Interferon-α stimulates DExH-box helicase 58 to prevent hepatocyte ferroptosis.

BACKGROUND: Liver ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is usually caused by hepatic inflow occlusion during liver surgery, and is frequently observed during war wounds and trauma. Hepatocyte ferroptosis plays a critical role in liver I/R injury, however, it remains unclear whether this process is controlled or regulated by members of the DEAD/DExH-box helicase (DDX/DHX) family. METHODS: The expression of DDX/DHX family members during liver I/R injury was screened using transcriptome analysis. Hepatocyte-specific Dhx58 knockout mice were constructed, and a partial liver I/R operation was performed. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) in the liver post I/R suggested enhanced ferroptosis by Dhx58hep-/-. The mRNAs and proteins associated with DExH-box helicase 58 (DHX58) were screened using RNA immunoprecipitation-sequencing (RIP-seq) and IP-mass spectrometry (IP-MS). RESULTS: Excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) decreased the expression of the IFN-stimulated gene Dhx58 in hepatocytes and promoted hepatic ferroptosis, while treatment using IFN-α increased DHX58 expression and prevented ferroptosis during liver I/R injury. Mechanistically, DHX58 with RNA-binding activity constitutively associates with the mRNA of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), a central ferroptosis suppressor, and recruits the m6A reader YT521-B homology domain containing 2 (YTHDC2) to promote the translation of Gpx4 mRNA in an m6A-dependent manner, thus enhancing GPX4 protein levels and preventing hepatic ferroptosis. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides mechanistic evidence that IFN-α stimulates DHX58 to promote the translation of m6A-modified Gpx4 mRNA, suggesting the potential clinical application of IFN-α in the prevention of hepatic ferroptosis during liver I/R injury.

PRaG 3.0 therapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly fatal disease with limited effective treatment especially after first-line chemotherapy. The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) immunohistochemistry (IHC) positive is associated with more aggressive clinical behavior and shorter overall survival in PDAC. CASE SUMMARY: We present a case of multiple metastatic PDAC with IHC mismatch repair proficient but HER-2 IHC weakly positive at diagnosis that didn't have tumor regression after first-line nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine and PD-1 inhibitor treatment. A novel combination therapy PRaG 3.0 of RC48 (HER2-antibody-drug conjugate), radiotherapy, PD-1 inhibitor, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-2 was then applied as second-line therapy and the patient had confirmed good partial response with progress-free-survival of 6.5 months and overall survival of 14.2 month. She had not developed any grade 2 or above treatment-related adverse events at any point. Percentage of peripheral CD8+Temra and CD4+Temra were increased during first two activation cycles of PRaG 3.0 treatment containing radiotherapy but deceased to the baseline during the maintenance cycles containing no radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: PRaG 3.0 might be a novel strategy for HER2-positive metastatic PDAC patients who failed from previous first-line approach and even PD-1 immunotherapy but needs more data in prospective trials.

Emergence, Pattern, and Frequency of Spontaneous Waves in Spreading Epithelial Monolayers.

A striking phenomenon of collective cell motion is that they can exhibit a spontaneously emerging wave during epithelia expansions. However, the fundamental mechanism, governing the emergence and its crucial characteristics (e.g., the eigenfrequency and the pattern), remains an enigma. By introducing a mechanochemical feedback loop, we develop a highly efficient discrete vertex model to investigate the spatiotemporal evolution of spreading epithelia. We find both numerically and analytically that expanding cell monolayers display a power-law dependence of wave frequency on the local heterogeneities (i.e., cell density) with a scaling exponent of -1/2. Moreover, our study demonstrates the quantitative capability of the proposed model in capturing distinct X-, W-, and V-mode wave patterns. We unveil that the phase transition between these modes is governed by the distribution of active self-propulsion forces. Our work provides an avenue for rigorous quantitative investigations into the collective motion and pattern formation of cell groups.

