Optimized seeding rate and nitrogen topdressing ratio for simultaneous improvement of grain yield and bread-making quality in bread wheat sown on different dates.

BACKGROUND: Sowing date, seeding rate, and nitrogen (N) topdressing ratio have strong effects on grain yield (GY) and bread-making quality (BQ) in bread wheat. Simultaneous improvement in GY and BQ in bread wheat has long been a challenge due to the inverse relationship between GY and grain protein concentration (GPC). In this study, we investigated whether the GY and BQ of bread wheat sown on different dates could be improved simultaneously by optimizing the seeding rate and the N topdressing ratio. RESULTS: Delaying sowing beyond a certain period led to decreases in both GY and BQ. Optimizing the seeding rate and N topdressing ratio enhanced the N uptake during pre- and post-anthesis, as well as N remobilization during grain filling for all wheat plants sown on different dates, thereby increasing the GPC and the total N per grain (Ntot ). Consequently, grain protein composition was improved, resulting in an increased glutenin/gliadin ratio, sodium dodecyl sulfate-insoluble glutenin/total glutenin (i.e., glutenin polymerization index), and high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit/ low-molecular-weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS/LMW-GS) ratio. Increased GPC and improved grain protein composition enhanced BQ. CONCLUSION: The mechanism underlying simultaneous improvement in GY and GPC as well as Ntot was the greater increase in N accumulation in grains per unit area relative to increases in GY, or total grain number per unit area. The GY and BQ can be improved simultaneously regardless of sowing date by optimizing the seeding rate and N topdressing ratio via enhanced N uptake and N remobilization into grains. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Circular RNA circFGD4 suppresses gastric cancer progression via modulating miR-532-3p/APC/ß-catenin signalling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Mounting evidence has displayed critical roles of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in multiple cancers. The underlying mechanisms by which circFGD4 contributed to gastric cancer (GC) are still unclear. METHODS: The levels and clinical values of circFGD4 in GC patients were detected and analysed by quantitative real-time PCR. The biological roles of circFGD4 in GC were assessed in vitro and in vivo experiments. Dual-luciferase reporter, fluorescence in situ hybridization, RNA immunoprecipitation, biotin-coupled RNA pull-down, and TOP/Flash and FOP/Flash reporter gene assays were employed to evaluate the effects of circFGD4 on miR-532-3p-mediated adenomatous polyposis coli (APC)/ß-catenin signalling in GC cells. RESULTS: circFGD4 expression was down-regulated the most in human GC tissues and cell lines. Low expression of circFGD4 was correlated with poor tumour differentiation, lymphatic metastasis, and poor prognosis of GC patients. circFGD4 suppressed GC cell viability, colony formation, migration, induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and tumorigenesis and metastasis in vivo. Next, we validated that circFGD4 acted as a sponge of miR-532-3p to relieve the tumour-promoting effects of miR-532-3p on its target APC. The mechanistic analysis demonstrated that the circFGD4 suppressed GC cell viability, migration, and EMT by modulating the miR-532-3p/APC axis to inactivate the ß-catenin signalling. CONCLUSION: circFGD4 suppressed GC progression through sponging miR-532-3p and enhancing APC expression to inactivate the ß-catenin signalling. Thus circFGD4 provides a novel potential biomarker and valuable therapeutic strategy for GC.

Feasibility of bile duct as venous graft for venous reconstruction in pancreatic surgery: An animal experimental study.

