[Newborn screening, clinical features and genetic analysis for Citrin deficiency in Henan province].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the prevalence, clinical features, genetic characteristics and prognosis of Citrin deficiency in Henan province of China. METHODS: A total of 986 565 neonates screened by tandem mass spectrometry at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2013 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Analysis of SLC25A13 gene variants and parental verification were carried out for neonates suspected for Citrin deficiency by next-generation sequencing. The clinical, biochemical and genetic characteristics of Citrin deficiency patients were integrated to guide the diet treatment and follow up the growth and development. Paired-t test was used to compare the amino acid levels in the peripheral blood samples before and after the treatment. RESULTS: Nine cases of Citrin deficiency were diagnosed among the 986 565 neonates. Specific elevation of citrulline was observed in all of the 9 cases. Six variants were detected by genetic sequencing, among which c.852_855delTATG, c.615+5G>A, c.550C>T and IVS16ins3kb were known pathogenic variants, whilst c.1111_1112delAT and c.837T>A were unreported previously. The detection rate for c. 852_855delTATG was the highest (61.6%, 11/18), followed by IVS16ins3kb (16.7%, 3/18). The clinical symptoms of all patients were relieved after the treatment, and the blood amino acid profile and biochemical parameters were significantly improved by gradually falling within the normal range. By June 2022, all patients had shown a good prognosis. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of Citrin deficiency among neonates from Henan Province by tandem mass spectrometry is 1/109 618, and the carrier rate for the pathogenic variants of the SLC25A13 gene was 1/166. The c.852_855delTATG may be a hot spot variant among the patients. Discovery of the novel variants has enriched the mutational spectrum of the SLC25A13 gene. Above results have provided a basis for the early diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and genetic counseling for the affected families.

Adverse events with pemigatinib in the real world: a pharmacovigilance study based on the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System.

BACKGROUND: To data, there is insufficient large-scale data on the adverse events (AEs) of pemigatinib. Consequently, we conducted a pharmacovigilance study utilizing the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database to investigate these AEs. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The OpenVigil 2.1 was used to extract AE data from the FAERS database. Proportional reporting ratio (PRR), reporting odds ratios (ROR), and bayesian analysis confidence propagation neural network (BCPNN) were used to assess the association between pemigatinib and AEs. The clinical importance of AE signals were prioritized using a rating scale. RESULTS: A total of 848 AE reports were retrieved from the FAERS database, and 421 AE reports were identified after the data cleaning process. After accounting for indication bias and removal of medication errors, 59 positive signals were finally included. The 59 positive signals emerged in 11 system organ classes (SOCs). Besides, 19 positive AEs were classified as moderate clinical priority, while 40 were deemed weak in terms of priority. 9 positive AEs were not included in the drug label. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided valuable evidence for clinicians to mitigate the risk of pemigatinib-related toxicities in the real world.

JAG1 Variants Confer Genetic Susceptibility to Thyroid Dysgenesis and Thyroid Dyshormonogenesis in 813 Congenital Hypothyroidism in China.

Background and Objective: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is indeed a prevalent neonatal endocrine disorder, affecting approximately 1 in 2000-3000 newborns worldwide, and 1 in 2400 newborns in China. Despite its high incidence, the genetic causes of CH, particularly those related to thyroid dysgenesis (TD), are still not well understood. However, previous studies have suggested that JAG1 may be a potential susceptibility gene for congenital thyroid defects. To explore the association between JAG1 and CH, we screened JAG1 variants in a large cohort of 813 CH patients. Methods: We performed genetic analysis of JAG1 using next-generation sequencing in 813 CH cases. The pathogenicity of the variants was assessed by bioinformatics softwares, protein sequence conservation analysis, and hydrophobic analysis. Further genetic analysis was conducted targeting 20 CH-related genes in these 25 JAG1 variant carriers. Results: We identified 10 pathogenic missense mutations (p.V45L, p.V272I, p.P552L, p.G610E, p.G852D, p.A891T, p.E1030K, p.R1060W, p.A1131T, p.P1174L) carried by 25 patients, the mutation rate of JAG1 in CH was 3.08%. Among these 25 patients, 16 with 1 variant, 6 with 2 variants, and the other 3 with 3 variants. Our findings indicated that JAG1 variants confer genetic susceptibility to both TD and DH, but with different inheritance models. JAG1 variants lead to TD mainly through monogenic model, while for DH cases, both monogenic mechanisms and oligogenic mechanisms play a pivotal role. Oligogenicity may contribute to the disease severity of DH. Conclusion: JAG1 is a shared genetic factor in TD and DH, with a detection rate of 3.08% in Chinese individuals with CH. A comparison between the oligogenic and monogenic groups suggests a gene dosage effect in CH. Patients with the same JAG1 mutation exhibit diverse clinical phenotypes, indicating complex mechanisms underlying phenotypic heterogeneity.

