Role of odorant binding protein C12 in the response of Tribolium castaneum to chemical agents.

Tribolium castaneum is a worldwide pest of stored grain that mainly damages flour, and not only causes serious loss of flour quality but also leads to deterioration of flour quality. Chemical detection plays a key role in insect behavior, and the role of odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) in insect chemical detection has been widely studied. OBPs can interact with small molecule compounds and thereby modulate variation in insecticide susceptibility in insects. In this study, a total of 65 small molecule compounds are selected to investigate the bound effect with TcOBP C12. The molecular docking results showed that ß-caryophyllene, (-)-catechin, butylated hydroxytoluene, diphenyl phthalate and quercetin were the top five compounds, with docking binding energies of -6.11, -5.25, -5.09, -5.05, and - 5.03 Kcal/mol, respectively. Molecular dynamics analysis indicated that odorant binding protein C12 (TcOBP C12) exhibited high binding affinity to all five tested chemical ligands, evidenced by fluorescence quenching assay in vitro. In addition, the contact toxicity assay results suggested that these chemical agents caused a dose-dependent increase in mortality rate for T. castaneum adults. The TcOBP C12 gene was upregulated >2 times after a 24-h exposure, indicating that OBP C12 may play an important role for T. castaneum in response to these chemical agents. In conclusion, our results provide a theoretical basis for future insecticide experiments and pest management.

A C-type lectin (CTL2) mediated both humoral and cellular immunity against bacterial infection in Tribolium castaneum.

C-type lectins (CTLs) play essential roles in humoral and cellular immune responses of invertebrates. Previous studies have demonstrated the involvement of CTLs in the humoral immunity of Tribolium castaneum, a worldwide pest in stored products. However, the function of CTLs in cellular immunity remains unclear. Here, we identified a CTL gene located on chromosome X and designated it as CTL2 (TcCTL2) from T. castaneum. It encodes a protein of 305 amino acids with a secretion signal peptide and a carbohydrate-recognition domain. TcCTL2 was mainly expressed in the early pupae and primarily distributed in the hemocytes in the late larvae. It was significantly upregulated after larvae were infected with Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus, while knockdown of TcCTL2 exacerbates larval mortality and bacterial colonization after infection. The purified recombinant TcCTL2 (rTcCTL2) can bind to pathogen-associated molecular patterns and microbes and promote hemocyte-mediated encapsulation, melanization and phagocytosis in vitro. rTcCTL2 also induced bacterial agglutination in a Ca2+-dependent manner. Knockdown of TcCTL2 drastically suppressed encapsulation, melanization, and phagocytosis. Furthermore, silencing of TcCTL2 followed by bacterial infection significantly decreased the expression of transcription factors in Toll and IMD pathways, antimicrobial peptides, and prophenoloxidases and phenoloxidase activity. These results unveiled that TcCTL2 mediates both humoral and cellular immunity to promote bacterial clearance and protect T. castaneum from infectious microbes, which will deepen the understanding of the interaction between CTLs and innate immunity in T. castaneum and permit the optimization of pest control strategies by a combination of RNAi technology and bacterial infection.

Pathological complete response, category change, and prognostic significance of HER2-low breast cancer receiving neoadjuvant treatment: a multicenter analysis of 2489 cases.

