Abating ammonia emission from poultry manure by Pt/TiO2 modified corn straw.

Poultry manure is a significant source of ammonia (NH3) emissions, which not only poses detrimental impacts on human well-being and the ecological system, but also leads to economic losses in the agricultural industry. Herein, we modified corn straw (CS) with 1 wt% Pt/TiO2 catalysts using a low-temperature partial-oxidation technology to mitigate NH3 emissions from poultry manure. It was found that Pt/TiO2 can enable exothermic processes to occur at lower temperatures by reducing the activation energy. Under optimal modification conditions of 220 °C, the NH3 uptakes of modified CS samples were markedly greater compared to those of the original CS. Addition of 20-50% modified CS to poultry manure resulted in significant reductions of 54.1-98.6% in NH3 emissions compared to the control. Mechanistic studies indicate that NH3 adsorption on the modified CS is mainly driven by the presence of acidic and alkaline functional groups, while surface area and pore structure have a negligible effect. XPS combined with NH3-TPD reveals that the formation of amide and amine bonds contributes to the excellent stability of adsorbed NH3. H2-TPR, O2-TPD, and d-band theory suggest that strong metal-support interactions between Pt and TiO2 could be particularly crucial in catalyzing CS modification. This study proposes an environmentally sustainable and economically viable solution for abating NH3 emissions from poultry manure, thereby addressing crucial environmental and economic concerns in the agricultural sector.

Hydrangea paniculata coumarins attenuate experimental membranous nephritis by bidirectional interactions with the gut microbiota.

Coumarins isolated from Hydrangea paniculata (HP) had a renal protective effect in experimental membranous nephritis (MN), but the mechanisms are not clear. Currently, we investigate whether the modulation of gut dysbiosis by HP contributes to its renal protection. Experimental MN rats were treated with HP for six weeks. Fecal 16S rDNA sequencing and metabolomics were performed. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was used for the evaluation study. The results demonstrate that deteriorated renal function and gut dysbiosis are found in MN rats, as manifested by a higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and reduced diversity and richness, but both changes were reversed by HP treatment. Reduced gut dysbiosis is correlated with improved colonic integrity and lower endotoxemia in HP-treated rats. HP normalized the abnormal level of fecal metabolites by increasing short-chain fatty acid production and hindering the production of uremic toxin precursors. FMT of HP-treated feces to MN animals moderately reduced endotoxemia and albuminuria. Moreover, major coumarins in HP were only biotransformed into more bioactive 7-hydroxycoumarin by gut microbiota, which strengthened the effect of HP in vivo. Depletion of the gut microbiota partially abolished its renal protective effect. In conclusion, the bidirectional interaction between HP and the gut microbiota contributes to its beneficial effect.

Identifying Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy from Nonobstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Development and Validation of a Model Based on Electrocardiogram Features.

Background: The clinical presentation and prognosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are heterogeneous between nonobstructive HCM (HNCM) and obstructive HCM (HOCM). Electrocardiography (ECG) has been used as a screening tool for HCM. However, it is still unclear whether the features presented on ECG could be used for the initial classification of HOCM and HNCM. Objective: We aimed to develop a pragmatic model based on common 12-lead ECG features for the initial identification of HOCM/HNCM. Methods: Between April 1st and September 30th, 2020, 172 consecutive HCM patients from the International Cooperation Center for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy of Xijing Hospital were prospectively included in the training cohort. Between January 4th and February 30th, 2021, an additional 62 HCM patients were prospectively included in the temporal internal validation cohort. External validation was performed using retrospectively collected ECG data with definite classification (390 HOCM and 499 HNCM ECG samples) from January 1st, 2010 to March 31st, 2020. Multivariable backward logistic regression (LR) was used to develop the prediction model. The discrimination performance, calibration and clinical utility of the model were evaluated. Results: Of all 30 acquired ECG parameters, 10 variables were significantly different between HOCM and HNCM (all P < 0.05). The P wave interval and SV1 were selected to construct the model, which had a clearly useful C-statistic of 0.805 (0.697, 0.914) in the temporal validation cohort and 0.776 (0.746, 0.806) in the external validation cohort for differentiating HOCM from HNCM. The calibration plot, decision curve analysis, and clinical impact curve indicated that the model had good fitness and clinical utility. Conclusion: The pragmatic model constructed by the P wave interval and SV1 had a clearly useful ability to discriminate HOCM from HNCM. The model might potentially serve as an initial classification of HCM before referring patients to dedicated centers and specialists. Highlights: What are the novel findings of this work? Evident differences exist in the ECG presentations between HOCM and HNCM.To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first piece of evidence to quantify the difference in the ECG presentations between HOCM and HNCM.Based on routine 12-lead ECG data, a probabilistic model was generated that might assist in the initial classification of HCM patients.