Pharmacovigilance study of BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors: a safety analysis of the FDA adverse event reporting system.

BACKGROUND: With the increased use of BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in cancer patients, adverse events (AEs) have garnered considerable interest. We conducted this pharmacovigilance study to evaluate the AEs of BCR-ABL1 TKIs in cancer patients using the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database. METHODS: To query AE reports from the FAERS database, we used OpenVigil 2.1. Descriptive analysis was then employed to describe the characteristics of TKIs-associated AE reports. We also utilized the disproportionality analysis to detect safety signals by calculating the proportional reporting ratio (PRR) and reporting odds ratios (ROR). RESULTS: From the FAERS database, a total of 85,989 AE reports were retrieved, with 3,080 significant AE signals identified. Specifically, imatinib, nilotinib, dasatinib, bosutinib, and ponatinib had significant AE signals of 1,058, 813, 232, 186, and 791, respectively. These significant signals were further categorized into 26 system organ classes (SOCs). The AE signals of imatinib and ponatinib were primarily associated with general disorders and administration site conditions. On the other hand, nilotinib, dasatinib, and bosutinib were mainly linked to investigations, respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders, and gastrointestinal disorders, respectively. Notably, new signals of 245, 278, 47, 55, and 253 were observed in imatinib, nilotinib, dasatinib, bosutinib, and ponatinib, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrated that AE signals differ among the five BCR-ABL1 TKIs. Furthermore, each BCR-ABL1 TKI displayed several new signals. These findings provide valuable information for clinicians aiming to reduce the risk of AEs during BCR-ABL1 TKI treatment.

Genetic analysis of isolated methylmalonic acidemia in Henan, China: c.1663G>A variant of MMUT prevalent in the Henan population.

BACKGROUND: Methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) is the most common organic acidemia in China, and isolated MMA accounts for approximately 30 % of all types of MMA. Common variants of the MMUT gene vary greatly around the world. The present study aims to determine the high-frequency and novel genetic variants of the MMUT gene in the Henan population of China and evaluate the prognosis of patients carrying the c.1663G>A (p.Ala555Thr) variant. METHODS: We performed next-generation sequencing for 41 patients with isolated MMA screened by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and analysed the genetic results. We also evaluated the prognosis of patients with the c.1663G>A variant. We used Jalview software for multispecies sequence alignment and Missense3D and DynaMut to predict the protein function of the detected novel variants. RESULTS: A total of 43 variants from 41 patients with isolated MMA were detected, of which c.1663G>A (14.63 %), c.729_730insTT (10.98 %), and c.1106G>A (8.53 %) are high-frequency variants of the MMUT gene in the Henan population. The patients carrying the c.1663G>A variant tended to be responsive to vitamin B12, have a low mortality rate. We also identified 5 novel variants (c.479C>T, c.811G>C, c.965T>A, c.1142G>A and c.1667C>T). CONCLUSION: The rare variant c.1663G>A is prevalent in the Henan population, and infants with this variant tend to have good prognosis. Our findings, especially novel variants, will help broaden the spectrum of genetic variants and facilitate clinical diagnosis and genetic counselling for affected families.

Pharmacovigilance Study of Infigratinib: A Safety Analysis of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System.

