Differential Expression of Noncoding RNAs Revealed Enhancer RNA AC016735.2 as a Potential Pathogenic Marker of Congenital Microtia Patients.

PURPOSE: Congenital microtia is a complex maxillofacial malformation with various risk factors. This study aimed to find potential pathogenic noncoding RNAs for congenital microtia patients. METHODS: We collected 3 pairs of residual ear cartilage samples and corresponding normal ear cartilage samples from nonsyndromic congenital microtia patients for microarray experiments. The differentially expressed RNAs were screened, and enrichment analysis and correlation expression analysis were performed to elucidate the function of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). We further investigated the most significantly differentially expressed long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), AC016735.2, through follow-up analyses including RT-qPCR and Western blotting, to validate its differential expression in residual ear cartilage compared with normal ear cartilage. SiRNA was designed to study the regulatory role of AC016735.2, and cell proliferation experiments were conducted to explore its impact on residual ear chondrocytes. RESULTS: Analysis of the microarray data revealed a total of 1079 differentially expressed RNAs, including 305 mRNAs and x lncRNAs, using a threshold of FC>1.5 and P<0.05 for mRNA, and FC>1.0 and P<0.05 for lncRNA. Enrichment analysis indicated that these genes are mainly involved in extracellular matrix regulation and embryonic development. AC016735.2 showed the highest differential expression among the eRNAs, being upregulated in residual ear cartilage. It acts in cis to regulate the nearby coding gene ZFP36L2, indirectly affecting downstream genes such as BMP4, TWSG1, COL2A1, and COL9A2. CONCLUSION: Significant differences were observed in the expression of lncRNAs and mRNAs between residual ear cartilage and normal auricular cartilage tissues in the same genetic background of congenital microtia. These differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs may play crucial roles in the occurrence and development of microtia through pathways associated with extracellular matrix regulation and gastrulation. Particularly, AC016735.2, an eRNA acting in cis, could serve as a potential pathogenic noncoding gene.

Effects of the Omicron variant of coronavirus disease 2019 on anaemia treatment for patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

AIM: Patients undergoing dialysis are at high risk for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Haemoglobin (Hb) levels may be changed in patients infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 who are undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). Therefore, we aimed to explore the effect of anti-anaemia treatment on such patients. METHODS: This study enrolled patients undergoing PD who were infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 at our centre between November 2022 and February 2023. We retrospectively analysed changes in Hb levels and explored the effectiveness of roxadustat and recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) for patients infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19. RESULTS: Among 125 enrolled patients, 83 (66.4%) were infected with the Omicron variant and 75 (90.4%) patients mainly experienced mild or moderate disease. During infection, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were higher than those before infection (p < .001). Additionally, their CRP levels were negatively correlated with Hb levels (p = .002). However, Hb levels were decreased 1 month after infection (109.61 ± 10.64 g/L vs. 115.69 ± 12.04 g/L; p < .001). The roxadustat treatment group did not exhibit significantly decreased Hb levels 1 month after infection (114.57 ± 14.11 vs. 117.51 ± 10.74 g/L; p = .225). Conversely, the rhEPO treatment group experienced a mild decrease in Hb levels (108.69 ± 11.20 vs. 115.03 ± 12.23 g/L; p = .001). Ferritin levels increased in both groups during infection (p = .495). Two months after infection, ferritin levels (median, 205.0 ng/mL) were significantly decreased compared with during infection (median, 377.4 ng/mL) (p < .001) in the roxadustat treatment group. CONCLUSION: Roxadustat was effective than rhEPO for treating anaemia in patients undergoing PD who were infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Gluten-starch microstructure analysis revealed the improvement mechanism of Triticeae on broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.).

Understanding the mechanism by which Triticeae improves the quality of broomcorn millet (BM) is key to expanding the use of this crop to address food crises and food security. This study aimed to explore the effects of Triticeae on the disulfide bonds, secondary structures, microstructure, and rheological properties of BM dough, and to investigate the potential food applications of BM. Gluten protein, intermolecular SS, and ß-Sheets content of the reconstituted doughs were significantly improved compared with BM dough, which improved disorderly accumulation of starch and gluten-starch interaction in BM dough. CLSM analysis showed that broomcorn millet-common wheat (BM-CW) and broomcorn millet-durum wheat (BM-DW) also possessed larger protein areas, smaller lacunarities, and better gluten-starch interactions in the reconstituted doughs. Disulfide bonds were positively correlated with the gluten network structure, and more disulfide bonds were formed in BM-CW (3.86 µmol/g), which promoted stronger mechanical resistance in BM-CW. Therefore, the combination of BM flour with CW and DW flours had better dough elasticity and stability. Finally, a potential evaluation and optimization scheme for BM as a cooked wheaten food is proposed to improve the reference for future food security and dietary structure adjustment of residents.

