The QTL and Candidate Genes Regulating the Early Tillering Vigor Traits of Late-Season Rice in Double-Cropping Systems.

Rice effective panicle is a major trait for grain yield and is affected by both the genetic tiller numbers and the early tillering vigor (ETV) traits to survive environmental adversities. The mechanism behind tiller bud formation has been well described, while the genes and the molecular mechanism underlying rice-regulating ETV traits are unclear. In this study, the candidate genes in regulating ETV traits have been sought by quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and bulk-segregation analysis by resequencing method (BSA-seq) conjoint analysis using rice backcross inbred line (BIL) populations, which were cultivated as late-season rice of double-cropping rice systems. By QTL mapping, seven QTLs were detected on chromosomes 1, 3, 4, and 9, with the logarithm of the odds (LOD) values ranging from 3.52 to 7.57 and explained 3.23% to 12.98% of the observed phenotypic variance. By BSA-seq analysis, seven QTLs on chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, and 9 were identified using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and insertions/deletions (InDel) index algorithm and Euclidean distance (ED) algorithm. The overlapping QTL resulting from QTL mapping and BSA-seq analysis was shown in a 1.39 Mb interval on chromosome 4. In the overlap interval, six genes, including the functional unknown genes Os04g0455650, Os04g0470901, Os04g0500600, and ethylene-insensitive 3 (Os04g0456900), sialyltransferase family domain containing protein (Os04g0506800), and ATOZI1 (Os04g0497300), showed the differential expression between ETV rice lines and late tillering vigor (LTV) rice lines and have a missense base mutation in the genomic DNA sequences of the parents. We speculate that the six genes are the candidate genes regulating the ETV trait in rice, which provides a research basis for revealing the molecular mechanism behind the ETV traits in rice.

A nomogram model for predicting ocular GVHD following allo-HSCT based on risk factors.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a nomogram model for predicting chronic ocular graft-versus-host disease (coGVHD) in patients after allogenic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). METHODS: This study included 61 patients who survived at least 100 days after allo-HSCT. Risk factors for coGVHD were screened using LASSO regression, then the variables selected were subjected to logistic regression. Nomogram was established to further confirm the risk factors for coGVHD. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to assess the performance of the predictive model with the training and test sets. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated by using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Among the 61 patients, 38 were diagnosed with coGVHD. We selected five texture features: lymphocytes (LYM) (OR = 2.26), plasma thromboplastin antecedent (PTA) (OR = 1.19), CD3 + CD25 + cells (OR = 1.38), CD3 + HLA-DR + cells (OR = 0.95), and the ocular surface disease index (OSDI) (OR = 1.44). The areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) of the nomogram with the training and test sets were 0.979 (95% CI, 0.895-1.000) and 0.969 (95% CI, 0.846-1.000), respectively.And the Hosmer-Lemeshow test was nonsignificant with the training (p = 0.9949) and test sets (p = 0.9691). CONCLUSION: We constructed a nomogram that can assess the risk of coGVHD in patients after allo-HSCT and help minimize the irreversible loss of vision caused by the disease in high-risk populations.

Cytosine methylations in the promoter regions of genes involved in the cellular oxidation equilibrium pathways affect rice heat tolerance.

BACKGROUND: High temperatures, particularly at night, decrease rice yield and quality. As high nighttime temperatures (HNTs) become increasingly frequent due to climate change, it is imperative to develop rice crops that tolerate HNTs. DNA methylation may represent a potential avenue for HNT-tolerant rice strain development, as this mechanism regulates gene activity and cellular phenotype in response to adverse environmental conditions without changing the nucleotide sequence. RESULTS: After HNT exposure, the methylation patterns of cytosines in the CHH context differed noticeably between two coisogenic rice strains with significantly different levels in heat tolerance. Methylation differences between strains were primarily observed on successive cytosines in the promoter or downstream regions of transcription factors and transposon elements. In contrast to the heat-sensitive rice strain, the regions 358-359 bp and 2-60 bp downstream of two basal transcriptional factors (TFIID subunit 11 and mediator of RNA polymerase II transcription subunit 31, respectively) were fully demethylated in the heat-tolerant strain after HNT exposure. In the heat-tolerant strain, HNTs reversed the methylation patterns of successive cytosines in the promoter regions of various genes involved in abscisic acid (ABA)-related reactive oxygen species (ROS) equilibrium pathways, including the pentatricopeptide repeat domain gene PPR (LOC_Os07g28900) and the homeobox domain gene homeobox (LOC_Os01g19694). Indeed, PRR expression was inhibited in heat-sensitive rice strains, and the methylation rates of the cytosines in the promoter region of PRR were greater in heat-sensitive strains as compared to heat-tolerant strains. CONCLUSIONS: After HNT exposure, cytosines in the CHH context were more likely than cytosines in other contexts to be methylated differently between the heat-sensitive and heat-tolerant rice strains. Methylation in the promoter regions of the genes associated with ABA-related oxidation and ROS scavenging improved heat tolerance in rice. Our results help to clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying rice heat tolerance.

