Clinical and mutational signatures of CRB1-associated retinopathies: a multicentre study.

BACKGROUND: To delineate the clinical and mutational signatures of patients with CRB1-associated retinopathies. METHODS: This multicentre retrospective cohort study involved 40 patients with CRB1 mutations and 40 age-matched and gender-matched inherited retinal diseases (IRDs). The detailed phenotyping and genotyping characteristics and genotype‒phenotype correlations of the patients were analysed. RESULTS: The mean age of CRB1 cohort was 27.33±14.63 years. Results showed that yellowish geographic macular degeneration (66.67%), small white or yellow dots (65.6%), hyperopia (62.5%), abnormally laminated retina (61.61%), epiretinal membrane (60.6%) and nummular pigment deposits (50%) were the most common signatures in patients with CRB1 mutations. These clinical signatures were notably more prevalent among CRB1 patients than among individuals in other IRD group (p<0.001). Early-onset severe retinal dystrophy/Leber congenital amaurosis (EOSRD/LCA) patients are more likely to present these signatures than retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and macular dystrophy (MD) patients. Furthermore, a significant reduction in central foveal thickness coupled with pronounced thickening of the peripheral retina was observed more distinctly in patients with EOSRD/LCA (p<0.001). The choroidal thickness was not significantly altered compared to the normal controls, but was markedly reduced in the other IRD groups (p<0.001). 55 pathogenic variants were identified, 20 of which were novel. Null mutations were associated with EOSRD/LCA patients, and missense mutations were more prevalent in MD and RP patients. CONCLUSIONS: Key clinical and mutational signatures were demonstrated in this study, providing a comprehensive update on CRB1-associated retinopathies that will aid in diagnosis and lay the foundation for future therapeutic studies.

Highly Reversible Molecular Photoswitches with Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Electrodes.

The molecule-electrode coupling plays an essential role in photoresponsive devices with photochromic molecules, and the strong coupling between the molecule and the conventional electrodes leads to/ the quenching effect and limits the reversibility of molecular photoswitches. In this work, we developed a strategy of using transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) electrodes to fabricate the thiol azobenzene (TAB) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) junctions with the eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) technique. The current-voltage characteristics of the EGaIn/GaOx //TAB/TMDCs photoswitches showed an almost 100% reversible photoswitching behavior, which increased by ∼28% compared to EGaIn/GaOx //TAB/AuTS photoswitches. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations showed the coupling strength of the TAB-TMDCs electrode decreased by 42% compared to that of the TAB-AuTS electrode, giving rise to improved reversibility. our work demonstrated the feasibility of 2D TMDCs for fabricating SAMs-based photoswitches with unprecedentedly high reversibility.

Associations of pyrethroid exposure with bone mineral density and osteopenia in adults.

INTRODUCTION: This study was to investigate the correlations between pyrethroid exposure and bone mineral density (BMD) and osteopenia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 1389 participants over 50 years of age drawn from the 2007-2010 and 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Three pyrethroid metabolites, 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA), trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethyl-cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (trans-DCCA), and 4-fluoro-3-phenoxybenzoic acid (4-F-3PBA) were used as indicators of pyrethroid exposure. Low BMD was defined as T-score < - 1.0, including osteopenia. Weighted multivariable linear regression analysis or logistic regression analysis was utilized to evaluate the correlation between pyrethroid exposure and BMD and low BMD. Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) model was utilized to analyze the correlation between pyrethroids mixed exposure and low BMD. RESULTS: There were 648 (48.41%) patients with low BMD. In individual pyrethroid metabolite analysis, both tertile 2 and tertile 3 of trans-DCCA were negatively related to total femur, femur neck, and total spine BMD [coefficient (ß) = - 0.041 to - 0.028; all P < 0.05]. Both tertile 2 and tertile 3 of 4-F-3PBA were negatively related to total femur BMD (P < 0.05). Only tertile 2 [odds ratio (OR) = 1.63; 95% CI = 1.07, 2.48] and tertile 3 (OR = 1.65; 95% CI = 1.10, 2.50) of trans-DCCA was correlated with an increased risk of low BMD. The BKMR analysis indicated that there was a positive tendency between mixed pyrethroids exposure and low BMD. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, pyrethroids exposure was negatively correlated with BMD levels, and the associations of pyrethroids with BMD and low BMD varied by specific pyrethroids, pyrethroid concentrations, and bone sites.