Genetic and Phenotypic Characterization of Soybean Landraces Collected from the Zhejiang Province in China.

The soybean is an important feed, industrial raw material, and food crop in the world due to its rich components. There is a long history of soybean cultivation with different types and rich resources in the Zhejiang province of China. It is important to understand genetic diversity as well as phenotypic variation for soybean breeding. The objective of this study was to analyze both genetic and phenotypic characteristics of the 78 soybean landraces collected, and to explore a potential advantage of germplasm resources for further application. These 78 autumn-type soybean landraces have been propagated, identified, and evaluated in both 2021 and 2022. There were agronomic, quality, and genetic variations according to the comprehensive analyses. There was a good consistency between seed size and seed coat color. There were significant differences of seed protein, fat, and sugar contents based upon the seed coat color. These soybean landraces were genotyped using 42 simple sequence repeat markers and then clustered into two groups. The two groups had a consistency with the seed coat color. This study gave us a combined understanding of both the phenotypic variation and the genetic diversity of the soybean landraces. Therefore, the reasonable crossing between different soybean types is highly recommended.

When Arguments Meet a Story: An Experiment Testing Message Design Strategies for Skin Cancer Prevention and Detection.

Persuasion research often suggests combining different message formats such as facts, statistics, and narratives in message design to maximize persuasive effects. However, the effect of the combination, especially between fact-based arguments and long-form narratives, varies depending on many factors which have been understudied. Our study therefore tested how argument strength, argument position, and target behavior interacted in impacting behavioral outcomes for such a combined message about skin cancer. Findings from our experiment revealed a significant three-way interaction, as weak arguments were more effective when embedding them in a long-form narrative, whereas strong arguments were more impactful when placing them before the narrative. Such an interaction emerged only when messages recommended sunscreen use but not when recommending skin-self exams. We discussed the implications of the findings for message design about skin cancer prevention and detection.

Investigation on the mechanical integrity of a PEO-based polymer electrolyte in all-solid-state lithium batteries.

Polyethylene oxide (PEO)-based solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) have good ionic conductivity and flexibility, and is a key component of all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSLBs). Therefore, the mechanical integrity of PEO-based SPEs during cell operation needs to be urgently evaluated. Here, we conducted a series of tensile and shear adhesion performance tests on PEO16-LiTFSI electrolyte and LiFePO4 electrode adhesion samples at various temperatures and quenching rates. Based on the interface performance data and the elastic-viscoplastic material model of the PEO-LiTFSI electrolyte, a comprehensive electrochemical-mechanical model was established to analyze the stress in the cell and evaluate the mechanical integrity of the PEO16-LiTFSI electrolyte and SPE/cathode interface. The experimental results show that the adhesion strength of the SPE and cathode decreases significantly with increasing operating temperature and quenching rate. The simulation study indicates that the mechanical properties of the SPE can be fully utilized to a certain extent by increasing the quenching rate. In addition, appropriately increasing the operating temperature helps maintain the mechanical integrity of the SPE during cell operation. However, increasing the quenching rate and operating temperature will reduce the interface bonding properties between the SPE and the cathode, resulting in an increased probability of mechanical failure at the SPE/cathode interface. To suppress this negative effect, a design scheme to maintain the structural integrity of the PEO-based polymer electrolyte is proposed by using the C-rate and the SPE thickness as control parameters, which can assist in engineering design and safe operation of Li/PEO16-LiTFSI/LiFePO4 for ASSLBs.

Reducing greenhouse gas intensity using a mixture of controlled-release urea and common urea combining suitable maize varieties in a summer maize system.