OBJECTIVE: Pancreatic cancer is a kind of high malignant tumor with a poor prognosis. The aim is to determine whether the dilated bile duct can be used to reconstruct the vessels. METHODS: An animal model of jugular vein and portal vein reconstruction was established using the bile duct. A total of 20 landrace pigs were selected to undergo jugular vein reconstruction or portal vein reconstruction using the bile duct as a patch or bridge. The patency was evaluated by color Doppler, the reconstructed segments were removed and examined macroscopically and histologically at specified intervals, and the results were compared with synthetic vessels (IMPRA straight, 10s03-19). RESULTS: The lumen was patent, although a low level thrombosis was observed when jugular or portal vein patching was used. For bridging, stenosis of the lumen was observed, and necrosis appeared when the bile duct was used for bridging, indicating that it is feasible to reconstruct the jugular vein and portal vein with a bile duct patch. However, the bridge was not feasible possibly due to loss of blood supply, and consequent necrosis and fibrosis. CONCLUSION: The bile duct is technically feasible, but the outcomes are unsatisfactory.

Short- and long-term outcomes of transanal versus laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for mid-to-low rectal cancer: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) is positioned at the cutting edge of minimally invasive approach to mid- and low rectal cancer. This meta-analysis was to compare the short- and long-term outcomes of TaTME versus laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (LTME) and to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and possible superiority of TaTME. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs (NRCTs) comparing TaTME with LTME. Inter-group differences were evaluated via standardized mean differences and relative risks (RRs). All outcomes were analyzed using fixed effects or random effects models according to the heterogeneity. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata/SE 12.0 software. RESULTS: Eleven studies (1 RCT and 10 NRCTs) with involving 757 patients were included. Among which, 361 patients underwent TaTME and 396 patients underwent LTME. Comparing the surgical and oncological quality of resection of TaTME with that of LTME, reports of TaTME indicated favorable outcomes considering mesorectal resection quality, circumferential resection margin involvement, intraoperative blood loss, conversions, and postoperative complications, while the differences between the two groups had no statistical significance in terms of distal resection margin, harvested lymph node, operation time, hospital stay, recurrence, 2-year overall survival (OS), and 2-year disease-free survival. CONCLUSION: TaTME is a promising surgical technique and is fully a safe, efficacious, and diffusible alternative to LTME in managing mid- and distal rectal cancer. Larger scale, national, multicentric RCTs are warranted to further verify these results and the possible superiority of TaTME.

PRSS1 and SPINK1 Mutations in Alcoholic and Idiopathic Chronic Pancreatitis.

Several recent studies have reported associations between gene mutations and chronic pancreatitis (CP); however, little is known about their association with risk of CP in the Chinese Han population. The aim of this study was to describe mutations in the cationic trypsinogen (PRSS1) and serine protease inhibitor Kazal type 1 (SPINK1) genes in patients with alcoholic chronic pancreatitis (ACP) and idiopathic chronic pancreatitis (ICP) and to investigate their influence on the clinical course of the disease. One hundred patients (24 with ACP, 76 with ICP) and 100 healthy volunteers (control group) were enrolled in the study. PRSS1 (R122H) mutations were detected in one (1.3%) patient with ICP and SPINK1 (N34S) mutations were present in one (4.1%) patient with ACP. PRSS1 and SPINK1 mutations were not detected in the control populations. There were no statistically significant differences between the CP patients and the control group. Those preliminary data suggest low prevalence of SPINK1 and PRSS1 mutations in the Chinese population, generally, as well as in CP patients, indicating that these mutations do not contribute to the development of CP.

Comparison of patency rates and clinical impact of different reconstruction methods following portal/superior mesenteric vein resection during pancreatectomy.