Catalytic modification of corn straw facilitates the remediation of Cd contaminated water and soil.

Turning postharvest residue into high-value-added products is crucial for agricultural waste management and environmental remediation. In this proof-of-concept study, nanosized Pt/TiO2 was used as a model catalyst to modify corn straw (CS) materials through a simple low-temperature oxidation process. This method was demonstrated to be self-sustainable, waste-free, and with high yields. At an optimal temperature of 220 °C, O2 treatment with 1 wt% Pt/TiO2 greatly changed ultra-micropore and mesopore structures, dissolved organic carbon, aromatic contents and surface oxygen (O)-containing functional groups in CS products. This treatment resulted in an approximately 5-fold increase of cadmium (Cd) adsorption from aqueous solution and immobilization rate of 43.1% at 7d for bioavailable Cd in soil. Spectroscopic and linear regression analysis demonstrated that both acidic and basic functional groups in CS contributed to Cd adsorption, suggesting chemical adsorption. According to the d-band theory, the unexpected role of catalysts in CS modification could be associated with dissociative adsorption of molecular O2 on the Pt surface. These results provide insights for the development of economic and sustainable technologies to reutilize agricultural waste biomass for water and soil remediation.

Array Study of VLF Thin-Film Magnetoelectric Antenna with a Microbridge Structure.

Recently, magnetoelectric (ME) antennas have become a hot topic in the field of antenna miniaturization in the very-low-frequency (VLF) band because their size can be reduced to one-ten-thousandth of the size of conventional electric antennas. However, they still suffer from narrow transmission/reception bandwidth and weak radiation intensity. To address these issues, VLF thin-film ME antennas with a microbridge structure are designed, and the method of array connection is used. Test results show that the detection limit of the ME antenna unit is 636 pT/√Hz at 23 kHz and the radiant magnetic field intensity at 0.12 m is 0.87 nT (input power of 10 mW). By series-connecting three ME antenna units with the same resonance frequency, the output response has been increased to 1.72 times and the EM wave radiation intensity is increased to 1.9 times compared to a single unit. By parallel-connecting two ME antenna units with different resonance frequencies, the output response bandwidth has been expanded to 1.56 times compared to a single unit, and the signal radiation bandwidth has been expanded to 1.47 times. This work provides a valuable reference for the future larger-scale arraying of ME antennas.

Novel biomarkers identifying hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and its obstructive variant based on targeted amino acid metabolomics.

BACKGROUND: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an underdiagnosed genetic heart disease worldwide. The management and prognosis of obstructive HCM (HOCM) and non-obstructive HCM (HNCM) are quite different, but it also remains challenging to discriminate these two subtypes. HCM is characterized by dysmetabolism, and myocardial amino acid (AA) metabolism is robustly changed. The present study aimed to delineate plasma AA and derivatives profiles, and identify potential biomarkers for HCM. METHODS: Plasma samples from 166 participants, including 57 cases of HOCM, 52 cases of HNCM, and 57 normal controls (NCs), who first visited the International Cooperation Center for HCM, Xijing Hospital between December 2019 and September 2020, were collected and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry based on targeted AA metabolomics. Three separate classification algorithms, including random forest, support vector machine, and logistic regression, were applied for the identification of specific AA and derivatives compositions for HCM and the development of screening models to discriminate HCM from NC as well as HOCM from HNCM. RESULTS: The univariate analysis showed that the serine, glycine, proline, citrulline, glutamine, cystine, creatinine, cysteine, choline, and aminoadipic acid levels in the HCM group were significantly different from those in the NC group. Four AAs and derivatives (Panel A; proline, glycine, cysteine, and choline) were screened out by multiple feature selection algorithms for discriminating HCM patients from NCs. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis in Panel A yielded an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.83 (0.75-0.91) in the training set and 0.79 (0.65-0.94) in the validation set. Moreover, among 10 AAs and derivatives (arginine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, proline, alanine, asparagine, creatine, tryptophan, ornithine, and choline) with statistical significance between HOCM and HNCM, 3 AAs (Panel B; arginine, proline, and ornithine) were selected to differentiate the two subgroups. The AUC values in the training and validation sets for Panel B were 0.83 (0.74-0.93) and 0.82 (0.66-0.98), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The plasma AA and derivatives profiles were distinct between the HCM and NC groups. Based on the differential profiles, the two established screening models have potential value in assisting HCM screening and identifying whether it is obstructive.

