Thermal tolerance of dried shoots of the moss Bryum argenteum.

We conducted laboratory experiments to determine the lethal temperatures of the shoots of dried Bryum argenteum and to determine how this restoration species responds to extreme environments. We specifically assessed changes in gene expression levels in the shoots of dried B. argenteum plants that were subjected to sudden heat shock (control (20 ± 2°C), 80°C, 100°C, 110°C or 120°C) followed by exposure to heat for an additional 10, 20, 30 or 60 min. After they were exposed to heat, the samples were placed in wet sand medium, and their survival and regeneration abilities were evaluated daily for 56 days. The results showed that lethal temperatures significantly reduced the shoot regeneration potential, delayed both shoot and protonemal emergence times and reduced the protonemal emergence area. In addition, the expression of nine genes (HSF3, HSP70, ERF, LEA, ELIP, LHCA, LHCB, Tr288 and DHN) was induced by temperature stress, as assessed after 30 min of exposure. Additionally, a new thermal tolerance level for dried B. argenteum - 120°C for 20 min - was determined, which was the highest temperature recorded for this moss; this tolerance exceeded the previous record of 110°C for 10 min. These findings help elucidate the survival mechanism of this species under heat shock stress and facilitate the recovery and restoration of destroyed ecosystems.

Functional Aspects of Early Light-Induced Protein (ELIP) Genes from the Desiccation-Tolerant Moss Syntrichia caninervis.

The early light-induced proteins (ELIPs) are postulated to act as transient pigment-binding proteins that protect the chloroplast from photodamage caused by excessive light energy. Desert mosses such as Syntrichia caninervis, that are desiccation-tolerant and homoiochlorophyllous, are often exposed to high-light conditions when both hydrated and dry ELIP transcripts are accumulated in response to dehydration. To gain further insights into ELIP gene function in the moss S. caninervis, two ELIP cDNAs cloned from S. caninervis, ScELIP1 and ScELIP2 and both sequences were used as the basis of a transcript abundance assessment in plants exposed to high-light, UV-A, UV-B, red-light, and blue-light. ScELIPs were expressed separately in an Arabidopsis ELIP mutant Atelip. Transcript abundance for ScELIPs in gametophytes respond to each of the light treatments, in similar but not in identical ways. Ectopic expression of either ScELIPs protected PSII against photoinhibition and stabilized leaf chlorophyll content and thus partially complementing the loss of AtELIP2. Ectopic expression of ScELIPs also complements the germination phenotype of the mutant and improves protection of the photosynthetic apparatus of transgenic Arabidopsis from high-light stress. Our study extends knowledge of bryophyte photoprotection and provides further insight into the molecular mechanisms related to the function of ELIPs.

LncRNA CASC11 improves atherosclerosis by downregulating IL-9 and regulating vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis and proliferation.

LncRNA CASC11 is an oncogene in several types of cancer, while its role in atherosclerosis is unknown. In the present study we found that CASC11 was downregulated, while IL-9 was upregulated in plasma of atherosclerosis patients compared with healthy controls. Altered plasma levels of CASC11 and IL-9 distinguished atherosclerosis patients from healthy controls. CASC11 and IL-9 were significantly and inversely correlated in atherosclerosis patients but not in healthy controls. Exogenous IL-9 treatment failed to significantly affect expression levels of CASC11 in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), while CASC11 overexpression resulted in the downregulation of IL-9. CASC11 overexpression also resulted in the downregulation of proliferation and promoted apoptosis of VSMC. Therefore, CASC11 may improve atherosclerosis by downregulating IL-9 and regulating VSMC apoptosis and proliferation.

Occurrence, sources, and potential human health risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in agricultural soils of the coal production area surrounding Xinzhou, China.

