[Regulation mechanism of resveratrol on odontogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells].

PURPOSE: To investigate whether resveratrol promotes odontogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells(DPSCs) by up-regulating the expression of silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) and activating ß-catenin signaling pathway. METHODS: Different concentrations of resveratrol(0, 10, 15, 20 and 50 µmol/L) were used to treat DPSCs for 7 days and 14 days, and cell proliferative activity was detected by CCK-8. After odontogenic differentiation induced by 15 µmol/L resveratrol for 7 days, alkaline phosphatase(ALP) staining was performed and real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR(qRT-PCR) was used to detect the mRNA expression of Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), dentin sialophosphoprotein(DSPP) and dentin matrix protein-1(DMP-1) in DPSCs. Western blot was used to detect the expression of SIRT1 in DPSCs on a specific day (0, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 14th) after differentiation induction. Western blot was also used to detect the expression of SIRT1 and activated ß-catenin during odontogenic differentiation of DPSCs treated by 15 µmol/L resveratrol for 7 days. The experimental data was analyzed with GraphPad Prism 9 software package. RESULTS: 15 µmol/L resveratrol had no significant effect on proliferation of DPSCs on the 7th and 14th day; 15 µmol/L resveratrol promoted odontogenic differentiation of DPSCs and up-regulated mRNA expression of RUNX2, DSPP, and DMP-1 in DPSCs; the expression of SIRT1 was the highest on the 7th day during odontogenic differentiation induction. Resveratrol resulted in the increasing protein expressions of SIRT1 and activated ß-catenin when DPSCs was induced to odontogenic differentiation for 7 days. CONCLUSIONS: Resveratrol promotes odontogenic differentiation of human DPSCs by up-regulating the expression of SIRT1 protein and activating ß-catenin signaling pathway.

Relationship between self-management of patients with anxiety disorders and their anxiety level and quality of life: A cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: To explore the correlation between self-management and anxiety and quality of life in patients with anxiety disorders and to understand whether self-management can influence the relationship between anxiety and quality of life and provide a basis for improving their anxiety and quality of life. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 245 patients with anxiety disorders in West China Hospital of Sichuan University was conducted using the Self-Management of Anxiety Disorders Scale, Self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), and World Health Organization Quality of Life-BBREF. The data were then analyzed using descriptive tests and Pearson correlation in SPSS 25. Bootstrap mediated effects tests were used to test the effect relationship between anxiety, quality of life and self-management scores in patients with anxiety disorders and Amos was used to establish the structural equation model. RESULTS: The results of the correlation analysis showed that the total self-management score was positively correlated with the total quality of life score (r = 0.695, P <0.001), physical domain score (r = 0.552, P <0.001), psychological domain score (r = 0.661, P <0.001), social relations domain score (r = 0.542, P <0.001), and environmental domain score (r = 0.614, P <0.001). Additionally, it was negatively correlated with SAS score (r = -0.470, P <0.001). Self-management partially mediates the relationship between anxiety and quality of life, and the direct effect value of anxiety on quality of life was -0.44. The indirect effect value of self-management was -0.27, accounting for 38% of the total effect value. CONCLUSION: Self-management of patients with anxiety disorders was negatively correlated with anxiety and positively correlated with quality of life. It played a partially mediating effect between anxiety and quality of life. We recommend that healthcare providers pay attention to self-management interventions for patients with anxiety disorders to further improve their quality of life.

Hyperspectral inversion of soil water and salt information based on fractional order derivative technology.