BACKGROUND: HER2-low breast cancers (BC) show a good response to novel anti-HER2 antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) in advanced setting. Nevertheless, little is known about the response, category change, and prognosis of HER2-low BC receiving neoadjuvant treatment (NAT). METHODS: Consecutive invasive BC patients who underwent ≥ 4 cycles of NAT and surgery from January 2009 to December 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. HER2-low was defined as IHC 1+ or 2+ and FISH negative. Concordance rates of HER2 and other biomarkers were analyzed by Kappa test. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression were used to assess the recurrence-free interval (RFI) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: A total of 2489 patients were included, of whom 1023 (41.1%) had HER2-low tumors. HER2-low patients had a higher ER positivity rate than HER2-0 patients (78.5% vs. 63.6%, P < 0.001), and a similar breast pathological complete response (pCR) rate (20.6% vs. 21.8%, P = 0.617). Among non-pCR cases, 39.5% of HER2-0 tumors changed to HER2-low, and 14.3% of HER2-low tumors changed to HER2-0 after NAT. Low concordance rates of HER2-low status were found in both ER-positive (Kappa = 0.368) and ER-negative (Kappa = 0.444) patients. Primary HER2-low patients had a significantly better RFI than HER2-0 patients (P = 0.014), especially among ER-positive subset (P = 0.016). Moreover, HER2-low category change was associated with RFI in ER-positive subset (adjusted P = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with HER2-0 patients, HER2-low patients had a high proportion of ER-positive tumor and a similar pCR rate, which were related with better prognosis, especially in residual cases after NAT. A remarkable instability of HER2-low status was found between the primary and residual tumor, indicating re-testing HER2 status after NAT in the new era of anti-HER2 ADCs therapy.

BRAF D594A mutation defines a unique biological and immuno-modulatory subgroup associated with functional CD8+ T cell infiltration in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: BRAF non-V600 mutation occupies a relatively small but critical subset in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, little is known about the biological functions and impacts of BRAF class III mutation in CRC. Here, we aim to explore how D594A mutation impacts on biological behaviors and immune related signatures in murine CRC cells. METHODS: BRAF V600E (class I), G469V (class II) and D594A (class III) mutant cell lines were established based on MC38 cells. The biological behaviors of cells were evaluated in respect of cell growth, cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, cell migration and invasion by the methods of colony-forming assay, CCK-8 assay, Annexin V/PI staining and transwell assay. The concentrations of soluble cytokines were detected by ELISA. The membrane expression of immuno-modulatory molecules and the pattern of tumor infiltrating lymphocyte were evaluated by flow cytometry. The molecular mechanism was explored by RNA sequencing. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was used for the detection of CD8α in tumor tissues. qRT-PCR and western blot were performed to assess the mRNA and protein expression. Anti-PD-L1 treatment and cytokines neutralization experiments were conducted in in vivo models. RESULTS: D594A mutant cells displayed lower grade malignancy characteristics than V600E (class I) and G469V (class II) mutant cells. Meanwhile, D594A mutation led to evident immuno-modulatory features including upregulation of MHC Class I and PD-L1. In vivo experiments displayed that the frequency of infiltrated CD8+ T cells was significantly high within D594A mutant tumors, which may provide potential response to anti-PD-L1 therapy. RNA sequencing analysis showed that D594A mutation led to enhanced expression of ATF3 and THBS1, which thus facilitated CXCL9 and CXCL10 production upon IFN-γ treatment. In addition, CXCL9 or CXCL10 neutralization reduced the infiltration of CD8+ T cells into THBS1-overexpressing tumors. CONCLUSIONS: D594A mutant CRC exhibited lower aggressiveness and immune-activated phenotype. ATF3-THBS1-CXCL9/CXCL10 axis mediated functional CD8+ T cells infiltration into the microenvironment of D594A mutant CRC. Our present study is helpful to define this mutation in CRC and provide important insights in designing effective immunotherapeutic strategies in clinic.

Involvement of Methoprene-tolerant and Krüppel homolog 1 in juvenile hormone-mediated vitellogenesis of female Liposcelis entomophila (End.) (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae).

Methoprene-tolerant (Met) as an intracellular receptor of juvenile hormone (JH) and the Krüppel-homolog 1 (Kr-h1) as a JH-inducible transcription factor had been proved to contribute to insect reproduction. Their functions vary in different insect orders, however, they are not clear in Psocoptera. In this study, LeMet and LeKr-h1 were identified and their roles in vitellogenesis and ovarian development were investigated in Liposcelis entomophila (Enderlein). Treatment with exogenous JH III significantly induced the expression of LeKr-h1, LeVg, and LeVgR. Furthermore, silencing LeMet and LeKr-h1 remarkably reduced the transcription of LeVg and LeVgR, disrupted the production of Vg in fat body and the uptake of Vg by oocytes, and ultimately led to a decline in fecundity. The results indicated that the JH signaling pathway was essential to the reproductive process of this species. Interestingly, knockdown of LeMet or LeKr-h1 also resulted in fluctuations in the expression of FoxO, indicating the complex regulatory interactions between different hormone factors. Besides, knockdown of both LeMet and LeKr-h1 significantly increased L. entomophila mortality. Our study provides initial insight into the roles of JH signaling in the female reproduction of psocids and provided evidence that RNAi-mediated knockdown of Met or Kr-h1 is a potential pest control strategy.