A comprehensive investigation of the levels, distribution patterns, and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in agricultural soils of the coal production area surrounding Xinzhou, China, was conducted, and the potential human health risks associated with the levels observed were addressed. A total of 247 samples collected from agricultural soils from the area were analyzed for sixteen PAHs, including highly carcinogenic isomers. The PAH concentrations had a range of n.d. to 782ngg(-1), with a mean value of 202ngg(-1). The two-three ring PAHs were the dominant species, making up 60 percent of total PAHs. Compared with the pollution levels and carcinogenic potential risks reported in other studies, the soil PAH concentrations in the study area were in the low to intermediate range. A positive matrix factorization model indicates that coal/biomass combustion, coal and oil combustion, and coke ovens are the primary PAH sources, accounting for 33 percent, 26 percent, and 24 percent of total PAHs, respectively. The benzo[a]pyrene equivalent (BaPeq) concentrations had a range of n.d. to 476ngg(-1) for PAH7c, with a mean value of 34ngg(-1). The BaPeq concentrations of PAH7c accounted for more than 99 percent of the ∑PAH16, which suggests that seven PAHs were major carcinogenic contributors of ∑PAH16. According to the Canadian Soil Quality Guidelines, only six of the soil samples had concentrations above the safe BaPeq value of 600ngg(-1); the elevated concentrations observed at these sites can be attributed to coal combustion and industrial activities. Exposure to these soils through direct contact probably poses a significant risk to human health as a result of the carcinogenic effects of PAHs.

Enhancement of salt tolerance of alfalfa: Physiological and molecular responses of transgenic alfalfa plants expressing Syntrichia caninervis-derived ScABI3.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), a perennial forage plant, is a rich source of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and proteins. Salt stress, however, impedes its growth. The plant-specific transcription factor abscisic acid insensitive 3 (ABI3) has a critical contribution to the control of abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway and abiotic stress response. The gene ScABI3 from Syntrichia caninervis, a moss species tolerant to desiccation, could be considered a potential candidate gene to modify alfalfa's nutritional and growth aspects. However, it remains unclear how ScABI3 affects the salt stress response of transgenic alfalfa. Therefore, we elucidated the role and molecular mechanism of ScABI3 from S. caninervis as an ABA signaling factor in transgenic alfalfa. Our findings demonstrate that ScABI3 overexpression in transgenic alfalfa improves salt tolerance by promoting relative water content, antioxidant enzyme activity, and photosynthetic parameters. Furthermore, the key genes of plant hormone signaling and the classical salt tolerance pathway were activated in ScABI3 transgenic lines under salt stress. Based on these results, ScABI3 could be considered a potentially critical candidate gene to alleviate salt stress in alfalfa. The present study provides valuable insights for developing transgenic crop breeding strategies for saline-alkaline soils.

Multi-Omics Revealed Regulatory Mechanisms Underlying the Flowering of Ferula sinkiangensis across Three Dimensions.

Backgroud/Objectives: Ferula spp. is an essential crop in Central Asia with pronounced economic benefits governed by its flowering process. However, the mechanisms of the flowering phenotype remain unclear. Methods: In this study, using F. sinkiangensis as a model plant, we integrated transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome analyses to compare the multilayer differences in leaves and roots of plants with flowering and unflowering phenotypes. Results: We found that several variations in the transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome were closely associated with flowering. The Photosynthesis and Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathways in plants with the flowering phenotype were more active. Additionally, three flowering genes, named FL2-FL4, were upregulated in the leaves of flowering plants. Notably, six transcription factors were potentially responsible for regulating the expression of FL2-FL4 in the leaves to mediate flowering process of F. sinkiangensis. Moreover, genes relevant to Photosynthesis and Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis were also involved in regulating the expression of FL2-FL4 in flowering plants. Conclusions: The active regulation network together with Photosynthesis and Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis were essential for inducing the expression of flowering-related genes in leaves to promote the flowering process of F. sinkiangensis.

Structure, development, and the salt response of salt bladders in Chenopodium album L.

Salt bladders are specialized epidermal structures that halophytes use to store and excrete excess salt. However, the cell wall composition during salt bladder development is unclear, and the functions of salt bladders in a few wild plants remain unexplored. Therefore, the present study examined salt bladder development, cell wall composition, and their roles under salt stress by employing bladder-brushed and unbrushed Chenopodium album plants. We found that the bladder cell of C. album was connected to the epidermal cells through a rectangular stalk cell and developed from the shoot tip and the young leaves. The polysaccharides of salt bladder cell wall showed dynamic distribution at different stages of development. Moreover, salt bladders affected Na+ and K+ accumulation, increased reactive oxygen species scavenging, and improved the osmoregulation and photosynthetic efficiency in leaves, subsequently enhancing the salt tolerance of plants. The findings strengthen our knowledge of the physiological mechanisms of the accessory structures in desert plants, which can be used as a reference for further research at the molecular level.