INTRODUCTION: Few studies have compared patency rates of the different methods of venous reconstruction (VR) during a pancreatectomy. This study aimed to evaluate the patency rates and the clinical impact of various reconstruction methods. METHODS: For the meta-analysis, databases were systematically searched to identify studies reporting the outcomes of patients who underwent PVR/SMVR. For the retrospective study, clinical data were retrospectively analyzed from patients who underwent a pancreatectomy and VR between Feb. 2009 and Oct. 2015. Patency was assessed by CT and/or ultrasound. RESULTS: For the meta-analysis, the long-term patency rates of the primary repair group and the autologous graft group were significantly higher than that of the synthetic graft group. For the retrospective study, the reconstruction consisted of primary repair in 62 cases (89.8%) and synthetic grafting in 7 cases (10.1%). Synthetic grafting was more likely to cause acute thrombosis compared with primary repair for PVR/SMVR (85.7% versus 16.7%). Acute thrombosis was associated with decreased median survival (12 versus 6 months) and increased hazard of death. Late thrombosis and stenosis were not associated with survival or serious clinical impact. Median survival for the primary repair group and the synthetic grafting group was 12 and 7 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: Primary repair following PVR/SMVR is preferred and can be achieved in most situations. Stenosis should be noted when with risk factors (long segmental and tension), but it produced little clinical impact. Synthetic grafting was associated with a higher thrombosis rate. Acute thrombosis is associated with increased mortality and decreased survival.

Spatio-temporal comprehensive measurement of China's agricultural green development level and associated influencing factors.

Green development is an inevitable trend in the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, and promoting the green development of agriculture has always been an important measure for China's sustainable growth. However, due to the influence of diverse regional environments and the wide range of landscapes in China, a largely agricultural country, China is facing ongoing challenges in improving the overall level of agricultural green development and narrowing regional differences, which has recently garnered worldwide attention. This study aims to measure and analyze the agricultural green development level of 30 provinces in China (Tibet, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan are not included in the target areas of this research due to a lack of data). Here, we applied GIS technology, an entropy-TOPSIS (technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution) model, quantitative analysis methods such as global spatial autocorrelation analysis, coldspot and hotspot analysis, and a spatial Durbin model to construct measurement models and index systems, after which we performed a comprehensive spatiotemporal analysis of China's agricultural green development level. Furthermore, the present study also analyzed the factors that influence agricultural green development in China. The present study demonstrated that: (i) between 2005 and 2020, China's overall level of agricultural green development exhibited a fluctuating upward trend, with significant improvement and enhancement in most provinces. However, the overall level of China's agricultural green development remains low, and differences at the provincial level are particularly prominent, with the main regions displaying the following descending development pattern: Eastern > Central > Western regions. (ii) The level of China's agricultural green development shows clear signs of spatial aggregation, characterized by spatial dependence and heterogeneity. Although this phenomenon is gradually weakening over time, the high levels of agricultural green development in the eastern regions and low levels in the western regions are likely to persist in the near future. (iii) Green agricultural structure, technology supply, agricultural mechanization level, and arable land area are the key factors influencing China's level of agricultural green development. Among these factors, technology supply, agricultural mechanization level, and arable land area have the largest direct impact, whereas green agricultural structure has a positive spatial spillover effect on the level of agricultural green development. Technology supply has both a positive direct impact and a negative indirect impact on the level of agricultural green development. Therefore, further improving technology supply and agricultural mechanization level can directly promote China's agricultural green development.

Optimizing sowing patterns in winter wheat can reduce N2O emissions and improve grain yield and NUE by enhancing N uptake.

Increasing nitrogen (N) input is essential to satisfy the rising global wheat demand, but this increases nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, thereby exacerbating global climate change. Higher yields accompanied by reduced N2O emissions are essential to synergistically reduce greenhouse warming and ensure global food security. In this study, we conducted a trial using two sowing patterns (conventional drilling sowing [CD] and wide belt sowing [WB], with seedling belt widths of 2-3 and 8-10 cm, respectively) with four N rates (0, 168, 240, and 312 kg ha-1, hereafter N0, N168, N240, and N312, respectively) during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 growing seasons. We investigated the impacts of growing season, sowing pattern, and N rate on N2O emissions, N2O emissions factors (EFs), global warming potential (GWP), yield-scaled N2O emissions, grain yield, N use efficiency (NUE), plant N uptake and soil inorganic N concentrations at jointing, anthesis, and maturity. The results showed that sowing pattern and N rate interactions influenced the N2O emissions markedly. Compared to CD, WB significantly reduced cumulative N2O emissions, N2O EFs, GWP, and yield-scaled N2O emissions for N168, N240, and N312, with the largest reduction seen at N312. Furthermore, WB markedly improved plant N uptake and reduced soil inorganic N compared to CD at each N rate. Correlation analyses indicated that WB mitigated the N2O emissions at various N rates mainly through efficient N uptake and reduced soil inorganic N. The highest grain yield occurred under a combination of WB and N312, under which the yield-scaled N2O emissions were equal to the local management (sowing with CD at N240). In conclusion, WB sowing could synergistically decrease N2O emissions and obtain high grain yields and NUEs, especially at higher N rates.