The one-time application of common urea blended with controlled-release urea (CRU) is considered effective for improving nitrogen use efficiency and grain yield and reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of summer maize in intensive agricultural systems. However, the trade-off between the economic and environmental performances of different blended fertilizer treatments for different maize varieties remains unclear. Therefore, a consecutive two-year field experiment was conducted in the North China Plain to study the effects of different ratios of CRU and common urea on the yield, nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, yield-scaled total N2O emissions, greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI), and net ecosystem economic benefit (NEEB) in 2021 and 2022. Four N fertilizer treatments with equal rate at 180 kg N ha-1 were applied as N180U (all Urea), N180C1(1/3CRU), N180C2(2/3CRU), and N180C (all CRU), and two maize varieties (JNK728-yellow ripe variety and ZD958-green ripe variety) were used. The N180C1 and N180C2 treatments produced the highest grain yield in varieties JNK728 and ZD958 (9.4-11.5 t ha-1 and 9.0-11.0 t ha-1), respectively. Compared to the N180U treatment (conventional method), the N180C1 treatment reduced the GHGI (24.8 %-25.9 %) and increased the NEEB (33.1 %-33.4 %) in the JNK728 variety, whereas the N180C2 treatment reduced the GHGI (16.9 %-28.8 %) and increased the NEEB (27.2 %-48.1 %) in the ZD958 variety. The study concludes that a one-time application of blended nitrogen fertilizer in suitable varieties can minimize the GHGI and maximize the NEEB, which is an effective strategy for balancing yield and nitrogen efficiency in the summer maize system in the North China Plain.

Characterization and interactions of spoilage of Pseudomonas fragi C6 and Brochothrix thermosphacta S5 in chilled pork based on LC-MS/MS and screening of potential spoilage biomarkers.

Pseudomonas and Brochothrix are the main spoilage organisms in pork, and each of these plays an essential role in the spoilage process. However, the effect of co-contamination of these two organisms in pork has not been elucidated. The changing bacterial communities during spontaneous spoilage of pork at 4 °C were evaluated using high-throughput sequencing. The dominant spoilage bacteria were isolated and these were identified as Pseudomonas fragi C6 and Brochothrix thermosphacta S5. Chilled pork was then experimentally contaminated with these strains, individually and in combination, and the progression of spoilage was assessed by analyzing various physicochemical indicators. These included total viable counts (TVC), pH, color, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), and detection of microbial metabolites. After 7 days of chilled storage, co-contaminated pork produced higher TVC and TVB-N values than mono-contaminated samples. Metabolomic analysis identified a total of 8,084 metabolites in all three groups combined. Differential metabolites were identified, which were involved in 38 metabolic pathways. Among these pathways, the biosynthesis of alkaloids derived from purine and histidine was identified as an important pathway related to spoilage. Specifically, histidine, histamine, AMP, IMP, GMP, succinic acid, and oxoglutaric acid were identified as potential spoilage biomarkers. The study showed that the combined presence of P. fragi C6 and B. thermosphacta S5 bacteria makes chilled pork more prone to spoilage, compared to their individual presence. This study provides insights that can assist in applying appropriate techniques to maintain quality and safety changes in meat during storage and further the assessment of freshness.

Proteins extracted from pearl oyster (Pinctada martensii) with efficient accelerated wound healing in vitro through promoting cell proliferation, migration, and collagen formation.

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Pearl oyster (Pinctada martensii) is used in Chinese traditional medicine use in photoprotective, anti-inflammatory, and wound treatment.Aim of the study: This study explored whether the mucus protein of Pearl oyster (protein of Pinctada martensii, PMP) affects human skin fibroblast (HSF) proliferation, migration, collagen-related gene expression related to collagen formation, and in vivo healing effects. Materials and methods: The PMP component was analyzed by LC-MS/MS. The cell viability was evaluated using a CCK-8 kit. The expression genes were measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. A full-thickness excisional wounding model in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats was used to test the repairing effect of PMP in vivo, and Hematoxylin-Eosin (H&E) and Masson's Trichrome staining were applied to evaluate skin structure. Results: The components of PMP were identified using LC-MS/MS proteomics, and a total of 3023 proteins were detected. The results of PMP-treated HSF showed that PMP effectively promoted cell proliferation by 1.6-fold and cell migration by 1.5-fold at a concentration of 1 mg/mL. Additionally, PMP treatment up-regulated the expression levels of collagen-related genes COL1A1, COL3A1, and MMP-1 in fibroblasts. Furthermore, PMP was applied in the therapy of full-thickness excisional wounds in rats. The results demonstrated that PMP significantly accelerated wound healing time, resulted in the recovery of dermal and epithelial thickness, and stimulated collagen regeneration. The regenerated skin closely resembled the structure of normal skin. Conclusions: These findings provide solid evidence supporting the potential of PMP as a promising candidate for the treatment of skin wounds.