Grain size characterization of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy based on laser ultrasonic random forest regression.

In this paper, a random forest regression (RFR) rain size characterization method based on a laser ultrasound technique is investigated to predict the grain size of titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V). The longitudinal wave velocity of the ultrasound signal and the attenuation coefficient at different frequencies are used as the input and the grain size is used as the output. An RFR algorithm was used to develop a grain size prediction model. Meanwhile, the grain size calculation model based on conventional scattering attenuation was established by calibrating the n value in the classical scattering theory using the attenuation coefficients at different frequencies of ultrasonic signals. The results show that the RFR algorithm is feasible for the grain size characterization of titanium alloys.

Cerebral Gray Matter Volume Changes in Patients with Neuropathic Pain from Total Brachial Plexus Injury.

INTRODUCTION: Total brachial plexus injury not only significantly affects the motor and sensory function of the affected upper limbs but also causes further physical and mental damage to patients with long-term intractable pain. Previous studies mainly focused on the surgical treatment, while only a few paid attention to the intractable neuropathic pain caused by this injury. Changes in the volume of gray matter in the brain are thought to be associated with chronic neuropathic pain. METHODS: Voxel-based morphometry analysis was used to compare the difference in cerebral gray matter volume between total brachial plexus injury patients with neuropathic pain and healthy controls. Correlations between pain duration, pain severity, and GM changes were analyzed. RESULTS: The volume of cerebral gray matter in the patient group was decreased significantly in multiple regions, including the parahippocampal gyrus, paracentric lobule, inferior frontal gyrus, auxiliary motor cortex, middle occipital gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus, while it was increased in the insular, pons, middle frontal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, bilateral thalamus, and globus pallidus. There were no significant correlations between pain duration and rGMV changes, while a positive correlation was observed between pain severity and rGMV changes in one specific region, involving the anterior cingulate cortex. CONCLUSION: Total brachial plexus injury patients with chronic pain have widespread regions of gray matter atrophy and hypertrophy. The only positive correlation was observed between pain severity and rGMV changes in one specific region, suggesting that nociceptive stimuli trigger a variety of nonpain-specific processes, which confirms the multidimensional nature of pain.

Diffusion-weighted imaging in the assessment of cervical cancer: comparison of reduced field-of-view diffusion-weighted imaging and conventional techniques.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer (CC) is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) plays an important role in the diagnosis of CC, but the conventional techniques are affected by many factors. PURPOSE: To compare reduced-field-of-view (r-FOV) and full-field-of-view (f-FOV) DWI in the diagnosis of CC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with r-FOV and f-FOV DWI images were collected. Two radiologists reviewed the images using a subjective 4-point scale for anatomical features, magnetic susceptibility artifacts, visual distortion, and overall diagnostic confidence for r-FOV and f-FOV DWI. The objective features included the region of interest (ROI) signal intensity of the cervical lesion (SIlesion) and gluteus maximus muscle (SIgluteus), standard deviation of the background noise (SDbackground), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). The differences of measured apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values between the two examinations in pathological grades and FIGO tumor stages were compared. RESULTS: A total of 200 patients were included (170 with squamous cell carcinoma and 30 with adenocarcinoma). The scores of anatomical features, magnetic susceptibility artifacts, visual distortion, and overall diagnostic confidence for r-FOV DWI were significantly higher than those for f-FOV DWI. There was no difference in SNR and CNR between r-FOV DWI and f-FOV DWI. There were significant differences in ADC values between the two groups in all comparisons (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared with f-FOV DWI, r-FOV DWI might provide clearer imaging, fewer artifacts, less distortion, and higher image quality for the diagnosis of CC and might assist in the detection of CC.

