Transcriptome analysis of Gossypium hirsutum cultivar Zhongzhimian No.2 uncovers the gene regulatory networks involved in defense against Verticillium dahliae.

BACKGROUND: Cotton is globally important crop. Verticillium wilt (VW), caused by Verticillium dahliae, is the most destructive disease in cotton, reducing yield and fiber quality by over 50% of cotton acreage. Breeding resistant cotton cultivars has proven to be an efficient strategy for improving the resistance of cotton to V. dahliae. However, the lack of understanding of the genetic basis of VW resistance may hinder the progress in deploying elite cultivars with proven resistance. RESULTS: We planted the VW-resistant Gossypium hirsutum cultivar Zhongzhimian No.2 (ZZM2) in an artificial greenhouse and disease nursery. ZZM2 cotton was subsequently subjected to transcriptome sequencing after Vd991 inoculation (6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h post-inoculation). Several differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in response to V. dahliae infection, mainly involved in resistance processes, such as flavonoid and terpenoid quinone biosynthesis, plant hormone signaling, MAPK signaling, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and pyruvate metabolism. Compared to the susceptible cultivar Junmian No.1 (J1), oxidoreductase activity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were significantly increased in ZZM2. Furthermore, gene silencing of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COX1), which is involved in the oxidation-reduction process in ZZM2, compromised its resistance to V. dahliae, suggesting that COX1 contributes to VW resistance in ZZM2. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that the G. hirsutum cultivar ZZM2 responds to V. dahliae inoculation through resistance-related processes, especially the oxidation-reduction process. This enhances our understanding of the mechanisms regulating the ZZM2 defense against VW.

Factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 vaccine hesitancy after stroke: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The vaccination status of post-stroke patients, who are at high risk of severe outcomes from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a significant concern, yet it remains unclear. We aimed to explore the vaccination status, factors associated with vaccine hesitancy, and adverse effects after vaccination among post-stroke patients. METHODS: This multi-center observational study enrolled hospitalized post-stroke patients from six Chinese hospitals (Oct 1, 2020 - Mar 31, 2021), examining vaccine uptake and self-reported reasons for vaccine hesitancy, utilizing logistic regression to investigate risk factors for vaccine hesitancy, and recording any adverse reactions post-vaccination. RESULTS: Of the total 710 post-stroke patients included in the study, 430 (60.6%) had completed the recommended full-3 dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, with 176 (24.8%) remaining unvaccinated. The most common reasons for vaccine hesitancy were concerns about vaccine side effects (41.5%) and impaired mobility (33.9%). Logistic regression identified advanced age (aOR = 1.97, 95%CI: 1.36-2.85, P = 0.001), lower Barthel Index score (aOR = 0.88, 95%CI: 0.82-0.93, P = 0.018), higher Modified Rankin Scale score (aOR = 1.85, 95%CI: 1.32-2.56, P = 0.004), and poorer usual activity level of EuroQol 5-Dimension (aOR = 2.82, 95%CI: 1.51-5.28, P = 0.001) as independent risk factors for vaccine hesitancy. Approximately 14.8% reported minor adverse reactions, mainly pain at the injection site. CONCLUSION: We found that post-stroke patients have insufficient SARS-CoV-2 vaccination rates, with key risk factors for vaccine hesitancy including concerns about side effects, advanced age, and functional impairments. No severe adverse reactions were observed among the vaccinated population.

Bidirectional transitions of sarcopenia states in older adults: The longitudinal evidence from CHARLS.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and function, brings multiple adverse outcomes including disability and death. Several sarcopenia consensuses have newly introduced the premorbid concept of possible sarcopenia and recommended early lifestyle interventions. Bidirectional transitions of premorbid states have been revealed in several chronic diseases yet not clarified in sarcopenia. This study aims to investigate the underlying transition patterns of sarcopenia states. METHODS: The study utilized three waves of data from a nationally representative survey, the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), and included community-dwelling individuals aged 60 years and older with at least two sarcopenia states assessments based on the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia criteria 2019 (AWGS2019) between 2011 and 2015. The estimated transition intensity and probability between non-sarcopenia, possible sarcopenia, sarcopenia, and death were investigated using multi-stage Markov (MSM) models. RESULTS: The study comprised 4395 individuals (49.2% female, median age 67 years) with a total of 10 778 records of sarcopenia state assessment, and the mean follow-up period was 3.29 years. A total of 24.5% of individuals with a current state of possible sarcopenia returned to non-sarcopenia, 60.3% remained possible sarcopenia, 6.7% progressed to sarcopenia, and 8.5% died by the next follow-up. The transition intensity of recovery to non-sarcopenia (0.252, 95% CI 0.231-0.275) was 2.8 times greater than the deterioration to sarcopenia (0.090, 95% CI 0.080-0.100) for individuals with possible sarcopenia. For individuals with possible sarcopenia, the estimated probabilities of recovering to non-sarcopenia, progressing to sarcopenia, and transitioning to death within a 1-year observation were 0.181, 0.066, and 0.035, respectively. For individuals with sarcopenia, the estimated probabilities of recovering to non-sarcopenia, recovering to possible sarcopenia, and transitioning to death within 1-year observation were 0.016, 0.125, and 0.075, respectively. In covariables analysis, age, sex, body mass index, physical function impairment, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes are important factors influencing bidirectional transitions. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the bidirectional transitions of sarcopenia states among older adults and reveal a notable proportion of possible sarcopenia show potential for recovery in the natural course. Screening and intensifying interventions based on risk factors may facilitate a recovery transition.

