MicroRNA-322-5p targeting Smurf2 regulates the TGF-ß/Smad pathway to protect cardiac function and inhibit myocardial infarction.

Acute coronary artery blockage leads to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Cardiomyocytes are terminally differentiated cells that rarely divide. Treatments preventing cardiomyocyte loss during AMI have a high therapeutic benefit. Accumulating evidence shows that microRNAs (miRNAs) may play an essential role in cardiovascular diseases. This study aims to explore the biological function and underlying regulatory molecular mechanism of miR-322-5p on myocardial infarction (MI). This study's miR-322-5p is downregulated in MI-injured hearts according to integrative bioinformatics and experimental analyses. In the MI rat model, miR-322-5p overexpression partially eliminated MI-induced changes in myocardial enzymes and oxidative stress markers, improved MI-caused impairment on cardiac functions, inhibited myocardial apoptosis, attenuated MI-caused alterations in TGF-ß, p-Smad2, p-Smad4, and Smad7 protein levels. In oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-injured H9c2 cells, miR-322-5p overexpression partially rescued OGD-inhibited cell viability and attenuated OGD-caused alterations in the TGF-ß/Smad signaling. miR-322-5p directly targeted Smurf2 and inhibited Smurf2 expression. In OGD-injured H9c2 cells, Smurf2 knockdown exerted similar effects to miR-322-5p overexpression upon cell viability and TGF-ß/Smad signaling; moreover, Smurf2 knockdown partially attenuated miR-322-5p inhibition effects on OGD-injured H9c2 cells. In conclusion, miR-322-5p is downregulated in MI rat heart and OGD-stimulated rat cardiomyocytes; the miR-322-5p/Smurf2 axis improves OGD-inhibited cardiomyocyte cell viability and MI-induced cardiac injuries and dysfunction through the TGF-ß/Smad signaling.

MaiJiTong granule attenuates atherosclerosis by reducing ferroptosis via activating STAT6-mediated inhibition of DMT1 and SOCS1/p53 pathways in LDLR-/- mice.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Atherosclerosis is the primary pathological basis of cardiovascular disease. Ferroptosis is a regulated form of cell death, a process of lipid peroxidation driven by iron, which can initiate and promote atherosclerosis. STAT6 is a signal transducer that shows a potential role in regulating ferroptosis, but, the exact role in ferroptosis during atherogenesis remains unclear. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Maijitong granule (MJT) is used for treating cardiovascular disease and shows a potential inhibitory effect on ferroptosis. However, the antiatherogenic effect and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. In this study, we determined the role of STAT6 in ferroptosis during atherogenesis, investigated the antiatherogenic effect of MJT, and determined whether its antiatherogenic effect was dependent on the inhibition of ferroptosis. METHODS: 8-week-old male LDLR-/- mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) at 1st and 10th week, respectively, to assess the preventive and therapeutic effects of MJT on atherosclerosis and ferroptosis. Simultaneously, the anti-ferroptotic effects and mechanism of MJT were determined by evaluating the expression of genes responsible for lipid peroxidation and iron metabolism. Subsequently, we reanalyzed microarray data in the GSE28117 obtained from cells after STAT6 knockdown or overexpression and analyzed the correlation between STAT6 and ferroptosis. Finally, the STAT6-/- mice were fed HFD and injected with AAV-PCSK9 to validate the role of STAT6 in ferroptosis during atherogenesis and revealed the antiatherogenic and anti-ferroptotic effect of MJT. RESULTS: MJT attenuated atherosclerosis by reducing plaque lesion area and enhancing plaque stability in both preventive and therapeutic groups. MJT reduced inflammation via suppressing inflammatory cytokines and inhibited foam cell formation by lowering the LDL level and promoting ABCA1/G1-mediated lipid efflux. MJT ameliorated the ferroptosis by reducing lipid peroxidation and iron dysregulation during atherogenesis. Mechanistically, STAT6 negatively regulated ferroptosis by transcriptionally suppressing SOCS1/p53 and DMT1 pathways. MJT suppressed the DMT1 and SOCS1/p53 via stimulating STAT6 phosphorylation. In addition, STAT6 knockout exacerbated atherosclerosis and ferroptosis, which abolished the antiatherogenic and anti-ferroptotic effects of MJT. CONCLUSION: STAT6 acts as a negative regulator of ferroptosis and atherosclerosis via transcriptionally suppressing DMT1 and SOCS1 expression and MJT attenuates atherosclerosis and ferroptosis by activating the STAT6-mediated inhibition of DMT1 and SOCS1/p53 pathways, which indicated that STAT6 acts a novel promising therapeutic target to ameliorate atherosclerosis by inhibiting ferroptosis and MJT can serve as a new therapy for atherosclerosis treatment.

