2019.7381].

Prognosis of thyroid carcinoma patients with osseous metastases: an SEER-based study with machine learning.

OBJECTIVE: Osseous metastasis (OM) is the second most common site of thyroid cancer distant metastasis and presents a poor prognosis. Accurate prognostic estimation for OM has clinical significance. Ascertain the risk factors for survival and develop an effective model to predict the 3-year, 5-year overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) for thyroid cancer patients with OM. METHODS: We retrieved the information of patients with OMs between 2010 and 2016 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result Program. The Chi-square test, and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed. Four machine learning (ML) algorithms, which were most commonly used in this field, were applied. RESULT: A total of 579 patients having OMs were eligible. Advanced age, tumor size ≥ 40 mm, combined with other distant metastasis were associated with worse OS in DTC OMs patients. Radioactive iodine (RAI) significantly improved CSS in both males and females. Among four ML models [logistic regression, support vector machines, extreme gradient boosting, and random forest (RF)], RF had the best performance [area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve: 0.9378 for 3-year CSS, 0.9105 for 5-year CSS, 0.8787 for 3-year OS, 0.8909 for 5-year OS]. The accuracy and specificity of RF were also the best. CONCLUSIONS: RF model shall be used to establish an accurate prognostic model for thyroid cancer patients with OM, not only from the SEER cohort but also intended for all thyroid cancer patients in the general population, which may be applicable in clinical practice in the future.

DNA barcoding of Chinese snakes reveals hidden diversity and conservation needs.

DNA barcoding has greatly facilitated studies of taxonomy, biodiversity, biological conservation, and ecology. Here, we establish a reliable DNA barcoding library for Chinese snakes, unveiling hidden diversity with implications for taxonomy, and provide a standardized tool for conservation management. Our comprehensive study includes 1638 cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences from Chinese snakes that correspond to 17 families, 65 genera, 228 named species (80.6% of named species) and 36 candidate species. A barcode gap analysis reveals gaps, where all nearest neighbour distances exceed maximum intraspecific distances, in 217 named species and all candidate species. Three species-delimitation methods (ABGD, sGMYC, and sPTP) recover 320 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), of which 192 OTUs correspond to named and candidate species. Twenty-eight other named species share OTUs, such as Azemiops feae and A. kharini, Gloydius halys, G. shedaoensis, and G. intermedius, and Bungarus multicinctus and B. candidus, representing inconsistencies most probably caused by imperfect taxonomy, recent and rapid speciation, weak taxonomic signal, introgressive hybridization, and/or inadequate phylogenetic signal. In contrast, 43 species and candidate species assign to two or more OTUs due to having large intraspecific distances. If most OTUs detected in this study reflect valid species, including the 36 candidate species, then 30% more species would exist than are currently recognized. Several OTU divergences associate with known biogeographic barriers, such as the Taiwan Strait. In addition to facilitating future studies, this reliable and relatively comprehensive reference database will play an important role in the future monitoring, conservation, and management of Chinese snakes.

Cloning and functional analysis of the root-knot nematode resistance gene NtRk1 in tobacco.

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) is an economically important crop worldwide. Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) are responsible for yield losses in tobacco and other crops, such as tomato, potato, peanut, and soybean. Therefore, screening for resistance genes that can prevent RKN infestation and the associated damage is crucial. However, there is no report of cloning tobacco RKN resistance genes to date. Here, we cloned the tobacco RKN resistance gene NtRk1 from the resistant variety TI706, using rapid amplification of cDNA ends. NtRk1 has high homology with other RKN resistance genes (CaMi in pepper, Mi-1.1 and Mi-1.2 in tomato). Under normal conditions, NtRk1 was barely expressed in the roots; however, following RKN infection, its expression level rapidly increased. Overexpression of NtRk1 in the susceptible cultivar "Changbohuang" enhanced its resistance to Meloidogyne incognita, while RNA interference of NtRk1 in the resistant cultivar K326 resulted in its susceptibility to M. incognita. Moreover, compared with resistant variety K326, we found the salicylic acid and jasmonic acid contents of RNAi plants decreased after inoculation with M. incognita, and confirmed that the function of NtRk1 is related to these phytohormones. These findings indicate that NtRk1 is an RKN resistance gene, which is abundantly expressed in response to RKN infection and may enhance host defense responses by elevating salicylic acid and jasmonic acid levels.

Application of a highly simulated and adaptable training system in the laparoscopic training course for surgical residents: Experience from a high-volume teaching hospital in China.

Objective: To explore the effectiveness, feasibility, and training effect of a highly simulated and adaptable laparoscopic training system in the advanced integrated two-stage laparoscopic simulation training course for surgical residents. Methods: This study prospectively took the surgical residents who received the advanced integrated two-stage laparoscopic simulation training course in our hospital from December 2019 to December 2021 as the research objects. In the stage one course, the trainees are randomly distributed into the dry simulation system group and Darwin laparoscopic training system group. The subjective assessment results of the trainees from the two groups are collected by questionnaires, and the simulation assessment results of the two groups are evaluated in a unified, objective, and standardized assessment form. The pre-course and post-course questionnaires were used to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the Darwin system in the stage two course. Results: A total of 62 trainees completed the stage one and stage two courses. In the stage one course, the trainees were randomly distributed into the dry simulation trainer group (N = 19) and the Darwin group (N = 43). The results of the subjective assessment questionnaire showed that compared with the dry simulator group, the students in the Darwin group had higher subjective scores (P < 0.05). The objective assessment results for the 3 modules of "One Track Transfer", "One Tunnel Pass" and "High and Low Pillars" in the Darwin group were significantly better than those in the dry simulator group (P < 0.05). The trainees who received the stage two course completed the questionnaires before and after the course. The results showed that compared with pre-course evaluation, "basic theoretical knowledge of laparoscopy", "basic skills of laparoscopy", "laparoscopic suture technique" and "camera-holding technique" were significantly improved after training (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The highly simulated and adaptable laparoscopic training system is effective and feasible in the advanced integrated two-stage laparoscopic simulation training course for surgical residents.

Clinical and molecular characteristics of forty Chinese children with essential thrombocythemia: A single-center, retrospective analysis.

Due to the infrequency of essential thrombocythemia (ET) in children, little is known about its pathophysiological mechanism. To learn about the clinical and molecular features of Chinese children with ET, we retrospectively analysed 40 children with ET in a single center from 2015-2021. More than half of the children (51.3%, 20/39) were asymptomatic at diagnosis. Nearly half of the children (48.7%, 19/39) had microvascular symptoms, including headache, dizziness, stomachache, and paresthesia. Only two cases experienced vascular events. The proportion of children with typical "driver gene mutations" (i.e., JAK2 p.V617F, CALR exon 9, or MPL exon 10 mutation) was low (12.5%, 5/40). The equivalent ratio of children carried atypical driver gene mutations; however, 30 (75%) patients did not harbour driver gene mutations. Children carrying JAK2 p.V617F had lower platelet count (938 × 109 /L vs. 1654 × 109 /L, p = 0.031) compared to those without driver gene mutations. Cases harbouring typical driver mutations had higher median WBC counts than those without driver gene mutations (15.14 × 109 /L vs. 8.01 × 109 /L, p = 0.015). Compared to those without driver gene mutations, cases carrying typical and atypical driver gene mutations were both younger (median ages were 12, 6, and 7 years old, respectively; p = 0.023). The most prevalent non-driver gene mutations and those mutations with prognostic significance in adult counterparts were less common in children with ET compared to adults with ET.