High fatty acid accumulation and coloration molecular mechanism of the elm mushroom (Pleurotus citrinopileatus).

Pleurotus citrinopileatus is a low-cholesterol, protein-rich, and high-nutrient food. The molecular mechanisms of the compounds and coloration have not been reported. Metabolome and transcriptome were used to clarify the molecular mechanisms of key compounds biosynthesis. K-means analysis identified 19 compounds in P. citrinopileatus, mainly lipids and alkaloids in class 8. In addition, 84 lipids were higher and that the different compounds were mainly enriched in linoleic acid metabolism. A total of 14 compounds detected in the linoleic acid metabolism pathway were significantly up-regulated, while 3 sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) transcription factors were screened. Tryptophan metabolism and riboflavin biosynthesis pathway analysis indicated that 3 Unigenes had tryptophan decarboxylase similar elements, which belonged to tyrosine decarboxylase 1. Moreover, CL15618.Contig5_All had high homology with MFS. In conclusion, the expression of 3 SREBP, the synthesis of isobavachalcone D, and the regulation of riboflavin transport by MCH5 were the reasons for fatty acid accumulation and yellow cap formation in the P. citrinopileatus.

Lemneolemnanes A-D, Four Uncommon Sesquiterpenoids from the Soft Coral Lemnalia sp.

Four undescribed sesquiterpenoids, lemneolemnanes A-D (1-4), have been isolated from the marine soft coral Lemnalia sp. The absolute configurations of the stereogenic carbons of 1-4 were determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compounds 1 and 2 are epimers at C-3 and have an unusual skeleton with a formyl group on C-6. Compound 3 possesses an uncommonly rearranged carbon skeleton, while 4 has a 6/5/5 tricyclic system. Compound 1 showed significant anti-Alzheimer's disease (AD) activity in a humanized Caenorhabditis elegans AD pathological model.

Vaccines and the Eye: Current Understanding of the Molecular and Immunological Effects of Vaccination on the Eye.

Vaccination is a public health cornerstone that protects against numerous infectious diseases. Despite its benefits, immunization implications on ocular health warrant thorough investigation, particularly in the context of vaccine-induced ocular inflammation. This review aimed to elucidate the complex interplay between vaccination and the eye, focusing on the molecular and immunological pathways implicated in vaccine-associated ocular adverse effects. Through an in-depth analysis of recent advancements and the existing literature, we explored various mechanisms of vaccine-induced ocular inflammation, such as direct infection by live attenuated vaccines, immune complex formation, adjuvant-induced autoimmunity, molecular mimicry, hypersensitivity reactions, PEG-induced allergic reactions, Type 1 IFN activation, free extracellular RNA, and specific components. We further examined the specific ocular conditions associated with vaccination, such as uveitis, optic neuritis, and retinitis, and discussed the potential impact of novel vaccines, including those against SARS-CoV-2. This review sheds light on the intricate relationships between vaccination, the immune system, and ocular tissues, offering insights into informed discussions and future research directions aimed at optimizing vaccine safety and ophthalmological care. Our analysis underscores the importance of vigilance and further research to understand and mitigate the ocular side effects of vaccines, thereby ensuring the continued success of vaccination programs, while preserving ocular health.

Ripasudil as a Potential Therapeutic Agent in Treating Secondary Glaucoma in HTLV-1-Uveitis: An In Vitro Analysis.

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), a virus that affects 5-10 million people globally, causes several diseases, including adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma and HTLV-1-associated uveitis (HU). HU is prevalent in Japan and often leads to secondary glaucoma, which is a serious complication. We investigated the efficacy of ripasudil, a Rho-associated coiled coil-forming protein kinase inhibitor, in alleviating changes in human trabecular meshwork cells (hTM cells) infected with HTLV-1. HTLV-1-infected hTM cells were modeled in vitro using MT-2 cells, followed by treatment with varying concentrations of ripasudil. We assessed changes in cell morphology, viability, and inflammatory cytokine levels, as well as NF-κB activation. The results showed that ripasudil treatment changed the cell morphology, reduced the distribution of F-actin and fibronectin, and decreased the levels of certain inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and IL-12. However, ripasudil did not significantly affect NF-κB activation or overall cell viability. These findings suggest that ripasudil has the potential to treat secondary glaucoma in patients with HU by modulating cytoskeletal organization and alleviating inflammation in HTLV-1-infected hTM cells. This study lays the foundation for further clinical studies exploring the effectiveness of ripasudil for the treatment of secondary glaucoma associated with HU.