CD24 genetic variants contribute to overall survival in patients with gastric cancer.

AIM: To investigate the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CD24 gene in susceptibility and overall survival of gastric cancer (GC). METHODS: We genotyped 3 tagging SNPs of CD24-P-534 in the promoter region, P170 in the coding region of exon 2 and P1527 in the 3' untranslated region - using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism in specimens from 679 histologically-confirmed GC cases, 111 gastric atrophy (GA) cases and 976 tumor-free controls. Serum immunoglobulin G antibodies to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) of all subjects were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. CD24 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 131 GC specimens. Correlations between SNPs and risk of GC or GA were shown by P values and odd ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) compared with the most common genotype of each SNP using the unconditional logistic regression model after adjusting for age, sex and H. pylori infection. Survival within each SNP group was plotted by Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log-rank test (recessive model). Hazard ratios with 95%CIs were computed by Cox regression model after adjusting for age, sex, histological type, tumor differentiation, clinical stage and post-operational chemotherapy. RESULTS: All of the three loci were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the control group. Median follow-up time for the 600 GC patients included in the survival analysis was 36.2 mo (range, 2.1-66.7 mo; 95%CI: 34.3-36.5 mo). Patients with the P-534 A/A genotype had significantly shorter survival (HR = 1.38, 95%CI: 1.01-1.88, P = 0.042) than did the C/C or C/A genotype carriers after adjusting for age, sex, histological type, tumor differentiation, clinical stage and post-operational chemotherapy. This trend was more evident in patients who lived longer than 2.5 years (HR = 7.55, 95%CI: 2.16-26.32, P = 0.001). The P170 T/T genotype was associated with a shorter lifespan than the non-T/T genotypes, but not significantly so. None of the three genetic variants was found to be associated with risk of GC (including tumor stage, grade and distant metastasis) or with risk of gastric atrophy. Furthermore, no difference of CD24 expression was found among the genotypes. CONCLUSION: The P-534 site in CD24 gene affects the overall survival of gastric cancer and may serve as a prognostic marker for gastric cancer.

[Protection and Mechanism of Qingyuan Shenghua Decoction on Multiple Organs of Sepsis Patients after Bone Trauma].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the protection of Qingyuan Shenghua Decoction (QSD) on multiple organs of sepsis patients after bone trauma, and to preliminarily explore its mechanism. METHODS: Totally 60 sepsis patients after bone trauma were randomly assigned to the treatment group and the control group according to random digit table, 30 in each group. All patients received routine Western medical treatment. Patients in the treatment group additionally took QSD or were nasally fed with QSD, one dose per day for 1 week. Changes of WBC, oxygenation index (PaO2/FiO2), serum creatinine (SCr), total bilirubin (TBIL), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), fibrinogen (FIB), D-dimer (DD), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), pro-calcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), intra-abdominal pressure, scores for Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores were observed before treatment and on day 1, 3 and 7 after treatment. RESULTS: Compared with the control group at the same time point, MAP increased at post-treatment day 1 and 3; CRP, APTT, HR, SCr, TBIL, AST, intra-abdominal pressure at post-treatment day 3 obviously decreased in the treatment group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). WBC, SOFA scores, PCT, CRP, APACHE II, APTT, D-D, HR, SCr, TBIL, AST and intra-abdominal pressure significantly decreased; FIB, MAP and PaO2/FiO2 obviously increased at post-treatment day 7 (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: QSD had good protective effect on multiple organ function in sepsis patients after bone trauma, and its mechanism might be related with effectively clearing endotoxin, alleviating inflammatory reactions, and fighting against coagulation dysfunction.