BACKGROUND: Infigratinib is a fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)-specifc tyrosine kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of patients with previously treated, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma. However, few studies have been conducted to evaluated the safety of infigratinib in the real world. In this study, we conducted a pharmacovigilance study to evaluate the adverse events (AEs) of infigratinib by using the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database. METHODS: OpenVigil 2.1 was employed to extract the FAERS database. Descriptive analysis was used to describe the characteristics of infigratinib-associated AE reports. Disproportionality analysis was performed by calculating the proportional reporting ratio (PRR), reporting odds ratios (ROR), and Bayesian analysis confidence propagation neural network (BCPNN) to detect positive signals. RESULTS: Our findings revealed 149 AE reports, among which 36 significant signals were identified. These significant AE signals were mainly observed in gastrointestinal disorders (N = 26, ROR = 26.03, PRR = 8.44, information component [IC] = 3.08) and skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders (N = 21, ROR = 92.13, PRR = 40.41, IC = 5.34). Notably, dehydration and skin exfoliation were unexpected AEs, but had relatively high signal intensities (ROR = 29.75, PRR = 26.64, IC = 4.74; ROR = 50.61, PRR = 45.24, IC = 5.50, respectively) despite not being listed on the drug label. Furthermore, our analysis showed that infigratinib dose differed statistically between severe and non-severe reports (113.82 ± 16.13 mg vs 125 ± 0.00 mg, t = - 4.28; p < 0.001). However, there were no significant differences in sex, age, and types of AEs between the two groups (p  = 0.06, p  = 0.86, and p = 0.93, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that gastrointestinal and skin toxicities are the most common adverse reactions for infigratinib. It is important to recognize skin exfoliation and dehydration in clinical practice, as they are unexpected AEs. Additionally, our study indicates that infigratinib dose may correlate with an increased risk of AE severity, highlighting the need for dose adjustment of infigratinib when exposure to the drug is increased due to internal or external factors.

Effect of Tubifex tubifex on the purification function of saturated vertical flow constructed wetlands for effluents with varying C/N ratios.

The improvement effect of Tubifex tubifex on the pollutant removal efficiencies (REs) of vertical flow constructed wetlands (VF-CWs) treating wastewater with various C/N ratios was explored. The experiment was conducted in pilot-scale saturated VF-CWs, being added different densities of T. tubifex and fed synthetic wastewater with successive C/N ratios of 0.5, 1.5, 3.0 and 6.0. The results suggest that T. tubifex addition and the influent C/N ratio had an interactive effect, i.e., T. tubifex addition improved NOx--N, NH4+-N, TN and COD REs by 36.7%, 56.5%, 22.6%, and 10.0%, respectively, under low C/N ratios, while high C/N ratios inhibited this improvement. Low-density T. tubifex addition significantly increased substrate dissolved oxygen (DO) by retarding excessive soil organic matter (OM) accumulation. With T. tubifex addition, an improvement in bacterial diversity, the relative abundance of N-cycle and fermentative bacteria, and N-cycle functional genes was only observed in substrates under low C/N ratios. T. tubifex can improve the purification function of saturated VF-CWs, but this strategy strongly depends on both the influent C/N ratio and density of T. tubifex addition.

Cas9-mediated knockout of Ndrg2 enhances the regenerative potential of dendritic cells for wound healing.

Chronic wounds impose a significant healthcare burden to a broad patient population. Cell-based therapies, while having shown benefits for the treatment of chronic wounds, have not yet achieved widespread adoption into clinical practice. We developed a CRISPR/Cas9 approach to precisely edit murine dendritic cells to enhance their therapeutic potential for healing chronic wounds. Using single-cell RNA sequencing of tolerogenic dendritic cells, we identified N-myc downregulated gene 2 (Ndrg2), which marks a specific population of dendritic cell progenitors, as a promising target for CRISPR knockout. Ndrg2-knockout alters the transcriptomic profile of dendritic cells and preserves an immature cell state with a strong pro-angiogenic and regenerative capacity. We then incorporated our CRISPR-based cell engineering within a therapeutic hydrogel for in vivo cell delivery and developed an effective translational approach for dendritic cell-based immunotherapy that accelerated healing of full-thickness wounds in both non-diabetic and diabetic mouse models. These findings could open the door to future clinical trials using safe gene editing in dendritic cells for treating various types of chronic wounds.