The co-inoculation of Trichoderma viridis and Bacillus subtilis improved the aerobic composting efficiency and degradation of lignocellulose.

The aim of this study was to reveal the mechanism by which co-inoculation with both Trichoderma viridis and Bacillus subtilis improved the efficiency of composting and degradation of lignocellulose in agricultural waste. The results showed that co-inoculation with Trichoderma and Bacillus increased abundance of Bacteroidota to promote the maturation 7 days in advance. Galbibacter may be a potential marker of co-inoculation composting efficiency compost. The compost became dark brown, odorless, and had a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 16.40 and a pH of 8.2. Moreover, Actinobacteriota and Firmicutes still dominated the degradation of lignocellulose following inoculation with Trichoderma or Bacillus 35 days after composting. Bacterial function prediction analysis showed that carbohydrate metabolism was the primary metabolic pathway. In conclusion, co-inoculation with Trichoderma and Bacillus shortened the composting cycle and accelerated the degradation of lignocellulose. These findings provide new strategies for the efficient use of agricultural waste to produce organic fertilizers.

Cryptochrome 1b represses gibberellin signaling to enhance lodging resistance in maize.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important crops worldwide. Photoperiod, light quality, and light intensity in the environment can affect the growth, development, yield, and quality of maize. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), cryptochromes are blue-light receptors that mediate the photocontrol of stem elongation, leaf expansion, shade tolerance, and photoperiodic flowering. However, the function of maize cryptochrome ZmCRY in maize architecture and photomorphogenic development remains largely elusive. The ZmCRY1b transgene product can activate the light signaling pathway in Arabidopsis and complement the etiolation phenotype of the cry1-304 mutant. Our findings show that the loss-of-function mutant of ZmCRY1b in maize exhibits more etiolation phenotypes under low blue light and appears slender in the field compared with wild-type plants. Under blue and white light, overexpression of ZmCRY1b in maize substantially inhibits seedling etiolation and shade response by enhancing protein accumulation of the bZIP transcription factors ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (ZmHY5) and ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5-LIKE (ZmHY5L), which directly upregulate the expression of genes encoding gibberellin (GA) 2-oxidase to deactivate GA and repress plant height. More interestingly, ZmCRY1b enhances lodging resistance by reducing plant and ear heights and promoting root growth in both inbred lines and hybrids. In conclusion, ZmCRY1b contributes blue-light signaling upon seedling de-etiolation and integrates light signals with the GA metabolic pathway in maize, resulting in lodging resistance and providing information for improving maize varieties.

Reticulate evolution of the tertiary relict Osmanthus.

When interspecific gene flow is common, species relationships are more accurately represented by a phylogenetic network than by a bifurcating tree. This study aimed to uncover the role of introgression in the evolution of Osmanthus, the only genus of the subtribe Oleinae (Oleaceae) with its distribution center in East Asia. We built species trees, detected introgression, and constructed networks using multiple kinds of sequencing data (whole genome resequencing, transcriptome sequencing, and Sanger sequencing of nrDNA) combined with concatenation and coalescence approaches. Then, based on well-understood species relationships, historical biogeographic analyses and diversification rate estimates were employed to reveal the history of Osmanthus. Osmanthus originated in mid-Miocene Europe and dispersed to the eastern Tibetan Plateau in the late Miocene. Thereafter, it continued to spread eastwards. Phylogenetic conflict is common within the 'Core Osmanthus' clade and is seen at both early and late stages of diversification, leading to hypotheses of net-like species relationships. Incomplete lineage sorting proved ineffective in explaining phylogenetic conflicts and thus supported introgression as the main cause of conflicts. This study elucidates the diversification history of a relict genus in the subtropical regions of eastern Asia and reveals that introgression had profound effects on its evolutionary history.