The Effects of Poria cocos Polysaccharides on Growth Performance, Immunity, and Cecal Microflora Composition of Weaned Piglets.

This paper aims to identify Poria cocos polysaccharides (PCPs) as a potential feed additive used for swine production; thus, we explored the effects of different dietary inclusion levels of PCP on growth performance, immunity, and cecal microflora composition in weaned piglets. For this, a total of 120 28-day-old Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire weaned piglets (8.51 ± 0.19 kg; 28 ± 1 days of age) were randomly allocated to five groups that were fed a basal diet supplemented with 0, 0.025%, 0.05%, 0.1%, and 0.2% PCP, respectively, for 42 days. The results indicated that the average daily gain (ADG) and gain/feed ratio were higher in the PCP treatment groups than in the control group, with a linear effect. The serum concentrations of IgG, IgA, IL-2, IFN-γ, the number of CD4+ T cells, and the CD4+-to-CD8+ T-cell ratio (CD4+/CD8+) were increased, while the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were decreased in the PCP supplementation groups compared with those in the control group. Furthermore, the cytokine mRNA expression levels exhibited a similar trend in the spleen. PCP supplementation also reduced the abundance of Escherichia coli and Salmonella and enhanced that of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria in the cecum. In summary, dietary PCP inclusion exerted positive effects on the growth performance, immunity, and cecal microbiota of piglets and showed potential for use as a feed additive for improving the health of weaned piglets, with 0.1% being the optimal dosage.

Enhanced hypoglycemic effects of konjac glucomannan combined with Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua polysaccharide in complete nutritional liquid diet fed type 2 diabetes mice.

In our aging society, dysphagia and malnutrition are growing concerns, necessitating intervention. Liquid nutrition support offers a practical solution for traditional dietary issues, but it raises a key issue: the potential for post-meal glucose spikes impacting efficacy. This study examined the effects of supplementation of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua polysaccharide (PCP), konjac glucomannan (KGM) and their combination on acute phase postprandial glycemic response and long-term glucose metabolism in T2DM mice on a complete nutritional liquid diet. KGM was more effective in reducing postprandial glucose response, while PCP was more prominent in ameliorating long-term glucose metabolism. The KGM-PCP combination demonstrated superior outcomes in fasting blood glucose, insulin, and glucose homeostasis. PCP and KGM also influenced the composition and abundance of the gut microbiome, with the H-PCP group showing optimal performance. Moreover, the KGM-PCP combination improved body weight, lipid homeostasis, and liver health the most. PCP potentially regulates glycemia through metabolic pathways, while KGM improves glycemic metabolism by reducing postprandial glucose levels in response to viscous intestinal contents. This research identifies the structure, viscosity properties, and hypoglycemic effects of KGM and PCP in complete nutritional liquid diet fed T2DM mice, enabling their strategic utilization as hypoglycemic components in nutritional administration and glycemic regulation.

Circulating miR-129-3p in combination with clinical factors predicts vascular calcification in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Vascular calcification (VC) commonly occurs and seriously increases the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with hemodialysis. For optimizing individual management, we will develop a diagnostic multivariable prediction model for evaluating the probability of VC. Methods: The study was conducted in four steps. First, identification of miRNAs regulating osteogenic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in calcified condition. Second, observing the role of miR-129-3p on VC in vitro and the association between circulating miR-129-3p and VC in hemodialysis patients. Third, collecting all indicators related to VC as candidate variables, screening predictors from the candidate variables by Lasso regression, developing the prediction model by logistic regression and showing it as a nomogram in training cohort. Last, verifying predictive performance of the model in validation cohort. Results: In cell experiments, miR-129-3p was found to attenuate vascular calcification, and in human, serum miR-129-3p exhibited a negative correlation with vascular calcification, suggesting that miR-129-3p could be one of the candidate predictor variables. Regression analysis demonstrated that miR-129-3p, age, dialysis duration and smoking were valid factors to establish the prediction model and nomogram for VC. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve of the model was 0.8698. The calibration curve showed that predicted probability of the model was in good agreement with actual probability and decision curve analysis indicated better net benefit of the model. Furthermore, internal validation through bootstrap process and external validation by another independent cohort confirmed the stability of the model. Conclusion: We build a diagnostic prediction model and present it as an intuitive tool based on miR-129-3p and clinical indicators to evaluate the probability of VC in hemodialysis patients, facilitating risk stratification and effective decision, which may be of great importance for reducing the risk of serious cardiovascular events.