Gastrointestinal/genitourinary adverse event after intensity modulated versus three-dimensional primary radiation therapy in the treatment of prostate cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common cancers in the world. The potential benefits of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) over three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) for PCa primary radiation therapy treatment have not yet been clarified. Therefore, this meta-analysis was conducted to assess whether IMRT could improve clinical outcomes in comparison with 3D-CRT in patients diagnosed with PCa. Materials and methods: Relevant studies were identified through searching related databases till December, 2022. Hazard ratio (HR) or risk ratio (RR) with its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) was used as pooled statistics for all analyses. Results: The incidence of grade 2 or worse acute adverse gastrointestinal (GI) event was analyzed and the pooled data revealed a clear decreasing trend in the IMRT compared with 3D-CRT (RR=0.62, 95% CI: 0.45-0.84, p=0.002). IMRT slightly increased the grade ≥ 2 acute genitourinary (GU) adverse event in comparison with the 3D-CRT (RR=1.10, 95% CI: 1.02-1.19, p=0.015). The IMRT and the 3D-CRT of patients showed no substantial differences in grade ≥ 2 late GI adverse event (RR =0.62, 95% CI: 0.36-1.09, p=0.1). In those included studies, there was no significant difference between IMRT and 3D-CRT in grade 2-4 late GU adverse event (RR =1.08, 95% CI: 0.77-1.51, p=0.65). There was a significant difference in biochemical control favoring IMRT (RR =1.13, 95% CI: 1.05-1.22, p=0.002). IMRT showed modest increase in biochemical control in comparison with 3D-CRT. Conclusion: In general, based on the above results, IMRT should be considered as a better choice for the treatment of PCa. More randomized controlled trials are needed to determine the subset of patients diagnosed with PCa.

Blood Lipid Disorders in Post-Operative Craniopharyngioma Children and Adolescents and the Improvement with Recombinant Human Growth Hormone Replacement.

Context: The high prevalence of hypothalamic obesity (HO) and dyslipidemia in individuals with craniopharyngioma (CP) following surgery is a cause for increasing concern. However, few studies have explored the lipid profile in pediatric CP patients, with inconsistent findings. In addition, the role of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) replacement remains unclear in these patients. Objective: To compare the blood lipid profile among post-operative craniopharyngioma children and adolescents with that among healthy controls and to reveal the effects of rhGH replacement. Methods: Data of 79 post-operative craniopharyngioma children and adolescents in our center were retrospectively collected. Sixty patients underwent rhGH replacement during the follow-ups. We selected 36 patients who received rhGH replacement therapy, while 20 patients received rhGH replacement for at least 1 year and had complete lipid data before and after treatment and compared them with 19 patients who did not receive rhGH replacement therapy. Results: Craniopharyngioma patients had higher total cholesterol (TC) (5.17 vs 3.77 mmol/L), triglyceride (TG) (1.51 vs 0.73 mmol/L), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (3.14 vs 2.10 mmol/L), and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (1.06 vs 1.39 mmol/L) than controls (all p < 0.001). The lipid profile of obese and non-obese patients was not significantly different. After rhGH replacement, TC was 0.90 mmol/L lower (p = 0.002) and LDL-C was 0.73 mmol/L lower (p = 0.010) than baseline. Although the baseline LDL-C was higher, patients with rhGH replacement had lower LDL-C (-0.73 mmol/L adjusted for age and sex, p = 0.045) after the initiation of replacement compared with patients without rhGH replacement. Conclusion: The lipid profile of obese and non-obese children and adolescents with craniopharyngioma was unfavorable, and rhGH replacement could improve their lipid profile.

Ni-Al layered double hydroxide-coupled layered mesoporous titanium dioxide (Ni-Al LDH/LM-TiO2) composites with integrated adsorption-photocatalysis performance.

Nickel aluminum layered double hydroxides (Ni-Al LDHs) and layered mesoporous titanium dioxide (LM-TiO2) were prepared via a simple precipitation process and novel precipitation-peptization method, respectively, and Ni-Al LDH-coupled LM-TiO2 (Ni-Al LDH/LM-TiO2) composites with dual adsorption and photodegradation properties were obtained via the hydrothermal approach. The adsorption and photocatalytic properties were investigated in detail with methyl orange as the target, and the coupling mechanism was systematically studied. The sample with the best performance was recovered after photocatalytic degradation, which was labeled as 11% Ni-Al LDH/LM TiO2(ST), and characterization and stability studies were carried out. The results showed that Ni-Al LDHs showed good adsorption for pollutants. Ni-Al LDH coupling enhanced the absorption of UV and visible light, and the transmission and separation of photogenerated carriers were also significantly promoted, which was conducive to improving the photocatalytic activity. After treatment in the dark for 30 min, the adsorption of methyl orange by 11% Ni-Al LDHs/LM-TiO2 reached 55.18%. Under illumination for 30 min, the decolorization rate of methyl orange solution reached 87.54%, and the composites also showed an excellent recycling performance and stability.