Impact of smoking cessation on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease prevalence: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The negative effects of smoking on numerous cardiovascular and metabolic diseases have been widely acknowledged. However, the potential effect of smoking cessation is relatively unelucidated. The objective of this study is to explore whether the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in former smokers differs from the prevalence in current smokers. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: Four databases, that is, PubMed, Web of Science, Journal@Ovid and Scopus were searched from inception to 31 January 2023. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Population-based cross-sectional studies, including the baseline data of cohort studies with identified NAFLD diagnostic methods, and smoking status (current smoker or former smoker) of participants were included. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two reviewers independently extracted the data including cigarette smoking status, country/region of studies, NAFLD diagnostic methods, sex, the average age and body mass index (BMI) of NAFLD participants and assessed the risk of bias with Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) methodology checklist. Risk ratio (RR) of NAFLD prevalence in former smokers was pooled using the random-effects model. RESULTS: 28 studies involving 4 465 862 participants were included. Compared with current smokers, the RR of overall NAFLD prevalence in former smokers was 1.13 (95% CI: 1.08 to 1.19, prediction interval: 0.92-1.39). This result persisted after adjustment for diagnostic methods, country/region, sex, age and BMI. Sensitivity analysis and risk of bias assessment indicated a stable conclusion. CONCLUSIONS: NAFLD prevalence in former smokers was at least not lower than that in current smokers and was partially related to increased BMI after smoking cessation, indicating that smoking cessation was possibly not a protective factor against NAFLD. Although the meta-analysis based on cross-sectional studies cannot conclude the causal relationships between smoking cessation and NAFLD onset, the potential onset of NAFLD associated with smoking cessation should be highlighted. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42023394944.

A Novel Risk Score Model for the Differential Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy: A Multicenter Study.

Introduction: DN is a common complication of diabetes. However, diabetes combined with renal injury may involve DN or NDKD, with different treatment schemes. The purpose of our study was to determine the independent risk factors of DN and establish a risk score model to help differentiate DN and NDKD, providing a reference for clinical treatment. Methods: A total of 678 T2D patients who had undergone renal biopsy in four affiliated hospitals of Peking University were consecutively enrolled. Patients were assigned to the DN group and NDKD group according to histopathological results. Seventy percent of patients from PKUFH were randomly assigned to the training group, and the remaining 30% were assigned to the internal validation group. Patients from the other three centers were assigned to the external validation group. We used univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to identify independent risk factors of DN in the training group and conducted multivariate logistic regression analysis with these independent risk factors in the training group to find regression coefficients "ß" to establish a risk score model. Finally, we conducted internal and external validation of the model with ROC curves. Results: Diabetic retinopathy, diabetes duration ≥ 5 years, eGFR < 30 ml/min/1.73 m2, 24 h UTP ≥ 3 g, and no hematuria were independent risk factors (P < 0.05), and each factor scored 2, 1, 1, 1, and 1. We assigned the patients to a low-risk group (0-1 points), a medium-risk group (2-3 points), and a high-risk group (4-6 points), representing unlikely DN, possibly DN, and a high probability of DN, respectively. The AUCs were 0.860, 0.924, and 0.855 for the training, internal validation, and external validation groups, respectively. Conclusion: The risk score model could help differentiate DN and NDKD in a noninvasive manner, reduce the number of renal biopsies, and provide a reference for clinical treatment.

Conscious sedation anesthesia using different doses of remifentanil combined with dexmedetomidine for peritoneal dialysis catheter implantation.

BACKGROUND: Conscious sedation anesthesia (CSA) is an anesthetic method during peritoneal dialysis catheter implantation. However, lack of optimal CSA strategies for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This study aimed to evaluate the analgesic effects and safety of CSA using different doses of remifentanil combined with dexmedetomidine during peritoneal dialysis catheter insertion. METHODS: Patients who underwent peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter placement via open surgical incision were retrospectively analyzed and divided into three groups based on the tertile dose of remifentanil. The bispectral index (BIS) was used to monitor the depth of anesthesia. Data regarding clinical findings, the effects of anesthesia, and the incidence of drug-related adverse effects were collected. RESULTS: In total, 102 patients completed the surgery successfully and safely. The dose of remifentanil was 0.02-0.07 µg/kg/min, 0.08-0.13 µg/kg/min, and 0.14-0.20 µg/kg/min in Groups A, B, and C, respectively. Only seven patients reported mild pain during the surgery. No significant differences were observed among the numeric rating scale scores of the three groups (p > 0.05). Intraoperative hemodynamics were stable. The incidence of respiratory depression was 8.3%, 20.0%, and 41.9% in Groups A, B, and C, respectively (p < 0.01). The incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms in Group C (51.6%) was higher than that in Groups A and B (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Low-dose remifentanil (0.02-0.07 µg/kg/min) combined with dexmedetomidine achieved satisfactory anesthetic effects with fewer adverse drug reactions during PD catheter implantation, indicating its potential for use in patients undergoing PD catheter placement.