Applications of Biological Therapy for Latent Infections: Benefits and Risks.

Biological therapies have revolutionized medical treatment by targeting the key mediators or receptors involved in inflammatory responses, thereby effectively suppressing inflammation and achieving beneficial outcomes. They are more advanced than conventional therapies using corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, offering effective solutions for autoimmune diseases, cancer, transplant rejection, and various infectious diseases, including coronavirus disease 2019. Although they exert low immunosuppressive effects, biological therapies can reactivate specific biological targets associated with infections. This review summarizes the currently available biological therapies and discusses their immunosuppressive mechanisms and clinical applications, highlighting the variations in the types and frequencies of infection recurrence induced by different biological agents. Additionally, this review describes the risk factors associated with various biological agents, thus aiding clinicians in selecting the most appropriate biological therapy.

PIDNET: Polar Transformation Based Implicit Disentanglement Network for Truncation Artifacts.

The interior problem, a persistent ill-posed challenge in CT imaging, gives rise to truncation artifacts capable of distorting CT values, thereby significantly impacting clinical diagnoses. Traditional methods have long struggled to effectively solve this issue until the advent of supervised models built on deep neural networks. However, supervised models are constrained by the need for paired data, limiting their practical application. Therefore, we propose a simple and efficient unsupervised method based on the Cycle-GAN framework. Introducing an implicit disentanglement strategy, we aim to separate truncation artifacts from content information. The separated artifact features serve as complementary constraints and the source of generating simulated paired data to enhance the training of the sub-network dedicated to removing truncation artifacts. Additionally, we incorporate polar transformation and an innovative constraint tailored specifically for truncation artifact features, further contributing to the effectiveness of our approach. Experiments conducted on multiple datasets demonstrate that our unsupervised network outperforms the traditional Cycle-GAN model significantly. When compared to state-of-the-art supervised models trained on paired datasets, our model achieves comparable visual results and closely aligns with quantitative evaluation metrics.

The health-promoting anthocyanin petanin in Lycium ruthenicum fruit: a promising natural colorant.

Acylated anthocyanins derived from dietary sources have gained significant attention due to their health-promoting properties and potential as natural colorants with high stability. However, exploration of the functional food products using acylated anthocyanins enriched in fruits and vegetables remains largely delayed in food industries. The black goji (Lycium ruthencium) fruit (LRF) is a functional food that is extensively used due to its exceptionally high levels of acylated anthocyanins, including petanin. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the functional properties and anthocyanin components of LRF. The stability, bioaccessibility, bioavailability, and bioactivities of petanin, the major anthocyanin component, are compared with those of LRF anthocyanin extracts and other food sources. Furthermore, the biosynthetic pathway and regulatory network of petanin in LRF are proposed and constructed, respectively. The key genes that could be potentially used for metabolic engineering to produce petanin are predicted. Finally, the potential application of petanin derivatives in the food industry is also discussed. This review presents comprehensive and systematic information about the dual-function of petanin as a bioactive component and a promising natural colorant for future food industrial applications.

Visible-Light-Mediated Generation of Acyl Radicals from Triazine Esters.

Acyl radicals are significant synthetic active species in organic synthesis. However, their generation via green and compatible methods remains challenging. Herein, we report an unprecedented visible-light-mediated approach for generating aryl acyl radicals from readily available triazine esters. This protocol with mild and redox-neutral conditions affords a diverse array of oxindoles attached to alcohol groups in a single operation. The recycling of leaving groups and a range of visible-light-mediated reactions using triazine ester as an acyl radical precursor demonstrate the synthetic potential of this methodology.

Secondary in-the-bag Intraocular Lens Implantation in Aphakic Eyes After Vitrectomy and Silicone Oil Tamponade for Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment.