Study on the application of 3D printing head film fixation technology in cranial radiotherapy.

Objective: To investigate the use of 3D printing technology to customize individualized precise radiotherapy head masks for cranial radiotherapy patients. Through the comparison with thermoplastic head film, evaluate the effect of this material on deep dose attenuation and body surface dose, and evaluate its positioning accuracy and repeatability for clinical application. Methods: Thirty patients with head and neck radiotherapy were divided into the control group and the experimental group. The control group used the traditional thermoplastic head film fixation technique for body position fixation, and the experimental group used the 3D printing head film fixation technique. The patient setup was verified by kV-CBCT scanning to obtain the translational setup error and rotational setup error in the X, Y, and Z directions. Results: At a depth of 5 cm, both materials have a radiation attenuation rate of <1%. At the surface location, the body surface dose of control group increased by approximately 27%. With a 3D printing head film, the body surface dose increased by approximately 18%. The positioning of two groups of patients was verified by the kV-CBCT, and a total of 232 data sets were obtained. The average translation positioning errors in the X, Y, and Z direction of control group and experimental group were 1.29 mm, 1.42 mm, 1.38 mm and 1.16 mm, 1.24 mm, 1.16 mm, respectively. The average rotation positioning error in the X, Y, and Z direction of control group and experimental group were 1.29°, 1.02°, 1.01° and 1.08°, 0.96°, 1.00°, respectively. The translational setup errors in the Y and Z directions and rotational setup errors in the X direction significantly differed between the control and experimental groups (all p<0.05), but no statistical significance was found in the other directions (all p>0. 05). Conclusion: Compared to the traditional thermoplastic head membranes, 3D printing head membranes has shown a reliable and reproducible interactional positioning accuracy. Of course, further investigations are needed before the new technology can be used on a regular basis.

Improvement in the ideal range of vault after implantable collamer lens implantation: a new vault prediction formula.

Background: To derive and validate a novel vault prediction formula to improve the predictability and safety of implantable collamer lens (ICL) implantation. Methods: Thirty-five patients (61 eyes) with previous posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation were included. Various parameters, such as horizontal-visible iris diameter (HVID), photopic pupil diameter (PPD), axial length (AL), white-to-white (WTW), anterior chamber width (ACW), angle-to-angle (ATA), crystalline lens rise (CLR), anterior chamber depth (ACD), horizontal sulcus-to-sulcus (HSTS), and ciliary sulcus angle (CSA) were measured. Vault was measured at 3 months after surgery using CASIA2 anterior segment optical coherence tomography. The formula was derived using multiple linear regression analysis and named as WH formula. It was validated in 65 patients (118 eyes) to determine the percentage of the ideal postoperative vault range and to compare the differences between the WH formula and the NK, KS, and STAAR formulas. Results: Final ICL size, ATA, CSA, and CLR were included in the prediction formula model (adjusted R2 = 0.67, p < 0.001). The achieved vault 1 month after the surgery was 556.19 µm ± 166.98 µm in the validation group, and the ideal vault range was 200-800 µm (92%). The difference between the achieved vault and that predicted using the WH formula was not statistically significant (p = 0.165), whereas the difference between the achieved vault and that predicted using the NK and KS formulas was statistically significant (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). The 95% agreement limit range of the achieved vault and the vault predicted using the WH formula was narrower than those predicted using the NK and KS formulas (-295.20-258.82 µm). Conclusion: This study combined the results of optical coherence tomography and ultrasound biomicroscopy measurements of the anterior segment of the eye and incorporated ciliary sulcus morphology quantification into the prediction formula. The study derived a prediction formula for vault by combining ICL size, ATA, and CLR. The derived formula was found to be superior to the currently available formulas.