Proteomic Analysis of Egg Yolk Proteins During Embryonic Development in Wanxi White Goose.

To investigate the alterations of yolk protein during embryonic development in Wanxi white goose, the egg yolk protein composition at days 0, 4, 7, 14, 18, and 25 of incubation (D0, D4, D7, D14, D18, and D25) was analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis combined with mass spectrometry. A total of 65 spots representing 11 proteins with significant abundance changes were detected. Apolipoprotein B-100, vitellogenin-1, vitellogenin-2-like, riboflavin-binding protein, and serotransferrin mainly participated in nutrient (lipid, riboflavin, and iron ion) transport, and vitellogenin-2-like showed a lower abundance after D14. Ovomucoid-like were involved in endopeptidase inhibitory activity and immunoglobulin binding and exhibited a higher expression after D18, suggesting a potential role in promoting the absorption of immunoglobulin and providing passive immune protection for goose embryos after D18. Furthermore, myosin-9 and actin (ACTB) were involved in the tight junction pathway, potentially contributing to barrier integrity. Serum albumin mainly participated in cytolysis and toxic substance binding. Therefore, the high expression of serum albumin, myosin-9, and ACTB throughout the incubation might protect the developing embryo. Apolipoprotein B-100, vitellogenin-1, vitellogenin-2-like, riboflavin-binding protein, and serotransferrin might play a crucial role in providing nutrition for embryonic development, and VTG-2-like was preferentially degraded/absorbed.

Effect of UV-A Irradiation on Bioactive Compounds Accumulation and Hypoglycemia-Related Enzymes Activities of Broccoli and Radish Sprouts.

In the present study, different intensities of UV-A were applied to compare their effects on growth, bioactive compounds and hypoglycemia-related enzyme activities in broccoli and radish sprouts. The growth of sprouts was decreased after UV-A irradiation. A total of 12 W of UV-A irradiation resulted in the highest content of anthocyanin, chlorophyll, polyphenol and ascorbic acid in broccoli and radish sprouts. The highest soluble sugar content was recorded in sprouts under 8 W of UV-A irradiation, while no significant difference was obtained in soluble protein content among different UV-A intensities. Furthermore, 12 W of UV-A irradiation induced the highest glucosinolate accumulation, especially glucoraphanin and glucoraphenin in broccoli and radish sprouts, respectively; thus, it enhanced sulforaphane and sulforaphene formation. The α-amylase, α-glucosidase and pancrelipase inhibitory rates of two kinds of sprouts were enhanced significantly after UV-A irradiation, indicating UV-A-irradiation-treated broccoli and radish sprouts have new prospects as hypoglycemic functional foods.

Identification and characterization of circular RNAs involved in the fertility stability of cotton CMS-D2 restorer line under heat stress.