Ligustilide attenuates airway remodeling in COPD mice by covalently binding to MH2 domain of Smad3 in pulmonary epithelium, disrupting the Smad3-SARA interaction.

Airway remodeling is one of the hallmarks of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is closely related to the dysregulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Smad3, an important transcriptional regulator responsible for transducing TGF-ß1 signals, is a promising target for EMT modulation. We found that ligustilide (Lig), a novel Smad3 covalent inhibitor, effectively inhibited airway remodeling in cigarette smoke (CS) combined with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced COPD mice. Oral administration of an alkynyl-modified Lig probe was used to capture and trace target proteins in mouse lung tissue, revealing Smad3 in airway epithelium as a key target of Lig. Protein mass spectrometry and Smad3 mutation analysis via in-gel imaging indicated that the epoxidized metabolite of Lig covalently binds to the MH2 domain of Smad3 at Cys331/337. This irreversible bonding destroys the interaction of Smad3-SARA, prevents Smad3 phosphorylation activation, and subsequently suppresses the nuclear transfer of p-Smad3, the EMT process, and collagen deposition in TGF-ß1-stimulated BEAS-2B cells and COPD mice. These findings provide experimental support that Lig attenuates COPD by repressing airway remodeling which is attributed to its suppression on the activation of EMT process in the airway epithelium via targeting Smad3 and inhibiting the recruitment of the Smad3-SARA heterodimer in the TGF-ß1/Smad3 pathway.

Magnolol alleviates pulmonary fibrosis inchronic obstructive pulmonary disease by targeting transient receptor potential vanilloid 4-ankyrin repeat domain.

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) plays a role in regulating pulmonary fibrosis (PF). While several TRPV4 antagonists including magnolol (MAG), have been discovered, the mechanism of action is not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the effect of MAG on alleviating fibrosis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) based on TRPV4, and to further analyze its mechanism of action on TRPV4. COPD was induced using cigarette smoke and LPS. The therapeutic effect of MAG on COPD-induced fibrosis was evaluated. TRPV4 was identified as the main target protein of MAG using target protein capture with MAG probe and drug affinity response target stability assay. The binding sites of MAG at TRPV4 were analyzed using molecular docking and small molecule interaction with TRPV4-ankyrin repeat domain (ARD). The effects of MAG on TRPV4 membrane distribution and channel activity were analyzed by co-immunoprecipitation, fluorescence co-localization, and living cell assay of calcium levels. By targeting TRPV4-ARD, MAG disrupted the binding between phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase γ and TRPV4, leading to hampered membrane distribution on fibroblasts. Additionally, MAG competitively impaired ATP binding to TRPV4-ARD, inhibiting TRPV4 channel opening activity. MAG effectively blocked the fibrotic process caused by mechanical or inflammatory signals, thus alleviating PF in COPD. Targeting TRPV4-ARD presents a novel treatment strategy for PF in COPD.

The serine/threonine kinase Akt gene affects fecundity by reducing Juvenile hormone synthesis in Liposcelis entomophila (Enderlein).