Ecological model of health behaviour of hypertensive stroke patients at the end of recovery period.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to construct a structural equation model guided by the ecological model to explore the factors influencing health behaviour among hypertensive stroke patients 6 months post-stroke. BACKGROUND: Health behaviour is important for recurrence prevention in hypertensive stroke patients. Moreover, previous studies have indicated that health behaviour at the end of the recovery period is of particular concern. The ecological model provides an integrated perspective for explaining the factors influencing health behaviour. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study guided by the STROBE. METHODS: A total of 121 hypertensive stroke patients were included to assess stroke knowledge, health belief, depression, family function, chronic illness resource and health behaviour. A structural equation model was used to explore the health behaviour's factors and pathways. RESULTS: In the final ecological model, sex, education level, depression and chronic illness resource directly affected health behaviour. Stroke knowledge directly affected health behaviour and indirectly affected health behaviour through health belief and chronic illness resource. Family function indirectly affected health behaviour through health belief, depression and chronic illness resource. Health belief affected health behaviour indirectly through depression and chronic illness resource. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertensive stroke patients' health behaviour is jointly and interactively influenced by stroke knowledge, health belief, depression, family function and chronic illness resource. In particular, chronic illness resource is an important mediator of health behaviour. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: For clinical practitioners, health behaviour of men and patients with low educational levels should be specifically focused on. Additionally, it is necessary to provide stroke knowledge, establish health beliefs, control depression emotion and improve family function. Furthermore, chronic illness resources should be improved particularly due to its important mediating role. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Participants completed demographic and disease-related questionnaires during hospitalisation and completed other questionnaires when returning to hospital at 6 months follow-up.

Tobacco microbial screening and application in improving the quality of tobacco in different physical states.

The first-cured tobacco contains macromolecular substances with negative impacts on tobacco products quality, and must be aged and fermented to mitigate their effects on the tobacco products quality. However, the natural fermentation takes a longer cycle with large coverage area and low economic efficiency. Microbial fermentation is a method to improve tobacco quality. The change of chemical composition of tobacco during the fermentation is often correlated with shapes of tobacco. This study aimed to investigate the effects of tobacco microorganisms on the quality of different shapes of tobacco. Specifically, Bacillus subtilis B1 and Cytobacillus oceanisediminis C4 with high protease, amylase, and cellulase were isolated from the first-cured tobacco, followed by using them for solid-state fermentation of tobacco powder (TP) and tobacco leaves (TL). Results showed that strains B1 and C4 could significantly improve the sensory quality of TP, enabling it to outperform TL in overall texture and skeleton of tobacco products during cigarette smoking. Compared with the control, microbial fermentation could increase reducing sugar; regulate protein, starch, and cellulose, reduce nicotine, improve total aroma substances, and enable the surface of fermented TP and TL to be more loose, wrinkled, and porous. Microbial community analysis indicated that strains B1 and C4 could change the native structure of microbial community in TP and TL. LEfSe analysis revealed that the potential key biomarkers in TP and TL were Bacilli, Pseudonocardia, Pantoea, and Jeotgalicoccus, which may have cooperative effects with other microbial taxa in improving tobacco quality. This study provides a theoretical basis for improving tobacco fermentation process for better cigarettes quality.