Allelic phenotype prediction of phenylketonuria based on the machine learning method.

BACKGROUND: Phenylketonuria (PKU) is caused by mutations in the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene. Our study aimed to predict the phenotype using the allelic genotype. METHODS: A total of 1291 PKU patients with 623 various variants were used as the training dataset for predicting allelic phenotypes. We designed a common machine learning framework to predict allelic genotypes associated with the phenotype. RESULTS: We identified 235 different mutations and 623 various allelic genotypes. The features extracted from the structure of mutations and graph properties of the PKU network to predict the phenotype of PKU were named PPML (PKU phenotype predicted by machine learning). The phenotype of PKU was classified into three different categories: classical PKU (cPKU), mild PKU (mPKU) and mild hyperphenylalaninemia (MHP). Three hub nodes (c.728G>A for cPKU, c.721 for mPKU and c.158G>A for HPA) were used as each classification center, and 5 node attributes were extracted from the network graph for machine learning training features. The area under the ROC curve was AUC = 0.832 for cPKU, AUC = 0.678 for mPKU and AUC = 0.874 for MHP. This suggests that PPML is a powerful method to predict allelic phenotypes in PKU and can be used for genetic counseling of PKU families. CONCLUSIONS: The web version of PPML predicts PKU allele classification supported by applicable real cases and prediction results. It is an online database that can be used for PKU phenotype prediction http://www.bioinfogenetics.info/PPML/ .

Transporter­mediated drug­drug interactions involving poly (ADP­ribose) polymerase inhibitors (Review).

Poly (ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors are novel targeted anticancer agents that have been widely used in patients with cancer, particularly in patients with breast-related cancer antigen 1/2 mutations. PARP inhibitors are administered orally and have been associated with improved efficacy and toxicity profiles when compared to conventional chemotherapy agents; this improvement is convenient and results in good compliance among patients with cancer. However, as PARP inhibitors are administered long-term and frequently concomitantly with other therapeutic agents, the risk of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) is increasing. Transporters are widely expressed in numerous types of tissue, where they have crucial roles in the membrane transport of several drugs. An alteration in the activity and expression of transporters may change the drug pharmacokinetics (PKs) and cause DDIs. As the five PARP inhibitors (olaparib, niraparib, rucaparib, talazoparib and veliparib) are transporter substrates, inhibitors or inducers, the potential transporter-mediated DDIs with the use of PARP inhibitors should be taken into consideration when co-administered with other agents. The present review focused on recent findings on transporter-mediated DDIs with PARP inhibitors to provide specific recommendations for reducing the occurrence of undesired DDIs.

Mutation screening of eight genes and comparison of the clinical data in a Chinese cohort with congenital hypothyroidism.

BACKGROUND: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is a common neonatal endocrine disorder, characterized by irreversible intellectual disability and short stature if left untreated. It can be divided into thyroid dysgenesis (TD), including athyreosis, ectopy and hypoplasia, and dyshormonogenesis (DH), also referring to gland in situ (GIS), in which patients have eutopic thyroids with normal size or goiter. This study aims to analyze the clinical and genetic data of 375 Chinese CH patients without DUOX2 and thyroid transcription factor (TTF) variants, and to explore the mutation frequencies of the eight genes and the inheritance pattern of CH. METHODS: Targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) and statistical analysis were performed for mutation screening on eight CH-related genes and the comparison of clinical data in a cohort of 606 Chinese CH patients from Henan Province. RESULTS: A total of 104 variants were detected in genes required for thyroid formation (TSHR, GLIS3, BOREALIN, NTN1, JAG1 and TUBB1) and thyroid hormone synthesis (TG and TPO) in 83 subjects. Monogenic variants were the most prevalent with a percentage of 75.00% (78/104) followed by oligogenic variants (25.00%, 26/104). No differences were found in various clinical data between patients with and without variants. However, it should be noted that only initial L-T4 dose was statistically different between patients with monogenic variants and oligogenic variants. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that apart from Mendelian monogenic inheritance, oligogenic inheritance of CH could not be excluded and also involves other factors, such as penetrance, epigenetic mechanisms and environmental factors.