Accurate and efficient acquisition of soil water and salt information is a prerequisite for the improvement and sustainable utilization of saline lands. With the ground field hyperspectral reflectance and the measured soil water-salt content as data sources, we used the fractional order differentiation (FOD) technique to process hyperspectral data (with a step length of 0.25). The optimal FOD order was explored at the correlation level of spectral data and soil water-salt information. We constructed two-dimensional spectral index, support vector machine regression (SVR) and geographically weighted regression (GWR). The inverse model of soil water-salt content was finally evaluated. The results showed that FOD technique could reduce the hyperspectral noise and explore the potential spectral information to a certain extent, improve the correlation between spectrum and characteristics, with the highest correlation coefficients of 0.98, 1.35 and 0.33. The combination of characteristic bands screened by FOD and two-dimensional spectral index were more sensitive to characteristics than one-dimensional bands, with the optimal responses of order 1.5, 1.0 and 0.75. The optimal combinations of bands for maximum absolute correction coefficient of SMC were 570, 1000, 1010, 1020, 1330 and 2140 nm, pH were 550, 1000, 1380 and 2180 nm, and salt content were 600, 990, 1600 and 1710 nm, respectively. Compared with the original spectral reflectance, the validation coefficients of determination (Rp2) of the optimal order estimation models for SMC, pH, and salinity were improved by 1.87, 0.94 and 0.56, respectively. The overall GWR accuracy in the proposed model was better than SVR, where the GWR optimal order estimation models Rp2 were 0.866, 0.904 and 0.647, and the relative per-centage difference were 3.54, 4.25 and 1.86, respectively. The overall spatial distribution of soil water and salt content in the study area was characterized by low in the west and high in the east, with more serious soil alkalinization problems in the northwest and less severe in the northeast. The results would provide scientific basis for the hyperspectral inversion of soil water and salt in the Yellow River Irrigation Area and a new strategy for the implementation and management of precision agriculture in saline soil areas.

Mass spectrometry imaging and single-cell transcriptional profiling reveal the tissue-specific regulation of bioactive ingredient biosynthesis in Taxus leaves.

Taxus leaves provide the raw industrial materials for taxol, a natural antineoplastic drug widely used in the treatment of various cancers. However, the precise distribution, biosynthesis, and transcriptional regulation of taxoids and other active components in Taxus leaves remain unknown. Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MALDI-IMS) analysis was used to visualize various secondary metabolites in T. mairei leaf sections, confirming the tissue-specific accumulation of different active metabolites. Single-cell sequencing was applied to produce expression profiles of 8846 cells, with a median of 2,352 genes per cell. Based on a series of cluster-specific markers, cells were grouped into 15 clusters, suggesting a high degree of cell heterogeneity in the T. mairei leaves. Our data created the first Taxus leaf metabolic single-cell atlas and reveal spatial and temporal expression patterns of several secondary metabolic pathways. According to the cell type annotation, most of the taxol biosynthesis genes are expressed mainly in leaf mesophyll cells, phenolic acid and flavonoid biosynthesis genes are expressed highly in leaf epidermis cells (including stomatal complex and guard cells), and terpenoid and steroid biosynthesis genes are expressed specifically in leaf mesophyll cells. Furthermore, a number of novel and cell specific transcription factors involved in secondary metabolite biosynthesis were identified, including MYB17, WRKY12, WRKY31, ERF13, GT_2, and bHLH46. Our research established the transcriptional landscape of the major cell types in T. mairei leaves at single-cell resolution and provided valuable resources for studying the basic principles of cell type specific regulation of secondary metabolism.

A theoretical review on the interplay among EFL teachers' professional identity, agency, and positioning.

Language teaching is by nature a complex and social practice with numerous personal and contextual aspects. It hinges upon how teachers perceive themselves, the way they are perceived by others, and their roles and positioning in the classroom and its occurring interactions. Despite the proliferation of research on English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' professional identity, its association to agency and positioning has been widely ignored in academia. Urged by this backdrop, the current study was a bid to theoretically explore the relationship among teachers' professional identity, agency, and positioning in language education. To do so, the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of this line of research are reviewed referring to different definitions, dimensions, approaches, and conceptualizations of each construct. Additionally, to approve their strong linkage, scientific findings from previous studies are built upon. Furthermore, the implications of this line of inquiry for different stakeholders in EFL contexts, especially teachers are presented in detail. Finally, the study enumerates a number of research gaps in this domain and suggests some future directions for enthusiastic scholars.

Acute impact of salinity and C/N ratio on the formation and properties of soluble microbial products from activated sludge.