Optimized management strategy increased grain yield, promoted nitrogen balance, and improved water productivity in winter wheat.

The increasing costs of agricultural production and environmental concerns reinforce the need to reduce resource inputs. Improvements in nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE) and water productivity (WP) are critical for sustainable agriculture. We aimed to optimize management strategy to increase wheat grain yield, promote N balance, and improve NUE and WP. A 3-year experiment was conducted with four integrated treatments: conventional practice treatment (CP); improvement of conventional practice treatment (ICP); high-yield management treatment (HY), which aimed for maximizing grain yield regardless of resource inputs cost; and integrated soil and crop system management treatment (ISM), which aimed for testing an optimal combination of sowing date, seeding rate, and fertilization and irrigation management. The average grain yield for ISM was 95.86% of that for HY and was 5.99% and 21.72% higher than that for ICP and CP, respectively. ISM promoted N balance as relatively higher aboveground N uptake, lower inorganic N residue, and lowest inorganic N loss. The average NUE for ISM was 4.15% lower than that for ICP and was remarkably higher than that for HY and CP by 26.36% and 52.37%, respectively. The increased soil water consumption under ISM was mainly due to its increased root length density. Along with a high level of grain yield, ISM obtained a relatively adequate water supply due to the effective use of soil water storage, thereby increasing the average WP by 3.63%-38.10% in comparison with other integrated management treatments. These results demonstrated that optimized management strategy (appropriately delaying sowing date, increasing seeding rate, and optimizing fertilization and irrigation management) used under ISM could promote N balance and improve WP while increasing grain yield and NUE in winter wheat. Therefore, ISM can be considered a recommendable management strategy in the target region.

Effects of the timing of epibrassinolide spraying on yield and nitrogen use efficiency of wide-belt sowing wheat.

In this study, we investigated the effects of epibrassinolide spraying at different growth stages on grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and uptake efficiency (UPE) of wide-belt sowing wheat. The results showed that epibrassinolide spraying enhanced wheat grain yield by increasing the number of kernels per spike and (or) 1000-kernel weight, and improved NUE by promoting aboveground nitrogen accumulation and improving UPE. However, the magnitudes of such enhancements in yield and NUE differed among spraying times. Spraying epibrassinolide at the erecting and filling stages, jointing and filling stages, erecting, jointing, and filling stages, as well as erecting, flowering, and filling stages, produced the greatest increase in the number of kernels per spike and 1000-kernel weight, which led to substantial yield increases (12.8%-14.0%), and the greatest increase in aboveground nitrogen accumulation, which improved UPE by 16.4%-18.8%, and resulted in a significant improvement in NUE. Therefore, spraying epibrassinolide at the erecting and filling stage or jointing and filling stages could achieve high yield and NUE in wide-belt sowing wheat.

Chain Terminators and Glutathione Weaken Wheat Dough under Excess Nitrogen Input.