Elevated AKIP1 expression is associated with tumor invasion, shorter survival time and decreased chemosensitivity in endometrial carcinoma.

A-kinase-interacting protein 1 (AKIP1), as a recently discovered oncoprotein, promotes cell malignant behaviors in gynecological malignancies. To the best of our knowledge, no study reports its clinical value in patients with endometrial carcinoma. The present study aimed to explore the association between AKIP1 expression and clinical features and survival in patients with endometrial carcinoma, and to assess the effect of AKIP1 knockdown on the regulation of chemosensitivity in vitro. The tumor and adjacent tissue specimens from 101 patients with endometrial carcinoma were retrieved for AKIP1 protein expression analysis using an immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay. Meanwhile, specimens from 54 patients with endometrial carcinoma were analyzed for AKIP1 mRNA expression using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Furthermore, an in vitro experiment was conducted in the Ishikawa cell line to determine the effect of AKIP1 modification on the chemosensitivity of cisplatin and paclitaxel. AKIP1 IHC score (P<0.001) and mRNA expression levels (P<0.001) were increased in tumor tissues compared with those in adjacent tissues. Moreover, increased AKIP1 IHC score was associated with lymphovascular invasion (P=0.007), advanced International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage (P=0.002) and shorter overall survival (OS) time (P=0.035) in the patients with endometrial carcinoma. Meanwhile, upregulated AKIP1 mRNA expression levels were associated with lymphovascular invasion (P=0.020) and advanced FIGO stage (P=0.027) in the patients with endometrial carcinoma. Multivariate Cox regression showed that tumor AKIP1 protein expression (high vs. low) independently predicted a shorter OS time (P=0.036). Silencing of AKIP1 decreased Ishikawa cell viability when treated with 5, 10, 20 and 40 µM cisplatin (all P<0.05) and decreased the half maximal inhibitory concentration value of cisplatin (P=0.003), whereas its effect on paclitaxel chemosensitivity was less obvious. Overall, elevated AKIP1 expression was associated with tumor invasion, shorter survival time and decreased chemosensitivity in endometrial carcinoma.

Derivation and Validation of a Screening Model for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Based on Electrocardiogram Features.

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a widely distributed, but clinically heterogeneous genetic heart disease, affects approximately 20 million people worldwide. Nowadays, HCM is treatable with the advancement of medical interventions. However, due to occult clinical presentations and a lack of easy, inexpensive, and widely popularized screening approaches in the general population, 80-90% HCM patients are not clinically identifiable, which brings certain safety hazards could have been prevented. The majority HCM patients showed abnormal and diverse electrocardiogram (ECG) presentations, it is unclear which ECG parameters are the most efficient for HCM screening. Objective: We aimed to develop a pragmatic prediction model based on the most common ECG features to screen for HCM. Methods: Between April 1st and September 30th, 2020, 423 consecutive subjects from the International Cooperation Center for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy of Xijing Hospital [172 HCM patients, 251 participants without left ventricular hypertrophy (non-HCM)] were prospectively included in the training cohort. Between January 4th and February 30th, 2021, 163 participants from the same center were included in the temporal internal validation cohort (62 HCM patients, 101 non-HCM participants). External validation was performed using retrospectively collected ECG data from Xijing Hospital (3,232 HCM ECG samples from January 1st, 2000, to March 31st, 2020; 95,184 non-HCM ECG samples from January 1st to December 31st, 2020). The C-statistic was used to measure the discriminative ability of the model. Results: Among 30 ECG features examined, all except abnormal Q wave significantly differed between the HCM patients and non-HCM comparators. After several independent feature selection approaches and model evaluation, we included only two ECG features, T wave inversion (TWI) and the amplitude of S wave in lead V1 (SV1), in the HCM prediction model. The model showed a clearly useful discriminative performance (C-statistic > 0.75) in the training [C-statistic 0.857 (0.818-0.896)], and temporal validation cohorts [C-statistic 0.871 (0.812-0.930)]. In the external validation cohort, the C-statistic of the model was 0.833 [0.825-0.841]. A browser-based calculator was generated accordingly. Conclusion: The pragmatic model established using only TWI and SV1 may be helpful for predicting the probability of HCM and shows promise for use in population-based HCM screening.