BACKGROUND: As a vital type of noncoding RNAs, circular RNAs (circRNAs) play important roles in plant growth and development and stress response. However, little is known about the biological roles of circRNAs in regulating the stability of male fertility restoration for cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) conditioned by Gossypium harknessii cytoplasm (CMS-D2) cotton under high-temperature (HT) stress. RESULTS: In this study, RNA-sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were performed on pollen grains of isonuclear alloplasmic near-isogenic restorer lines NH [N(Rf1rf1)] and SH [S(Rf1rf1)] with obvious differences in fertility stability under HT stress at two environments. A total of 967 circRNAs were identified, with 250 differentially expressed under HT stress. We confirmed the back-splicing sites of eight selected circRNAs using divergent primers and Sanger sequencing. Tissue-specific expression patterns of five differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs) were also verified by RT-PCR and qRT-PCR. Functional enrichment and metabolic pathway analysis revealed that the parental genes of DECs were significantly enriched in fertility-related biological processes such as pollen tube guidance and cell wall organization, as well as the Pentose and glucuronate interconversions, Steroid biosynthesis, and N-Glycan biosynthesis pathways. Moreover, we also constructed a putative circRNA-mediated competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network consisting of 21 DECs, eight predicted circRNA-binding miRNAs, and their corresponding 22 mRNA targets, especially the two ceRNA modules circRNA346-miR159a-MYB33 and circRNA484-miR319e-MYB33, which might play important biological roles in regulating pollen fertility stability of cotton CMS-D2 restorer line under HT stress. CONCLUSIONS: Through systematic analysis of the abundance, characteristics and expression patterns of circRNAs, as well as the potential functions of their parent genes, our findings suggested that circRNAs and their mediated ceRNA networks acted vital biological roles in cotton pollen development, and might be also essential regulators for fertility stability of CMS-D2 restorer line under heat stress. This study will open a new door for further unlocking complex regulatory mechanisms underpinning the fertility restoration stability for CMS-D2 in cotton.

The mechanism underlying asymmetric bending of lateral petals in Delphinium (Ranunculaceae).

During the process of flower opening, most petals move downward in the direction of the pedicel (i.e., epinastic movement). In most Delphinium flowers, however, their two lateral petals display a very peculiar movement, the mirrored helical rotation, which requires the twist of the petal stalk. However, in some lineages, their lateral petals also exhibit asymmetric bending that increases the degree of mirrored helical rotation, facilitating the formation of a 3D final shape. Notably, petal asymmetric bending is a novel trait that has not been noticed yet, so its morphological nature, developmental process, and molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, by using D. anthriscifolium as a model, we determined that petal asymmetric bending was caused by the localized expansion of cell width, accompanied by the specialized array of cell wall nano-structure, on the adaxial epidermis. Digital gene analyses, gene expression, and functional studies revealed that a class I homeodomain-leucine zipper family transcription factor gene, DeanLATE MERISTEM IDENTITY1 (DeanLMI1), contributes to petal asymmetric bending; knockdown of it led to the formation of explanate 2D petals. Specifically, DeanLMI1 promotes cell expansion in width and influences the arrangement of cell wall nano-structure on the localized adaxial epidermis. These results not only provide a comprehensive portrait of petal asymmetric bending for the first time but also shed some new insights into the mechanisms of flower opening and helical movement in plants.

Covalently Functionalized Nanopores for Highly Selective Separation of Monovalent Ions.

Biological ion channels possess prominent ion transport performances attributed to their critical chemical groups across the continuous nanoscale filters. However, it is still a challenge to imitate these sophisticated performances in artificial nanoscale systems. Herein, this work develops the strategy to fabricate functionalized graphene nanopores in pioneer based on the synergistic regulation of the pore size and chemical properties of atomically thin confined structure through decoupling etching combined with in situ covalent modification. The modified graphene nanopores possess asymmetric ion transport behaviors and efficient monovalent metal ions sieving (K+ /Li+ selectivity ≈48.6). Meanwhile, it also allows preferential transport for cations, the resulting membranes exhibit a K+ /Cl- selectivity of 76 and a H+ /Cl- selectivity of 59.3. The synergistic effects of steric hindrance and electrostatic interactions imposing a higher energy barrier for Cl- or Li+ across nanopores lead to ultra-selective H+ or K+ transport. Further, the functionalized graphene nanopores generate a power density of 25.3 W m-2 and a conversion efficiency of 33.9%, showing potential application prospects in energy conversion. The theoretical studies quantitatively match well with the experimental results. The feasible preparation of functionalized graphene nanopores paves the way toward direct investigation on ion transport mechanism and advanced design in devices.

Heat-responsive microRNAs participate in regulating the pollen fertility stability of CMS-D2 restorer line under high-temperature stress.