An excessive nitrogen (N) supply may weaken dough due to an imbalance between N and sulfur (S) in the grains. However, the mechanism underlying the weakening effect of excessive N supply has yet to be fully elucidated. In this study, we evaluated the effect of the N rate × S rate interaction on the ratio of N to S (N/S ratio), grain protein concentration, amount and composition of protein fractions, and dough properties of a bread wheat cultivar. The concentrations of glutathione and modified gliadins with an odd number of cysteine residues (potential chain terminators for glutenins) were also examined. The results revealed that the weakening effect of excess N input is closely associated with an increased gliadin/glutenin ratio, reduced low-molecular-weight glutenin subunit concentrations, and the degree of polymerization of glutenin. More importantly, we found that the increased concentrations of glutathione and chain terminators in grains are involved in the modification of the polymerization degree in glutenins.

Physiological and Proteomic Analyses Indicate Delayed Sowing Improves Photosynthetic Capacity in Wheat Flag Leaves Under Heat Stress.

Background and Aims: Climate warming has become an indisputable fact, and wheat is among the most heat-sensitive cereal crops. Heat stress during grain filling threatens global wheat production and food security. Here, we analyzed the physiological and proteomic changes by delayed sowing on the photosynthetic capacity of winter wheat leaves under heat stress. Our aim is to provide a new cultivation way for the heat stress resistance in wheat. Methods: Through 2 years field experiment and an open warming simulation system, we compared the changes in wheat grain weight, yield, photosynthetic rate, and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters under heat stress at late grain-filling stage during normal sowing and delayed sowing. At the same time, based on the iTRAQ proteomics, we compared the changes of differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) during the two sowing periods under high temperature stress. Key Results: In our study, compared with normal sowing, delayed sowing resulted in a significantly higher photosynthetic rate during the grain-filling stage under heat stress, as well as significantly increased grain weight and yield at maturity. The chlorophyll a fluorescence transient (OJIP) analysis showed that delayed sowing significantly reduced the J-step and I-step. Moreover, OJIP parameters, including RC/CSm, TRo/CSm, ETo/CSm, DIo/CSm and ΦPo, ψo, ΦEo, were significantly increased; DIo/CSm and ΦDo, were significantly reduced. GO biological process and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses showed that, among DEPs, proteins involved in photosynthetic electron transport were significantly increased and among photosynthetic metabolic pathways, we have observed upregulated proteins, such as PsbH, PsbR, and PetB. Conclusion: Physiological and proteomic analyses indicate delaying the sowing date of winter wheat reduced heat dissipation by enhancing the scavenging capacity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in flag leaves, and ensuring energy transmission along the photosynthetic electron transport chain; this increased the distribution ratio of available energy in photochemical reactions and maintained a high photosynthetic system assimilation capacity, which supported a high photosynthetic rate. Hence, delayed sowing may represent a new cultivation strategy for promoting heat stress tolerance in winter wheat.

A Novel Prognostic Chemokine-Related lncRNAs Signature Associated with Immune Landscape in Colon Adenocarcinoma.

Chemokines have been reported to be involved in tumorigenesis and progression and can also modulate the tumor microenvironment. However, it is still unclear whether chemokine-related long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can affect the prognosis of colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). We summarized chemokine-related genes and downloaded RNA-seq and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. A total of 52 prognostic chemokine-related lncRNAs were screened by univariate Cox regression analysis; patients were grouped according to cluster analysis results. Lasso regression analysis was applied to determine chemokine-related lncRNAs to construct a risk model for further research. This study first investigated the differences between the prognosis and immune status of two chemokine-related lncRNAs clusters by consensus clustering. Then, using various algorithms, we obtained ten chemokine-related lncRNAs to construct a new prognostic chemokine-related lncRNAs risk model. The risk model's predictive efficiency, validity, and accuracy were further validated and determined in the test and training cohorts. Furthermore, this risk model played a vital role in predicting immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint gene expression, tumor mutational burden (TMB), immunotherapy score, and drug sensitivity in COAD patients. These findings elucidated the critical role of novel prognostic chemokine-related lncRNAs in prognosis, immune landscape, and drug therapy, thereby providing valuable insights for prognosis assessment and personalized treatment strategies for COAD patients.