The present study investigated the shock of NaCl and C/N ratio on properties of soluble microbial products (SMPs), focusing on their sized fractions. The results indicated that the NaCl stress increased the content of biopolymers, humic substances, building blocks, and LMW substances in SMPs, while the addition of 40 g NaCl L-1 significantly changed their relative abundance in SMPs. The acute impact of both N-rich and N-deficient conditions accelerated the secretion of SMPs, but the characteristics of LMW substances differed. Meanwhile, the bio-utilization of SMPs has been enhanced with the increase of NaCl dosage but decreased with the increase of the C/N ratio. The mass balance of sized fractions in SMPs + EPS could be set up when NaCl dosage <10 g/L and C/N ratio >5, which indicates the hydrolysis of sized fractions in EPS mainly compensated for their increase/reduction in SMPs. Besides, the results of the toxic assessment indicated that the oxidative damage caused by the NaCl shock was an important factor affecting the property of SMPs, and the abnormal expression of DNA transcription cannot be neglected for bacteria metabolisms with the change of C/N ratio.

In-hospital waiting time to surgery and functional outcomes in geriatric hip fractures: a directed acyclic graph-based pre-planned analysis from a prospective multicenter cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The early recovery of hip function after hip fracture surgery values more attention, especially for patients with delayed surgery of longer than 48 hours. We aim to evaluate the associations of in-hospital surgical waiting time with the functional outcomes (Harris Hip score, Parker Mobility Score and EuroQol 5 dimensions VAS score) in elderly patients who sustained hip fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data on sociodemographic and clinical factors were prospectively collected using a multicenter hip fracture registry system. Participants in the cohort underwent a 12-months follow-up investigation. After adjusting potential confounders identified by the directed acyclic graphs, the associations between surgical waiting time longer than 48 hours and functional outcomes were estimated by log-binomial regression and multivariable linear regression models with generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: Of 863 survival participants with available functional data at 12 months after surgery, an increased risk was obtained from receiving surgery after 48 hours and the poor functional outcomes (HHS<80: RR=1.56, 95%CI 1.00, 2.51; PMS<7: RR=1.49, 95%CI 1.13, 2.01; EQ-5D VAS<80: RR=1.97, 95%CI 1.57, 2.47). In-hospital waiting time>48 hours were time-invariantly associated with lower PMS during recovery (-0.44 units 95%CI -0.70, -0.18). In addition, delayed surgery was time-varying associated with HHS and EQ-5D VAS. CONCLUSIONS: The associations between in-hospital waiting time and postoperative functional score suggest that delayed surgery can lead to poor functional outcomes, especially in patients waiting longer than 72 hours from injury. Delayed surgery mainly impacting hip function and mobility recovery with a slower speed in early recovery of the first three months. More attentions should be paid to mechanisms behind the associations between delayed surgery on general healthy status.

Measurement of bony anatomical parameters of the distal ulna based on healthy adult data: A cross-sectional study.

Purpose: This study sought to conduct several three-dimensional measurements of the distal ulna in healthy Han Chinese, providing the anatomical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of hand trauma, distal ulnar disorders, and the design of wrist prostheses. Methods: 50 Han Chinese men and women that underwent computed tomography (CT) scans of the distal ulnar carpus were included in the present study. A three-dimensional digital model of the distal ulna was reconstructed using Mimics software. Moreover, the anatomical data of 10 indicators were measured using MIMICS software. Each index data was measured by 2 investigators independently, and the average value was taken. The data were stratified and compared between left and right sides and men and women. Results: A 3D digital model of the distal ulnar bone with a realistic shape was reconstructed. The 10 anatomical parameters measured are as follows: The length of the ulnar styloid process (posterior anterior), The length of the ulnar styloid process(anterior and posterior); the transverse diameter of the ulnar head; the anteroposterior diameter of the ulnar head. The radial inclination angle of the ulna; the ulnar inclination angle; the distal space between the ulna and radius; the ulnar notch angle of the lower radius. The anterior and posterior diameters of the ulnar notch of the lower radius, and the superior and inferior diameters of the ulnar notch of the lower radius. Statistical analysis showed no significant difference after stratification by laterality and gender. Conclusion: our findings can providing the anatomical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of hand trauma, distal ulnar disorders and further improve currently available wrist joint prostheses. Type of Study: Observational, Cross-sectional study, LOE: Level II.