The serine/threonine kinase Akt is an important component of the insulin signalling pathway (ISP) in regulating insect metabolism, growth, and reproduction. The psocid Liposcelis entomophila (Enderlein) is a distasteful stored products pest for its fecundity. However, the molecular mechanism of Akt that controls vitellogenesis and oviposition in L. entomophila remains obscure. In this study, the function of the Akt gene in the female reproduction of L. entomophila (designated as LeAkt) was characterized and investigated. LeAkt contains a 1587 bp open reading frame encoding a 529 amino acid protein that possesses a conserved Pleckstrin Homology domain (PH) and a Ser/Thr-type protein kinase (S_TKc) domain. The mRNA expression of LeAkt was the highest in female adult stages and peaked for 7-day female adults. In female adult tissues, LeAkt was highly expressed in the head and the ovary, indicating that LeAkt was closely correlated with female ovarian development. LeAkt transcription level was significantly suppressed by oral feeding on artificial diets mixed with dsRNA-LeAkt. RNAi-mediated silencing of LeAkt led to a severe inhibition of vitellogenein (Vg) expression and ovarian development, together with lower fecundity and hatchability compared to that of the normal feeding group, suggesting a critical role for LeAkt in L. entomophila reproduction. Further studies revealed that LeAkt silencing significantly decreased the mRNA levels of several signalling and biosynthetic genes in the juvenile hormone (JH) signalling pathway, such as methoprene-tolerant (LeMet), krüppel homolog 1 (LeKr-h1) and JH methyltransferase (LeJHAMT), leading to a severe inhibition of JH biosynthesis in L. entomophila female adults. These results suggested that LeAkt was affecting JH synthesis, thereby influencing Vg synthesis and ultimately L. entomophila reproduction.

A GHz Silicon-Based Width Extensional Mode MEMS Resonator with Q over 10,000.

This work presents a silicon-based capacitively transduced width extensional mode (WEM) MEMS rectangular plate resonator with quality factor (Q) of over 10,000 at a frequency of greater than 1 GHz. The Q value, determined by various loss mechanisms, was analyzed and quantified via numerical calculation and simulation. The energy loss of high order WEMs is dominated by anchor loss and phonon-phonon interaction dissipation (PPID). High-order resonators possess high effective stiffness, resulting in large motional impedance. To suppress anchor loss and reduce motional impedance, a novel combined tether was designed and comprehensively optimized. The resonators were batch fabricated based on a reliable and simple silicon-on-insulator (SOI)-based fabrication process. The combined tether experimentally contributes to low anchor loss and motional impedance. Especially in the 4th WEM, the resonator with a resonance frequency of 1.1 GHz and a Q of 10,920 was demonstrated, corresponding to the promising f × Q product of 1.2 × 1013. By using combined tether, the motional impedance decreases by 33% and 20% in 3rd and 4th modes, respectively. The WEM resonator proposed in this work has potential application for high-frequency wireless communication systems.

Photovoltaic panel waste assessment and embodied material flows in China, 2000-2050.

Solar photovoltaics (PV) is one of the most promising renewable energy sources for climate change mitigation. However, not all green energy installations may not continue to be sustainable after their service life. With the largest installed solar capacity in the world, China is expected to face significant challenges in managing the end-of-life (EoL) PV panels in the coming decades, which have not been well addressed yet.Further, the massive deployment and planning of solar energy systems in China has led to a dramatic increases in demand for raw materials, which places more pressure on the available resources. In this study, we have developed a dynamic, technology-based material flow analysis model to clarify the stock, flow and secondary supply potential of waste PV panel materials in China from 2000 to 2050. The waste generation and circular flow characteristics of the component materials in PV panels are comprehensively investigated, which set important boundary conditions for the recovery and recycling of key materials. The results show that approximately 134 million metric tons (Mt) and 72 Mt of waste PV panels will be cumulatively generated in China up to 2050 under the early loss and regular loss scenarios, respectively. Polysilicon glass accounts for the largest share of PV waste, nearly 64% by weight, followed by aluminum (16%) and steel (11%). Precious metals such as Ag, Ga, In, and Te, account for less than 1% of the total PV waste, but can provide considerable economic benefits if recycled wisely. The potential of secondary resources from PV waste may reduce the supply pressure on the natural materials to some extent, but they could not fully mitigate the material supply resks. We suggest that stakeholders in the solar energy industry should take urgent actions, including recycling technology innovations, effective collection systems and incentive measures, to address the growing challenge of waste PV panels in China.

One-stage anaerobic fermentation of excess sludge for caproate production by supplementing chain elongation enrichments with ethanol as electron donor.

Medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) production from excess sludge have recently received great research interest due to higher energy densities, easy-separation capability and high economic benefits. Here, the addition of chain elongation (CE) enrichments with ethanol as electron donor was used to enhance caproate production from one-stage sludge fermentation. Compared with 0.20 g/L of controls, caproate production reached 9.00 g/L by supplementing CE enrichments with ethanol/acetate ratio of 3:1 after 7 days of acidification of organic matter in pretreated sludge fermentation. Clostridium_sensu_stricto_12, that refers to CE, was enriched in the first and second transfer of the sludge microbial consortium. Maintaining the stability of the microbial consortium would be the key that enables stable and efficient caproate production from sludge fermentation by supplementing CE enrichments.

Matrix-Directed Mineralization for Bulk Structural Materials.

Mineral-based bulk structural materials (MBSMs) are known for their long history and extensive range of usage. The inherent brittleness of minerals poses a major problem to the performance of MBSMs. To overcome this problem, design principles have been extracted from natural biominerals, in which the extraordinary mechanical performance is achieved via the hierarchical organization of minerals and organics. Nevertheless, precise and efficient fabrication of MBSMs with bioinspired hierarchical structures under mild conditions has long been a big challenge. This Perspective provides a panoramic view of an emerging fabrication strategy, matrix-directed mineralization, which imitates the in vivo growth of some biominerals. The advantages of the strategy are revealed by comparatively analyzing the conventional fabrication techniques of artificial hierarchically structured MBSMs and the biomineral growth processes. By introducing recent advances, we demonstrate that this strategy can be used to fabricate artificial MBSMs with hierarchical structures. Particular attention is paid to the mass transport and the precursors that are involved in the mineralization process. We hope this Perspective can provide some inspiring viewpoints on the importance of biomimetic mineralization in material fabrication and thereby spur the biomimetic fabrication of high-performance MBSMs.

Generating coherent and ultrashort X-ray pulses via HHG-seeding in storage rings.

The generation of fully coherent and femtosecond time-scale radiation pulses in the X-ray regime is one of the most common demands of ring-based synchrotron light source users. In this paper, a method that utilizes the recent proposed angular dispersion induced microbunching technique to convert external light from high-harmonic generation (HHG) to coherent light at shorter wavelength is proposed. Numerical simulations using the practical parameters of a diffraction-limited storage ring demonstrate the generation of coherent pulse trains with photon energy as high as 2 keV, pulse duration as short as ∼10 fs and high peak brightness directly from an HHG source at 13 nm.

Synthesis and photoluminescence properties of orange-red carbon dots from the paper tissues as the precursor.

In recent years, stable and photoluminescence (PL) tunable fluorescent materials known as carbon dots (CDs) have seen rapid development. Here, a simple, low-cost, and environmentally friendly approach has been developed to synthesize the orange-red CDs (OR-CDs) with paper tissues as the precursor in the presence of ethanol and concentrated sulfuric acid. The average diameter of the OR-CDs was measured at around 1.25 nm. The as-prepared OR-CDs are composed of carbon cores with the graphite structure distributed in the middle and wrapped or entangled by polymers for the outside. Moreover, the PL characteristics of the OR-CDs under the dilute solution state and the concentrated solution state, respectively, were explored. The former with the blue light showed prominent excitation-dependent characteristics in the range from 365 to 420 nm; the latter rendered the excitation-independent property with distinguished orange-red fluorescence emission. With an increase in the concentration, the emission fluorescence intensities gradually increased under the excitation wavelength of 540 nm, which can be attributed to the aggregation-induced emission property of the OR-CDs. By virtue of their excellent PL properties and low toxicity, we believe that the OR-CDs have potential applications in various optoelectronic areas, especially in white LED fields.