Identifying adsorption sites for Cd(II) and organic dyes on modified straw materials.

Turning agricultural waste into effective remediation materials is a highly promising approach for reducing in-field crop burning and promoting affordable wastewater treatment. This comparative study aims to identify active adsorption sites for methylene blue (MB), crystal violet (CV), and cadmium (Cd) as model pollutants on wheat straw materials modified by a thermal partial-oxidation process. The optimal modification temperature was found to be 160-180 °C for MB and CV adsorption, which is much lower than that of Cd(II) at 220-240 °C. A strong linear correlation exits between total surface group concentrations and Cd(II) uptake, indicating that both acidic and basic functional groups are favourable adsorption sites of Cd(II). By contrast, basic groups generated at higher modification temperatures might have adverse effects on MB and CV adsorption. These results provided mechanistic insights and predictive approach into reuse of agricultural waste for environmental remediation.

Evaluation of Short-Chain Antimicrobial Peptides With Combined Antimicrobial and Anti-inflammatory Bioactivities for the Treatment of Zoonotic Skin Pathogens From Canines.

The incidence of zoonotic Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Microsporum canis infections is rapidly growing worldwide in the context of an increasing frequency of close contact between animals and humans, presenting challenges in both human and veterinary medicine. Moreover, the development of microbial resistance and emergence of recalcitrant biofilms, accompanied by the insufficiency of new antimicrobial agents, have become major obstacles in treating superficial skin infections caused by various microbes including S. pseudintermedius and M. canis. Over recent years, the prospects of antimicrobial peptides as emerging antimicrobials to combat microbial infections have been demonstrated. In our study, two novel short-chain peptides, namely, allomyrinasin and andricin B, produced by Allomyrina dichotoma and Andrias davidianus, were revealed to exhibit potent antimicrobial efficacy against clinical isolates of S. pseudintermedius and M. canis with remarkable and rapid fungicidal and bactericidal effects, while allomyrinasin exhibited inhibition of biofilm formation and eradication of mature biofilm. These peptides displayed synergistic activity when combined with amoxicillin and terbinafine against S. pseudintermedius and M. canis. Cytoplasmic leakage via cytomembrane permeabilization serves as a mechanism of action. Extremely low hemolytic activity and serum stability in vitro, as well as superior anti-infective efficacy in reducing bacterial counts and relieving the inflammatory response in vivo, were detected. The potent antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory activities of allomyrinasin and andricin B might indicate promising anti-infective alternatives for the treatment of S. pseudintermedius and M. canis infections in the context of human and veterinary medicine.

Gender- and age-related differences in distinct phenotypes of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-associated mutation MYBPC3-E334K.

The mutation MYBPC3-E334K is a culprit mutation of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The pathogenicity of MYBPC3-E334K is conflicting in ClinVar because of the limited segregation data and the relatively high frequency in gnomAD (0.03% overall, with 0.3% in East Asians and 0.8% in Japanese). The main aim is to clarify the clinical importance and phenotype-genotype correlations in subjects with or without MYBPC3-E334K alone. The prevalence of MYBPC3-E334K was sequenced in 1017 HCM unrelated probands. The clinical features, morphology phenotypes, and electrical phenotypes were further analyzed according to the phenotype and genotype status in families with single-mutation MYBPC3-E334K. Nine of 1017 (0.88%) unrelated HCM probands were detected harboring MYBPC3-E334K, and three of them harbored a second variant in sarcomere protein gene. Family study and co-segregation analyses indicated that patients with single-mutation MYBPC3-E334K showed autosomal dominant mode of inheritance with incomplete penetrance. The overall disease penetrance was 52.6%, and the disease penetrance was higher in males than in females (100% in men vs 25% in women, p = 0.003). The mean age at diagnosis of males was approximately 25 years younger than females (36.57 ± 18.65 vs 62.33 ± 12.10, p = 0.062). The variant MYBPC3-E334K was classified as a likely pathogenic variant, and a second sarcomere variant did not reveal obvious cumulative effects. The patients harboring single-mutation MYBPC3-E334K had incomplete penetrance, and males demonstrated higher penetrance and early onset HCM than females. A second sarcomere variant did not reveal obvious cumulative effects.