The ABI3 Transcription Factor Interaction and Antagonism with Ubiquitin E3 Ligase ScPRT1 in Syntrichia caninervis.

The ubiquitination pathway has been found to regulate plant responses to environmental stress. However, the role of E3 ubiquitin ligase in desiccation tolerant moss has not yet been elucidated. Previous research has shown that the abscisic acid (ABA) signaling factor ScABI3 can significantly increase desiccation tolerance and reduce ABA sensitivity in the desert moss Syntrichia caninervis. In this study, we identified a RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase, ScPRT1, and showed that ScABI3 can directly interact with ScPRT1 in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we found that the high expression of ScPRT1 can interfere with the transcription of ScABI3 under ABA treatment. Therefore, we speculate that ScPRT1 may degrade ScABI3 through the ubiquitin-26S proteasome system and participate in ABA-dependent signaling in response to ABA-insensitivity or desiccation tolerance in S. caninervis. The findings from our study may enrich our knowledge of the role of E3 ubiquitin ligase in desiccation tolerance and lay a theoretical foundation for an in-depth study of the relationship between ubiquitination modification and ABA signal transduction under environmental stress.

Temporal-spatial variability and fractal characteristics of soil nitrogen and phosphorus in Xinji District, Hebei Province, China.

Traditional statistics, geostatistics, fractal dimensions, and geographic information systems (GIS) were employed to study the temporal-spatial variability of soil total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) levels in Xinji District, Hebei Province area of the North China Plain from 1980 to 2007. The results indicate that nutrient levels follow normal or lognormal distributions. The TN content was 0.59 ± 0.155 g kg( -1) in 2007, an increase of 0.44 g kg( -1) compared with that of 1980. In 2007, the TP content was 1.21 ± 0.227 g kg( -1), an increase of 0.01 g kg( -1) from 1980. The geostatistical analysis showed that the distribution of these soil nutrients in the study area exhibits a trend and anisotropy. The range and [C (0)/(C (0) +C)] of TN and TP in 1980 were all less than in 2007. The ordinary kriging interpolation method was used to analyze the nutrient contents differences between 1980 and 2007. The results indicate that soil TN levels have increased over the 27-year period, and the area where the TN level had increased by at least 0.4 g kg( -1) was about 61.7% of the district. The area where the TP content increased covered about 58.4% of the district. The variance analysis indicated that land-use type had a clear influence on the distribution and change in TN and TP content. Using the 3-D box-counting dimension method combined with GIS, the fractal dimension of soil nutrient spatial distribution over the two periods showed that in 27 years, the fractal dimension of TN increased from 1.95 to 2.02, and the fractal dimension of TP increased from 1.89 to 2.01, indicating that the complexity of the spatial distribution of all nutrient contents had increased. This study can provide a basis for accurate fertilizing and to enhance the conversion of soil characteristics under different spatial scales.

Aortic penetration due to a fish bone: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Aortoesophageal fistula (AEF) caused by an esophageal foreign body is a life-threatening crisis, with rapid progress and high mortality. The first case of AEF was reported in 1818, but the first successfully managed case was not until 1980. Although there have been some reports on this condition, in most cases, the aorta was invaded and corroded due to its adjacent relationship with the esophagus and subsequent mediastinitis. To date, few reports have described an aortic wall directly penetrated by a sharp foreign body, likely because this type of injury is extremely rare and most patients cannot receive timely treatment. Here, we present a rare case of a fish bone that directly pierced the aorta via the esophagus. CASE PRESENTATION: A 31-year-old female experienced poststernum swallowing pain after eating a meal of fish. Gastroscope showed a fishbone-like foreign body had penetrated the esophagus wall. Computed tomography revealed that the foreign body had directly pierced the aorta to form an AEF. Surgery was successfully performed to repair the aorta and esophagus. The postoperation and follow-up was uneventful. CONCLUSIONS: For the treatment of foreign bodies in the esophagus, we should be alert of the possibility of AEFs. The effective management of AEFs requires early diagnosis and intervention, as well as long-term treatment and follow-up, which still has a long way to go.