Discrepancy of eye injuries in mechanism, clinical features, and vision prognosis by different causative sports.

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of sports-related eye injuries in China, as well as how they differ depending on the sport or other specific factor that caused them. Methods: Consecutive medical records from 2015 to 2019 of sports-related eye injuries from a standardized database in nine tertiary referral hospitals in China were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Results: A total of 377 eyes in 376 inpatients (mean age, 22.5 ± 7.3 years; men:women 15.4:1) were included. Soccer (46.8%), basketball (27.1%), and badminton (16.8%) were the top three sports that caused injury. Ball strikes (74.7%), physical collision (13.8%), and racket/equipment beating (9.0%) were the common specific causes of injury. Blunt force injuries (95.8%) and close globe injuries (95.1%) accounted for the majority of injuries. Open globe injuries occurred more in basketball (8.3%) than in other sports, mainly due to physical collision (12.8%) and racket/equipment beating (11.8%). Basketball (13.4%) or physical collision (21.3%) caused Zone I injuries more frequently than other sports. Soccer (60.5%) and basketball (54.6%) caused more injuries to the posterior segment of the eyeball than other sports, mainly due to ball strikes (96.6%). Badminton (69.8%) and racket beating (61.8%) caused more Zone II globe injuries than other sports. In badminton, the percentage of hyphema (85.7%), the most typical symptom of eye damage, and ultimate visual acuity (VA) ≥20/40 (88.9%) was the greatest. A final low vision score of (≤4/200) was observed in 10.6% of all participants, including three participants who had an eye removed due to rupturing. The final VA was positively correlated with the presenting VA (r = 0.421). Conclusion: Sports can lead to high proportions of ocular contusion injury and low vision. VA prognosis is closely related to initial VA following ocular sports trauma, which is directly determined by the causative sports and/or the specific causes. Effective eye protection is imperative to avoid or reduce visual impairments of sports participants.

Continuous Analgesia with Intercostal Catheterization after Thoracoscopy.

BACKGROUND: There are few studies on continuous intercostal nerve block after single operation hole thoracoscopic surgery, that is, two-port thoracoscopic surgery. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the analgesic effect of continuous intercostal nerve block after thoracoscopic surgery. METHODS: A total of 80 patients who underwent single operation hole thoracoscopic surgery in our hospital between September 2020 and June 2021 were enrolled and divided into two groups. Based on basic analgesia, an intercostal catheter was placed during the operation for continuous intercostal block analgesia after the operation in the experimental group (group A, n = 40). The control group (group B, n = 40) was treated with sufentanil intravenous analgesia after surgery, which is namely "basic analgesia." The postoperative pain scores, restlessness during the recovery period, effect on reducing opioid use, postoperative chest complications, patient satisfaction, etc., were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The pain scores of patients in group A were significantly lower compared with those in group B at 12, 24, 36, and 48 hours after surgery (3.325 ± 1.163 vs. 4.550 ± 1.176, 2.650 ± 1.001 vs. 4.000 ± 1.038, 2.325 ± 0.917 vs. 3.700 ± 0.966, and 1.775 ± 1.050 vs. 3.150 ± 1.075, p < 0.001, respectively). Sufentanil consumption in group A was significantly lower than in group B at 48 hours after surgery (98.625 ± 4.158 vs. 106.000 ± 7.228, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Multimodal analgesia is ideal for early pain control after thoracotomy. A continuous intercostal nerve block can effectively reduce postoperative pain in patients.

Biochar and Nitrogen Fertilizer Change the Quality of Waxy and Non-Waxy Broomcorn Millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) Starch.