A case report of infection of Mycobacterium senegalense after abdominal liposuction / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Mycobacterium senegalense is one of the major pathogens causing bovine farcy, and reports of its infection in human are rare. Here is a report on a woman who had been taking hormones and immunosuppressants for a long time for SLE and underwent abdominal soft tissue infection with Mycobacterium senegalense after abdominal liposuction, to provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment. The patient, female, 32 years old, has a history of SLE for more than 2 years, and currently takes "methylprednisolone, hydroxychloroquine, and mycophenolate mofetil" regularly. Nine months before the patient was admitted to the hospital, she once performed abdominal, waist and buttock liposuction in a medical beauty institution. One month after the operation, several masses gradually appeared on the abdominal wall, accompanied by tenderness, one of the masses had obvious fluctuation on palpation and purulent fluid could be drawn out. The location of the abdominal wall mass was consistent with the insertion site of the liposuction needle. After the onset of the disease, the patient went to the medical beauty institution for puncture of the abdominal wall mass, and 5 mL of purulent fluid was pierced and sent for bacterial culture, and cultured "Mycobacterium Senegalense", after 3 days of treatment with "cephalosporin" antibiotics (specifically unknown), the symptoms did not improve, so she went to the second affiliated hospital of hainan medical college. After completing the relevant examinations during the hospitalization in our hospital, in order to clarify the etiology, another abdominal puncture to extract pus was performed, the mycobacterial culture + identification results: Mycobacterium senegalense. Consistent with the out-of-hospital results, the diagnosis of Mycobacterium senegalense infection was confirmed. After 3 months of treatment with "cefoxitin, azithromycin, amikacin, and levofloxacin", the patient's abdominal wall soft tissue infection was cured. Trauma or invasive procedures can lead to skin, muscle, or bone infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), which can manifest as chronic painless nodules that progress to purulent folliculitis and abscesses. NTM infection should be suspected when the patient's wound has been exposed to water, there is a history of surgery, and empirical anti-infection is ineffective. This is the first case of Mycobacterium senegalense infection caused by medical beauty, which tell people that they should be cautious when choosing medical aesthetic projects and medical aesthetic institutions.

Sarcopenia as a prognostic predictor of liver cirrhosis: a multicentre study in China.

BACKGROUND: Diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia have not been established in Chinese. This study established criteria based on the L3-skeletal muscle index (L3-SMI) and assessed its value for outcomes predicting in cirrhotic Chinese patients. METHODS: Totally 911 subjects who underwent a CT scan at two centres were enrolled in Cohort 1 (394 male and 417 female subjects, aged 20-80 years). The data of those subjects younger than 60 years (365 male and 296 female subjects) were used to determine the reference intervals of the L3-SMI and its influencing factors. Cohort 2 consisted of 480 patients (286 male and 184 female patients) from three centres, and their data were used to investigate the prevalence of sarcopenia and evaluate the value of L3-SMI for predicting the prognosis and complications of cirrhosis. RESULTS: Age and sex had the greatest effects on the L3-SMI (P < 0.001). The L3-SMI scores were clearly higher in male patients than in female patients (52.94 ± 8.41 vs. 38.91 ± 5.65 cm2 /m2 , P < 0.001) and sharply declined in subjects aged ≥ 60 years. Based on the mean -1.28 × SD among adults aged < 60 years, the L3-SMI cut-off value for sarcopenia was 44.77 cm2 /m2 in male patients and 32.50 cm2 /m2 in female patients. Using these values, 22.5% of the cirrhotic patients (28.7% of male patients and 11.9% of female patients) were diagnosed with sarcopenia. Compared with non-sarcopenia individuals, sarcopenia patients had lower body mass index (21.28 ± 3.01 vs. 24.09 ± 3.39 kg/m2 , P < 0.001) and serum albumin levels (31.54 ± 5.93 vs. 32.93 ± 5.95 g/L, P = 0.032), longer prothrombin times (16.39 ± 3.05 vs. 15.71 ± 3.20 s, P = 0.049), higher total bilirubin concentrations (41.33 ± 57.38 vs. 32.52 ± 31.48 µmol/L, P = 0.039), worse liver function (Child-Pugh score, 8.05 ± 2.11 vs. 7.32 ± 2.05, P = 0.001), higher prevalence of cirrhosis-related complications (81.82% vs. 62.24%, P < 0.001) and mortality (30.68% vs. 11.22%, P < 0.001). Overall survival was significantly lower in the sarcopenia group [risk ratio (RR) = 2.643, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.646-4.244, P < 0.001], accompanied with an increased cumulative incidence of ascites (RR = 1.827, 95% CI 1.259-2.651, P = 0.002), spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (RR = 3.331, 95% CI 1.404-7.903, P = 0.006), hepatic encephalopathy (RR = 1.962, 95% CI 1.070-3.600, P = 0.029), and upper gastrointestinal varices (RR = 2.138, 95% CI 1.319-3.466, P = 0.002). Subgroup analysis showed sarcopenia shortened the survival of the patients with Model For End-Stage Liver Disease score > 14 (RR = 4.310, 95% CI 2.091-8.882, P < 0.001) or Child-Pugh C (RR = 3.081, 95% CI 1.516-6.260, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenia is a common comorbidity of cirrhosis and can be used to predict cirrhosis-related complications and the prognosis.