Prognostic value of immunohistochemical factors in esophageal small cell carcinoma (ESCC): analysis of clinicopathologic features of 73 patients.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal small cell carcinoma (ESCC) is an aggressive disease with poor prognosis. This study sought to describe immunohistochemical (IHC) and clinicopathological features of patients with ESCC, and to clarify how the utilization of different marker combination affects prognostic outcome. METHODS: The paraffin-embedded ESCC samples of 73 patients were immunohistochemically analyzed of neuron specific enolase (NSE), chromogranin A (CgA), synaptophysin (Syn) and thyroid transcriptional factor-1 (TTF-1). The positivity of these factors and their correlation with clinical characteristics was described. The relation between positive expression of them and survival was also analyzed. RESULTS: Immunological reactivity of the samples was Syn 68.5%, TTF-1 49.3%, NSE 90.4%, CgA 43.8%. There were 18 patients with 4 biomarkers positive (24.7%), 24 patients with 3 biomarkers positive (32.9%), 14 patients with 2 biomarkers positive (19.2%) and 12 patients with only 1 biomarker positive (16.4%). Five cases (6.8%) were all negative. The 2- and 3-year survivals were 24.8% and 19.9%, respectively. The mOS of patients without expression of four factors was significant worse than those with at least one factor of positive expression (6.1 vs. 15.3 months, P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ESCC have a poor prognosis. The positive labeling of Syn, CgA, NSE and TTF-1 implicated their favourable prognostic value trend. These factors or their combination might serve as useful markers in prognostic evaluation.

When Dijkstra Meets Vanishing Point: A Stereo Vision Approach for Road Detection.

In this paper, we propose a vanishing-point constrained Dijkstra road model for road detection in a stereo-vision paradigm. First, the stereo-camera is used to generate the u- and v-disparity maps of road image, from which the horizon can be extracted. With the horizon and ground region constraints, we can robustly locate the vanishing point of road region. Second, a weighted graph is constructed using all pixels of the image, and the detected vanishing point is treated as the source node of the graph. By computing a vanishing-point constrained Dijkstra minimum-cost map, where both disparity and gradient of gray image are used to calculate cost between two neighbor pixels, the problem of detecting road borders in image is transformed into that of finding two shortest paths that originate from the vanishing point to two pixels in the last row of image. The proposed approach has been implemented and tested over 2600 grayscale images of different road scenes in the KITTI data set. The experimental results demonstrate that this training-free approach can detect horizon, vanishing point, and road regions very accurately and robustly. It can achieve promising performance.

[Effects of inhibitory concentration minocycline on the proliferation, differentiation, and mineralization of osteoblasts].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of the inhibitory concentration minocycline on the proliferation, differentiation, and expression of Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteopontin (OPN) mRNA of osteoblasts. METHODS: Primary osteoblasts were cultured in osteogenic induction medium containing 0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 10 µg·mL⁻¹ minocycline. Cell counting kit-8 was used to observe cell proliferation. ALP activity assay, alizarin red S staining, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to determine cell differentiation and mineralization. RESULTS: The groups with 0.1, 0.5, 1 µg·mL⁻¹ minocycline promoted cell proliferation. The mRNA expression levels of ALP and Runx2 were up-regulated. Osteoblast-mediated mineralization was increased. The group with 1 µg·mL⁻¹ showed maximal promotion effect (P<0.05). When the concentration increased to 10 µg·mL⁻¹, the promoting effect began to decline, and the ALP activity and OPN expression were significantly inhibited (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Appropriate concentration of minocycline can promote osteoblasts proliferation, up-regulate the expression levels of Runx2, ALP and OPN, and increase the differentiation and mineralization of osteoblasts.

Face Recognition With Pose Variations and Misalignment via Orthogonal Procrustes Regression.