Wide belt sowing improves the grain yield of bread wheat by maintaining grain weight at the backdrop of increases in spike number.

Increasing the seeding belt width from 2 to 3 cm (conventional drilling sowing, CD) to 8-10 cm (wide belt sowing, WB) can markedly improve the grain yield of bread wheat. However, there are insufficient data to explain how WB affects dry matter (DM) remobilization, pre- and post-anthesis production, and ultimately grain weight and grain yield. In the present study, four bread wheat cultivars (Jimai44, Taishan27, Gaoyou5766, and Zhouyuan9369) with similar phenology characteristic were selected as experimental materials and two sowing patterns (CD and WB) were applied during the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 growing seasons, to investigate the effects of sowing pattern on grain yield and its components of bread wheat. The results showed that WB increased the post-anthesis rate of canopy apparent photosynthesis (CAP) in comparison with CD, by 19.73-133.68%, across the two seasons and four bread wheat cultivars. Furthermore, WB significantly increased the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase, and decreased the malondialdehyde content of the flag and penultimate leaf, thereby extending the duration of the high-value CAP period by 1.95-2.51 days. The improved rate and duration of CAP in WB led to an increase in post-anthesis DM production of 13.33-23.58%, thus ensuring DM distribution to the grain of each bread wheat cultivar. Consequently, in WB, the grain weight was maintained, the grain yield was increased markedly by 9.65-15.80%, at the backdrop of increases in spike number and in turn grain number per unit area. In summary, WB could be applied widely to obtain a high yield of bread wheat.

Upregulation of ZHX2 predicts poor prognosis and is correlated with immune infiltration in gastric cancer.

The transcriptional repressor zinc finger homeobox 2 (ZHX2) is reported to regulate tumor progression in several human cancers, although little is known about its role in gastric cancer (GC). In the present study, we investigated the expression of ZHX2 and its relationship with the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of GC patients, and we also examined the effect of ZHX2 overexpression in GC cell lines. We used UALCAN (http://ualcan.path.uab.edu) and the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (http://cistrome.org/TIMER) to examine ZHX2 mRNA expression, and also used Kaplan-Meier Plotter (https://kmplot.com) to determine whether ZHX2 expression was related to GC prognosis. Expression of ZHX2 protein was detected using immunohistochemical staining assays. Cell proliferation was evaluated using a cell counting kit-8 and colony formation assays, whereas apoptosis was examined by flow cytometry. Wound healing and transwell assays were used to detect cell migration and invasion. We also performed Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (https://www.gsea-msigdb.org) and used The Cancer Genome Atlas database (https://www.genome.gov/Funded-Programs-Projects/Cancer-Genome-Atlas) to examine the correlation of ZHX2 with immune infiltration. We report that ZHX2 is highly expressed in GC tissues and is significantly associated with clinical characteristics. Upregulation of ZHX2 predicted poor prognosis in GC. Furthermore, ZHX2 overexpression can promote the proliferation, invasion and migration, but inhibit apoptosis, of GC cells. High expression of ZHX2 in GC is correlated with the presence of infiltrating immune cells, including B cells, CD4+ T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells. Our data suggest that high expression of ZHX2 in GC predicts poor prognosis. In addition, ZHX2 may promote malignant behaviors of GC cells, and immune infiltration might be related to the oncogenic role of ZHX2 in GC.

Coated, Stabilized Enhanced-Efficiency Nitrogen Fertilizers: Preparation and Effects on Maize Growth and Nitrogen Utilization.