PURPOSE: To describe a novel technique for capsular bag reopening and secondary in-the-bag intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in aphakic eyes after vitreoretinal surgery and intraocular tamponade. METHODS: We enrolled 14 eyes of 14 patients who underwent primary vitreoretinal surgery with silicone oil tamponade for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment between September 2018 and September 2019. The novel technique was used for capsular bag reopening and foldable single-piece IOL implantation. Patients were followed up at least 24 weeks with routine ophthalmic examinations, corneal endothelial cell density, and IOL tilt and decentration measurement. RESULTS: The procedure was successfully completed in 13 cases; in one case, because of posterior capsular tear, the IOL was implanted with ciliary sulcus fixation. After a mean follow-up of 48.8 ± 14.8 (range, 24.9-65.9) weeks, the best-corrected visual acuity (before 20/76 Snellen, 0.63 ± 0.23 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution equivalent and after 20/35 Snellen, 0.32 ± 0.32 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution equivalent; P = 0.001) and spherical equivalent (before +8.22 ± 4.08, after -2.39 ± 1.77 D; P < 0.001) improved, intraocular pressure (before 15.93 ± 4.40, after 16.25 ± 4.25 mmHg; P = 0.743) remained unchanged. The IOL was well centered with a mean horizontal and vertical tilt of 0.5070 ± 0.3319° and 0.4652 ± 0.3465°, respectively, and decentration of 0.1705 ± 0.1334 mm and 0.1712 ± 0.1576 mm, respectively. CONCLUSION: With this technique, capsular bag reopening and secondary in-the-bag IOL implantation could be achieved in most cases with satisfactory visual outcome and IOL position.

Comparison of sutureless intrascleral fixation and sutured scleral fixation for the treatment of dislocated intraocular lenses.

BACKGROUND: To compare the outcomes of sutured transscleral fixation and sutureless intrascleral fixation for the treatment of a dislocated intraocular lens (IOL). METHODS: Thirty-five eyes of 35 patients who required IOL repositioning surgery due to IOL dislocation were included in this retrospective study. Sixteen eyes underwent two-point sutured transscleral fixation, eight eyes underwent one-point sutured transscleral fixation, and 11 eyes underwent sutureless intrascleral IOL fixation. The patients were followed for ≥ 12 months after repositioning surgery, and their postoperative outcomes were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: The major cause of IOL dislocation was ocular blunt trauma (19/35, 54.3%). The mean corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) improved significantly after IOL repositioning (P = 0.022). The mean postoperative change in endothelial cell density (ECD) was - 4.5%. There were no significant differences in the changes in CDVA or ECD among the three groups with different repositioning techniques (both P > 0.1). The mean vertical tilt of the IOLs in all enrolled patients was significantly greater than the horizontal value (P = 0.001). The vertical tilt was greater in the two-point scleral fixation group than that in the sutureless intrascleral fixation group (P = 0.048). The mean decentration values in the one-point scleral fixation group in the horizontal and vertical directions were greater than those in the other two groups (all P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: All three IOL repositioning techniques resulted in favorable ocular prognosis.

Ruan Jian Qing Mai's Formula Promotes Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Migration and Proliferation.

Objective: To investigate the response of (BM-MSCs) to the Ruan Jian Qing Mai formula (RJQM) in the treatment of atherosclerotic occlusion (ASO), and consequently promoting the development of collateral circulation and angiogenesis. Method: 35 male rats were randomly assigned to 6 experimental groups and A control group. 0.9% NaCl solution and 2.7, 5.4, 10.8, 16.2, 21.6, and 27 g × kg-1 × d-1 of RJQM formula were gavaged to the experimental groups twice a day for 8 days. After the last administration, medicated serum was prepared from the blood collected from the abdominal aorta. The human BM-MSCs were divided into an experimental group and a control group. A blank group of cells was added with a complete medium without rat serum; an experimental group of cells was added with the prepared drug-containing serum. Under hypoxic conditions, the drug-containing serum was used to treat BM-MSCs and/or endothelial cells of human umbilical vein (HUVECs). A Cell counting kit (CCK8) was used to detect cell proliferation. Western blot (WB) and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) were used to identify related genes expression. Results: The results of this study showed that the purity of the BM-MSCs was >95%. The drug-containing serum significantly rise in CCND1 expression (encoding cyclin D1) and MYC, especially when the concentration of medicated serum was 10.8 g × kg-1 × d-1. Treatment of either BM-MSCs or HUVECs alone or both with medicated serum aids in the spread of mesenchymal stem cells from the bone marrow to HUVECs. qPCR results showed that the mRNA expression of CCL2, CCL3, CCL25, IL8, IGF1, and PDGFB increased dramatically after treatment with medicated serum. The expression of the corresponding receptors for these up-regulated chemokines was detected in BM-MSCs, and it was found that CXCR1, CXCR4, CXCR7, and PDGFRB were up-regulated. Conclusion: This study provides a preliminary understanding of the mechanism of RJQM in the treatment of ASO.