Anther development and pollen fertility of cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) conditioned by Gossypium harknessii cytoplasm (CMS-D2) restorer lines are susceptible to continuous high-temperature (HT) stress in summer, which seriously hinders the large-scale application of "three-line" hybrids in production. Here, integrated small RNA, transcriptome, degradome, and hormone profiling was performed to explore the roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) in regulating fertility stability in mature pollens of isonuclear alloplasmic near-isogenic restorer lines NH and SH under HT stress at two environments. A total of 211 known and 248 novel miRNAs were identified, of which 159 were differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs). Additionally, 45 DEMs in 39 miRNA clusters (PmCs) were also identified, and most highly expressed miRNAs were significantly induced in SH under extreme HT, especially four MIR482 and six MIR6300 family miRNAs. PmC28 was located in the fine-mapped interval of the Rf1 gene and contained two DEMs, gra-miR482_L-2R + 2 and gma-miR2118a-3p_R + 1_1ss18TG. Transcriptome sequencing identified 6281 differentially expressed genes, of which heat shock protein (HSP)-related genes, such as HSP70, HSP22, HSP18.5-C, HSP18.2 and HSP17.3-B, presented significantly reduced expression levels in SH under HT stress. Through integrating multi-omics data, we constructed a comprehensive molecular network of miRNA-mRNA-gene-KEGG containing 35 pairs of miRNA/target genes involved in regulating the pollen development in response to HT, among which the mtr-miR167a_R + 1, tcc-miR167c and ghr-miR390a, tcc-miR396c_L-1 and ghr-MIR169b-p3_1ss6AG regulated the pollen fertility by influencing ARF8 responsible for the auxin signal transduction, ascorbate and aldarate metabolism, and the sugar and lipid metabolism and transport pathways, respectively. Further combination with hormone analysis revealed that HT-induced jasmonic acid signaling could activate the expression of downstream auxin synthesis-related genes and cause excessive auxin accumulation, followed by a cascade of auxin signal transduction, ultimately resulting in pollen abortion. The results provide a new understanding of how heat-responsive miRNAs regulate the stability of fertility restoration for CMS-D2 cotton under heat stress.

Sb Doping and Amorphization Co-Induced High Capacity and Excellent Durability of Tin Sulfide-Based Anode for K-Ion Batteries.

The carbon nanotubes (CNTs) supported amorphous Sb doped substoichiometric tin dulfide (Sb─SnSx ) with a carbon coating (the C/Sb─SnSx @CNTs-500) is reported to be an efficient anode material for K+ storage. The formation of the C/Sb─SnSx @CNTs-500 is simply achieved through the thermally induced desulfurization of tin sulfide via a controlled annealing of the C/Sb─SnS2 @CNTs at 500 °C. When used for the K+ storage, it can deliver stable reversible capacities of 406.5, 305.7, and 238.4 mAh g-1 at 0.1, 1.0, and 2.0 A g-1 , respectively, and shows no capacity drops when potassiated/depotassiated at 1.0 and 2.0 A g-1 for >3000 and 2400 cycles, respectively. Even at 10, 20, and 30 A g-1 , it can still deliver stable reversible capacities of 138.5, 85.1, and 73.8 mAh g-1 , respectively. The unique structure, which combines the advantageous features of carbon integration/coating, metal doping, and desulfurization-induced amorphous structure, is the main origin of the high performance of the C/Sb─SnSx @CNTs-500. Specifically, the carbon integration/coating can increase the electric conductivity and stability of the C/Sb─SnSx @CNTs-500. The density function theory calculation indicates that the Sb doping and the desulfurization can facilitate the potassiation and increase the electric conductivity of Sb─SnSx . Additionally, the desulfurization can increase the K+ diffusivity in Sb─SnSx .

Fall risk management in interventional prenatal diagnosis perioperative pregnant women based on tracking methodology and failure mode and effect analysis application.