Clinical and molecular characterization of seven patients with Danon disease.

Danon disease is an X-linked glycogen storage disease characterized by skeletal myopathy, cardiomyopathy and intellectual impairment. It is caused by a loss-of-function mutation in the lysosome-associated membrane protein-2 (LAMP2) gene. In the present study, exon and boarding intron analysis of 96 cardio disease-associated genes was performed in 770 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) using second-generation sequencing. Next, the identified mutations were confirmed in family members of the patients and 300 healthy controls. Detailed clinical, electrocardiographic (ECG) and echocardiographic findings were recorded. A pathogenic mutation in LAMP2 was identified in 7 patients who phenotypically presented with HCM. A total of four patients had a fragmented QRS complex (fQRS) on surface ECG. In addition, two patients presented with ventricular preexcitation with a short PR interval. Compared with the patients with protein kinase AMP-activated non-catalytic subunit γ2 syndrome and Fabry disease, the 7 patients with Danon disease presented at an earlier age, had a smaller left atrial size, a thinner maximal left ventricular wall thickness and a lower probability of pacemaker implantation. Compared with 12 sex- and age-matched patients with sarcomere-protein mutations, the 4 patients with Danon disease had a lower left ventricular outflow tract gradient and worse diastolic function. The present study provided a comprehensive comparison of different pathologies presenting with HCM and reported on features of early-onset Danon disease, including the characteristic preexcitation and fQRS on ECG. This may provide valuable information that may be utilized for the early diagnosis and treatment of patients with Danon disease. The present study was registered as a clinical trial with ClinicalTrials.gov (Sep. 2, 2016; registry no. NCT02888132).

Integrative Analysis of the Coloring Mechanism of Red Longan Pericarp through Metabolome and Transcriptome Analyses.

The pericarp of longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) is rich in secondary metabolites and typically yellow-brown or gray-yellow in appearance. Here, we obtained a specific longan type, called red pericarp (RP) longan, which has a strong red pericarp. To understand the coloring mechanism of RP longan, metabolome and transcriptome data were used to analyze its secondary metabolites and molecular mechanism. From the results of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, 597 substances were identified in RP longan and 'Shixia' (SX) longan. Among these substances, 33 (mostly including flavonoids) were found in RP longan and 23 (mostly containing phenolic acids) were identified in SX longan. We identified five types of anthocyanins in longan pericarp, including three cyanidin derivatives, one delphinidin derivative, and one pelargonidin derivative. Three cyanidin derivatives, which contained cyanidin 3-O-glucoside, cyanidin 3-O-6″-malonyl-glucoside, and cyanidin O-syringic acid, were the primary components of anthocyanidins, and they only existed in RP longan. Delphinin 3-O-glucoside existed only in SX longan, and pelargonin O-rutinoside existed in RP and SX longan. However, their contents were extremely low. The structural genes F3H, F3'H, UFGT, and GST and the controlling genes containing MYB, bHLH, NAC, and MADS in the biosynthetic pathway of anthocyanin were significantly upregulated in RP longan. In summary, the strong red hue of RP longan is due to the accumulation of cyanidin derivatives in its pericarp, and the genes F3'H and F3'5'H may play an important role in selecting which component of anthocyanins will be synthesized. These results can provide scientific guidance for understanding and developing bioactive compounds from longan fruits.

Increasing straw surface functionalities for enhanced adsorption property.

A simple low-temperature partial-oxidation process was demonstrated as an effective technology for reed straw modification towards environmental remediation. At an optimal temperature of 180 °C, the straw materials exhibited a remarkable colour change from light yellow to dark brown, increased methylene blue (MB) uptake by 1.8 times, enhanced removal efficiency from 34.5% to 92.8%, and a high yield of 77.2%. Spectroscopic characterization and Boehm titration proved that the amount of surface oxygen (O)-containing functional groups significantly increased after modification. A strong linear correlation (R2 = 0.93) existed between total amounts of O-containing functional groups and MB uptake for modification temperatures below 180 °C, whereas blockage of the pore entrances and competition with metallic cations must be taken into account for samples generated from excess heating (>180 °C). These results provided insights into designing promising technologies for sustainable environmental management through reutilization of agricultural waste.