Association of body mass index and waist-to-height ratio with outcomes in ischemic stroke: results from the Third China National Stroke Registry.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Conflicting reports of obesity paradox have led to confusion about weight management strategies for post-stroke patients. The main purpose of this study is to determine whether the obesity paradox measured by body mass index (BMI) or by waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) is real. METHODS: We evaluated the association of general obesity measured by BMI, and abdominal obesity measured by WHtR with 1-year all-cause mortality, recurrence of stroke and combined vascular events of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients in a cohort -- the Third China National Stroke Registry (CNSR-III). Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic splines were performed to investigate the association between obesity and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 14,146 patients with ischemic stroke were included. When BMI was used as a measure of obesity, compared to the normal weight patients, mortality decreased in overweight patients (hazard ratio [HR] 0.74 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.61-0.91], P = 0.0035) and obese patients (HR 0.54 [0.40-0.73], P < 0.0001); and increased in underweight patients (HR 2.55 [1.75-3.73], P < 0.0001). After adjustment for confounding factors, the protective effect of obesity and overweight disappeared. BMI had no association with recurrence of stroke or combined vascular events. When WHtR was used as a measure of obesity, obese patients had lower 1-year all-cause mortality (HR 0.64 [0.43-0.97], P = 0.0357). After adjustment for confounding factors, this difference disappeared; overweight patients still had lower all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.42 [0.26-0.67], P = 0.0003), recurrence of stroke (aHR 0.77 [0.60-0.99], P = 0.0440) and combined vascular events (aHR 0.75 [0.58-0.95], P = 0.0198). CONCLUSIONS: Among Chinese patients with AIS, our study does not support the BMI paradox; overweight patients measured by WHtR had a more favorable prognosis. TOAST subtypes did not modify the association.

Activating calcium-sensing receptor gene variants in China: a case report of hypocalcaemia and literature review.

OBJECTIVES: Autosomal dominant hypocalcaemia 1 (ADH1) is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disease, due to the activating mutations of the calcium-sensing receptor (CASR) gene. The current paper presents a severe case of ADH1 with intellectual backwardness, and systematically reviews the reported 17 ADH1 patients in China. CASE PRESENTATION: A 7 years old boy with recurrent seizures over 1 year was admitted at Yuying children' hospital, the clinical centre of south province of Zhejiang. Auxiliary examinations demonstrated hypocalcaemia, hyperphosphatemia, hypomagnesemia, hypercalciuria, low parathyroid hormone (PTH), basal ganglia calcifications, normal range of serum creatinine, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Wechsler's intelligence test result indicated intellectually backward. The patient's genotype found a heterozygous variant in CASR gene, c.T416C p. (Ile139Thr). This article also systematically reviews the literatures on ADH1 in China and summarises the clinical characteristics and treatment. CONCLUSIONS: ADH1 can be a cause of idiopathic hypoparathyroidism. Recognition and rational treatment is important for symptom improvement and reducing high potential adverse effects.

Cardiac MRI-Based Assessment of Myocardial Injury in Asymptomatic People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus: Correlation With nadir CD4 Count.