The aim was to explore the effectiveness of a tracing methodology combined with failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) for managing falls in pregnant women during the perioperative period of interventional prenatal diagnosis. Using the tracing methodology, the process was evaluated and analyzed using FMEA after reviewing data, on-site interview, case tracking and on-site inspection, and improvement measures were proposed for the existing risk factors, and the fall-related quality indicators, satisfaction with fall-related health education, and risk priority number were compared before and after implementation. Effectiveness analysis for interventional prenatal diagnosis of perioperative maternal falls risk management resulted in a significant decrease in risk priority number (P < .01), a significant increase in the rate of correct fall risk identification and assessment, correct handover rate of pregnant women at risk of falls, correct intervention rate of pregnant women at high risk of falls, and effective coverage of falls-related health education (P < .01), a significant increase in satisfaction with falls-related health education (P < .001), and the incidence of falls among pregnant women decreased from 0.12% to 0%. The use of tracking methodology combined with FMEA can reduce the risk of perioperative maternal falls in interventional prenatal diagnosis and improve the safety of maternal visits.

Effect of cardiac function in patients with gastrointestinal cancer with or without acute kidney injury assessed using a non-invasive impedance cardiography: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the possible causes of changes in cardiac function and investigate the feasibility of clinical assessment of gastrointestinal cancer in patients with or without acute kidney injury (AKI) assessed using a non-invasive impedance cardiography (ICG, Bioz. Cardio Dynamics, USA) to identify independent risk factors. METHODS: Patients admitted to the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, China, between May 1, 2019, and February 15, 2022, were included in this study. A total of 51 patients with gastrointestinal cancer (31 men and 20 women, mean age 61.1 ± 10.9 years) with or without AKI were evaluated for ICG. A total of 19 patients underwent ultrasound cardiography (UCG) and ICG evaluations. RESULT: There was a significant positive correlation between cardiac output (CO), cardiac index (CI), stroke volume (SV), left cardiac work index (LCWI), and ejection fraction (EF) measured using UCG and ICG. The relationship was observed between COICG and COUCG (r = 0.707, P = 0.001), CIICG and CIUCG (r = 0.718, P = 0.001), SVICG and SVUCG (r = 0.837, P < 0.001), and LCWIICG and EFUCG (r = 0.540, P = 0.017). Cardiac function parameters measured using ICG were statistically different between patients with gastrointestinal cancer with or without AKI (P ≤ 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that AKI independently affects cardiac function in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: UCG and ICG methods are significantly associated with cardiac function in patients with or without AKI, and patients with gastrointestinal cancer with AKI are worse than those without AKI. AKI is an independent risk factor for cardiac function in patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

Frailty and prognosis of patients with kidney transplantation: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of frailty among candidates and recipients of kidney transplantation (KT) is well-established, yet the impact of frailty on clinical outcomes following KT remains uncertain. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a systematic meta-analysis to comprehensively assess the aforementioned relationship. METHODS: The present study conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases to identify relevant observational studies that compared mortality risk and other clinical outcomes of KT recipients with and without frailty. Two authors independently conducted data collection, literature searching, and statistical analysis. The results were synthesized using a heterogeneity-incorporating random-effects model. RESULTS: In this meta-analysis, 6279 patients from 13 cohort studies were included, and 1435 patients (22.9%) were with frailty before KT. There were higher mortality rates among frail patients at admission, compared to those without frailty (risk ratio [RR]: 1.97, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.57 to 2.47, p < 0.001; I2 = 19%). Subgroup analysis suggested the association between frailty and high mortality risk after KT was consistent in studies of frailty assessed via Physical Frailty Phenotype or other methods, and in studies of follow-up duration < or ≥ 5 years. In addition, frailty was associated with higher incidence of delayed graft function (RR: 1.78, 95% CI: 1.21 to 2.61, p = 0.003; I2 = 0%), postoperative complications (RR: 1.88, 95% CI: 1.15 to 3.08, p = 0.01; I2 = 0%), and longer hospitalization (RR: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.22 to 1.97, p < 0.001; I2 = 0%). CONCLUSION: Following KT, frail patients are at higher risks for all-cause mortality, delayed graft function, postoperative complications, and longer hospital stays.

Dose effects of restorer gene modulate pollen fertility in cotton CMS-D2 restorer lines via auxin signaling and flavonoid biosynthesis.