A potential strategy for in-stent restenosis: Inhibition of migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells by Cu ion.

The in-stent restenosis (ISR) often happens after the implantation of metal stents, including both bare metal stents (BMSs) and drug-eluting stents (DESs). Drug release from DESs could reduce significantly the occurrence of ISR but also suppress the revascularization and cause thrombosis. In this study, the effect of Cu ion in a range of 0 to 500 µM on the migration and proliferation of rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs) was investigated by a series of in vitro experiments including wound-healing assay, cell viability assay and flow cytometric analysis. It has been found that the critical concentration of Cu ion should be at least 250 µM in order to significantly inhibit the migration of RASMCs and the proliferation of RASMCs were impeded by every dose of Cu ion used in this study. In addition, the protein level of caspase-3 was upregulated by 250 µM and 500 µM Cu2+ exposure, which might be the main reason for RASMCs apoptosis. Thus, it is proposed that ISR might be prevented by the constant release of Cu ion.

Lithium-Ion-Engineered Interlayers of V2C MXene as Advanced Host for Flexible Sulfur Cathode with Enhanced Rate Performance.

A flexible free-standing S@lithium-ion-intercalated V2C MXene/rGO-CNT (S@V2C-Li/C) electrode was rationally prepared to address the neglected issue of Li-ion transport for high-rate lithium-sulfur batteries. In this unique nanoarchitecture, rGO and CNTs serve as a flexible skeleton with high conductivity, whereas V2C-Li MXene plays a vital role in both the chemical absorption of polysulfides and the enhanced transport of lithium ions due to its high polarity and enlarged interlayer distance. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of strong chemical absorption capability and fast lithium-ion migration and exchange, the as-prepared S@V2C-Li/C electrode demonstrates long-term cycling stability with small capacity decay rates of 0.053 and 0.051% per cycle over 500 cycles at 1 and 2 C, respectively.

Metabolomic and transcriptomic profiling of three types of litchi pericarps reveals that changes in the hormone balance constitute the molecular basis of the fruit cracking susceptibility of Litchi chinensis cv. Baitangying.

Many Litchi chinensis cv. Baitangying orchards are suffering from a serious fruit cracking problem, but few studies have improved our understanding of the mechanism or the molecular basis of cracking susceptibility in 'Baitangying'. We conducted metabolome and transcriptome analyses of three types of litchi pericarps. To prevent passive progression after fruit cracking from affecting the results, we mainly focused on 11 metabolites and 101 genes that showed the same regulatory status and overlap in pairwise comparisons of cracking 'Baitangying' versus noncracking 'Baitangying' and noncracking 'Baitangying' versus noncracking 'Feizixiao'. Compared with the cracking-resistant cultivar 'Feizixiao', the 'Baitangying' pericarp has higher abscisic acid contents, and the presence of relevant metabolites and genes suggests increased biosynthesis of ethylene and jasmonic acid and decreased auxin and brassinosteroid biosynthesis. The fruit cracking-susceptible trait in 'Baitangying' might be associated with differences in the balance of these five types of hormones between the pericarp of this cultivar and that of 'Feizixiao'. Additionally, combined analyses showed a correspondence between the metabolite profiles and transcript patterns. qRT-PCR validation indicated the reliability of our high-throughput results. The acquired information might help in further studying the mechanisms that mediate fruit cracking susceptibility in 'Baitangying' and other litchi cultivars.

Analysis of the molecular basis of fruit cracking susceptibility in Litchi chinensis cv. Baitangying by transcriptome and quantitative proteome profiling.