BACKGROUND: There are known cardiac manifestations of HIV, but the findings in asymptomatic subjects are still not fully explored. PURPOSE: To evaluate for the presence of subclinical myocardial injury in asymptomatic people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) by cardiac MRI and to explore the possible association between subclinical myocardial injury and HIV-related clinical characteristics. STUDY TYPE: Cross-sectional. POPULATION: A total of 80 asymptomatic PLWH (age: 53 years [47-56 years]; 90% male) and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy participants. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: A 3-T, cine sequence, T1, T2, and T2* mapping. ASSESSMENT: Function analysis was derived from short axis, two-, three-, and four-chamber cine images by feature tracking. Regions of interest were manually selected in the midventricular septum T1, T2, and T2* mapping sequences. PLWH were evaluated for T1 increment (△T1 mapping = native T1 - cutoff values) and HIV-related clinical characteristics, particularly the nadir CD4 count. And PLWH were stratified into two groups according to the cutoff value of native T1: elevated native T1 and normal. STATISTICAL TESTS: T test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, Chi-square test, Spearman rank correlation, and logistic regression. P <0.05 indicated statistical significance. RESULTS: Asymptomatic PLWH revealed significantly higher native myocardial T1 values (1241 ± 29 msec vs. 1189 ± 21 msec), T2 values (40.7 ± 1.5 msec vs. 37.9 ± 1.4 msec), and lower LVGRS (30.2% ± 6.2% vs. 35.8% ± 6.4%), LVGCS (-18.0% ± 2.5% vs. -19.5% ± 2.0%), and LVGLS (-16.0% ± 3.8% vs. -17.9% ± 2.6%) but showed no difference in T2* values (17.3 msec [16.3-19.1 msec] vs. 18.3 msec [16.5-19.3 msec], P = 0.201). A negative correlation between the native T1 increment in PLWH with subclinical myocardial injury and the nadir CD4 count (u = -0.316). Nadir CD4 count <500 cells/mm3 was associated with higher odds of elevated native T1 myocardial values (odds ratio, 6.12 [95% CI, 1.07-34.91]) in PLWH. DATA CONCLUSION: Subclinical myocardial inflammation and dysfunction were present in asymptomatic PLWH, and a lower nadir CD4 count may be a risk factor for subclinical myocardial injury. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 1. TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Diversifying selection and climatic effects on major histocompatibility complex class II gene diversity in the greater horseshoe bat.

Heterogeneous pathogenic stress can shape major histocompatibility complex (MHC) diversity by influencing the functional plasticity of the immune response. Therefore, MHC diversity could reflect environmental stress, demonstrating its importance in uncovering the mechanisms of adaptive genetic variation. In this study, we combined neutral microsatellite loci, an immune-related MHC II-DRB locus, and climatic factors to unravel the mechanisms affecting the diversity and genetic differentiation of MHC genes in the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), a species with a wide geographical distribution that has three distinct genetic lineages in China. First, increased genetic differentiation at the MHC locus among populations compared using microsatellites indicated diversifying selection. Second, the genetic differentiation of MHC and microsatellites were significantly correlated, suggesting that demographic processes exist. However, MHC genetic differentiation was significantly correlated with geographical distance among populations, even after controlling for the neutral markers, suggesting a major effect of selection. Third, although the MHC genetic differentiation was larger than that for microsatellites, there was no significant difference in the genetic differentiation between the two markers among genetic lineages, indicating the effect of balancing selection. Fourth, combined with climatic factors, MHC diversity and supertypes showed significant correlations with temperature and precipitation, but not with the phylogeographic structure of R. ferrumequinum, suggesting an effect of local adaptation driven by climate on MHC diversity. Moreover, the number of MHC supertypes varied between populations and lineages, suggesting regional characteristics and support for local adaptation. Taken together, the results of our study provide insights into the adaptive evolutionary driving forces at different geographic scales in R. ferrumequinum. In addition, climate factors may have played a vital role in driving adaptive evolution in this species.

Should acupuncture therapy be used for acute facial paralysis? A protocol for systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral facial paralysis (PFP) results in functional disorder and social dysfunction, when it is under a severe condition at onset, long-term poor outcomes do occur. Different acupuncture methods have been reported to be potentially effective for shortening the disease course and reducing the occurrence of sequelae when they are applied at an early stage. Neuro edema is a common pathological feature in the acute phase, and many clinical studies have suggested its effect of reducing facial nerve edema. It is of value to estimate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture treatment at the onset, and to assess the most suitable acupuncture method for the acute period. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: All the RCTs and quasi-RCTs on acupuncture therapy for patients who is during acute stage of PFP will be included. The recovery rate of facial function, the time it takes to restore facial function and the odds of sequelae occurring will be the key parts we focus on. Psychological well-being and quality of life will also be evaluated. Literature searching will be conducted until December 31th, 2022 from eight databases systematically. Two reviewers will screen the literature and extract the data independently. RevMan software will be used for data analysis, and the version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool (RoB 2) will be used to assess the certainty of evidence. Forest plots and summary findings will be generated. If data permits, a meta-analysis will be conducted. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Since this study will not involve clinical treatment of patients, ethics approval is not required. The result of this study will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication and as a proposal for clinical practice and further study on acupuncture treatment at the early stage of PFP. DISCUSSION: This review will summarize the evidence on the different type of acupuncture therapy for acute Bell's palsy and Ramsay-Hunt syndrome. We anticipate that it would be safe and effective when applied to the acute phase of PFP, and some specific suitable acupuncture methods would be found resulting from this review. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: International Prospective Register for Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) number CRD42020205127.