The Bph45 Gene Confers Resistance against Brown Planthopper in Rice by Reducing the Production of Limonene.

Brown planthopper (BPH), a monophagous phloem feeder, consumes a large amount of photoassimilates in rice and causes wilting. A near-isogenic line 'TNG71-Bph45' was developed from the Oryza sativa japonica variety 'Tainung 71 (TNG71) carrying a dominant BPH-resistance locus derived from Oryza nivara (IRGC 102165) near the centromere of chromosome 4. We compared the NIL (TNG71-Bph45) and the recurrent parent to explore how the Bph45 gene confers BPH resistance. We found that TNG71-Bph45 is less attractive to BPH at least partially because it produces less limonene. Chiral analysis revealed that the major form of limonene in both rice lines was the L-form. However, both L- and D-limonene attracted BPH when applied exogenously to TNG71-Bph45 rice. The transcript amounts of limonene synthase were significantly higher in TNG71 than in TNG71-Bph45 and were induced by BPH infestation only in the former. Introgression of the Bph45 gene into another japonica variety, Tainan 11, also resulted in a low limonene content. Moreover, several dominantly acting BPH resistance genes introduced into the BPH-sensitive IR24 line compromised its limonene-producing ability and concurrently decreased its attractiveness to BPH. These observations suggest that reducing limonene production may be a common resistance strategy against BPH in rice.

A Survey of Deep Learning-Based Multimodal Emotion Recognition: Speech, Text, and Face.

Multimodal emotion recognition (MER) refers to the identification and understanding of human emotional states by combining different signals, including-but not limited to-text, speech, and face cues. MER plays a crucial role in the human-computer interaction (HCI) domain. With the recent progression of deep learning technologies and the increasing availability of multimodal datasets, the MER domain has witnessed considerable development, resulting in numerous significant research breakthroughs. However, a conspicuous absence of thorough and focused reviews on these deep learning-based MER achievements is observed. This survey aims to bridge this gap by providing a comprehensive overview of the recent advancements in MER based on deep learning. For an orderly exposition, this paper first outlines a meticulous analysis of the current multimodal datasets, emphasizing their advantages and constraints. Subsequently, we thoroughly scrutinize diverse methods for multimodal emotional feature extraction, highlighting the merits and demerits of each method. Moreover, we perform an exhaustive analysis of various MER algorithms, with particular focus on the model-agnostic fusion methods (including early fusion, late fusion, and hybrid fusion) and fusion based on intermediate layers of deep models (encompassing simple concatenation fusion, utterance-level interaction fusion, and fine-grained interaction fusion). We assess the strengths and weaknesses of these fusion strategies, providing guidance to researchers to help them select the most suitable techniques for their studies. In summary, this survey aims to provide a thorough and insightful review of the field of deep learning-based MER. It is intended as a valuable guide to aid researchers in furthering the evolution of this dynamic and impactful field.

Conductance Growth of Single-Cluster Junctions with Increasing Sizes.

Quantum-tunneling-based nanoelectronics has the potential for the miniaturization of electronics toward the sub-5 nm scale. However, the nature of phase-coherent quantum tunneling leads to the rapid decays of the electrical conductance with tunneling transport distance, especially in organic molecule-based nanodevices. In this work, we investigated the conductance of the single-cluster junctions of a series of atomically well-defined silver nanoclusters, with varying sizes from 0.9 to 3.0 nm, using the mechanically controllable break junction (MCBJ) technique combined with quantum transport theory. Our charge transport investigations of these single-cluster junctions revealed that the conductance grows with increasing cluster size. The conductance decay constant was determined to be ∼-0.4 nm-1, which is of opposite sign to that of organic molecules. Comparison between experiment and theory reveals that although charge transport through the silver single-cluster junctions occurs via phase-coherent tunneling, this is compensated by a rapid decrease in the energy gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO-LUMO gap) with size and the increase in the electrode-cluster coupling, which results in their conductance increase up to lengths of ∼3.0 nm. These results demonstrate that such families of nanoclusters provide unique bottom-up building blocks for the fabrication of nanodevices in the sub-5 nm size range.