Simultaneous determination of five alkaloids from Rauvolfia vomitoria in rat plasma by LC-MS/MS: Application to a comparative pharmacokinetic study in normal and type 2 diabetic rats.

Rauvolfia vomitoria is widely distributed in the tropical regions of Africa and Asia, and has been used in traditional folk medicine in China. Indole alkaloids were found to be major bioactive components, while the effects of diabetes mellitus on the pharmacokinetic parameters of the components have not been reflected in vivo. In this study, an efficient and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of five ingredients of R. vomitoria in rats. Detection was implemented in multiple-reaction-monitoring mode with an electrospray positive-ionization source. Validation parameters were all in accordance with the current criterion. The established method was effectively employed to compare the pharmacokinetic behaviors of five alkaloids (reserpine, yohimbine, ajmaline, ajmalicine, and serpentine) between normal and type 2 diabetic rats. The single-dose pharmacokinetic parameters of the five alkaloids were determined in normal and diabetic rats after oral administration of 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight. The results indicated that diabetes mellitus significantly altered the pharmacokinetic characteristics of yohimbine, ajmaline, and ajmalicine after oral administration in rats. This is an attempt to provide some evidence for clinicians that may serve as a guide for the use of antidiabetic medicine in clinical practice.

Construction and photocatalytic performance of fluorinated ZnO-TiO2 heterostructure composites.

Titanium dioxide, as a promising photocatalytic material, has attracted extensive attention in the field of photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in sewage. However, the photocatalytic performance needs to be further improved. In this work, fluorinated ZnO-TiO2 composites (F-ZTO) were prepared by a simple coprecipitation method. The photocatalytic performance of the samples was studied in detail with methyl orange as the target degradation product. The results indicated that under the same conditions, the degradation rates of 6% F-ZTO, F-TiO2 and TiO2 for methyl orange reached 93.75%, 76.56% and 62.89% respectively. This showed that the method used in this work could effectively improve the photocatalytic degradation performance of titanium dioxide. 6% F-ZTO showed an excellent photocatalytic activity, which was attributed to the small grain size, the large specific surface area and the effective inhibition of photoelectron-hole recombination due to fluorination and zinc oxide coupling. In three consecutive cycles, the photocatalytic activity was almost maintained, indicating that 6% F-ZTO had a good recycling performance.

Genome-wide identification and expression profiling of the carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD) gene family in Brassica napus L.

Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD), a key enzyme in carotenoid metabolism, cleaves carotenoids to form apo-carotenoids, which play a major role in plant growth and stress responses. CCD genes had not previously been systematically characterized in Brassica napus (rapeseed), an important oil crop worldwide. In this study, we identified 30 BnCCD genes and classified them into nine subgroups based on a phylogenetic analysis. We identified the chromosomal locations, gene structures, and cis-promoter elements of each of these genes and performed a selection pressure analysis to identify residues under selection. Furthermore, we determined the subcellular localization, physicochemical properties, and conserved protein motifs of the encoded proteins. All the CCD proteins contained a retinal pigment epithelial membrane protein (RPE65) domain. qRT-PCR analysis of expression of 20 representative BnCCD genes in 16 tissues of the B. napus cultivar Zhong Shuang 11 ('ZS11') revealed that members of the BnCCD gene family possess a broad range of expression patterns. This work lays the foundation for functional studies of the BnCCD gene family.