Interstitial Fluid Behavior and Diseases.

Living things comprise a typical hierarchical and porous medium, and their most fundamental logical architectures are interstitial structures encapsulating parenchymal structures. The recent discovery of the efficient transport mechanisms of interstitial streams has provided a new understanding of these complex activities. The substance transport of interstitial streams follows mesoscopic fluid behavior dynamics, which is intimately associated with material transfer in nanoconfined spaces and a unique signal transmission. Accordingly, the evaluation of interstitial stream transport behavior at the mesoscopic scale is essential. In this review, recent advances in physical and chemical properties, the substance transport model, and the characterization methods of interstitial streams at the mesoscopic scale, as well as the relationships between interstitial streams and disease are summarized. Interstitial stream transport can be used as a basis to fully mine hierarchal behavior in images to expand imaging behavior into an omics field. By starting from the perspective of soft matter, a new understanding can be gained of health and disease and quantitative physical markers for research, clinical diagnosis, and treatment can be provided, as well as prognosis evaluation in complex diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease. This will provide a foundation for the development of medicine of soft matter.

Rapid Electrochemical Screening of Phenylketonuria Maker Depending on Dehydrogenase Attached to the Pt-Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a common disease associated with amino acid metabolism, and usually occurs in newborns. It can cause serious neurological diseases and even death. However, owing to inadequate-effective treatment, it can only be slowed by a low-phenylalanine (Phe) diet. In addition, PKU screening is essential for newborns in many countries. Therefore, rapid screening is crucial for preventing damage and meeting the large sample diagnosis demand. For confirmed patients, a convenient method to monitor their regular Phe levels is required. However, current clinical methods do not meet the rapid screening and convenient monitoring requirements. Herein, a rapid and facile electrochemical device based on platinum-doped reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites was developed to detect PKU biomarker-Phe. The results demonstrated that the developed electrode has great sensitivity, selectivity, and stability. The detection range was 0.0001 mM to 6 mM with a limit of detection of 0.01 µM. Therefore, this work offers a simple and rapid method for point-of-care PKU screening and daily monitoring.

Prognostic value of CRM1 in pancreas cancer.

PURPOSE: Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive malignant tumour with poor prognosis. The median survival is only 6 months. This study investigated the prognostic value of nuclear export protein chromosomal region maintenance/exportin 1/Xpo1 (CRM1) expression in pancreas cancer. METHODS: CRM1 expression was detected, by Western blot, in pancreatic tissue from 69 cancer patients and 10 normal subjects. RESULTS: CRM1 showed increased expression in pancreatic cancer tissue (P = 0.007). The high expression of CRM1 was associated with increased serum levels of CEA (P = 0.002) and CA19-9 (P = 0.005). There was an association between CRM1 expression and tumour size (P = 0.01), lymphadenopathy (P = 0.004) and liver metastasis (P = 0.003). High CRM1 expression was not correlated with the other clinicopathological parameters. High CRM1 expression was a prognostic indicator for progression-free survival (PFS) (P = 0.006) as well as overall survival (OS) (P = 0.001). Expression of CRM1 was an independent prognostic parameter for poorer PFS and OS (95% CI, 1.27-5.39). CONCLUSIONS: CRM1 expression demonstrated prognostic value in pancreatic cancer. Prospective studies are required to determine the prognostic role of high expression of CRM1 in pancreatic cancer.

Construction of the highly oxidized bicyclo[3.2.1]octane CD ring system of aconitine via a late stage enyne cycloisomerization.

A strategy for synthesizing the highly oxidized bicyclo[3.2.1]octane CD rings of aconitine is reported. The key features of the synthesis include a ring-closing metathesis to form the C-ring as well as the application of a ruthenium-catalysed enyne cycloisomerization to assemble the bridged CD ring system of aconitine.

Generative adversarial network based telecom fraud detection at the receiving bank.

Recently telecom fraud has become a serious problem especially in developing countries such as China. At present, it can be very difficult to coordinate different agencies to prevent fraud completely. In this paper we study how to detect large transfers that are sent from victims deceived by fraudsters at the receiving bank. We propose a new generative adversarial network (GAN) based model to calculate for each large transfer a probability that it is fraudulent, such that the bank can take appropriate measures to prevent potential fraudsters to take the money if the probability exceeds a threshold. The inference model uses a deep denoising autoencoder to effectively learn the complex probabilistic relationship among the input features, and employs adversarial training that establishes a minimax game between a discriminator and a generator to accurately discriminate between positive samples and negative samples in the data distribution. We show that the model outperforms a set of well-known classification methods in experiments, and its applications in two commercial banks have reduced losses of about 10 million RMB in twelve weeks and significantly improved their business reputation.