[Assessment of accuracy of parents' perception of their 4-36 months old children's picky eating behavior].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of parents' perception of whether their child is a picky eater and the specific food category the children avoideating according to the food frequency questionnaire. METHODS: This research selected 1 663 infants aged 4-36 months receiving non-diary complimentary food from maternal, infants, nutrition and growth study (MING Study) in 8 Chinese cities in which a combination of systematic cluster random sampling and purposive sampling was used. The general information, dietary status and picky eating status were collected through a self-designed questionnaire from the caregiver of the children. According to the parents' perception, the children were classified into picky/non-picky groups or avoid/non-avoid to a specific food category groups. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare between the groups. RESULTS: The reported percentage of picky eaters increased from 7.37% in 4-6 months old infants to 36.20% in 25-36 months old infants. Most picky infants in 4-6 months and 7-12 months old infants avoided eating dairy food (25% and 24%); while most picky toddlers aged 13-24 months and 25-36 months avoided eating vegetables (26.92% and 47.46%). The infants aged 4-6 months and 7-12 months who were perceived as picky by their parents took more kinds of food (8 and 19.5 kinds) than those who were not (6 and 18 kinds), while the picky toddlers aged 13-24 months and 25-36 months took fewer kinds of food (28.5 and 34 kinds for picky eaters, 31 and 37 kinds for non-picky eaters). The parents of infants aged 4-6 months judged correctly in every category of food without any statistical significance; the parents of 7-12 months old infants judged correctly only in dairy food and eggs with statistical significance; those of 13-24 months old infants judged correctly in every food category except for vegetables with statistically significant difference in the category of eggs; those of 25-36 months old toddlers misjudged in dairy, beans and grains with no statistically significant difference in every category. CONCLUSION: Parents tend to misjudge their children's picky eating behavior before the first 12 months of the child, and tend to make a more accurate perception after the 12th month.

[Distribution of matrix-bound phosphine in surface sediments of Jinpu Bay].

This work investigated the distribution of matrix-bound phosphine in surface sediments of Jinpu Bay and associated environmental factors in summer, using the gas chromatography combined with a pulsed flame detector (GC-PFPD). It showed that phosphine ubiquitously presented in the sediments of Jinpu Bay. Contents of matrix-bound phosphine varied between 62. 58 and 190. 81 ng.kg-1, with the average value of 114.42 ng.kg-1. In addition, the spatial distribution of matrix-bound phosphine indicated that matrix-bound phosphine in inshore sediments had relatively higher contents than those in offshore sediments. Statistical analysis showed that matrix-bound phosphine significantly related to organic phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase activity ( R = 0. 882, P = 0. 01; R = 0. 819, P =0. 023). However, there were no correlations between matrix-bound phosphine and organic nitrogen, inorganic phosphorus and sediment grain sizes. These results implied that accumulation and distribution of matrix-bound phosphined were mainly affected by the decomposition of organic phosphorus by microorganisms.

Relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms in the deoxycytidine kinase gene and chemosensitivity of gemcitabine in six pancreatic cancer cell lines.

BACKGROUND: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) gene are associated with chemosensitivity to nucleoside analogs. 2',2'-Difluoro 2'-deoxycytidine (gemcitabine) is a first-line nucleoside analog drug in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. However, the association between SNPs in the dCK gene and chemosensitivity to gemcitabine has not been fully established. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between SNPs in the dCK gene and chemosensitivity to gemcitabine in human pancreatic cancer cell lines. METHODS: Seven SNPs in the dCK gene were sequenced in six human pancreatic cancer cell lines. The chemosensitivity of these six cell lines to gemcitabine were evaluated in vitro with a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) test. Inhibition rates were used to express the chemosensitivity of pancreatic cancer cell lines to gemcitabine. RESULTS: The genotype of the A9846G SNP in the dCK gene was determined in six human pancreatic cancer cell lines. The cell lines BxPC-3 and T3M4 carried the A9846G SNP genotype AG, whereas cell lines AsPC-1, Mia PaCa2, SW1990 and SU86.86 carried the GG genotype. Cell lines with the AG genotype (BxPC-3 and T3M4) were more sensitive to gemcitabine compared with cell lines with the GG genotype (AsPC-1, Mia PaCa2, SW1990 and SU86.86) and significantly different inhibition rates were observed between cell lines carrying the AG and GG genotypes (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Variants in the A9846G SNP of the dCK gene were associated with sensitivity to gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer cell lines. The dCK A9846G SNP may act as a genetic marker to predict chemotherapy efficacy of gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer.

WITHDRAWN: Artesunate inhibits angiogenesis and induces apoptosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cell.

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