Elemental composition and microbial community differences between wastewater treatment plant effluent and local natural surface water: A Zhengzhou city study.

Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent is discharged into rivers as supplemental water, which may result in ecological risk. This study compares the element composition and microbial community of WWTP effluent and natural surface water (NSW) and reveals the potential ecological risk of WWTP effluent discharge. Twenty recently upgraded WWTPs and three relatively large reservoirs in Zhengzhou city, China, were selected. The contents of N, P, S, K, Ca, Mg, B, Si, Na, Fe, Mn, Co, Ni and Sn were significantly higher in WWTP effluent than in NSW, while those of Mo, V, Pb and Cd were significantly lower. There was no significant difference between WWTP effluent and NSW in terms of the element imbalance index (IMI) (representing the extent of imbalance of element proportions) relative to the class IV surface water quality standard (the control standard for most Chinese rivers). The macronutrient IMI relative to the Hoagland formula was significantly lower in WWTP effluent than in NSW, and WWTP effluent discharge could significantly lower this index in NSW; this may be an important cause of primary productivity explosion. The microbial diversity was significantly higher in WWTP effluent than in NSW. The predicted relative abundances of mobile genetic elements and oxidative-stress-tolerant phenotypes were significantly higher in WWTP effluent than in NSW, whereas the abundance of gram-negative phenotypes was significantly lower, and that of potential pathogenic phenotypes was slightly lower. The effluent from upgraded WWTPs exhibited a low risk of pathogen diffusion but a high risk of antibiotic resistance gene diffusion. The element composition and microbial community should be considered when evaluating the ecological risk of WWTP effluent discharge.

Newborn screening and genomic analysis of duchenne muscular dystrophy in Henan, China.

BACKGROUND: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a rare disorder caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene. Recent availability in treatment for DMD raised the need of early screening in our center, but newborn screening (NBS) for DMD has not been carried out in Henan Province. OBJECTIVES: To determine an optimal cutoff value through the quantitative determination of the creatine kinase isoform MM (CK-MM) concentration dried blood spot (DBS) to identify male DMD, and to evaluate assess the detection rate and mutation spectrum of DMD in Henan, China. METHODS: The CK-MM level in DBS was measured using with a GSP® neonatal creatine kinase -MM kit from 13,110 male newborns to establish the cut-off value for CK-MM. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) were carried out for infants with elevated CK levels to detect DMD gene deletions/ duplications, NGS and sanger sequencing were then applied to exclude MLPA-negative samples to single-nucleotide variants. Phenotype-genotype correlations were analyzed using REVEL For novel missense mutations. RESULTS: Statistical analysis of CK-MM value of the 13,110 neonates suggested that the cut-off value may be set as 472 ng/mL. 3 cases of DMD were screened among 13,110 newborns, all of whom had CK-MM levels >600 ng/mL. We detected 4 rare variants in DMD gene, including 2 exon deletions (deletion of exon 52 and deletion from exon 3 to exon 7) and 2 point variants (c.9568C>T and c.4030C>T). Two cases were all exon deletions, one case was compound heterozygous variants. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated incidence of male neonatal DMD was 1:4,370 in Henan province. NBS is of great value to the early intervention and treatment of the disease, and is fundamental to support public health decision-making. The experience from this study provided a model that will allow further expansion and facilitate establishment a universal public health screening in Henan hospital systems.

Generation of APN-chimeric gene-edited pigs by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knock-in strategy.