Functional R2R3-MYB transcription factor NsMYB1, regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis, was relative to the fruit color differentiation in Nitraria sibirica Pall.

BACKGROUND: Nitraria sibirica Pall. is an economic plant with two kinds of fruit color, widely spreads in the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. The chemical analysis and pharmacological evaluation had been carried out for several tens of years, the mechanism behind the fruit color differentiation is still unclear. RESULTS: In this manuscript, the chemical analysis of the extractions showed that the chemical composition of fruit color was anthocyanin, and two kind of Nitraria sibirica Pall. were caused by the content differentiation with the same anthocyanin kinds. Cyanidin-3-[2"-(6'"-coumaroyl)-glucosyl]-glucoside (C3G) was the major anthocyanin. Transcriptome analysis and the qRT-PCR revealed that the structural genes relative to anthocyanin biosynthesis except CHS, F3'5'H and ANS were up-regulated in the peels of BF (Black fruit) compared with the peels of RF (Red fruit), which indicated that transcript factor should be the reason for the expression difference of the structure genes. In the unigenes of the transcript factor MYB and bHLH, relative to anthocyanin, only NsMYB1 (Cluster 8422.10600), was high-expression and up-expression in the peels of BF. NsMYB1 encoded the same length protein with four amino acid differences in the RF and BF, and both contained the intact DNA, HTH-MYB and SANT domains. NsMYB1 was close to the AtMYB114, AtMYB113 and AtPAP1, regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis, in phylogenetic relationship. Both NsMYB1r and NsMYB1b could promote the transcript of the structural genes, and induced the anthocyanin accumulation in all tissues of transgenic tobacco. The insertion of 'TATA' in the promoter of NsMYB1r gave one more promoter region, and was the reason for higher transcripts in black fruit possibly. CONCLUSIONS: Cyanidin-3-[2''-(6'"-coumaroyl)-glucosyl]-glucoside was the major anthocyanin in black fruit of Nitraria sibirica Pall.. NsMYB1 was a functional R2R3-MYB transcription factor, regulated the anthocyanin biosynthesis, and led to the fruit color differentiation in Nitraria sibirica Pall.

Novel Hina alleles created by genome editing increase grain hardness and reduce grain width in barley.

The hordoindolina genes (Hina and Hinb) are believed to play critical roles in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) grain texture. In this study, we created novel alleles of the Hina gene using CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered regularly inter spaced short palindromic repeat-associated protein, CRISPR-Cas) genome editing. Mutagenesis of single bases in these novel alleles led to loss of Hina protein function in edited lines. The grain hardness index of hina mutants was 95.5 on average, while that of the wild type was only 53.7, indicating successful conversion of soft barley into hard barley. Observation of cross-sectional grain structure using scanning electron microscopy revealed different adhesion levels between starch granules and protein matrix. Starch granules were loose and separated from the protein matrix in the wild type, but deeply trapped and tightly integrated with the protein matrix in hina02 mutants. In addition, the grain width and thousand-grain weight of the hina02 mutant were significantly lower than those of the wild type.

Clinical features of patients with septic shock-triggered Takotsubo syndrome: a single-center 7 case series.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial dysfunction is common in septic shock and has long been recognized. Takotsubo syndrome is an acute and usually reversible myocardial injury without evidence of an obstructive coronary artery disease, yet little is known about this syndrome in septic shock patients. CASE PRESENTATION: Among 84 septic shock patients admitted to the ICU over a period of 8 months, 7 patients (8.3%) were diagnosed with Takotsubo syndrome. The percentage of men was 71%, and the mean age was 58 (19-87) years. Sudden hemodynamic deterioration and/or dyspnea were the presenting symptoms in 6 patients. T-wave inversion was the major ECG anomaly in 5 patients. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 31.8% (20.0-53.0). Mild elevation of cardiac troponin disproportionate to the extent of regional wall motion abnormalities was present in all patients. Cardiac complications occurred in 6 patients. The mean time to recover the cardiac function was 6.5 (3-11) days. In-hospital death was observed in 2 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Takotsubo syndrome is not uncommon in septic shock patients and may be the cause of some patients with sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction. New-onset hemodynamic and respiratory worsening could arouse the suspicion of Takotsubo syndrome and prompt the screening for this syndrome using echocardiography in this clinical context.