Coated, slow/controlled release, or stabilized enhanced-efficiency nitrogen fertilizers (EENFs) are effective in improving nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUE) and crop yield. Better performance is expected from coated, stabilized EENFs where urease and nitrification inhibitors are treated in coated fertilizers. Firstly, five coated EENFs with different mass proportions of nature rubber (NR) in coating were prepared: CU0, CU1, CU2, CU3, CU4, and CU5 (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% of NR in coating). The controlled release performance of CU was tested by hydrostatic release test and the microstructure of controlled release urea, so as to screen the optimal addition ratio of NR (ER: NR = 7:3, CU3). Secondly, two coated, stabilized EENFs, CSU1 and CSU2, were prepared with natural rubber-modified epoxy resin (ER: NR = 7:3) as coating material. Seven treatments of different N fertilization were set up: CK (no N fertilization), urea, CU3, SU1, and SU2 (urease and nitrification inhibitors-treated urea fertilizers), CSU1 and CSU2 (urease and nitrification inhibitors-treated natural rubber-modified epoxy resin-coated urea fertilizers). Ammonia volatilization experiment and column leaching experiment showed that compared with conventional urea, NH3 volatilization loss was reduced by 20% and inorganic N leaching loss was reduced by 26% from CSU2, respectively. In the pot experiment, maize grain yield of 162.92 and 206.96 g/pot was achieved by CSU1 and CSU2, respectively, 41 and 79%, respectively, higher than that achieved by conventional urea. SUs treatments were more effective than conventional urea treatment in improving maize grain yield and NUE, but lower than in CSUs. The NUE, nitrogen fertilizer apparent utilization efficiency, partial factor productivity of applied N, and nitrogen utilization efficiency were 46, 30, 46, and 32%, respectively, higher in CSU1 and 58, 62, 58, and 29%, respectively, higher in CSU2 than in the conventional urea treatment. Compared with CSU1, CSU2 had better agronomic effectiveness with a higher NUE. It is recommended that urease and nitrification inhibitors be sandwiched between urea prill and the coating for preparation of novel, environmentally friendly coated, stabilized EENFs with high agronomic effectiveness, high NUE, and low N loss.

[Interactive effects of irrigation regime and planting density on grain yield and water use efficiency in winter wheat]. / 灌水量与密度互作对冬小麦籽粒产量和水分利用效率的影响.

To get an optimal irrigation regime and planting density for simultaneous improvement of grain yield (GY) and water use efficiency (WUE) in winter wheat, we examined the responses of 'Tainong 18' (with bigger ears) and 'Shannong 22' (with medium-sized ears) under four irrigation regimes, including 0, 45, 60, and 75 mm. Those two cultivars were planted at four densities: Tainong 18 at 135×104, 270×104, 405×104, and 540×104 plants·hm-2 and Shannong 22 at 90×104, 180×104, 270×104, and 360×104 plants·hm-2. The interactive effects of irrigation regimes and plant densities on GY, water consumption characteristics, and WUE were investigated. The results showed that GY, evapotranspiration, soil water consumption, and WUE were significantly affected by irrigation regime, plant density, and their interaction. The optimal irrigation regime was 45 mm for both cultivars, while the optimal plant density was 405×104 plants·hm-2 for Tainong 18 and 270×104 plants·hm-2 for Shannong 22, as indicated by the highest GY, the lowest ratio of soil evaporation to evapotranspiration after jointing, and higher WUE and the ratio of soil water consumption below 1 m to total soil water consumption. The rational combination of plant density and irrigation could reduce unnecessary water consumption and improve WUE.

Circular RNA circREPS2 Acts as a Sponge of miR-558 to Suppress Gastric Cancer Progression by Regulating RUNX3/ß-catenin Signaling.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play an essential regulatory role in multiple cancers. However, the role of a large number of circRNAs in gastric cancer (GC) is still unknown. Here, hsa_circ_0139996 (circREPS2), a novel circRNA that was significantly downregulated in GC, was selected for further investigation. circREPS2 was validated and analyzed by DNA sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR. The roles of circREPS2 in GC cells were verified by gain- and loss-of-function experiments. Bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter, RNA pull-down, and RNA immunoprecipitation assays were performed to evaluate the functional mechanism of circREPS2 on microRNA-558 (miR-558)/RUNX3/ß-catenin axis in GC cells. In the present study, we found that circREPS2 was downregulated in GC tissues and cell lines. Low expression of circREPS2 was associated with a higher tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, poor tumor differentiation, and larger tumor size in GC patients. Functionally, circREPS2 significantly inhibited GC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) in vitro and tumorigenesis in vivo. Furthermore, our data demonstrated that circREPS2 acted as a miR-558 sponge and upregulated RUNX3 expression to inactivate ß-catenin signaling in GC cells. In conclusion, circREPS2 suppresses the progression of GC via miR-558/RUNX3/ß-catenin signaling and is a novel promising biomarker and target for GC treatment.