The prevalence of porcine enteric coronaviruses (PECs), including transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV), porcine delta coronavirus (PDCoV), and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), poses a serious threat to animal and public health. Here, we aimed to further optimize the porcine aminopeptidase N (pAPN) gene editing strategy to explore the balance between individual antiviral properties and the biological functions of pAPN in pigs. Finally, APN-chimeric gene-edited pigs were produced through a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knock-in strategy. Further reproductive tests indicated that these gene-edited pigs exhibited normal pregnancy rates and viability. Notably, in vitro viral challenge assays further demonstrated that porcine kidney epithelial cells isolated from F1-generation gene-edited pigs could effectively inhibit TGEV infection. This study is the first to report the generation of APN-chimeric pigs, which may provide a natural host animal for characterizing PEC infection with APN and help in the development of better antiviral solutions.

Effects of hepatic or renal impairment on the pharmacokinetics of immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become the cornerstone in treating many solid and hematological cancers. The ICIs, including anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), anti-programed cell death 1 (PD-1), and anti-programed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) monoclonal antibodies, have significantly improved the prognosis of cancer patients. Meanwhile, the incidence of hepatic or renal impairment in cancer patients is increasing. However, data about the efficacy and safety of ICIs in patients with hepatic or renal impairment are limited. In this review, we characterize and summarize the pharmacokinetics (PK) of ICIs as well as the effects of hepatic or renal function on the PK of ICIs, and provide specific recommendations for clinicians when prescribing ICIs in patients with hepatic or renal impairment.

Dose Adjustment of Poly (ADP­Ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors in Patients with Hepatic or Renal Impairment.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors are small-molecule inhibitors of PARP enzymes (including PARP1, PARP2, and PARP3) that exhibit activity against tumor cells with defects in DNA repair. In recent years, five PARP inhibitors, olaparib, niraparib, rucaparib, talazoparib and veliparib, have been developed for the treatment of solid tumors, particularly in patients with breast-related cancer antigen (BRCA) 1/2 mutations, or those without a functional homologous recombination repair pathway. These novel treatments exhibit improved efficacy and toxicity when compared to conventional chemotherapy agents. The five PARP inhibitors are eliminated primarily via the liver and kidneys, hepatic or renal impairment may significantly affect their pharmacokinetics (PK). Therefore, it is important to know the effects of hepatic or renal impairment on the PK and safety of PARP inhibitors. In this review, we characterize and summarize the effects of hepatic and renal function on the PK of PARP inhibitors and provide specific recommendations for clinicians when prescribing PARP inhibitors in patients with hepatic or renal impairment.

Comparison and interpretation of freshwater bacterial structure and interactions with organic to nutrient imbalances in restored wetlands.

Chemical oxygen demand to nitrogen (COD/N) and nitrogen to phosphorus (N/P) ratios have distinct effects on bacterial community structure and interactions. However, how organic to nutrient imbalances affect the structure of freshwater bacterial assemblages in restored wetlands remains poorly understood. Here, the composition and dominant taxa of bacterial assemblages in four wetlands [low COD/N and high N/P (LH), low COD/N and low N/P (LL), high COD/N and high N/P (HH), and high COD/N and low N/P (HL)] were investigated. A total of 7,709 operational taxonomic units were identified by high throughput sequencing, and Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Cyanobacteria were the most abundant phyla in the restored wetlands. High COD/N significantly increased bacterial diversity and was negatively correlated with N/P (R 2 = 0.128; p = 0.039), and the observed richness (Sobs) indices ranged from 860.77 to 1314.66. The corresponding Chao1 and phylogenetic diversity (PD) values ranged from 1533.42 to 2524.56 and 127.95 to 184.63. Bacterial beta diversity was negatively related to COD/N (R 2 = 0.258; p < 0.001). The distribution of bacterial assemblages was mostly driven by variations in ammonia nitrogen (NH4 +-N, p < 0.01) and electrical conductivity (EC, p < 0.01), which collectively explained more than 80% of the variation in bacterial assemblages. However, the dominant taxa Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, Planctomycetes, Chloroflexi, and Deinococcus-Thermus were obviously affected by variation in COD/N and N/P (p < 0.05). The highest node and edge numbers and average degree were observed in the LH group. The co-occurrence networkindicated that LH promoted bacterial network compactness and bacterial interaction consolidation. The relationships between organic to nutrient imbalances and bacterial assemblages may provide a theoretical basis for the empirical management of wetland ecosystems.