Diagnostic test accuracy of new generation tympanic thermometry in children under different cutoffs: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The infrared tympanic thermometer (IRTT) is a popular method for temperature screening in children, but it has been debated for the low accuracy and reproducibility compared with other measurements. This study was aimed to identify and quantify studies reporting the diagnostic accuracy of the new generation IRTT in children and to compare the sensitivity and specificity of IRTT under different cutoffs and give the optimal cutoff. METHODS: Articles were derived from a systematic search in PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, and Embase, and were assessed for internal validity by the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2). The figure of risk of bias was created by Review Manager 5.3 and data were synthesized by MetaDisc 1.4. RESULTS: Twelve diagnostic studies, involving 4639 pediatric patients, were included. The cut-offs varied from 37.0 °C to 38.0 °C among these studies. The cut-off 37.8 °C was with the highest sROC AUC (0.97) and Youden Index (0.83) and was deemed to be the optimal cutoff. CONCLUSION: The optimal cutoff for infrared tympanic thermometers is 37.8 °C. New Generation Tympanic Thermometry is with high diagnostic accuracy in pediatric patients and can be an alternative for fever screening in children.

Combined Scores from the EncephalApp Stroop Test, Number Connection Test B, and Serial Dotting Test Accurately Identify Patients With Covert Hepatic Encephalopathy.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The EncephalApp Stroop test is a high-sensitivity but low-specificity test that has been used to identify patients with covert hepatic encephalopathy (CHE). We aimed to develop a new strategy to detect CHE, combining EncephalApp Stroop test score with scores from subtests of the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy scoring system (PHES). METHODS: We performed a survey of 569 adult volunteers (229 men) in 9 communities in Shanghai, China, administering the EncephalApp Stroop test to determine the range of scores in the general population. Data from the standard PHES, including the number connection test-A, number connection test-B (NCT-B), line tracing test, serial dotting test (SDT), and digit symbol test, were used as the reference standard for diagnosis of CHE. A combination of the EncephalApp Stroop with subtests of the PHES was used to establish a new strategy for CHE diagnosis. We validated our findings using data from 160 patients with cirrhosis from 5 centers China. RESULTS: We determined the range of EncephalApp Stroop test scores for the volunteers of different decades of age, education levels, and sexes. Age, education level, and sex were independently associated with EncephalApp Stroop test scores. A combination of scores from the EncephalApp Stroop test, the NCT-B, and the SDT identified patients with CHE with the highest level of accuracy, when the standard PHES was used as the reference standard. A combination of scores of 187 sec for the EncephalApp Stroop test and below -1 for the NCT-B or below -1 for the SDT identified patients with CHE with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.86, 81.0% sensitivity, and 91.9% specificity, and 87.5% accuracy. In the validation cohort, these cutoff scores identified patients with CHE with an AUC of 0.88, 97.1% sensitivity, 79.3% specificity, and 86.9% accuracy. The average time to calculate this score was 374±140 sec, compared 424±115 sec for the entire PHES. CONCLUSION: Scores from the EncephalApp Stroop test, NCT-B, and SDT identify patients with CHE with approximately 87% accuracy, and in a much shorter time than the standard PHES. This score combination could be a valid and convenient method for identifying patients with CHE. chictr.org.cn number, ChiCTR-EDC-17012007, ChiCTR1800019954.

Natural Variation in RNA m6A Methylation and Its Relationship with Translational Status.

N 6 -methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant modification of eukaryotic mRNA. Although m6A has been demonstrated to affect almost all aspects of RNA metabolism, its global contribution to the post-transcriptional balancing of translational efficiency remains elusive in plants. In this study, we performed a parallel analysis of the transcriptome-wide mRNA m6A distribution and polysome profiling in two maize (Zea mays) inbred lines to assess the global correlation of m6A modification with translational status. m6A sites are widely distributed in thousands of protein-coding genes, confined to a consensus motif and primarily enriched in the 3' untranslated regions, and highly coordinated with alternative polyadenylation usage, suggesting a role of m6A modification in regulating alternative polyadenylation site choice. More importantly, we identified that the m6A modification shows multifaceted correlations with the translational status depending on its strength and genic location. Moreover, we observed a substantial intraspecies variation in m6A modification, and this natural variation was shown to be partly driven by gene-specific expression and alternative splicing. Together, these findings provide an invaluable resource for ascertaining transcripts that are subject to m6A modification in maize and pave the way to a better understanding of natural m6A variation in mediating gene expression regulation.