Circ-OXCT1 Suppresses Gastric Cancer EMT and Metastasis by Attenuating TGF-ß Pathway Through the Circ-OXCT1/miR-136/SMAD4 Axis.

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been proven to play important roles in tumorigenesis. However, the mechanism by which circRNAs act on gastric cancer (GC) through epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is unclear. In this study, we identified circ-OXCT1 and elucidated its function on EMT in GC. METHODS: Tissue circRNA microarray analysis and qRT-PCR were utilized to determine the expression level of circ-OXCT1 in GC. Luciferase reporter assay and FISH were employed to confirm the interaction between circ-OXCT1 and miR-136. CCK-8, cloning formation, transwell, wound healing, nude mice experiment, circ-OXCT1 overexpression and silencing were conducted to elucidate the function of circ-OXCT1 in vivo and in vitro. Western blot and rescue experiment were carried out to evaluate the changes of EMT-related proteins induced by circ-OXCT1 overexpression or silencing. RESULTS: Circ-OXCT1 was downregulated in GC tissues and cell lines. Its expression level was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis, pathologic stage and overall survival rate through clinicopathologic data analysis. Circ-OXCT1 silencing downregulated SMAD4 expression and accordingly regulated expression of E-cadherin, N-cadherin and vimentin through the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß)/Smad signaling pathway by a circ-OXCT1/miR-136/SMAD4 axis, resulting in enhancement of EMT and subsequent boost of cell migration, invasion and nude mice lung metastasis. CONCLUSION: Our data showed that circ-OXCT1 suppresses gastric cancer EMT and metastasis through TGF-ß/Smad signaling pathway. The clinicopathologic data analysis revealed that circ-OXCT1 overexpression could be a novel treatment for advanced GC especially with distant metastasis by targeting the circ-OXCT1/miR-136/SMAD4 axis.

Identification of the Prognostic Value of Immune-Related Genes in Esophageal Cancer.

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a serious malignant tumor, both in terms of mortality and prognosis, and immune-related genes (IRGs) are key contributors to its development. In recent years, immunotherapy for tumors has been widely studied, but a practical prognostic model based on immune-related genes (IRGs) in EC has not been established and reported. This study aimed to develop an immunogenomic risk score for predicting survival outcomes among EC patients. In this study, we downloaded the transcriptome profiling data and matched clinical data of EC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and found 4,094 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between EC and normal esophageal tissue (p < 0.05 and fold change >2). Then, the intersection of DEGs and the immune genes in the "ImmPort" database resulted in 303 differentially expressed immune-related genes (DEIRGs). Next, through univariate Cox regression analysis of DEIRGs, we obtained 17 immune genes related to prognosis. We detected nine optimal survival-associated IRGs (HSPA6, CACYBP, DKK1, EGF, FGF19, GAST, OSM, ANGPTL3, NR2F2) by using Lasso regression and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Finally, we used those survival-associated IRGs to construct a risk model to predict the prognosis of EC patients. This model could accurately predict overall survival in EC and could be used as a classifier for the evaluation of low-risk and high-risk groups. In conclusion, we identified a practical and robust nine-gene prognostic model based on immune gene dataset. These genes may provide valuable biomarkers and prognostic predictors for EC patients and could be further studied to help understand the mechanism of EC occurrence and development.