Analysis of gene mutations of medium-chain acyl-coenzyme a dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD) by next-generation sequencing in Henan, China.

BACKGROUND: Medium-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD) is a rare inherited metabolic disorder of fatty acid ß-oxidation and one of the most common inborn errors of metabolism. The incidence of MCADD varies among regions and ethnic groups. To date, few cases of MCADD have been documented in China. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to find out the novel genetic pathogenic variants in the Chinese patients and evaluate the detection rate of the disease of high-frequency ACADM pathogenic variants in different regions of China. METHODS: 6 cases of MCADD were screened by tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) among 245 054 newborns. We performed next-generation sequencing on 6 families of infants with MCADD. We used the REVEL method to predict the protein function of the detected missense variants and used SPDBV 4.10 to predict the protein 3D structure model. We identified pathogenic variants of ACADM gene in 6 cases of MCADD, and then assessed these variants through Sanger sequencing and association analysis. RESULTS: The incidence of neonatal MCADD was 1/40,842 in Henan province. Among the 6 patients, five cases were compound heterozygous variants, one case was homozygous variants. DNA sequencing revealed 4 known (c.449_452del, c.1085G > A, c.1229 T > C, c.589A > G) and 3 novel mutations (c.849 + 5_849 + 8del, c.427A > G, c.1181C > T) in the ACADM gene. Mutation c.1085G > A (p.G362E) was most frequent among Henan people and shows obvious differences between North and South of China. CONCLUSION: MCADD is relatively rare in China, and c.1085G > A (p.G362E) is a common mutation in Henan population. Our findings, especially novel variants, will help improve the understanding of the genetic background and have facilitated clinical diagnosis and genetic counseling for the affected families.

Nested epistasis enhancer networks for robust genome regulation.

Mammalian genomes have multiple enhancers spanning an ultralong distance (>megabases) to modulate important genes, but it is unclear how these enhancers coordinate to achieve this task. We combine multiplexed CRISPRi screening with machine learning to define quantitative enhancer-enhancer interactions. We find that the ultralong distance enhancer network has a nested multilayer architecture that confers functional robustness of gene expression. Experimental characterization reveals that enhancer epistasis is maintained by three-dimensional chromosomal interactions and BRD4 condensation. Machine learning prediction of synergistic enhancers provides an effective strategy to identify noncoding variant pairs associated with pathogenic genes in diseases beyond genome-wide association studies analysis. Our work unveils nested epistasis enhancer networks, which can better explain enhancer functions within cells and in diseases.

Research hotspots and frontiers in agricultural multispectral technology: Bibliometrics and scientometrics analysis of the Web of Science.

Multispectral technology has a wide range of applications in agriculture. By obtaining spectral information during crop production, key information such as growth, pests and diseases, fertilizer and pesticide application can be determined quickly, accurately and efficiently. The scientific analysis based on Web of Science aims to understand the research hotspots and areas of interest in the field of agricultural multispectral technology. The publications related to agricultural multispectral research in agriculture between 2002 and 2021 were selected as the research objects. The softwares of CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Microsoft Excel were used to provide a comprehensive review of agricultural multispectral research in terms of research areas, institutions, influential journals, and core authors. Results of the analysis show that the number of publications increased each year, with the largest increase in 2019. Remote sensing, imaging technology, environmental science, and ecology are the most popular research directions. The journal Remote Sensing is one of the most popular publishers, showing a high publishing potential in multispectral research in agriculture. The institution with the most research literature and citations is the USDA. In terms of the number of papers, Mtanga is the author with the most published articles in recent years. Through keyword co-citation analysis, it is determined that the main research areas of this topic focus on remote sensing, crop classification, plant phenotypes and other research areas. The literature co-citation analysis indicates that the main research directions concentrate in vegetation index, satellite remote sensing applications and machine learning modeling. There is still a lot of room for development of multi-spectrum technology. Further development can be carried out in the areas of multi-device synergy, spectral fusion, airborne equipment improvement, and real-time image processing technology, which will cooperate with each other to further play the role of multi-spectrum in agriculture and promote the development of agriculture.