A linear regression-based method is a hot topic in face recognition community. Recently, sparse representation and collaborative representation-based classifiers for face recognition have been proposed and attracted great attention. However, most of the existing regression analysis-based methods are sensitive to pose variations. In this paper, we introduce the orthogonal Procrustes problem (OPP) as a model to handle pose variations existed in 2D face images. OPP seeks an optimal linear transformation between two images with different poses so as to make the transformed image best fits the other one. We integrate OPP into the regression model and propose the orthogonal Procrustes regression (OPR) model. To address the problem that the linear transformation is not suitable for handling highly non-linear pose variation, we further adopt a progressive strategy and propose the stacked OPR. As a practical framework, OPR can handle face alignment, pose correction, and face representation simultaneously. We optimize the proposed model via an efficient alternating iterative algorithm, and experimental results on three popular face databases, such as CMU PIE database, CMU Multi-PIE database, and LFW database, demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method.

Mutation abundance affects the efficacy of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor readministration in non-small-cell lung cancer with acquired resistance.

There is no consensus in the salvage treatment for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with acquired resistance to primary epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs). Fifty-one consecutive EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients with TKI retreatment after acquired resistance were enrolled in this study. The quantitation of mutation abundance was performed by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. The correlation between mutation abundance and outcomes of readministrated TKI was analyzed by survival analysis. Patients with high (H) mutation abundance (24/51) had a significantly (log-rank, P < 0.05) longer (5.27-2.53 months) median progression-free survival (PFS), compared with the low (L) abundance group (27/51), whereas the median overall survival showed no difference (21.00-18.20 months, log-rank P = .403) between the two groups. Objective response and disease control rates in group H and group L regarding the second round TKI treatment were 8.3, 70.8 and 0, 48.1 %, respectively. Groupings with different mutation abundances were significantly associated with PFS under multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model [hazard ratio (HR) for group H vs. L, 0.527; P = .036]. Mutation abundance affects the efficacy of EGFR-TKIs readministration in NSCLC with acquired resistance. The quantitative mutation abundance of EGFR may be a potential predictor for selecting optimal patients to readministrate EGFR-TKIs after acquired resistance to primary TKI.

Clinical model to estimate the pretest probability of malignancy in patients with pulmonary focal Ground-glass Opacity.

BACKGROUND: Effective strategies for managing patients with pulmonary focal Ground-glass Opacity (fGGO) depend on the pretest probability of malignancy. Estimating a clinical probability of malignancy in patients with fGGOs can facilitate the selection and interpretation of subsequent diagnostic tests. METHODS : Data from patients with pulmonary fGGO lesions, who were diagnosed at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, was retrospectively collected. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent clinical predictors for malignancy and to develop a clinical predictive model to estimate the pretest probability of malignancy in patients with fGGOs. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-five pulmonary fGGO nodules were detected in 128 patients. Independent predictors for malignant fGGOs included a history of other cancers (odds ratio [OR], 0.264; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.072 to 0.970), pleural indentation (OR, 8.766; 95% CI, 3.033-25.390), vessel-convergence sign (OR, 23.626; 95% CI, 6.200 to 90.027) and air bronchogram (OR, 7.41; 95% CI, 2.037 to 26.961). Model accuracy was satisfactory (area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic, 0.934; 95% CI, 0.894 to 0.975), and there was excellent agreement between the predicted probability and the observed frequency of malignant fGGOs. CONCLUSIONS: We have developed a predictive model, which could be used to generate pretest probabilities of malignant fGGOs, and the equation could be incorporated into a formal decision analysis.

[Nutritional characteristics of Caragana jubata shrub and distribution patterns of soil nutrients in Luya Mountain].

The study on the nutrient components of Caragana jubata shrub and the distribution patterns of soil nutrients in Luya Mountain of Shanxi Province showed that C. jubata was a valuable feeding plant, which contained 20.27% of crude protein and 5.12% of ash with abundant Ca, Fe and Mn. The crude protein, ash, and mineral element contents increased from May and achieved the highest in July when C. jubata was at flowering stage, and then declined. To adapt to the habitat in subalpine meadow with high altitude, low temperature and thin soil layer, C. jubata had "fertility island" effect. The electric conductivity and the contents of organic matter, total N, available P and available K in the center of "fertility island" increased by 18.8%, 16.4%, 18.7%, 16.6% and 8.4%, respectively, compared with those in the edge of the "fertility island". The organic matter content and total N content in rhizosphere increased, while the contents of available nutrients such as P, K, Fe and Mn decreased, suggesting that C. jubata had high capability of N fixation and nutrients uptake.