Fruit cracking is a serious problem in Litchi chinensis cv. Baitangying orchards, but few advances have been made in understanding the molecular basis of cracking susceptibility in 'Baitangying'. In this work, we conducted transcriptome and quantitative proteome analyses of the pericarps of three kinds of litchi: noncracking 'Feizixiao' (cracking-resistant cultivar, F), noncracking 'Baitangying' (B), and cracking 'Baitangying' (CB). A total of 101 genes and 14 proteins with the same regulatory changes were found to overlap between CB vs. B and B vs. F, and we focused on these results to avoid the effects of passive progression after fruit cracking. The obtained data suggest that fruit cracking susceptibility in 'Baitangying' is related to pericarp photosynthetic characteristics and the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids in this cultivar, which lead to changes in cuticle structure. Furthermore, differences in the pericarp hormone balance between 'Baitangying' and 'Feizixiao' may influence the susceptibility of 'Baitangying' to fruit cracking. This integrated analysis of transcriptomic and proteomic data indicates that susceptibility to fruit cracking in 'Baitangying' litchi is regulated both translationally and posttranslationally. Our results may help provide a new perspective for further study of the mechanisms that govern fruit cracking susceptibility in 'Baitangying' litchi and other fruits.

Impact of Time Interval Between Glenn and Fontan Procedures on Fontan Operative and Long-Term Follow-up Results.

OBJECTIVE: The bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt (BCPS) is an effective palliative procedure which has been widely used to boost outcome of the Fontan procedure. However, there is no standard duration time between these two procedures. Therefore, we investigated whether different time intervals between BCPS and Fontan procedure affects morbidity and mortality of Fontan patients. METHODS: Between 2004 and 2016, 210 post-BCPS patients underwent Fontan operation at Fuwai Hospital. The median interval between BCPS and Fontan procedure was 3.7 years (range 0.55-11.86 years) and this was used to divide study cohort into Group 1 (< 3.7 years; n = 124) and Group 2 (> 3.7 years; n = 86). We analyzed these patients retrospectively in terms of their preoperative characteristics and post-operative and follow-up results. RESULTS: Weight z-scores for age at BCPS (- 0.73 ± 1.39 vs - 1.17 ± 1.60, p < 0.05) was significantly higher in Group 2. However, saturation at room air before Fontan (76.42 ± 20.01 vs 82.85 ± 9.69, p < 0.001) was significantly higher in Group 1. The morbidity and mortality were similar between two groups. There were twelve hospital deaths (5.7%): eight (8/124, 6.5%) presented in Group 1 and four (4/86, 4.7%) in Group 2. On multi-variable analysis, risk factors for death were prolonged mechanical ventilation [hazard ratio (HR) 1.02, p = 0.004] and single right ventricle (HR 7.17, p = 0.03). After a mean follow-up of 4.95 years (range 0.74-13.62 years), one patient in Group 1 died of heart failure 13 months after Fontan procedure. The overall Fontan failure in Group 1 was similar to that in Group 2 (2.7% vs 2.6%, p = 0.985). The incidence of arrhythmias and re-intervention were not different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Fontan procedure could be performed safely in patient who stayed in long duration between Fontan procedure and BCPS without affecting the operative and long-term follow-up results. However, for post-BCPS patients with severe hypoxemia, earlier age at Fontan might be a good choice.

Prognosis of the complete transposition of great arteries with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction after intraventricular repair / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective     To compare the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients who received two different intraventricular repair. Methods     We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 24 complete transposition of the great arteries (TGA)/left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) patients who all received intraventricular repair. The patients were allocated into two groups including a REV group and a Rastelli group. There were 13 patients with 9 males and 4 females at median age of 25.2 (6, 72) months in the REV group. There were 11 patients with 10 males and 1 female at median age of 47.9 (14, 144) months in the Rastelli group. Results     The age at operation (P=0.041), pulmonary valve Z value (P=0.002), and LVOT gradient (P=0.004), rate of multiphase operation between the REV group and the Rastelli group was statistically different. The mean follow-up time was 17.3 months. And during the follow-up, 1 patient had early mortality, 2 patients had early reintervention, 7 patients had postoperative RVOTO, and received Rastelli and larger VSD inner diameter were associated with postoperative RVOTO. Conclusion     As the traditional surgery for TGA/LVOTO patients, the intraventricular repair has a low early mortality and low early reintervention. Modified REV is associated with postoperative peripheral pulmonary vein isolation (PVIS). Patients who received Rastelli operation and with larger VSD inner diameter are more likely to have postoperative RVOTO, but the reintervention for PVI and   RVOTO during follow up is very low.