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry revealed the significantly different metabolic profiles of Auricularia cornea growing on weakly acidic and weakly alkaline substrates.

Auricularia cornea is a widely prized basidiomycetous mushroom with culinary and medicine value, which is cultivated artificially on a large scale in China. However, little attention has been paid to the differences in metabolic profiles under different pH growth conditions. In the present study, weakly acidic and weakly alkaline artificial substrates were developed and used for the cultivation of A. cornea, and the metabolic profiles of its fruiting bodies were determined using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The results show that the weakly alkaline substrate environment promoted mycelial growth, increased body surface area, and improved yield and transformation efficiency, but attenuated metabolite accumulation by A. cornea. A total of 412 different metabolites were identified in negative and positive ion mode, of which 99 had significantly different amounts and covered 51 metabolic pathways. Principal component analysis and orthogonal patrial least squares discriminant analysis showed clear separation between two treatments, indicating different metabolic profiles. The different metabolites mainly included seven chemical categories, including amino acids and derivatives, nucleotides and derivatives, phenolic acids, organic acids, lipids, flavonoids and alkaloids. This study revealed the biological significance of these metabolites, which could be useful for further unexplored compounds and possible biological functions of A. cornea.

The role of scarcity promotion and cause-related events in impulse purchase in the agricultural product live stream.

Harvest agricultural products are perishable. If they cannot be sold, there will be serious grain loss and food waste. It is an important issue related to human sustainable development and urgent to address. As the most popular way of shopping, live shopping has achieved remarkable achievements, while the existing research is relatively silent on how to promote the sales of agricultural products in the context of live streams. Based on S-O-R theory and dual-system theory, three studies investigated the intrinsic mechanism of consumers' impulse purchase intention (IPI) in live streams. The results show that scarcity promotion (SP) and cause-related events (CRE) are positively correlated with consumers' IPI through arousal and moral elevation. Interestingly, when SP and CRE are presented at the same time, the impact of CRE on IPI is no longer significant. Overall, the proposed model could be used to predict consumers' willingness and provide the choice of marketing strategy to promote the sale of agricultural products, which has significant theoretical and practical value.

Designing a Coupling Agent with Aliphatic Polyether Chain and Exploring Its Effect on Silica/Natural Rubber Nanocomposites under the Action of Non-Rubber Contents.

In order to prepare engineering tires with lower rolling resistance and better wet slip resistance in a more environmentally friendly way. In this study, a series of low volatile organic compound (VOC) Mx-Si69 coupling agents (x = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, which means the number of ethoxy group in bis-(γ-triethoxysilylpropyl)-tetrasulfide (Si69) substituted by the aliphatic polyether chain) were applied to silica/NR nanocomposites to prepare tire tread with excellent performance. Firstly, M1-Si69 was substantiated as the best choice of Mx-Si69 and Si69 to achieve comprehensive optima in the mechanical properties of silica/NR nanocomposites characterized by dynamic and static mechanical properties. Afterwards, the modification of silica with M1-Si69 induced by Non-Rubber Contents (NRCs) in silica/NR nanocomposites was revealed by comparing the filler network, micromorphology, and mechanical properties of isoprene rubber (IR) and NR nanocomposites. Furthermore, compared with Si69, the M1-Si69 coupling agent was found to conspicuously reduce the energy loss and improve the safety performance of engineering tires according to evaluations of the rolling resistance and dynamic thermomechanical properties of the silica/NR nanocomposites. Finally, the critical function of M1-Si69 in reducing ethanol (a kind of volatile organic compound (VOC)) emissions from the reaction of coupling agent and silica was disclosed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Insights into lipid metabolism and immune-inflammatory responses in the pathogenesis of coronary artery ectasia.

Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is a rare finding that is associated with poor clinical outcomes (Kawsara et al. 2018), and disorders in lipid metabolism have been reported in CAE. Lipids constitute one of the three metabolite types that regulate bodily functions and are also powerful signaling molecules (Han 2016; Zhu et al. 2021) that affect immunoregulation and inflammatory responses via a series of transcription factors and signaling pathways (Barrera et al. 2013). Although abnormal lipid metabolism and immunoinflammatory responses have been reported in CAE, their roles in the pathogenic mechanisms underlying CAE are currently unclear.

Development of a chemiluminescence assay for detection of Giardia lamblia in canine stool samples.

Our Giardia chemiluminescence assay (GCA) detected Giardia antigens in a dose-dependent manner with a limit of detection at 0.46 ng/mL and a signal-to-baseline ratio at 475. In a study of 30 clinic collected canine stool samples, samples were identified as Giardia positive or negative by a standard Giardia II ELISA (TechLab), the GCA had sensitivity of 93.8 % and specificity of 92.9 %. Study on the set of 16 Giardia positive samples showed that all samples displayed higher signal-to-baseline ratio in GCA than they did in a colorimetric ELISA. A dilution analysis of antigen titer showed that for all positive samples, antigen titers in GCA were equal or higher than those in ELISA. The GCA system of chemiluminescence has shown improved capability in detecting Giardia antigens and provided a valid alternative method for researchers and for laboratories.

ROS-responsive ADPH nanoparticles for image-guided surgery.

In recent years, organic fluorescent probes with tumor microenvironment (TME)-responsive fluorescence turn-on properties have been increasingly used in imaging-guided tumor resection due to their higher signal-to-noise ratio for tumor imaging compared to non-responsive fluorescent probes. However, although researchers have developed many organic fluorescent nanoprobes responsive to pH, GSH, and other TME, few probes that respond to high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the TME have been reported in imaging-guided surgery applications. In this work, we prepared Amplex® Red (ADHP) with excellent ROS response performance as an ROS-responsive nanoprobe and studied its application in image-guided tumor resection for the first time. To confirm whether the nanoprobe can be used as an effective biological indicator to distinguish tumor sites, we first detected 4T1 cells with the ADHP nanoprobe, demonstrating that the probe can utilize ROS in tumor cells for responsive real-time imaging. Furthermore, we conducted fluorescence imaging in vivo in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice, and the ADHP probe can rapidly oxidize to form resorufin in response to ROS, which can effectively reduce the background fluorescence signal compared with the single resorufin probe. Finally, we successfully carried out image-guided surgery of 4T1 abdominal tumors under the guidance of fluorescence signals. This work provides a new idea for developing more TME-responsive fluorescent probes and exploring their application in image-guided surgery.

RPG interacts with E3-ligase CERBERUS to mediate rhizobial infection in Lotus japonicus.

Symbiotic interactions between rhizobia and legumes result in the formation of root nodules, which fix nitrogen that can be used for plant growth. Rhizobia usually invade legume roots through a plant-made tunnel-like structure called an infection thread (IT). RPG (Rhizobium-directed polar growth) encodes a coiled-coil protein that has been identified in Medicago truncatula as required for root nodule infection, but the function of RPG remains poorly understood. In this study, we identified and characterized RPG in Lotus japonicus and determined that it is required for IT formation. RPG was induced by Mesorhizobium loti or purified Nodulation factor and displayed an infection-specific expression pattern. Nodule inception (NIN) bound to the RPG promoter and induced its expression. We showed that RPG displayed punctate subcellular localization in L. japonicus root protoplasts and in root hairs infected by M. loti. The N-terminal predicted C2 lipid-binding domain of RPG was not required for this subcellular localization or for function. CERBERUS, a U-box E3 ligase which is also required for rhizobial infection, was found to be localized similarly in puncta. RPG co-localized and directly interacted with CERBERUS in the early endosome (TGN/EE) compartment and near the nuclei in root hairs after rhizobial inoculation. Our study sheds light on an RPG-CERBERUS protein complex that is involved in an exocytotic pathway mediating IT elongation.