Frequency-Specific Changes of Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations in Patients with Acute Basal Ganglia Ischemic Stroke.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of different frequency bands in the spontaneous brain activity among patients with acute basal ganglia ischemic stroke (BGIS). Methods: In the present study, thirty-four patients with acute BGIS and forty-four healthy controls were examined by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) from May 2019 to December 2020. Two amplitude methods including amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and fractional ALFF (fALFF) calculated in three frequency bands (conventional frequency band: 0.01-0.08 Hz; slow-5 frequency band: 0.01-0.027 Hz; and slow-4 frequency band: 0.027-0.073 Hz) were conducted to evaluate the spontaneous brain activity in patients with acute BGIS and healthy controls (HCs). Gaussian Random Field Theory (GRF, voxel p < 0.01 and cluster p < 0.05) correction was applied. The correlation analyses were performed between clinical scores and altered metrics values. Results: Compared to HCs, patients with acute BGIS showed decreased ALFF in the right supramarginal gyrus (SMG) in the conventional and slow-4 bands, increased fALFF in the right middle frontal gyrus (MFG) in the conventional and slow-4 bands, and increased fALFF in the bilateral caudate in the slow-5 frequency band. The fALFF value of the right caudate in the slow-5 frequency band was negatively correlated with the clinical scores. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study showed the alterations in ALFF and fALFF in three frequency bands between patients with acute BGIS and HCs. The results reflected that the abnormal LFO amplitude might be related with different frequency bands and promoted our understanding of pathophysiological mechanism in acute BGIS.

Spherical nucleic acids with tailored DNA conformation via bromide backfilling for the detection of kanamycin.

The improper conformation of oligonucleotides on gold nanoparticle surfaces is caused by unintended base adsorption, which hinders DNA hybridization and lowers colloidal stability. In this work, we treated spherical nucleic acids with Br- , which serves as an efficient backfilling agent, to adjust the DNA conformation by displacing bases from the gold surface. To investigate the effect of DNA conformation on interfacial recognition, a kanamycin fluorescent aptasensor was constructed with bromide backfilled-treated spherical nucleic acids. In the presence of kanamycin, the anchored aptamer binds with the target and the partially complementary reporter strand is dissociated from the surface of the gold nanoparticles, resulting in the fluorescence recovery of labelled fluorophore on the reporter strand. Under optimum conditions, the apparent binding affinity of the aptasensor with bromide backfilling was 2.2-fold that without backfilled one. The proposed aptasensor exhibited a good liner relationship between the concentration of kanamycin and fluorescence intensity change in the range 200 nM to 10 µM and the limit of detection was calculated to be 71.53 nM. Moreover, this aptasensor was also successfully applied in a spiked milk sample assay and the satisfactory recoveries were obtained in the range 96.94-101.57%, which demonstrated its potential in practical applications.

Identifying selection signatures for litter size in Guangxi Bama Xiang pigs.

Litter size is an important economic trait in pig production. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying varying litter size in Guangxi Bama Xiang pigs remain unknown. To identify selection signatures for litter size in Guangxi Bama Xiang pigs, we obtained 297 Illumina PorcineSNP50 BeadChip array data and the average born number (ABN) from parity one to nine in Guangxi Bama Xiang pigs. Fixation index (Fst) methods were used to identify the selection signature of the litter size, and three phenotypic gradient differential population pairs (according to the ABN) in individuals were used to reduce the false positives of signature selections. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in the VEGFA promoter and exons. The general linear model was used to analyse the differences in distinct genotypes after they were typed using three-round multiplex PCR technology. Finally, the transcriptome factor and CpG island in the VEGFA promoter were predicted. A total of 328, 328 and 317 significant loci were identified in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd population pairs, respectively. After removing the false positives, 25 SNPs were defined as the selection signatures in relation to litter size. Ten (VEGFA, USP49, USP25, SRPK1, SLC26A8, RPL10A, PPARD, MAPK14, HMGA1 and CHRDL2) out of 52 genes in the selection regions were annotated as the candidate genes of litter size, respectively, VEGFA. There were no SNPs in the VEGFA exon region, but we obtained three SNPs (rs786889605, rs343769603 and rs323942424) in the VEGFA promoter regions. The ABN in CC was significantly higher than that in TT in rs786889605, and the ABN in TT was significantly lower than that in GG in rs323942424. Meanwhile, the mutation of the VEGFA promoter result in the loss of Sp1 and NF-1 and the formation of Oct-1. In summary, we obtained ten candidate genes, and two mutations in the VEGFA promoter that could be important potential molecular biomarkers for litter size in Bama Xiang pigs.