KEY MESSAGE: Dose effects of Rf1 gene regulated retrieval mechanism of pollen fertility for CMS-D2 cotton. Cytoplasmic male sterility conditioned by Gossypium harknessii cytoplasm (CMS-D2) is an economical pollination control system for producing hybrid cotton seeds compared to artificial and chemical emasculation methods. However, the unstable restoring ability of restorer lines is a main barrier in the large-scale application of "three-line" hybrid cotton in China. Our phenotypic investigation determined that the homozygous Rf1Rf1 allelic genotype had a stronger ability to generate fertile pollen than the heterozygous Rf1rf1 allelic genotype. To decipher the genetic mechanisms that control the differential levels of pollen fertility, an integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis was performed at two environments using pollen grains of four cotton genotypes differing in Rf1 alleles or cytoplasm. Totally 5,391 differential metabolite features were detected, and 369 specific differential metabolites (DMs) were identified between homozygous and heterozygous Rf1 allelic genotypes with CMS-D2 cytoplasm. In addition, transcriptome analysis identified 2,490 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 96 unique hub DEGs with dynamic regulation in this comparative combination. Further integrated analyses revealed that several key DEGs and DMs involved in indole biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, and sugar metabolism had strong network linkage with fertility restoration. In vitro application of auxin analogue NAA and inhibitor Auxinole confirmed that over-activated auxin signaling might inhibit pollen development, whereas suppressing auxin signaling partially promoted pollen development in CMS-D2 cotton. Our results provide new insight into how the dosage effects of the Rf1 gene regulate pollen fertility of CMS-D2 cotton.

PROTOCOL: Non-pharmacological interventions for older people with a diagnosis of depression: An evidence and gap map.

This is the protocol for an evidence and gap map. The objectives are as follows: To map available randomized control trials, economic evaluations, and systematic reviews that assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for older people with a diagnosis of depression and identify any existing gaps in the evidence that can inform future research.

Construction of Built-In Electric Field in TiO2@Ti2O3 Core-Shell Heterojunctions toward Optimized Photocatalytic Performance.

A series of Ti2O3@TiO2 core-shell heterojunction composite photocatalysts with different internal electric fields were synthesized using simple heat treatment methods. The synthesized Ti2O3@TiO2 core-shell heterojunction composites were characterized by means of SEM, XRD, PL, UV-Vis, BET, SPV, TEM and other related analytical techniques. Tetracycline (TC) was used as the degradation target to evaluate the photocatalytic performance of the synthesized Ti2O3@TiO2 core-shell heterojunction composites. The relevant test results show that the photocatalytic performance of the optimized materials has been significantly enhanced compared to Ti2O3, while the photocatalytic degradation rate has increased from 28% to 70.1%. After verification via several different testing and characterization techniques, the excellent catalytic performance is attributed to the efficient separation efficiency of the photogenerated charge carriers derived from the built-in electric field formed between Ti2O3 and TiO2. When the recombination of electrons and holes is occupied, more charges are generated to reach the surface of the photocatalyst, thereby improving the photocatalytic degradation efficiency. Thus, this work provides a universal strategy to enhance the photocatalytic performance of Ti2O3 by coupling it with TiO2 to build an internal electric field.

Comparative Transcriptome Profiling of CMS-D2 and CMS-D8 Systems Characterizes Fertility Restoration Genes Network in Upland Cotton.

Resolving the genetic basis of fertility restoration for cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) can improve the efficiency of three-line hybrid breeding. However, the genetic determinants of male fertility restoration in cotton are still largely unknown. This study comprehensively compared the full-length transcripts of CMS-D2 and CMS-D8 systems to identify potential genes linked with fertility restorer genes Rf1 or Rf2. Target comparative analysis revealed a higher percentage of differential genes in each restorer line as compared to their corresponding sterile and maintainer lines. An array of genes with specific expression in the restorer line of CMS-D2 had functional annotations related to floral development and pathway enrichments in various secondary metabolites, while specifically expressed genes in the CMS-D8 restorer line showed functional annotations related to anther development and pathway enrichment in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Further analysis identified potentially key genes located in the target region of fertility restorer genes Rf1 or Rf2. In particular, Ghir_D05G032450 can be the candidate gene related to restorer gene Rf1, and Ghir_D05G035690 can be the candidate gene associated with restorer gene Rf2. Further gene expression validation with qRT-PCR confirmed the accuracy of our results. Our findings provide useful insights into decoding the potential regulatory network that retrieves pollen fertility in cotton and will help to further reveal the differences in the genetic basis of fertility restoration for two CMS systems.