The overuse of nitrogen fertilizers has led to environmental pollution, which has prompted the widespread adoption of biochar as a soil conditioner in agricultural production. To date, there has been a lack of research on the effects of biochar and its combination with nitrogen fertilizer on the quality of broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) starch. Thus, this study examined the physicochemical characteristics of starch in two types of broomcorn millet (waxy and non-waxy) under four different conditions, including a control group (N0), nitrogen fertilizer treatment alone (N150), biochar treatment alone (N0+B), and a combination of biochar and nitrogen fertilizer treatments (N150+B). The results showed that, in comparison to the control, all the treatments, particularly N150+B, decreased the content of amylose and gelatinization temperature and enhanced the starch transparency gel consistency and swelling power. In addition, biochar can improve the water solubility of starch and the gelatinization enthalpy. Importantly, the combination of biochar and nitrogen fertilizer increased the proportion of A-granules, final viscosity, starch content, and the average degree of amylopectin in polymerization. Thus, this research indicates that the combinations of biochar and nitrogen fertilizer result in the most significant improvement in the quality of starch produced from broomcorn millet.

Mapping of major QTL and candidate gene analysis for hull colour in foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.).

BACKGROUND: Hull colour is an important morphological marker for selection in seed production of foxtail millet. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying hull colour variation remain unknown. RESULTS: An F7 recombinant inbred line (RIL) population containing 215 lines derived from Hongjiugu × Yugu18 was used to analyze inheritance and detect the quantitative trait loci (QTL) for four hull colour traits using major gene plus polygene mixed inheritance analysis and composite interval mapping (CIM) in four environments. Genetic analysis revealed that the hull colour L* value (HCL*) was controlled by two major genes plus additive polygenes, the hull colour a* value (HCa*) was controlled by three major genes, the hull colour b* value (HCb*) was controlled by two major genes plus polygenes, and the hull colour C* value (HCC*) was controlled by four major genes. A high-density genetic linkage map covering 1227.383 cM of the foxtail millet genome, with an average interval of 0.879 cM between adjacent bin markers, was constructed using 1420 bin markers. Based on the genetic linkage map and the phenotypic data, a total of 39 QTL were detected for these four hull colour traits across four environments, each explaining 1.50%-49.20% of the phenotypic variation. Of these, six environmentally stable major QTL were co-localized to regions on chromosomes 1 and 9, playing a major role in hull colour. There were 556 annotated genes within the two QTL regions. Based on the functions of homologous genes in Arabidopsis and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) gene annotations, five genes were predicted as candidate genes for further studies. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to use an inheritance model and QTL mapping to determine the genetic mechanisms of hull colour trait in foxtail millet. We identified six major environmentally stable QTL and predicted five potential candidate genes to be associated with hull colour. These results advance the current understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying hull colour traits in foxtail millet and provide additional resources for application in genomics-assisted breeding and potential isolation and functional characterization of the candidate genes.

Directional Shunting of Photogenerated Carriers in POM@MOF for Promoting Nitrogen Adsorption and Oxidation.

The efficient catalysis of nitrogen (N2 ) into high-value N-containing products plays a crucial role in the N economic cycle. However, weak N2 adsorption and invalid N2 activation remain two major bottlenecks in rate-determining steps, leading to low N2 fixation performance. Herein, an effective dual active sites photocatalyst of polyoxometalates (POMs)-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is highlighted via altering coordination microenvironment and inducing directional shunting of photogenerated carriers to facilitate N2 /catalyst interaction and enhance oxidation performance. MOFs create more open unsaturated metal cluster sites with unoccupied d orbital possessing Lewis acidity to accept electrons from the 3σg bonding orbital of N2 for storage by combining with POMs to replace bidentate linkers. POMs act as electron sponges donating electrons to MOFs, while the holes directional flow to POMs. The hole-rich POMs with strong oxidation capacity are easily involved in oxidizing adsorbed N2 . Taking UiO-66 (C48 H28 O32 Zr6 ) and Mo72 Fe30 ([Mo72 Fe30 O252 (CH3 COO)12 {Mo2 O7 (H2 O)}2 {H2 Mo2 O8 (H2 O)}(H2 O)91 ]·150H2 O) as an example, Mo72 Fe30 @UiO-66 shows twofold enhanced adsorption of N2 (250.5 cm3  g-1 ) than UiO-66 (122.9 cm3 g-1 ) at P/P0  = 1. And, the HNO3 yield of Mo72 Fe30 @UiO-66 is 702.4 µg g-1  h-1 , ≈7 times and 24 times higher than UiO-66 and Mo72 Fe30 . This work provides reliable value for the storage and relaying artificial N2 fixation.